Chapter Nine: Get Lost, Don’t Disturb Me!

A young man stood outside the door, seemingly about to knock.

He appeared to be around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, with a small patch of beard on his chin, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a clean, sharp suit, a gold watch on his wrist, and holding a folder. He looked like a successful and accomplished young professional of some standing.

The scene before him left him frozen in place.

Apparently, he had never seen Ling Xuan’s fierce side when she chased after someone.

I straightened my posture, fully opened the door, and glanced back. Ling Xuan held a stiff folder in her hand, expressionless, turning to walk inside.

The bearded man frowned, scrutinizing me. “Who are you?”

I adjusted my clothes, extended my right hand, and smiled. “I’m Ling’s driver and bodyguard, Chu Fan.”

“Driver? Bodyguard?” The bearded man’s frown deepened, his gaze filled with scrutiny and the arrogance of a superior looking down on a subordinate. He didn’t shake my hand but rather issued a cold command: “I have important matters to discuss with Ling. Wait outside.”

I sneered inwardly but kept a bright smile on my face. Boldly, I sat down on the sofa inside and said, “As her bodyguard, I can’t leave Ling, and I only take orders from her.”

Ling Xuan bent down to pick up the folder from the floor, neither looking at me nor scolding me—probably because there were outsiders present and she needed to maintain appearances.

The bearded man stared at me with a sour expression, then walked to Ling Xuan’s desk. “Ling, is this really your driver and bodyguard?”

“No! Don’t pay attention to him!” Ling Xuan said coldly. “Director Zhang, what do you need?”

Director Zhang put on a mysterious air. “Since he’s not, I’m afraid our business matters can’t be discussed in front of him.”

Ling Xuan frowned and glanced at me, as if wanting to send me away but hesitant, then said coolly, “Ignore him. Just speak.”

Director Zhang shot me a fierce glare before pulling out his folder and lowering his voice, leaning slightly closer to Ling Xuan. “Regarding the offline expansion of our Xuanli women's fashion line, I summarized a plan yesterday…”

I busied myself making tea, glancing sideways. Though separated by a desk, Director Zhang was clearly trying to get close.

Damn! This guy isn’t that old—could he be single and trying to court Ling Xuan?

Looking at Ling Xuan, her expression remained calm and composed, nodding occasionally.

Director Zhang babbled on, but I had no interest. I pulled out my phone and remembered the WeChat invitation from earlier. I casually downloaded the app, registered a new account, and named it “Hell’s Executioner.”

The name wasn’t particularly unusual, and since few around me had contact with the underground bare-knuckle boxing world, even insiders wouldn’t link it to the underground champion who had swept through the black market fight scene.

The account was empty, no friends. I explored the features—simple and straightforward.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed. A friend request appeared in the contacts list. The avatar was a cartoon girl, the nickname “Beauty Like a Painting.”

“Beauty Like a Painting? Could it be Qin Ruhua? How does she know I have WeChat now?”

At that moment, I didn’t yet know that the phone’s contact list would notify you if someone registered on WeChat.

After accepting, the other party sent a message.

“Hehe, security uncle, you finally learned to use WeChat!”

“Are you Qin Ruhua?”

“Guess!”

“I guess it’s Ruhua.”

She immediately sent three tap emojis, then three angry face emojis.

I smiled slightly, not expecting Qin Ruhua to be so playful once her guard was down. I sent a smiling emoji back and asked, “What are you doing now?”

“I’m playing on my phone! (teasing) Why did you pick ‘Hell’s Executioner’? Sounds awful!”

“Not too bad! At least it’s not some vain name like ‘As Beautiful as a Painting’ or ‘Fairy-like.’”

“Sounds terrible! (vomit)(vomit)(vomit) Who’s vain! (tap)(tap)(tap)”

“Definitely not vain. Beauty Like a Painting suits you perfectly.”

She immediately sent three cute emojis.

My first time playing WeChat, and I got such a fun friend. I was lost in the conversation until I heard Director Zhang’s voice nearby.

“You’re Chu Fan, right? If you’re not Ling’s bodyguard, don’t disturb her here.”

I looked up to see Director Zhang standing before me, looking down with a hint of hostility—yes, that kind of animosity a man’s intuition can pick up.

Looks like this Director Zhang really has feelings for Ling Xuan.

I turned to see Ling Xuan staring coldly in this direction.

Damn! I don’t even pay attention to Liu Xiaofeng from the Dajin Earth Group, yet this mere director dares to boss me around, interrupt my chat with Qin Ruhua, and wants to woo Ling Xuan!

I waved my hand dismissively and said coldly, “Get lost. Don’t bother me.”

“You!” Director Zhang’s face instantly darkened, trembling as he pointed a finger at me. “Which subsidiary are you from? Do you know who I am? How dare you speak to me like that!”

“He’s not from our company!” Ling Xuan cut in.

This girl must be trying to “kill with a borrowed knife”!

Director Zhang’s arrogance grew even stronger. “Since you’re not from our company, get out now! You’re breaking the law!”

“Breaking the law?” I smiled and looked at Ling Xuan. “Ling, if I hit him, would it affect the company?”

“How dare you!” Ling Xuan suddenly stood up, holding a folder as she strode over, seemingly ready to strike. “If you hit anyone here, I’ll fire you immediately!”

“Fire me!” My eyes lit up, smiling. “Ling, so you admit it! Why hide our little secret? It’s not like it’s shameful!”

Director Zhang was stunned, his face growing even uglier. “Ling, is he really your… bodyguard?”

Ling Xuan quickly replied, “He’s not. I fired him yesterday.”

From my observation, I knew Ling Xuan wasn’t interested in Director Zhang. Actually, she wasn’t interested in any man. Changing her words so quickly wasn’t to explain to Zhang but to shut me down, not wanting me to take advantage.

Director Zhang was dumbfounded again. No matter when I was fired, it still proved my connection to Ling Xuan.

Seeing him standing there like a fool, I waved my hand again impatiently. “Get lost. This isn’t your business.”

Director Zhang was even more embarrassed, speechless, glaring fiercely.

“Chu Bufan!” Ling Xuan said twice about firing me—only making things worse. She glared at me, full of wrath. “What exactly do you want?”

I put away my phone, looked up, and smiled. “Miss, you really don’t appreciate kindness. I treat you well, yet you’re always so fierce with me.”

Ling Xuan’s chest heaved angrily. She turned to Director Zhang. “Go get the security guards.”

Director Zhang stood still, staring at me as if he wanted to devour me. Even a fool could see my relationship with Ling Xuan wasn’t that of a mere subordinate.

Perhaps he already saw me as a rival.

But I didn’t care and stared coldly back. “Why are you still standing here like an idiot? Do you want me to throw you out?”

I sensed his jealousy outweighed his anger. Helpless, he left with a dark face, fuming.

“Close the door!” I called after his retreating back.

He snorted angrily, turned to glare at me fiercely, but deliberately didn’t close the door.

“Such disobedience!” I got up myself and shut the door.

Ling Xuan stood still, glaring at me with all the anger and disdain she could muster.

I smiled. “Miss, don’t glare like that—you’re scaring me.”

“Go to hell!” Ling Xuan threw the folder down hard and strode to her desk.

I quickly reached out to catch it and followed her.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she sat down, she buried her head on the desk and began to cry.

My heart softened. I approached and gently placed the folder down.

If Ling Xuan challenged me, I wouldn’t be afraid. But when she cried, guilt surged like a tide, leaving me helpless.

“I think Director Zhang will call the security guards. Don’t let them see you crying,” I said as softly as I could.

“You don’t need to care! I never want to see you again!” Ling Xuan didn’t raise her head, shouting angrily. “Why do you keep haunting me? Is this fun? Do you think I’d ever like you? I’d rather die than like you!”

At least she spoke—I felt a bit reassured. I sighed quietly. “I don’t need you to like me. I just worry about your safety. Tell me who sent those two assassins last night, and I’ll deal with them. Then I won’t bother you again.”