Chapter 158: Helping Out

"Really?"

Zhao Chengyi and Li Hui both looked at Zhao Fan with skepticism, asking in unison.

Zhao Fan nodded solemnly. "Really."

Exchanging a glance, Zhao Chengyi and Li Hui pushed their doubts aside and dropped the subject.

This brought a brief sense of relief to Zhao Fan.

However, the moment he turned away, that casual expression vanished completely. He did not believe that the appearance of Haiyuan Supermarket in Yangcheng was a natural progression of their business expansion.

Yangcheng was large, but not large enough for a corporation originating from the capital to directly purchase land and build a supermarket here.

Such a massive move felt more like someone being provoked in certain aspects and consequently shifting their focus in this direction.

Was it the standoff in Haicheng?

Zhao Fan narrowed his eyes slightly. If things were as he suspected, there was certainly more to the story beneath the surface.

The next day, right after finishing his class, Zhao Fan received a call from his secretary, Xiao Chen.

"President Zhao, someone claiming to be the person in charge of Haiyuan Supermarket wants to see you."

The person in charge of Haiyuan Supermarket?

Zhao Fan tightened his grip slightly on the phone. "Understood. Entertain them first, I'll be right back."

"Alright."

After hanging up, Zhao Fan walked toward the school gate.

There was still one class left in the morning, but the visit from the person in charge of Haiyuan Supermarket took precedence.

An hour later, Zhao Fan met the representative of Haiyuan Supermarket that Xiao Chen had mentioned.

To his utter surprise, it was a young woman who looked barely of age.

"President Zhao seems quite surprised to see me?"

Before Zhao Fan could speak, the young woman took the initiative.

"Indeed, I am."

"Because I'm a woman?"

"No, because you are so young. I am Zhao Fan."

The young woman's eyes curved into a smile. "An Zhen. While I appreciate the compliment, there is one thing I must emphasize: I am already in my thirties."

The corners of Zhao Fan's mouth twitched violently, leaving him questioning reality for a moment.

"How old?"

An Zhen held up a hand with three fingers extended. "Over thirty."

Zhao Fan: "..."

After a moment of silence, he gave a dry cough. "What would President An like to drink?"

"Plain water is fine."

"Xiao Chen."

Xiao Chen left to fetch the drink.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhao Fan got straight to the point. "I wonder what brings President An here today?"

"Cooperation."

"Cooperation? What do you mean?"

An Zhen's eyes held a hint of amusement. "President Zhao probably has some guesses as to why Haiyuan Supermarket came straight to Yangcheng."

Zhao Fan smiled. "I do have a few guesses."

His previous theories now had confirmation; Haiyuan Supermarket had indeed come here because of the standoff in Haicheng.

"To be honest, I'm somewhat surprised."

"In what way?"

"Haiyuan Supermarket burst out from the capital. Leaving everything else aside, in terms of capital alone, it far surpasses Feiteng Supermarket. Under such circumstances, for President An to come here and talk about cooperation..."

Zhao Fan left the rest unsaid, but An Zhen understood the implication.

"President Zhao is right. In terms of capital, Haiyuan Supermarket indeed far surpasses Feiteng Supermarket, but that is merely capital. That manager surnamed Tian under President Zhao's command, however, truly opened my eyes."

"Is that so? Judging by President An's words, wanting to cooperate with my Feiteng is solely because of Manager Tian?"

"President Zhao, let's not joke around. You know very well what I mean."

With an innocent expression, Zhao Fan asked, "What do I know?"

Seeing Zhao Fan beating around the bush and refusing to take her bait, An Zhen let out a sigh.

"President Zhao, let's speak frankly between sensible people. Feiteng Supermarket has reached its current standing partly due to the novelty of the supermarket format, and partly due to the promotional events you keep rolling out. In this regard, my Haiyuan Supermarket falls far behind."

Zhao Fan's gaze drifted to the desk, his expression so calm and unruffled that An Zhen could not gauge his thoughts.

For a moment, silence descended upon the office.

After ten minutes or so, Zhao Fan raised his eyes. "I understand what President An means, but I will not agree to cooperation."

"Why?"

"Cooperation between Feiteng Supermarket and Haiyuan Supermarket holds no benefit for me."

Zhao Fan stated his reason directly, completely unconcerned with diminishing Feiteng Supermarket's stance.

He could tell that An Zhen was not someone who liked to drag things out, and their adversarial relationship meant that cooperation between Feiteng and Haiyuan was destined to be impossible. Rather than dragging it out, it was better to lay it out clearly.

A flash of regret crossed An Zhen's face. "Will President Zhao really not consider cooperation? This is a win-win situation."

"No, only Haiyuan Supermarket would win."

Feiteng Supermarket was built by Zhao Fan's own hands; how could he possibly tolerate Feiteng acting as a mere foil for Haiyuan?

"Could it be that President Zhao doesn't believe in his own abilities?"

"True ability is something one actually possesses. Unfortunately, I lack that."

"President Zhao's way of belittling himself is truly breathtaking." An Zhen shook her head with a smile and slowly stood up. "Very well, since President Zhao has no interest in cooperation, let's not waste any more time."

"I won't see you out."

Zhao Fan remained seated motionlessly, showing no intention of escorting her.

An Zhen smiled. "Goodbye, President Zhao."

After An Zhen left, Zhao Fan's face darkened, his expression unspeakably complex.

The next day, Yang Yuqing suddenly sought out Zhao Fan.

"Has Du Xinyan looked for you recently?"

Du Xinyan?

"No. What, is she giving you a hard time again?"

"It's not quite giving me a hard time."

Hesitation flickered across Yang Yuqing's face.

Zhao Fan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'not quite giving you a hard time'?"

"It's mainly because I'm not sure if what I've encountered recently is her doing."

"What have you encountered?"

"Lately, there have always been a few people following me. They don't do anything, just purely follow me around."

"What kind of people? Have you checked into it?"

"I don't know. I haven't checked."

Zhao Fan: "..."

Sighing, he said, "I'll drive you home today."

He wanted to see just what kind of people were tailing Yang Yuqing.

After class, Zhao Fan drove Yang Yuqing away from the campus.

Midway through the trip, he suddenly noticed two cars trailing behind them.

At first, he thought they were bodyguards from the Yang family, but then recalling what Yang Yuqing had said, he asked, "Are those the two cars behind us that you were talking about?"

Yang Yuqing instinctively turned her head, and upon seeing the trailing vehicles, her expression changed instantly.

"Yes, those are the two."

Zhao Fan spun the steering wheel, heading straight for a narrow side road, and soon noticed that the cars behind also made the turn.

After driving in a circle to confirm, Zhao Fan found a spot to park, locked the doors, and told Yang Yuqing to stay inside and not get out.

At that moment, the pursuing cars caught up.

As both sides confronted each other, several men stepped out of the vehicles.

"Kid, what's your game?"

Zhao Fan smiled faintly. "Playing your game. Tell me, for no reason at all, why are you following people?"

"Who's following? We're providing protection."

"That's right, we're protecting her."

Zhao Fan was amused by the response. "The protection you're talking about is walking around with sticks in your hands? Oh wait, I should say creeping around in a very sneaky, malicious manner."

"Who are you calling sneaky? Who's being malicious?"

Zhao Fan smiled without answering.

"Alright, Dashao, stop wasting time with him. Drag him away."

Timely enough, Zhao Fan raised his phone. "Let me remind you of one thing: I called the police before stepping out of the car."