For Ning Fan's current intimate actions, Xu Ruolan was not as resistant as before. Previously, she had disliked him because she didn't understand him, but now she half-accepted them, though not readily letting Ning Fan succeed.
A trace of rebuke flashed in Xu Ruolan's eyes, her expression somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, as she stretched out her hand and pushed Ning Fan away.
"Can't you be serious for once?"
"Do I not look serious?"
Ning Fan teased, but he knew when to stop and did not continue to flirt.
"You should change your flirty nature."
Xu Ruolan did not want to fall into the endless loop of whether it was true or not with Ning Fan, so she changed the topic with a stern face, throwing out a reminder.
"From now on, I'll reserve my flirtatious comments for certain people only."
Ning Fan's eyes shifted as he spoke these words.
Originally, Ning Fan just wanted to use the opportunity to see more of Xu Ruolan's cute expressions, but he didn't expect that this beautiful CEO of his would be very sensitive. Upon hearing the word "certain," her gaze intensified, and her imposing presence returned.
"Who does 'certain' refer to?"
It sounded as if she wasn't the only one, and Xu Ruolan's eyes turned suspicious.
"Uh..." Ning Fan's breath hitched, and he hadn't expected to slip up. His mind raced, trying to think of a way to steer the conversation.
However, Xu Ruolan's gaze was as sharp as a sword, piercingly strong, fixing Ning Fan in place and not giving him the chance to divert it.
Ning Fan's expression gave him away too quickly; otherwise, Xu Ruolan might not have become more suspicious. Now, Ning Fan looked guilty, and Xu Ruolan intended to get to the bottom of it.
"Certain means certain!"
Ning Fan provided an unclear explanation, which could hardly be considered an explanation. Who the "certain" people were, only Ning Fan knew in his heart.
Xu Ruolan scrutinized Ning Fan, making him somewhat uneasy.
Ning Fan, who had survived the Asura battlefield, was experiencing for the first time how intense a woman's gaze could be. Or maybe every woman has the potential to turn into a fierce tiger?
Although confident in taming a fierce tiger, Ning Fan didn't hope for Xu Ruolan to evolve in that direction.
"Are you... jealous?"
"Who would be jealous of you!"
Xu Ruolan coldly replied, a mysterious flash passing quickly through her eyes, hard to catch.
"You look cute when you're jealous."
Seizing the opportunity, Ning Fan began to counterattack, slowly regaining the upper hand.
Gradually, the topic started to drift again, and before they knew it, the conversation had shifted elsewhere.
Eventually, the discussion even turned to the Zarfi Group. Xu Ruolan kept asking Ning Fan what exactly his relationship with the chairman of the Zarfi Group was, and then there was the matter of the title "Asura."
This time, Ning Fan did not resort to evasive answers; instead, he shared everything he could with Xu Ruolan. As for some secrets and the dangerous things he had experienced on the battlefield, he didn't go into details in order not to worry Xu Ruolan, simply mentioning that he had been on quite a few battlefields.
"Those wounds must be from that time," Xu Ruolan said with a flash of distress in her eyes. The scars on Ning Fan's body were just too numerous; a few more, and it would be hard to find an unmarred spot.
Imagining what kind of battles would leave such terrifying, indelible scars, Xu Ruolan didn't dare to imagine. That was something unthinkable in a peaceful country.
It must be said, Huaxia is truly a peaceful place, unlike certain regions that exist in the gaps between major powers, struggling to survive amidst the games played by these powers.
"It's okay, as long as I'm still alive, it's good," Ning Fan said. "The Middle East is like that; today it's this militia fighting against another, and tomorrow it's someone else standing up under some grand-sounding banner. Compared to home, calling it Hell is not an exaggeration."
In previous years, to establish the Phantom Guild, Asura's presence roamed across various battlefields, and in every battle where he stood till the end, it was always him. After many battles, the name Asura became increasingly well-known and gradually turned into a nightmare for many.
Ning Fan had no regrets about taking that path. On that path, it was only at the brink of death that one might speak of regrets, but more often, it was about desperately trying to survive.
"I want to learn martial arts from you."
Suddenly, Xu Ruolan bit her lip and her expression solidified as if she had made up her mind and said something that stunned Ning Fan.
"Learn martial arts?" Ning Fan didn't react immediately, staring blankly at Xu Ruolan.
Noticing the surprise in Ning Fan's eyes, Xu Ruolan explained, "I don't want to be your burden anymore."
Ning Fan's enemies had gone to great lengths to deal with him, and the number of times Xu Ruolan had been kidnapped was already quite astonishing.
Every time she was captured by the enemy to threaten Ning Fan, every time she had to watch helplessly as Ning Fan got seriously injured right in front of her. Xu Ruolan hated being that person.
Even though she wanted to share some of Ning Fan's burdens, she ended up being a burden herself, becoming the best hostage for the enemy to control Ning Fan. If it had only happened once or twice, it might have been bearable, but because it wasn't, Xu Ruolan had the idea of learning martial arts from Ning Fan.
She didn't want to be a burden to Ning Fan and even wanted to help him a bit.
Ning Fan looked into Xu Ruolan's eyes, moved and understanding her thoughts.
"Learning martial arts isn't something that can be achieved overnight. Many start learning as children when their bones are still malleable. Now, to be honest, it's a bit late for you."
What Ning Fan said was true. Even if Xu Ruolan wanted to learn now, under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be very effective.
Perhaps there are special cases in the world where someone starts martial arts training midway through life, and there might be martial arts prodigies, but Ning Fan thought it would not be Xu Ruolan.
So, he wanted to persuade Xu Ruolan to abandon the idea. And honestly, learning martial arts isn't just talk; the hardships and the blood and tears are understood by only a few.
Xu Ruolan shook her head, her gaze resolute, leaving Ning Fan wondering how to refuse her.
He had intended to persuade Xu Ruolan to discard the idea of learning martial arts, but faced with her determined gaze, Ning Fan couldn't bring himself to do it.
Ning Fan, somewhat soft-hearted, found himself conflicted for a moment before finally saying, "I can teach you, but don't have too high expectations."
A smile appeared on Xu Ruolan's face, while Ning Fan could only smile helplessly in his heart.