After hanging up the phone, both of them were stunned, standing motionless like two statues for a long time. Passersby curiously looked at the pair, wondering what had happened to make them stand there like poles.
After what seemed like an eternity, they finally came to their senses. Zhan Yi was the first to recover, asking Zhan Liang to pinch him to see if it hurt.
Zhan Liang quickly interjected, "No, you pinch me first. You pinch me first."
The two of them scrambled to let the other pinch themselves. This scene was witnessed by their employees, and soon rumors spread throughout the company that Zhan Yi and Zhan Liang had a peculiar fetish, enjoying being abused by others.
Some bold employees even approached the two, volunteering to pinch, whip, or torment them... saying they'd do whatever the executive assistants wanted. This infuriated the pair, turning their faces ashen with anger.
Zhan Yi even wanted to throw a punch, but Zhan Liang held him back.
In his office, Zhan Lingfeng leaned back in his chair, rotating it slowly, his deep eyes dark and unfathomable.
He was reflecting on Hua Ying'an's recent visit.
In just one short day, Hua Ying'an had undergone such a significant change. Zhan Lingfeng suspected there was something amiss.
Could this Gu Nanyan know some kind of dark magic?
When things are unusually strange, there must be some trickery involved. Zhan Lingfeng didn't believe that someone could easily change another person's perception of them in just one day.
He decided he needed to return home and have a good talk with this Mrs. Zhan.
On his way back, Zhan Lingfeng entertained various theories. Was it dark magic or hypnosis? If Gu Nanyan had indeed used underhanded methods, he would not let her off the hook.
Upon returning to the Zhan Family Courtyard, he didn't see anyone in the living room. Zhan Lingfeng asked the servant where Gu Nanyan was.
"In response to sir's question, madam is throwing darts in the backyard," the servant answered respectfully.
Zhan Lingfeng nodded and turned towards the backyard.
When he arrived, he saw Gu Nanyan wearing a long red dress, embroidered with large phoenix patterns in the same color thread. The dress looked very formal and dignified, something that would be difficult for most people to pull off, but it fit Gu Nanyan perfectly as if it had been tailored just for her.
She looked like a phoenix about to spread its wings, radiant and captivating.
Gu Nanyan hadn't noticed Zhan Lingfeng's arrival and was focused on throwing darts.
About three meters in front of her was a dartboard, noticeably larger than a standard one, looking rather clumsy and comical.
However, even with the larger board, Gu Nanyan's throws seemed inaccurate. The board was haphazardly covered with darts, none of which had hit the bullseye.
Zhan Lingfeng couldn't help but shake his head and smile.
After a moment, he stepped forward, picked up a dart, and with a flick of his wrist, hit the bullseye dead center!
He picked up another dart and threw it, again hitting the bullseye. He did this three times in a row, all perfect shots.
The Zhan family was known for their strict upbringing of their children, and as the eldest son and grandson, Zhan Lingfeng had shouldered even greater expectations. His training had been particularly rigorous.
Darts were just a small part of his extensive training, hardly worth mentioning.
Zhan Lingfeng didn't turn to look at Gu Nanyan. He didn't need to; he could imagine her shock, her eyes wide with admiration as she gazed at him.
Zhan Lingfeng wanted to assert his dominance, to let her know that he was formidable and capable of anything. Any little tricks played under his nose would not end well.
Only by making Gu Nanyan aware of his prowess could the following conversation proceed smoothly.
He didn't want to hurt her or be too harsh. Zhan Lingfeng hoped that Gu Nanyan would confess voluntarily. If she could admit her mistakes sincerely, he might even forgive her.
With this in mind, Zhan Lingfeng pulled out a tissue to wipe his hands, then turned to look at Gu Nanyan casually, exuding the aura of a domineering CEO: "Want to learn? I can teach you."
Gu Nanyan was usually calm and composed, accustomed to grand occasions. Few things could stir her emotions, but Zhan Lingfeng's words still caught her slightly off guard.
He... surely didn't think he was good at darts, did he?
Ignoring Zhan Lingfeng, Gu Nanyan picked up a dart and threw it towards the board. She continued to throw a few more.
As the number of darts on the board increased, a smiley face formed by the darts gradually took shape.
It turned out that Gu Nanyan wasn't bad at throwing darts at all; she had been creating a pattern!
Unlike Zhan Lingfeng, who had made a show of preparing and aiming, Gu Nanyan threw the darts casually, sometimes without even looking up.
At first, seeing her nonchalant attitude, Zhan Lingfeng had assumed she was just throwing randomly, completely unskilled.
Now he realized she was a master among masters!
On the dartboard, a large smiley face formed by the darts looked adorably silly. Only Zhan Lingfeng's three darts stood out awkwardly on the "cheek," completely out of place.
At that moment, Zhan Yiran came running over. Seeing the smiley face on the dartboard, she clapped her hands excitedly, "Sister-in-law, you're amazing! You're so talented! Oh—"
Zhan Yiran's expression suddenly changed as she pointed at the three odd darts, exclaiming loudly, "What's that? Why are there three weird darts there? They look like moles on the face. So ugly! Haha!"
Unaware that these three darts were thrown by her eldest brother Zhan Lingfeng, Zhan Yiran laughed heartily, doubling over with laughter.
As Zhan Yiran's laughter echoed, Zhan Lingfeng's face gradually turned ashen.
Noticing her brother's expression, Zhan Yiran asked curiously, "Big brother, why has your face turned blue?"
As she said this, a thought suddenly struck Zhan Yiran, and she blurted out, "Big brother, were those 'moles' thrown by you? Haha, I get it now! You must have come over to show off, flaunting your skills, only to realize you got it all wrong. Sister-in-law is way better at darts than you!"
This wretched girl! How could he have such a sister?
Zhan Lingfeng gave Zhan Yiran a cold glare, then suddenly asked, "Weren't you preparing for the Academy of Fine Arts entrance exam? How's your study going?"
Zhan Lingfeng's question immediately drained the color from Zhan Yiran's face.
She had been laughing so heartily that she'd forgotten to be afraid. She was terrified of her eldest brother.
As soon as Zhan Lingfeng mentioned her studies, Zhan Yiran shrank like a quail, repeatedly saying, "I'm going to study right now. I'm going to study right now."
After Zhan Yiran left, only Gu Nanyan and Zhan Lingfeng remained.
In truth, Zhan Lingfeng was usually level-headed and rarely showed off.
However, just now, he didn't know why, but he suddenly wanted to show off in front of Gu Nanyan. He especially wanted to spread his feathers like a peacock, wanting her to admire and look up to him.
As a result, his attempt to show off wasn't successful. Instead, he ended up embarrassing himself quite a bit, and was even mocked by that brat Zhan Yiran.
Zhan Lingfeng awkwardly changed the subject, asking Gu Nanyan, "Besides enjoying darts, what else do you like?"
"Calligraphy. I love writing characters."
Hearing this, Zhan Lingfeng's eyes lit up. He also loved calligraphy, and his skills were particularly good. He had been praised by many famous calligraphers and was even an honorary member of the Calligraphy Association.
