Chapter 62

No. 7 laughed brazenly. Stop bluffing! If it weren’t for Chen Fan manipulating the storyline, your fiancée would have been swept off her feet by Chen Fan in no time. Heck, even you, the Grand Duke, could have been taken down by him.

No. 7 sent another video.

“This video is from the clothing store. I thought you might want to see her expressions.”

The Grand Duke replied in text, “Got it.”

He then clicked on the video.

In the footage, Anna was changing clothes at the store, interacting with Chen Fan, even purposefully showing off her beauty in front of him. However, Chen Fan looked at her with nothing but disdain and even visible disgust, which the Grand Duke noticed clearly.

At that moment, if the Grand Duke didn’t understand, he’d be a fool.

A clear comparison emerged: one was Ye Aotian, the other was Chen Fan.

One looked at her with desire; the other, with disgust.

The Grand Duke naturally understood who respected him and who didn’t.

“Chen Fan, I quite like him.”

No. 7 continued, “This is all the information I have, but here’s a free tip: Ye Aotian is friends with William, so I doubt he’s unaware of Anna’s engagement with you.”

“I understand your meaning. Five million will be wired to your account. Thanks.”

No. 7 replied with a “Goodbye” before logging off.

In his room, Ross lit a cigar, smoking silently.

He then asked for Chen Fan’s number and dialed it.

“Hello, Chen, this is the Grand Duke.”

“Hello, Your Grace. I’ve heard of you for some time, and I was wondering how I might meet you.”

“Thank you for your kindness, and I do have a small request.”

“Please, Your Grace.”

“I hope you can look after Anna for me. I feel assured with her by your side.”

Well, I’m not assured! Damn. I’m not worried about myself, but I am worried your fiancée might not be so proper. You can’t be serious! Are you testing me or something?

“Are you suspicious of me?”

“I’ve naturally seen some things and come to certain conclusions. I trust you, but Ye Aotian—I don’t like him. I think we’ll make excellent friends. The Dragon King? I don’t consider him a threat.”

“I understand. Rest assured, if anything comes up, I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you. If you’re ever in France, let me buy you a drink.”

“Of course, and if you come here, I’ll show you the mysteries of the East.”

“Naturally.”

After hanging up, Chen Fan fell into thought.

This is crazy! Things are developing too quickly. I thought this method would take some time to work. Is he making an entrance ahead of schedule?

But upon reflection, there was no real flaw in the Grand Duke’s words. The plot remained intact; it was just moving forward sooner. There shouldn’t be any significant impact.

After all, as long as everything matched up, minor details deviating slightly was perfectly normal.

[What is vision? This is vision—brilliant, hahaha!]

The sudden message startled several onlookers, who all took out their diaries to record observations.

[The Grand Duke called me, asking me to look after his wife. Although this wasn’t in the original plot, it’s still logical.]

[In the future, the Grand Duke will join the main storyline. Although Anna is appearing early, the general direction hasn’t changed, so everything is reasonable.]

[Anna’s storyline requires the Grand Duke to serve as a stepping stone for Ye Aotian’s growth. Whether he appears sooner or later doesn’t matter.]

[As long as I play my part right, getting face-slapped during the rescue and watching the protagonist turn the tide …]

[Then, the Lin family will shift their attitude toward Ye Aotian, driving me into a rage and leading me to kidnap Lin Qingyue.]

[Hahaha, perfect—this plot is back on track! This is exactly as it should be!]

Satisfied with his entry, Chen Fan returned to the main scene, sitting directly across from Ye Aotian.

“Princess Anna, the Grand Duke asked me to look after you to ensure you’re not disturbed by anyone with ill intentions.”

Ye Aotian glared at Chen Fan. “Oh, so you’re a lapdog for the Grand Duke now?”

“Sorry, the Grand Duke is more than willing to be my friend.”

Ha!

Ye Aotian smirked arrogantly, the corners of his mouth curling.

“The so-called Grand Duke? I don’t care. In Qincheng, maybe it’s your turf, but overseas, that’s my domain.”

Ye Aotian turned to Anna and said, “If you’re unhappy with the Grand Duke, just tell me. I, the Dragon King, could surely help you out.”

Ye Aotian’s intentions were simple: he found Anna beautiful and liked her. Moreover, he hated when anyone used power to coerce women. Whenever he saw a woman in such a situation, he felt the urge to step in and save her.

Chen Fan, internally, gave Ye Aotian a thumbs up—now, that’s vision, that’s strength. This is the essence of a protagonist. Anytime he sees a beautiful woman, he’s got to make a move, regardless of consequences. Failure? Would a protagonist ever fail? Impossible.

Anna looked at Ye Aotian and said, “I’m engaged to the Grand Duke. I hope you understand that.”

“If you’re being coerced, you can tell me.”

Is this guy’s brain broken? I have an engagement—did I say it was forced? Where do you get off making assumptions? Is this how protagonists in novels think? If an attractive woman isn’t theirs, then she must be coerced. Frustrating. How is this guy so confident?

Anna now felt exhausted; she didn’t want to engage with Ye Aotian anymore. Standing up, she said, “Chen Fan, let’s go over there.”

Chen Fan nodded and left with Anna.

Jin Lan watched them leave with a slight smile.

Meanwhile, Ye Aotian poured Jin Lan a drink, saying, “Hello … thank you for your help last time.”

“Really? Last time, I was the one to give Li Long the gun—do you still want to thank me?”

At this, Ye Aotian’s face twisted with rage. That gun had significantly impacted his body.

Ye Aotian looked at Jin Lan, momentarily unsure of how to respond.

Jin Lan crossed her legs and said, “The gun was from me, as were the bullets.”

Ye Aotian was lost in thought.

Could it be that Jin Lan wasn’t just training him? Wait, Ye Aotian came to a realization—Jin Lan was likely training multiple people. Chen Fan might be one, but Li Long could be another. By giving the gun, she likely wanted to see if he could survive that confrontation.

In other words, this woman was testing him, too. So, did he pass her test?

Indeed, this woman was complex—fascinating.

A key protagonist’s belief: no beautiful woman would harm him. No way a protagonist would be harmed by an attractive woman.

The salon continued, with Ye Aotian encountering many interesting women today. But Ye Aotian had other objectives as well.

Jin Lan’s departure wasn’t his goal; instead, he actively sought out Zhu Yeqing.

While eating, he said simply, “You have a grudge against the Chen family. If you’re willing, I think we can work together. There’s no need for you to remain undercover around Chen Fan—he’ll destroy you sooner or later.”

Zhu Yeqing sighed; indeed, she couldn’t escape her plotline.

“My own matters—I’ll handle them myself. You don’t need to worry.”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I believe, during this rescue, you’ll play an invaluable role. I imagine the William family can deliver a serious blow to the Chen family.”

Zhu Yeqing thought for a long time before replying, “What do you need me to do?”