Chapter 21: Is Zhang Yanran in Danger?

"Why are you still standing there? Go after her!" Yu Xiaoyu looked at Chu Feng with a tone of reproach.

Chu Feng frowned. Pursue her? Why should he?

In truth, ever since his rebirth, Chu Feng had lost all feelings for Zhang Yanran. His previous compliance had been nothing more than a performance. Furthermore, Zhang Yanran was a piece in the puzzle of his revenge. If she had spoken a single word in his defense back then, he never would have ended up in prison.

He remembered when he first became a convict. As a young, slender, and decent-looking man, he had been the target of many who wanted to take advantage of him. Relying on his indomitable will, he had held his ground, but he had paid for it with many beatings. Those early days were a blur of fresh and old wounds. The first year had been the hardest to endure. His classmates had all gone off to university one by one, while he could only weep in silence behind iron bars.

If anyone asked if he regretted his act of chivalry, Chu Feng could say with absolute certainty that he regretted it until his intestines turned green. Although it wasn't a death sentence and he might have been released early from a life sentence, his life had been ruined. To whom could he pour out his hatred and grievances?

Reborn, he was here for revenge. For the current Chu Feng, Zhang Fuqiang was an insurmountable wall. And yet, Zhang Yanran was an essential pawn in his plan.

The greater goal took precedence.

Taking a deep breath to steady his turbulent heart, he ran after her. Looking at it from another perspective, since Zhang Yanran couldn't return home, perhaps he could use this opportunity to win her over. Li Xueli was a mature woman who cared only for money. Although he had gained her trust, it would still take effort to make her fully cooperate. Zhang Yanran, however, was a much easier target. Though he knew she wasn't exactly an innocent girl, a female college student was clearly easier to manipulate.

Besides, Chu Feng was currently investigating the cause of Zhang Yanran’s mother's death. If he cut ties with her completely, all his previous efforts would be in vain.

Chu Feng caught up to her on a pedestrian overpass and intercepted her.

"Yanran!"

"So what if I rejected you? Did you really have to use another girl to make me jealous?" Zhang Yanran shook off his hand.

Chu Feng didn't reach for her again, instead using the acting skills he had honed in prison. "First of all, she is just a friend! Secondly... at the bar, I stood up for you against Li Xueli, yet you left me behind... Do you have any idea how close I came to being taken away by some pervert?"

In reality, there had been no such incident; after the fight, Chu Feng had simply slipped away. Zhang Yanran suddenly recalled that he had vanished without a trace. Given the chaotic nature of the bar, what he described was entirely plausible.

"I..." Zhang Yanran suddenly felt as though she were in the wrong. It was true that when he disappeared, she hadn't looked for him, nor had she even made a phone call. "There was so much going on, I... I didn't notice..." She felt a flash of panic.

An image flashed through her mind: Chu Feng ignoring her, holding hands and kissing a stranger, and heading to a hotel. She had grown accustomed to his constant presence. Many boys had pursued her, but most gave up when they realized how difficult it was—what with her unique family background and her father being one of the wealthiest men in Jiangcheng. Only Chu Feng, that stubborn fool, had stuck by her side without fail.

"Yanran, you’ve misunderstood Chu Feng," Xuanxuan and Yu Xiaoyu arrived on the scene. Xuanxuan held up the yellow roses she had been carrying. "Actually, Chu and I are just ordinary friends."

"Yellow roses?!" Zhang Yanran’s eyes widened.

Xuanxuan, however, felt even more confused. To her, the current Chu Feng acted like a lovesick college student, yet in her heart, she viewed him as a wealthy heir with extraordinary means. Which one was the real Chu Feng? A thought struck her: Could it be that Chu Feng had been putting on an act all along? Her head felt like it might explode. She had secretly investigated him; he was never short of women, and his attitude toward them was effortless—not at all like a boy tormented by puppy love.

Just as Xuanxuan was trying to make sense of it, several thugs appeared on both ends of the bridge. One of them held up a photograph. "This is the woman the boss wants! Grab her!"

The thug charged forward. Zhang Yanran screamed and stumbled backward.

*It seems to be Yingtian Long’s men. It’s a good thing Fatty Da and the others didn’t come, or they would have recognized me immediately,* Chu Feng thought, recognizing the attackers.

He stepped in front of Zhang Yanran. She felt as though a solid, reliable mountain had suddenly appeared before her.

"Yanran, leave now!" Chu Feng commanded.

"But you..."

"Go!" Chu Feng barked, cutting her off.

Yu Xiaoyu grabbed Zhang Yanran. "Let's go!"

The two women hurried off the overpass. Zhang Yanran kept looking back, seeing Chu Feng already engaged in a fight with the thugs. His punches were swift and powerful—he had already knocked two of them to the ground. Since when was he so capable?

"Yanran, it seems Chu Feng still has you in his heart. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given that girl yellow roses—he would have given her red ones," Yu Xiaoyu said, pulling her toward a crowd of onlookers in the distance.

"He... he seems to have changed," Zhang Yanran murmured after a long silence. She thought to herself that perhaps it was time to reconsider him.

The thugs on the overpass were nothing more than a disorganized rabble, likely students from a nearby vocational school. In this era, many were influenced by gangster films and enjoyed forming gangs.

"Watch out!" Xuanxuan leaped forward, kicking away a metal water pipe that had been swung at Chu Feng from behind.

Chu Feng chuckled. "I knew you had skills!"

"I have questions for you," Xuanxuan said, her expression serious.

"Let’s deal with this trash first!" Chu Feng grabbed one of the thugs, hoisted him high above his head, and tossed him like a sack of sand toward the stairs. The thugs crowding up behind were knocked over like pins as the man tumbled down.

"Let's go!" Xuanxuan said. "There’s surveillance here!"

Chu Feng nodded. Now that Zhang Yanran and the others were safe, there was no need to linger and continue the brawl.