Camille Laurent stopped abruptly.
Lucas looked at her, confused and shocked. "What did you say?"
"You want me to be your... little brother?"
His mentality was cracking.
I consider you a close female friend, and you want me as your subordinate?
What the heck.
I can't handle this injustice!
Seeing his reaction, Camille hurriedly clarified, "No, no, that's not what I meant! I meant for you to be my partner!"
Oh my.
What kind of outrageous words were those just now?
Why did I say that?
Camille explained, "Ah, I just heard you talk about being a 'little brother,' and my words slipped. What I really meant to ask was if you wanted to cooperate with me?"
That was close. The little boat of friendship, finally built, almost capsized.
Of course.
Camille wasn't so foolish as to believe Lucas just because he told a story.
She would definitely test him.
Test whether what Lucas said was true.
But it was undeniable.
Lucas had stepped a little into her heart when she was at her most helpless and saddest.
The position once belonging to Adrien Lefèvre had now yielded just a tiny bit.
Just a tiny bit.
You could never imagine the sorrow of a woman being rejected dozens of times by the person she confessed her feelings to.
Especially when his attitude towards her grew colder, more ruthless.
Even filled with disgust.
That feeling could easily tear one's heart to shreds.
Lucas pretended to sigh in relief. "You almost scared me."
"But still, thank you for your kindness."
Lucas said seriously, "Although I'm not hugely successful or wealthy, I prefer doing things on my own for now."
This was true.
After all, he was unfamiliar with this world.
Who knew if these people might be influenced by the plot and end up siding with the protagonist?
So.
It was more reliable to always keep a backup plan.
Seeing him refuse, Camille was somewhat surprised. "Are you sure? You know, my company isn't any smaller than Adrien's."
Her family's Cheng Group was also worth hundreds of billions.
Not inferior in the slightest.
If Lucas was willing to be Adrien's lackey, it meant he valued the resources behind Adrien.
And...
If he didn't agree, how could she test what kind of person he was?
So frustrating.
Lucas smiled. "Really, no need."
He smiled on the surface, but grumbled internally.
If my 'good big brother' finds out I'm mingling with you, he might give me trouble someday.
His own capital hadn't risen yet; he still needed to strive.
Otherwise, he'd love to give Adrien a good slap first.
"Alright. If you change your mind, you can come find me anytime." Seeing his stance, Camille didn't insist further.
"Oh, right. I don't have your WeChat yet."
Saying this, Camille hurriedly took her phone from her bag, opened her QR code, and handed it to him.
Seeing this, Lucas also smiled and took out his phone.
Beep.
Friend added successfully.
The reason Camille offered her code instead of scanning his was precisely because she was afraid he might not add her.
It was like asking for a girl's WeChat on the street—the safest method was to have her scan your code. That way, she couldn't not add you.
Friend added successfully.
Camille glanced at the time. "Let's head back."
It was already past midnight.
She had work tomorrow; she couldn't stay up all night.
Lucas knew this too, so he nodded. "Okay, let's go. I'll walk you back."
The two walked side by side.
After seeing Camille home, Lucas headed back to his own place.
Today's mission of strengthening bonds with the heroine + the villainess: √!
The Bai Residence.
In the villa living room.
A young man with a crew cut, about 1.8 meters tall with a well-proportioned build, sat opposite Grandpa Bai. His features were resolute and calm. While his looks were only above average, his sharp, imposing demeanor was very compelling.
Only three people were in the living room at the moment.
Grandpa Bai, Claire Dubois, and this young man with the crew cut.
"Xiaofan, were things comfortable for you abroad?" Grandpa Bai asked kindly.
Crew-cut brother Ye Fan nodded and smiled. "Sir, it was fine abroad. Master often mentions you."
Hearing this, Grandpa Bai laughed heartily.
"Haha, your master still remembers me."
"Back in the day, I owed my life to your master. If not for him, this old life of mine would have been left on the battlefield."
Grandpa Bai was somewhat emotional.
He and Ye Fan's master had met on the battlefield.
Back then, he was injured in the leg by shrapnel from a bomb. Just as the enemy was about to charge over, Ye Fan's master rushed in from the side and saved him.
So he had always remembered this debt of gratitude.
"By the way, what did your master intend for you to do by returning to China this time?" Grandpa Bai shifted the topic.
Even now, he didn't really know what Ye Fan's master did overseas.
He only knew he owned several companies.
And his net worth was quite substantial.
Ye Fan's master had no children, no family. One could say all these assets would belong to Ye Fan in the future.
Hearing the old man's question, a flicker of awkwardness passed through Ye Fan's eyes.
This...
How should he answer?
Telling the truth... he was afraid it might scare the old man.
After all, he had accidentally killed the son of the leader of the largest underground organization in a certain powerful nation and was consequently being hunted globally.
That's why he had fled back to China for refuge.
Saying that would definitely shock most ordinary people.
Ye Fan quickly said, "Master said he's getting old. He wanted me to return to China to see if there are any development opportunities. He plans to come back here to retire later."
He just said I should gain some experience first.
Grandpa Bai nodded.
That made sense.
It matched his old friend's style—to send his disciple here to gain experience.
And to see what the country was like.
But...
This wasn't easy to arrange.
Suddenly, Grandpa Bai had an idea. "Xiaofan, I heard from your master that you're some kind of... 'King of Soldiers,' is that right?"
Hearing this, Ye Fan was momentarily stunned, then nodded. "Yes."
Top ten on the mercenary king rankings.
One of the world's top ten assassins.
That was him.
To the outside world, he could just be called a top-tier soldier.
Seeing this, a trace of surprise flashed in Grandpa Bai's aged eyes. He then smiled. "In that case, why don't you work as a bodyguard for Xiaoying?"
"She's my granddaughter and the current CEO of the Bai Group. It'll give you a good look at things."
Claire Dubois, who had been silent beside them, heard her grandfather's words, and countless question marks immediately flashed through her mind.
"Grandpa, I don't need any bodyguard!"