On the other side.
Deng Feng walked with a foolish grin on his face, carrying a bag of snacks as he headed toward the meeting spot with Bai Lian.
“Hehe, Bai Lian actually became my girlfriend. It feels like a dream.”
“I wonder if she’ll like these snacks...”
Although it cost him half a month’s worth of food expenses, as long as Bai Lian was happy, he was satisfied.
At that moment.
Deng Feng arrived at the meeting spot and spotted Bai Lian waiting from a distance. Instinctively, he waved and called out, “Bai—!”
But before he could finish his sentence.
He witnessed something completely unexpected.
There.
Gu Yan, Leng Ling’er’s boyfriend, casually walked up to Bai Lian and started chatting with her.
As for Bai Lian, her expression seemed to be hiding something.
She looked... tense and helpless?
How... how could this be?
Deng Feng’s mind buzzed with confusion. Bai Lian and Gu Yan... seemed to know each other?
His breathing grew slightly ragged, and his hand clenched tightly around the bag of snacks.
He stared intently at the two as they talked.
Quick! Reject him, Bai Lian!
You’re my girlfriend!
Stop talking to him!
Only now did Deng Feng realize that even though he had become a martial artist, his heart was still fragile and insecure.
The mere thought of Bai Lian and Gu Yan knowing each other filled him with overwhelming despair.
Because... Gu Yan was exceptional, so exceptional that it made Deng Feng burn with envy.
On Gu Yan’s side, he had already noticed Deng Feng and deliberately acted familiar with Bai Lian in front of him.
“Well, thank you, Miss Bai. I’ll let my wife know about your situation~”
Bai Lian had initially wanted Gu Yan to leave quickly, but hearing this piqued her interest. Her expression became slightly unnatural. “Oh? Really? Then, ahem, make sure to put in a good word for me!”
As she spoke, the corners of her lips curled up slightly. “You’re not as annoying as I thought!”
Gu Yan glanced at Deng Feng in the distance and smiled at Bai Lian. “Well, I take after my wife.”
With that, he waved. “Alright then, see you next time.”
Meanwhile, Deng Feng watched as Bai Lian actually smiled at Gu Yan.
His face froze, and even the mark between his brows began to fade.
Why... why would Bai Lian smile at that man like that?
Why?
Gu Yan... you already have Leng Ling’er. Why are you trying to take Bai Lian from me?
This...
I won’t allow it!
Bai Lian, sensing that her control over Deng Feng was weakening, hurriedly urged Gu Yan, “Alright, alright, just go already! My boyfriend’s about to come!”
As she said this, Deng Feng had already approached.
Hearing her words, his heart warmed.
Bai Lian really does like me. She must have been talking to Gu Yan because he forced her!
With that thought, the mark between Deng Feng’s brows regained its color.
He stepped between Bai Lian and Gu Yan, shielding her protectively.
His eyes wary, he glared at Gu Yan. “What do you want with my girlfriend?”
“Shouldn’t you be with Leng Ling’er?”
Gu Yan glanced at him, pretending to think for a moment as if he had just remembered who Deng Feng was.
Then, as if struck by realization, he said, “Oh, no wonder you looked familiar. It’s you.”
Gu Yan’s tone carried a hint of surprise as he looked Deng Feng up and down. “You’ve changed quite a bit since the last time I saw you.”
He extended a friendly hand. “Why don’t we get to know each other? My name is—”
Before he could finish.
Deng Feng shook his head coldly. “No need. Stay away from my girlfriend!”
Behind him, Bai Lian shot Gu Yan a mocking smirk, as if amused that someone as insignificant as Deng Feng dared to dismiss him so rudely.
Gu Yan smiled and retracted his hand. “Heh, I look forward to our next meeting.”
“No need!” Deng Feng snapped back immediately. He grabbed Bai Lian’s hand and said, “Bai Lian, let’s go! Stay away from this man!”
Bai Lian, out of Deng Feng’s sight, rolled her eyes in exasperation.
This was exactly why she hated dating younger guys.
Gu Yan watched the two leave, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Good. It seemed Deng Feng was completely captivated by Bai Lian. Now, all that was left was to let things play out.
Hehehe~ Even though he got turned into dust by Xiao Lin in the original story, he’s quite effective against the second male lead, huh?
Well done, little Bai Lian~
Bai Lian was dragged away by Deng Feng at a brisk pace.
Only when they were out of Gu Yan’s sight did Deng Feng stop.
The image of Bai Lian and Gu Yan chatting replayed in his mind.
His expression twisted in pain, and he was about to demand an explanation when—
In the next second, a figure embraced him. “Deng Feng! I was so scared!”
“That man suddenly came over and wanted to get to know me! I told him I had a boyfriend!”
“But he wouldn’t leave me alone! I was so scared something might happen, so I had to pretend to be friendly with him!”
“Deng Feng~ You’re not mad at me, are you?”
Her pitiful tone immediately melted Deng Feng’s heart.
He felt a surge of guilt and self-reproach. It was all his fault for being late.
That’s why Bai Lian had to endure that man’s harassment.
He took a deep breath, turned around, and looked at Bai Lian with determination. “Bai Lian! I’m sorry! It’s my fault!”
“I shouldn’t have left you alone there! Don’t worry! I’ll protect you! I won’t let anything like that happen again!”
Bai Lian’s eyes welled up with “gratitude.” “Thank you, Deng Feng~”
With that, she let go of him, wiped away the tears she had forced out, and pulled a pink hairpin from her pocket.
She shyly handed it to him. “Deng Feng, since we’re not in the same classroom, you can look at this hairpin when you miss me. It’ll be like I’m right there with you~”
Deng Feng was deeply moved. He solemnly accepted the hairpin and nodded. “Okay!”
Meanwhile, Gu Yan hadn’t left. He was waiting for Old Gao to deliver some information.
In the next moment.
Whoosh!
Old Gao appeared beside Gu Yan with a grave expression.
While Gu Yan had been chatting with Bai Lian, he had secretly contacted Old Gao to track down the members of the [Black Flame] organization.
But...
The news Old Gao brought was...
“Young Master, they’re all dead.”
“Only their empty shells remains. Ordinary people wouldn’t notice anything unusual, but...”
Old Gao extended his hand, revealing a finger in his palm.
Gu Yan looked at it, and in the next moment—
Bang!
The finger shattered, releasing a swarm of butterflies that scattered into the air.
This was... Jun Zilan’s ability!
Gu Yan fell silent for a long time after seeing this.
Finally, he sighed in resignation.
Did Qingqiu make a move? Did she just skip over this part of the plot?
Tsk tsk, as expected of Qingqiu. Since Leng Ling’er is still alive, she eliminated the Black Flame members to ensure her safety, right?
That’s so like Qingqiu. In the original story, she didn’t intervene because Leng Ling’er was already dead.
Now that the Black Flame members are gone...
Gu Yan realized he’d have to come up with another plan to push Deng Feng to his limits and fulfill Mei Xue’s fifth task.
But with them dead...
Suddenly.
Gu Yan’s eyes lit up as an idea struck him. He looked at the claw mark on his finger.
A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes.
Ah, I’ve got a brilliant idea.
A plan that can kill three birds with one stone!