Chapter 17: Li Xueli's Invitation

Chu Feng shook his head, thinking to himself that Li Xueli was truly not cut out for palace intrigue.

But perhaps that was for the best. If she had intended to harm him, he would have discovered it immediately.

Yet when Chu Feng glanced her way, Li Xueli’s tears fell incessantly like pearls slipping from a broken string...

“Get some rest early. I’ll take out the trash,” Chu Feng said, rising to his feet.

Suddenly, Li Xueli grabbed his sleeve. “I have an apartment downtown. Why don’t we move there together tomorrow?”

Li Xueli knew it was unwise to be seen in public now. During her years in Jiangcheng, she had severed almost all social ties to maintain the role of the ‘virtuous wife and good mother.’

Now, it seemed that only Chu Feng could be trusted.

Chu Feng shook his head. “I can’t go.”

“Why not?”

“Zhang Fuqiang probably already knows where you live. He’s searching everywhere for you. If I go with you, our situation will be exposed.”

“That’s true.” Li Xueli nodded thoughtfully. After some reflection, she decided to recover her injuries here first. “Am I imagining things, or do your muscles look a bit more defined?”

“Muscles?” Chu Feng touched his abs, surprised.

He could actually feel his abdominal muscles now.

“Maybe it’s from the work I’ve been doing lately. I’m going to shower. You should rest early,” Chu Feng said reassuringly.

Li Xueli suddenly seemed to recall something and said, “Xiao Feng, now that I’m out of the Zhang family, there are some things I think I should tell you.”

“Hmm? Go ahead. We’re on the same side,” Chu Feng said, looking at Li Xueli’s delicate face, which had fortunately lost much of its bruising.

Luckily, when she was beaten, she had shielded her face tightly, so the damage there was minimal.

Her body, however, was covered in bruises.

“I know you have deep feelings for Zhang Yanran, but I’ve been her nanny for years. I understand her. She’s only ever treated you as a plaything.”

“You told me that before,” Chu Feng smiled. “I know.”

“Do you… want her?” Li Xueli bit her lip and suddenly asked.

At those words, Chu Feng felt a shudder through his body.

Is this woman serious?

She’s more like the grim reaper than a mother!

But considering how bad the relationship between Li Xueli and Zhang Yanran was—they were at odds like fire and water now.

Though Zhang Yanran had helped Li Xueli once when Zhang Fuqiang was abusing her, that could have ended in tragedy.

In reality, their relationship had never been good.

“What do you have in mind?” Chu Feng sat beside her.

Li Xueli pinched the flesh on his waist. “I knew you were still hung up on that little vixen!”

“Xueli, if you weren’t hurt right now, I’d make you beg for mercy!” Chu Feng teased with a mischievous grin.

Thinking of Chu Feng’s boldness, Li Xueli’s cheeks suddenly flushed.

“You’re hopeless! If you help me cut off Zhang Fuqiang’s assets and get us a divorce, I’ll help you take her down. How about that?”

“Oh, youth is blind. I mistook an aunt for a maiden. Xueli, my tastes have changed now, believe it or not,” Chu Feng sighed.

He wasn’t lacking women anymore.

With savings in hand and a solid foundation, women and connections came to him like rain.

Having a second chance at life, Chu Feng had come to see things clearly.

Only money never betrays you.

Li Xueli hadn’t expected Chu Feng to be indifferent to Zhang Yanran.

But then she understood.

After all, Zhang Yanran had repeatedly rejected Chu Feng before. Even the most devoted man would lose confidence under such rejection.

“What do you want then?” Li Xueli asked tentatively.

“When the time comes, we split the assets seventy-thirty.”

“Not bad. I’ll take seventy, you take thirty. With that money, you could live off it without working ever again, as long as you stay away from vices,” Li Xueli was satisfied with the split, since she would take the larger share.

Chu Feng laughed. “No, it’s you thirty, me seventy!”

“You’re bullying me!” Li Xueli exclaimed and tried to hit him.

But Chu Feng was quick, grabbing her hand and sealing her lips with his in a sudden kiss.

She whimpered and resisted, but soon wrapped her arms around his neck.

Unfortunately, Li Xueli’s injuries were still raw; she couldn’t do much.

Their embrace remained gentle and brief.

Chu Feng knew that with this agreement, they were now in the same boat, no longer fighting alone.

Though Li Xueli wasn’t clever, her status could be quite helpful.

Grabbing his clothes, Chu Feng headed to the bathroom and stood before the mirror.

He used to be thin and frail, weighing only 130 pounds with some belly fat.

He was the type who lacked exercise entirely.

But now, his muscles were well-proportioned.

When he held his breath, his abs showed faint definition—subtle, but far better than before.

“I didn’t look like this this morning. Could it be because of what happened with Shi Wenjing?” Chu Feng turned around, noticing his back was also more balanced—not the pronounced shoulder blades from before.

He pondered the fights he’d had at the street stall.

Though he’d learned combat in prison in his past life, the boxer had said weight was crucial.

A skinny man, no matter how skilled, can’t usually overpower a bulky opponent unless striking vital points.

Usually, the gap between heavyweight and lightweight is like an abyss.

Yet at the street stall, Chu Feng had easily subdued several burly men.

Splash!

Cold water poured over his head, clearing his mind.

“So that’s it! When interacting with others, silently practicing those Vajrayana joy meditation postures not only strengthens the body but also brings added benefits!”

He smiled wryly at this conclusion.

In other words, the more he transformed into a little teddy bear and ‘fought,’ the stronger his physical abilities became.

“Looks like this Vajrayana joy meditation hides many secrets. I need to find an opportunity to meet that old lama again.”

At present, Chu Feng’s conclusion exceeded his understanding.

He clutched the pendant that had accompanied his rebirth.

“But that old lama is like an ancient thief—here one moment, gone the next. Finding him may be harder than climbing to the heavens.”

After some thought, Chu Feng decided to leave the matter of the old lama to fate. If they met again, he would ask him everything.

For now, he had seventy or eighty million yuan and needed to turn this money into legitimate wealth.

Just as Chu Feng was about to sleep, he suddenly recalled Zhang Fuqiang’s earlier words.

“Xiao Long, Wang Ming from Ruihua Technology has been a bit disobedient lately. Go give him a warning.”

Chu Feng’s eyes widened. An idea had come to him!