"Be careful!"
Hearing the gunshot, Chen Fan's figure lunged forward, shielding Song Wenting behind him as he simultaneously sent out more than a dozen silver needles.
But the next second, Chen Fan froze on the spot.
He realized the gunshot had not been aimed at them at all.
At that moment, Qiao Long was sprawled across the table, spitting up blood, a bloody stain on his back.
"Ah!"
The beauty Qiao Long had been holding screamed in terror and collapsed to the floor.
Chen Fan was stunned, looking at Qiao Long, who was slumped over the table.
Qiao Long continued to spit blood, his eyes filled with unwillingness and disbelief. He tried to push himself up, but each time he braced himself against the table, he failed to rise.
He wanted to speak, but opening his mouth only brought forth more blood, preventing him from uttering a single word.
The masked man spoke again, "I told you, your life is worthless in my eyes. And these bodyguards behind you are all my people."
Qiao Long, lying on the table, was shocked, but it was too late.
"Bo, boss, please, please don't hurt, my mother," Qiao Long managed to say with all his might.
The masked man remained silent.
Qiao Long's trembling hand reached forward and picked up a photograph from the table.
Looking at the familiar face in the picture, a tear rolled down Qiao Long's cheek. Then, his head lolled to the side, and he breathed his last.
Witnessing this scene, Chen Fan's back was drenched in cold sweat.
The dozen or so bodyguards, enduring the pain, pulled out the silver needles from their wrists and returned their guns to their waistbands.
Song Wenting was equally shocked, having never expected such an outcome.
"Godfather, you arranged all this beforehand," Song Wenting said to the masked man, a hint of surprise in her voice.
The masked man replied calmly, "Everything about them was within my control."
"Boss!" At this point, the bodyguards, having removed the needles, all bowed to the masked man.
"All of you, leave now," the masked man's hoarse voice echoed again.
Without daring to delay, the bodyguards carried away both Qiao Long and the terrified, unconscious beauty. Some even cleaned up the scene.
However, just as Chen Fan was about to leave the room with Song Wenting, the masked man suddenly looked at him. "You, stay."
Chen Fan paused, but then stopped.
A moment later, only the masked man and Chen Fan remained in the room.
"Do you know why I asked you to come here?" the masked man asked Chen Fan in a hoarse voice.
"To protect your safety."
But Chen Fan quickly negated his own answer. "No, everything is under your control, so you don't need my protection."
The masked man glanced at Chen Fan. "Correct. I didn't ask you to come here to protect my safety."
Chen Fan retorted, "Then what did you want me to do? Was it to watch you deal with a traitor?"
The masked man smiled faintly, his tone gradually turning cold. "Kid, watch your tone when you speak to me. No one in the entire Huá Nán Province dares to speak to me like that."
Chen Fan simply shut his mouth and looked at the now-cleaned table, where faint traces of blood were still visible.
The masked man spoke again. "Kid, do you know how long this Qiao Long followed me?"
"Ten years, a full ten years. He was one of the first to follow me, he did many things for me, and he was one of my confidants. That's why I sent him to manage the underground forces in Xī Yún Province."
"However, I want you to remember four words: greed blinds. No one can withstand the temptation of profit. The human heart is the most fickle. The closer someone is to you, the more you need to be wary."
Chen Fan looked at the masked man. "What about Song Wenting? She was willing to take a bullet for you just now. Are you not trusting her either?"
"Heh, she's just a pawn in my game."
Chen Fan sneered. "You live a truly tiring life. Then why are you telling me all this? Do you want me to be your pawn as well?"
The masked man didn't answer Chen Fan's question but instead asked, "Now, do you understand why I let you witness Qiao Long's fate?"
"You want to remind me to be wary of Da Xiong."
"You're not as foolish as I thought."
"You worry too much. I'm different from you. Da Xiong and Qiao Long are not like us. We are brothers who have faced death together. No amount of profit can change the bond between us," Chen Fan replied directly.
The masked man scoffed. "Heh, brotherhood? Friends? You underestimate this world too much, and you underestimate a person's greed."
"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now," Chen Fan said, unwilling to talk further with the masked man, and turned to leave.
However, at that moment, the masked man's voice rang out again. "The reason I'm telling you all this is because I want to groom you as my successor."
Chen Fan paused, then turned to look at the masked man, appearing surprised and somewhat confused.
Still, Chen Fan refused. "I'm sorry, I've said it before, I'm not interested in the things you do."
Afterward, Chen Fan opened the door and left the conference room.
Song Wenting stood outside the door. Seeing Chen Fan emerge from the conference room, she hurried over, her brows furrowed, and asked softly with concern, "What did my godfather say to you?"
Chen Fan shook his head. "Nothing much."
"There shouldn't be any more trouble, right? Can I leave now?"
Song Wenting nodded.
Truthfully, she hadn't known what would happen today, and even now, she found it somewhat unbelievable.
As Chen Fan took a few steps and pondered for a moment, he turned back to Song Wenting and reminded her, "Be careful from now on. Not everyone is worth taking a bullet for."
Song Wenting's face first showed a hint of displeasure. "He's my godfather. Without him, I might have starved to death on the streets as a child."
Then, she looked at Chen Fan teasingly. "So, in your eyes, I am someone worth taking a bullet for?"
Chen Fan's expression stiffened, surprised by Song Wenting's question.
"Ahem," Chen Fan coughed a few times. "That's because I promised you I'd protect your safety. It has nothing to do with this."
After saying that, Chen Fan didn't dare to linger, fearing Song Wenting might misunderstand further.
Stepping out of the Red Leaf Bar and breathing in the fresh air outside, Chen Fan's emotions gradually calmed down.
As he drove away, Chen Fan had a persistent feeling that the masked man was deliberately trying to win him over.
He had helped him solve problems, Ghost Hand had even died because of him, and today, he had been taught a lesson about human greed.
"Why is he doing this? Is he really trying to groom me as his successor?"
Chen Fan's thoughts became muddled again.