Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 1104: What a Coincidence to Bump into You

Chapter 1104: Chapter 1104: What a Coincidence to Bump into You

"Brother, sister-in-law, didn’t you see the red light?" the cyclist who had picked himself up from the ground complained, his voice tinged with resentment. He was facing away from Li Shi, so she couldn’t see his face clearly, but his voice was very familiar.

Li Shi and Haywes got out of the car, one after the other, wanting to see if the person was all right and how serious his injuries were.

"What kind of driving is this..." the man turned to reproach them, but when he saw Li Shi, he stopped mid-sentence. It wasn’t because Li Shi was too beautiful, but because her face was too familiar.

"Gu Fan, how come it’s you? Why aren’t you staying at home so late at night, wandering around instead?" Li Shi scolded, making Gu Fan rather gloomy. "Sis, are you mistaken? It was you who nearly hit me just now, shouldn’t you be the one apologizing to me?"

"Oh, I forgot, my apologies, Gu Fan," Li Shi said, but there was not a hint of apology on her face.

"Forget it, your apology lacks sincerity, I can’t accept it." Gu Fan stretched his limbs thoroughly, then glanced at Li Shi, Haywes, and the luxury car. For some reason, he couldn’t restrain himself from imagining all sorts of scenarios of Li Shi’s downfall.

Seeing Gu Fan’s expression, Li Shi knew exactly what the bastard was thinking and could only clarify, "I work late, and for safety reasons, my boss drove me home."

"Oh, you really have a good boss. I really want to work at your company. Is your company hiring?" Gu Fan stepped forward to shake hands, appearing very eager to foster a closer relationship.

Li Shi immediately interjected, "Forget it, our company is fully staffed. You’d only be able to help me out with minor tasks, and I guess you wouldn’t like that."

Gu Fan ignored Li Shi and kept shaking Haywes’s hand without letting go, his ingratiating expression was disdainful to onlookers.

Suddenly, Gu Fan remembered something, "Your name is Haywes, we’ve met before. The last time I went to a financial city abroad to meet Boss Lei—that somewhat fierce-looking fellow—I saw you in Boss Lei’s office. That was our first encounter, and now this is the second, what a coincidence."

"Coincidental, indeed." Haywes was part of Organization X, and since Organization X was already closely monitoring Gu Fan, he recognized him instantly. However, he hadn’t expected to run into him in this manner.

Now curious, Gu Fan said, "I heard that X Fund has set up in this city. You don’t know how happy I was. I really want to join you."

Suddenly, Gu Fan looked at Li Shi then at Haywes, his brows furrowing, "Wait a minute, Mr. Haywes, aren’t you with X Fund? How come you’ve become Li Shi’s boss?"

This question put Haywes and Li Shi in an awkward position, not knowing how to respond.

"Oh, I get it!" Gu Fan suddenly acted as if he had an epiphany, "No wonder Li Shi has been writing news about the X Fund recently, that explains it."

"That’s right, that’s right!" Haywes laughed on the surface, worrying internally. He hadn’t expected his identity to be revealed to Gu Fan so soon, derailing the plan entirely.

Afterward, they chatted casually before saying their goodbyes. Gu Fan still looked reluctantly parting, appearing just like a sycophantic villain.

Once Haywes had left, Gu Fan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then he drove back, the corners of his mouth still turned up in a pleased smile, the plan was very successful.

Indeed, tonight’s events were orchestrated by Gu Fan and Li Shi. First, Li Shi used the excuse of working late and needing Haywes to review her articles, waiting for him to take the bait.

If Haywes didn’t come to the company and only checked the emails, then the plan would be over, and Li Shi and Gu Fan would think of other methods.

If Haywes did visit the company in person, then he would likely offer Li Shi a ride home, and Gu Fan would be lying in wait on the route they would take.

Gu Fan’s intention was clear: to get close to Haywes. Only by getting closer could he understand Haywes’s real purpose and make more accurate judgments.

An ordinary person might think of continuing to observe from the shadows, gathering intel through Li Shi, and acting at an opportune moment.

But that’s not what Gu Fan thought. Considering it from the perspective of Organization X, if he were them, having dispatched X Fund and Haywes to the city, they would definitely anticipate Gu Fan associating the letter X with both X Fund and Organization X, and he would be wary of X Fund.

Gu Fan also considered that, with the capability of Organization X, they couldn’t be unaware of his relationship with Li Shi, nor could they ignore the fact that Li Shi might pass on what she knew to him.

What if Organization X used Li Shi to feed Gu Fan false information? In a critical moment, it would mislead his judgment, and that would be disastrous.

After much thought, Gu Fan decided to take the initiative. By exposing his relationship with Li Shi, he essentially threw down the gauntlet in front of Organization X. To put it simply, "I know that you at Organization X are aware of my connection to Li Shi. I just want to tell you that I’m no longer going to use Li Shi to probe into your affairs. Whether or not you’ll use Li Shi to send me false info is now up to you."

Since Gu Fan changed his tactics, Organization X had to adjust theirs reactively, which could impact their plans and pace. This was exactly what Gu Fan wanted to see. With the slightest hint of disarray, they might reveal their flaws.

Now, Haywes was preoccupied with how coincidental the encounter was. He hadn’t seen Li Shi pulling out her phone; surely, she hadn’t deliberately alerted Gu Fan to ambush them halfway. But if this truly was a coincidence, it felt too strange. And if it was all premeditated, that would be terrifying.

When Li Shi saw Haywes zoning out, she remarked, "Boss, could you focus while you’re driving?"

"Oh, of course!" Haywes snapped back to reality and immediately gripped the steering wheel tighter. Although he redirected his attention to driving, he couldn’t shake his unease, couldn’t help wondering what exactly this kid was after if today’s approach was intentional.

After dropping Li Shi off at the entrance of her residential complex, Haywes quickly made a call to someone higher up the chain to update them on the latest developments.

Senior members of Organization X couldn’t help but express their admiration, "Smart kid, he’s practically challenging us face to face."

"Exactly, the kid knows he can’t outsmart us in the shadows, so he’s chosen the direct approach."

"Looks like Li Shi can no longer be used, which ironically will keep her safe. I suppose this is also what Gu Fan wants, he’s very thorough," they said.

"It’s pointless, he can’t beat us in the end. Besides Li Shi, there are too many people around him that we can exploit," they concluded.