Kitchen.
Gu Yan was humming a tune while tidying up the dishes.
Mei Xue, who was helping nearby, found it quite annoying.
This guy is really irritating, even though he sings well and cooks nicely.
But the master doesn't really like him, yet he keeps sticking around the master.
Hmph! Let's see if you'll still be smiling after we take over the Gu family.
At that moment,
Gu Yan suddenly looked at Mei Xue and said with a smile, "By the way, Mei Xue, I have a favor to ask of you."
Oh... this sudden friendly attitude is really making me uncomfortable...
Mei Xue felt awkward facing this seemingly sincere Gu Yan, as he had always spoken to her with a fake smile before: "What is it?"
"It's nothing much. You know how our Qingqiu asked you to protect me secretly, right?"
"But it's fine, I have other experts around me, so I don't need you."
"So, why don't you go protect Qingqiu's sister, Leng Ling'er instead?"
To be on the safe side, although Gu Yan had already assigned many people to guard the area around Leng Ling'er's school,
it's better to be safe than sorry. Having Mei Xue, who excels at hiding in the shadows, protect Leng Ling'er would add another layer of security.
With multiple safeguards in place, Leng Ling'er's safety should be assured. Even if Mei Xue couldn't defeat an attacking enemy, she should at least be able to escape with Leng Ling'er.
Mei Xue frowned upon hearing this: "But the master's order was to protect you."
Although Leng Ling'er is Leng Qingqiu's sister, her primary duty was to follow Leng Qingqiu's orders to protect Gu Yan.
Gu Yan smiled slightly and said, "Then consider this the second thing you're doing for me."
"Besides... this might turn out to be a good thing for you."
"A good thing?"
Mei Xue frowned slightly, her expression conflicted.
After much consideration, she nodded: "Alright, but are you sure you want to use your opportunity on something like this?"
Mei Xue couldn't understand Gu Yan's thought process. What did someone else's safety have to do with him?
Gu Yan nodded slightly.
Mei Xue fell silent, and then her mood began to grow excited.
Soon... it will be soon...
Brother... wait a little longer... your sister is about to find you...
What Mei Xue didn't know was that
Gu Yan's eyes took on a mysterious look. He had previously asked Old Gao to investigate Mei Xue's "brother".
He never expected it to be him.
Heh, interesting.
Could this be what they call fate?
........
........
Jianghai High School.
Inside a bathroom.
Bang!!
"Didn't I tell you to stop staring at Ling'er?!"
A youth with dyed yellow hair punched a weak-looking, skinny boy in the face.
The latter fell onto the wet floor from the punch. He covered his bruised cheek, cowering in the corner, trembling as he apologized, "I-I'm sorry..."
"Hey, hey, hey! This guy is actually crying!"
"Are you even a man? Hahaha!"
"Oh, I forgot, you're just a piece of human trash with no parents, and even your sister has disappeared!"
"Hahaha, Brother Wang, a weakling like him wouldn't dare to compete with you for Sister Ling'er even if he had a hundred times more courage!"
Besides the yellow-haired youth, there were several other boys his age.
They all wore mocking smiles as they looked at the skinny boy cowering in the corner, covering his face and sobbing.
Wang Zilin listened to his buddies' words with great satisfaction. He glared fiercely at the skinny boy and threatened, "Deng Feng, I advise you to give up on your little fantasy!"
"Don't think you can have something with Leng Ling'er just because your grades are good!"
"Ling'er is only coming to you with questions because the college entrance exams are coming up soon. Don't you dare think she actually likes you!"
As he said this, Wang Zilin felt quite frustrated. He didn't know what was going on with Leng Ling'er lately; she suddenly said she wanted to study hard.
She even said she wanted to get into university and stopped participating in gang activities. Sigh, he had even asked his parents for two movie tickets.
He was thinking of inviting Leng Ling'er to the movies this weekend.
Oh, wait, he heard that Ling'er had found a rich boyfriend, but then they said it was her brother-in-law.
Really now, Ling'er obviously likes me, how could she possibly go for another man? I should really beat up all those people spreading rumors!
Deng Feng heard Wang Zilin's insults towards him and his family. He clenched his fists tightly, his mind screaming to rush up and punch this person who was insulting his family right in the face.
But... he helplessly loosened his grip.
His eyes filled with intense guilt and despair.
I'm so useless... Why am I so useless? The person insulting my parents and sister is right in front of me.
But why... why don't I even have the courage to stand up and argue back?
Why... why am I so useless?! Someone like me... someone like me! I might as well be dead!
The light in Deng Feng's eyes grew dimmer and dimmer. He felt he had no reason to live anymore.
The person insulting his family was standing right in front of him, yet he didn't even have the courage to fight back.
Too useless... too cowardly...
Just then,
"Wang Zilin! Stop it right now!"
An angry feminine shout came from the bathroom door.
Wang Zilin's expression changed. He and his gang turned their heads to look.
They saw Leng Ling'er holding a notebook, glaring angrily at Wang Zilin and the others.
Bai Qionglan was standing beside Leng Ling'er (for those who don't remember who she is, you can refer back).
Wang Zilin's face immediately turned sour, but he didn't dare say anything.
After all, Leng Ling'er was the girl he liked, and Bai Qionglan was the young miss of the Bai family, someone he couldn't afford to offend.
So he could only put on a fawning smile: "Ling'er, what are you doing here? I was just teaching this useless trash a lesson."
Hearing this, Leng Ling'er frowned and looked coldly at Wang Zilin: "Ling'er? Are you that close to me? Who gave you permission to call me that?"
"And! The one you're 'teaching' is my friend! Apologize to him right now!"
Friend? This useless trash?
Wang Zilin's face twitched, his forced smile barely holding.
His gang members all averted their eyes, feeling the atmosphere had become very heavy.
"Apologize? You want me to apologize to this trash? Leng Ling'er? Are you joking?"
Wang Zilin took a deep breath. Asking him to apologize to someone lower than dirt was worse than killing him.
"Trash this, trash that, did you eat shit? Why is your mouth so foul?"
Leng Ling'er handed her notebook to Bai Qionglan, then walked up to Wang Zilin.
She made no effort to hide the anger in her eyes: "Apologize to him!"
Wang Zilin clenched his fists tightly, gritting his teeth as he looked at Leng Ling'er defending someone else.
He finally muttered reluctantly: "Sorry..."
After saying it, he seemed to feel too humiliated, so he glared viciously at Deng Feng cowering in the corner: "You better remember this!"
With that, he stormed off with an upset face.
The incident over, Leng Ling'er walked up to Deng Feng, extended her hand, and asked with concern: "Are you alright?"
Leng... Ling'er?
Deng Feng stared blankly at Leng Ling'er offering her hand to help him, a faint light flickering in his eyes.
He instinctively reached out, but then his mind suddenly flashed to........
The figure of that man who came to pick up Leng Ling'er that day, that man... who was Leng Ling'er's boyfriend.
Someone like me, someone like me.......
"It's... it's nothing."
Deng Feng forced a smile and shook his head, then stood up using the wall for support.
"Thank you."
After saying this, he lowered his head and ran away. He didn't want others to see him in such an embarrassing state.
Especially not in front of the girl he liked.
"He's gone, Sister Ling'er."
Bai Qionglan glanced at the fleeing Deng Feng, then waved the notebook in her hand: "Didn't you still have questions about today's class?"
Leng Ling'er stood up and walked over to Bai Qionglan, sighing in frustration: "Damn it, I wanted to ask him some questions, why did he run away?"
She shook her head: "Never mind, I'll just ask my sister when we get back."
Seeing this, Bai Qionglan showed a strange smile. She poked Leng Ling'er and said teasingly, "How come you suddenly want to be a good girl? Do you really want to go to university?"
The latter seemed to have thought of something, and a hint of joy appeared in her eyes. She chuckled and said, "I'm only telling you this, my brother-in-law said that if I get into college, he'll take me to get a driver's license!"
"And he'll let me pick any motorcycle I like!"
As she spoke, she became a bit unhappy again, "It's just that he seems to have been very busy lately, and hasn't come to pick me up at all!"
Hearing this, Bai Qionglan's eyes lit up, "Oh? Our brother-in-law is so nice? Then maybe this humble girl could..."
"Get lost! That's my brother-in-law!"
"Don't you dare have any weird ideas!"
Leng Ling'er immediately scolded.
Bai Qionglan chuckled, but a hint of envy flashed in her eyes.
The two left, playfully bickering with each other.
But neither of them noticed.
After they left, a middle-aged man wearing glasses and carrying a physics book walked over. He looked at the spot where Deng Feng had been beaten earlier.
He fell into deep thought.
That young man... there seems to be an unusual power within him.
It seems very suitable for our Black Tortoise Gate's techniques... The successor the Sect Master said to find...