Chapter 166: Is There Any Affection Between Us?

After finalizing the interior design arrangements for the new company with Shi Wenxuan, Zhao Fan left Mulberry Fields and made separate phone calls to Xu An and Liu Chengbo to inform them that the location had been chosen.

"It is in the newly built shopping mall right in the center of the city. We have sectioned off a space on the fourth floor, and we will relocate once the adjacent building is completed."

Xu An said nothing in response, but Liu Chengbo asked a few questions, one of which was whether the company employees would be disturbed by the commotion of the mall.

"They won't be. We will put some thought into the decoration and thoroughly isolate the two sides so there will be no disturbance. If you have already purchased any items over there, just send them over first."

"Understood."

After finishing the communication with Liu Chengbo, Zhao Fan tapped his fingers unconsciously on the steering wheel. Things had gone with surprising smoothness, leaving him somewhat at a loss as to what he should do next.

At that very moment, an incoming call popped up on his phone screen. It was a call from Yang Yuqing.

Listening to the name Yang Yuqing displayed on the screen, Zhao Fan remained silent for a few seconds before finally answering the call.

Then, silence filled both ends of the line.

Seeing that the call duration had passed the one-minute mark, Zhao Fan rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yuqing, is there something you need?"

He took the initiative to break the silence.

"The night before last, it was you who came to the bar to pick me up, right?" There was a hint of uncertainty in Yang Yuqing's voice.

Zhao Fan glanced at his phone. He had wondered what this call from Yang Yuqing would be about, only for it to be a question about this.

"Yes. Someone named Liu Jirou took your phone and called me, asking me to come pick you up, so I went."

"But I woke up in a hotel."

"That is correct. You were making a fuss and didn't want to go home, so I took you to a hotel instead. What, is there a problem?" Zhao Fan found it strange. He had arranged everything entirely according to Yang Yuqing's wishes. Could something have gone wrong? That shouldn't be the case; he had hardly left her side during the whole thing. How could Yang Yuqing have gotten into trouble?

Could something have happened after he left?

Once this thought popped into his head, it refused to go away.

"No, no, no, nothing went wrong. I was just wondering. I was a bit too drunk that day and didn't process it properly."

Yang Yuqing's voice was noticeably much more relaxed.

The stark contrast before and after made Zhao Fan feel that something was amiss. No matter how drunk Yang Yuqing had been, she shouldn't have questioned him with such cautiousness.

"Did something happen?"

The other side of the receiver fell quiet. Zhao Fan noticed that even the sound of the breathing on the opposite end had grown faint.

Very well, he had guessed correctly.

"Tell me, what happened?" Zhao Fan asked as he fastened his seatbelt, preparing to go find Yang Yuqing.

"Nothing happened."

"If nothing had happened, you wouldn't be making this phone call. Tell me, where are you right now?"

"I—"

Before Yang Yuqing could finish her sentence, another voice came through from the other end.

"Hello, Mr. Zhao."

It was Liu Jirou, the woman who had used Yang Yuqing's phone to call him the night before last.

Zhao Fan raised an eyebrow. "Hello, Miss Liu. Could you tell me your location?"

"The top floor of Tianyuan Hotel. Mention my name when you come up."

"I understand."

Yang Yuqing's displeased voice could be faintly heard from the other end. Zhao Fan hung up the phone and drove toward Tianyuan Hotel.

Half an hour later, Zhao Fan entered the hotel, gave the receptionist Liu Jirou's name, and headed straight to the top floor.

"Ding—"

The elevator chime rang. As Zhao Fan stepped out, he saw Yang Yuqing sitting not far away, with Liu Jirou standing beside her.

"Miss Liu, Yuqing."

Yang Yuqing abruptly stood up. "Why—why did you really come?"

Zhao Fan replied, "If I didn't come for real, could I just not come at all? Yuqing, of course I have to keep my word on things I've said. Miss Liu, thank you for taking care of her."

Liu Jirou smiled faintly. "Mr. Zhao, you are too polite. Yuqing and I are friends, so taking care of her is only natural. Though Mr. Zhao's phrasing makes my mind wander a bit."

Zhao Fan smiled. "Yuqing and I are friends, too."

Aside from calling her a friend, Zhao Fan said nothing else.

His gaze shifted slightly downward. He recalled that the night before last, Liu Jirou had made no mention of the two of them being friends, yet today they had somehow become friends. He wondered whether she had been lying then or lying now.

Liu Jirou spoke as if nothing were out of the ordinary, "Yuqing has been anxious these past two days. No matter what I say, she feels something is off, so I suggested she give Mr. Zhao a call. Mr. Zhao certainly came quickly."

"Oh, please don't talk like this, Sister Jirou."

Yang Yuqing stamped her foot, rushed over to Liu Jirou, and tried to cover her mouth with her hand.

The next second, Liu Jirou caught her hand instead and said nonchalantly, "Yuqing, some things need to be said plainly. Hiding and concealing things easily leads to misunderstandings, and once trouble brews, it becomes very difficult to suppress."

Yang Yuqing's movements stiffened slightly. Her first reaction was to look at Zhao Fan, but realizing this, she quickly looked away.

"Sister Jirou, it's just a trivial matter. How could there be any misunderstandings or trouble?" she argued in a soft voice.

Liu Jirou shook her head. "You shouldn't think that way. Who knows when a misunderstanding might pop up? To be on the safe side, it's best to resolve it as soon as possible. Don't you agree, Mr. Zhao?"

By dragging Zhao Fan into the conversation, Liu Jirou instantly silenced Yang Yuqing.

Zhao Fan glanced at the two of them and agreed, "Matters do need to be resolved as soon as possible. Dragging them out only makes the trouble grow larger."

Whether it was friendship or business, this rule held true.

"See? Mr. Zhao thinks so too, so stop agonizing over it here. Since you're too embarrassed to say it, I will say it for you. Mr. Zhao, please take a seat."

"Please."

Throughout the exchange between Liu Jirou and Yang Yuqing, Zhao Fan had remained in a daze, and only now did he snap back to reality.

The three of them sat down in a split arrangement. Zhao Fan met Liu Jirou's eyes and smiled slightly.

"Miss Liu, please go ahead and state what is on your mind."

There was no need to drag things out any further.

Liu Jirou nodded. "Yuqing likes you."

As soon as those words left her mouth, they stunned Zhao Fan completely, and it took him a full several minutes to process them.

"You—"

Yang Yuqing covered her face with her hands. "Sister Jirou, you were too blunt."

Liu Jirou smiled. "When it comes to matters of the heart, there is only being too late; where is there any such thing as being too blunt? Mr. Zhao, what are your thoughts on this?"

Zhao Fan fell silent, glancing at Yang Yuqing once more.

What were his thoughts?

To be honest, Zhao Fan was currently extremely bewildered. He had always considered himself close to Yang Yuqing, but in all their past interactions, had he ever once thought of things in a romantic light?

As he pondered this, Zhao Fan looked at Yang Yuqing a few more times. With each glance, his inner hesitation regarding the notion of having no romantic feelings grew a fraction stronger.

Did he truly harbor no romantic feelings for Yang Yuqing?

The silence stretched on for too long, and Yang Yuqing grew somewhat restless, lifting her head. "Zhao Fan, why... why aren't you saying anything?"

Zhao Fan hesitated for a moment before finally voicing what was on his mind.

"I am not sure whether I have romantic feelings for you or not."

Yang Yuqing was slightly startled. He wasn't sure whether he had feelings for her?

"Wh—what do you mean? What do you mean by not being sure if you have feelings for me?"

A look of bewilderment flashed across Yang Yuqing's face. She recognized every single word, yet she felt completely incapable of understanding what Zhao Fan was saying.

Zhao Fan closed his mouth and remained silent.

"Mr. Zhao, do you really have no feelings for Yuqing at all?"