But just as Chen Fan was about to escape, Anna blocked him.
âWhere are you going?â
âI urgently need the restroom.â
âLin Qingyue came to find you; why are you avoiding her?â
âSheâs not here for me; Iâve always understood that sheâll never like me. Sheâs only afraid of my family, and the closer she gets to me, the more disgusted I feel. Iâve been so proactive, yet I canât touch her heart.â
Anna froze on the spot, thinking, âDamn, your logic is a loop.â
Anna glanced over at Jin Lan, thought for a moment, and then approached her.
âHello, nice to meet you. My name is Anna.â
âJin Lan.â
âIâve heard youâre very intelligent. I have a question to ask you.â
âSure, go ahead.â
âIf I donât want to marry someone, what should I do?â
Before Jin Lan could answer, Ye Aotian sat down.
Chen Fan was now resolute in not interacting with the female leads.
With Ye Aotianâs arrival, Chen Fan found his excuse to leave.
âHow unpleasant. Even the air stinks.â
âHaha, with you gone, the air does feel fresher.â
Neither of them backed down.
Then, after sitting down, Ye Aotian asked, âPrincess Anna, I wonder if thereâs some misunderstanding between us. If Iâve offended you in any way, I apologize.â
Truly a protagonistâto win a girl over, he even apologizes to a woman.
Anna responded, âItâs nothing to do with you. Weâre not familiar with each other. For unfamiliar people, Iâm always like this. If you canât handle it, youâre welcome to leave.â
She shut him down once again.
Clearly, although Anna didnât know where her future lay or what choices to make, she understood one thingâshe did not like Ye Aotian. All the plot stemmed from Ye Aotian. As long as she avoided interacting with him, everything would flow naturally.
Ye Aotian raised his glass for a toast.
Anna took a sip since Ye Aotian was, after all, one of the rescuers and deserved proper hospitality.
Meanwhile, Chen Fan watched the scene intently.
Chen Fan felt a bit anxious.
He worried that the early appearance of these women might impact the plotâs progression, altering their original character arcs.
After some thought, Chen Fan called his father.
âDad, can you get in touch with the Grand Duke?â
âYes, I can. Whatâs your plan? Why do you want to contact the Grand Duke?â
âWith Annaâs arrival, I think this woman could be useful. If I create a scandal involving Ye Aotian and Anna, I believe the Grand Duke would be happy to take care of him.â
Chen Tianqiang paused, then praised, âYouâre improving. Iâm pleasedâyouâve even learned to use a âborrowed knife to killâ strategy. Excellent, excellent.â
âWell, I learned from you, Father.â
âSpare me the flattery. Whatâs your plan?â
Chen Fan thought for a moment and replied, âI think just a picture of them talking would be enough. Since rumors rely on the thoughts of those who hear them.â
This time, Chen Tianqiang wasnât just surprised; he was astonished. His son was this sharp now?
This tactic was one Chen Tianqiang had once used himself. Back when he was competing for a position, he had spread rumors that his competitor was involved with a woman in the office. Though the rumor was false, it didnât matter. Even when the truth came out, his competitor lost the position.
Who knew his son could comprehend this level of strategy?
âSend me the photo, and Iâll forward it.â
Chen Fan casually snapped a picture, which Chen Tianqiang then sent over.
Soon, overseas, a man about to go to bed was startled when his phone rang. This was his private number, and few familiar people would call him so late.
Seeing that it was the Chen family, his irritation lessened; after all, the Chen family in China was well-known. The photo and the message prompted Ross to get up.
The photo was simple, showing Ye Aotian initiating a conversation with Anna. There was nothing else, but with this photo, paired with the rumor, Ross felt a bit uneasy.
âThank you for informing me; Iâll handle it personally.â
Ross was confident; he firmly believed that if the Chen family had made contact first, they wouldnât touch Anna.
But what about others?
Ross picked up his computer and sent a message to No. 7.
âCan I see a live video of the scene?â
âItâs about Anna, isnât it? If others knew the Grand Duke was such a romantic, imagine how many young women would be heartbroken.â
âNo. 7, you seem very gossipy lately.â
No. 7 chuckled, sending over the video.
The live footage was simpleâeveryone was chatting and enjoying themselves.
Jin Lan and Annaâs interaction was normal, especially considering Jin Lanâs status as a leading figure; interacting with Anna was expected. But besides Anna, the only other person approaching her was Ye Aotian.
No one else had tried. It was clear that everyone understood her engagement to him.
Except for one, named Ye Aotian, who initiated the approach.
âI want to know Ye Aotianâs identityâwho is he?â
âDragon Kingâthis information will cost a million dollars.â
âFair enough. So, itâs him. That explains it. I had no idea heâd come to China.â
No. 7 added, âWant more info? I have something better.â
âGo ahead.â
âItâs simpleâYe Aotian has interacted with many beautiful women so far, but almost all of them have caught his interest. Typical of his styleâknown for his prowess in both combat and flirtation.â
âWell, I understand now. Iâll wait and see. If he crosses the line, I still donât consider him a threat.â
After a pause, the Grand Duke asked, âBy the way, what kind of person is Chen Fan? How much for this information?â
âThere are two versionsâthe fake version is free; the real one comes with a fee.â
âYou think I, Ross, am short on money?â
No. 7 typed back, âTo the public, Chen Fan is a good-for-nothing heir, entirely reliant on his family, pining over his goddess Lin Qingyue, who doesnât even like him and has even gone out with Ye Aotian, only for Chen Fan to stumble upon them.â
âAnd the real version?â
âThe real version is the same. However, Chen Fan is not the spoiled second-generation heir people think. Since meeting Anna, he has kept his distance, understanding Annaâs personality well. You know Anna likes to toy with people.â
The Grand Duke replied, âI donât believe it. My Anna is a true goddessâno man could resist her flirtations.â