Chapter 30: Zhang Yanran’s Invitation!

A dark and damp scent rushed forward to meet them. Chu Feng also caught the heavy, pungent smell of medicine in the air—a mixture of povidone-iodine and some other potent substance that made him frown instinctively.

"Ah-Meng, you're back!" A woman sitting in a wheelchair appeared before Chu Feng. He noticed she was very thin, yet impeccably clean. She appeared to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, quite tall, and clearly wearing a wig. Her eyes were deeply sunken, but based on her facial proportions, Chu Feng was certain she must have been a beauty before she fell ill.

"I am a friend of Mengzi," Chu Feng said, nodding toward her.

The woman offered a warm smile. "I am Chen Meng’s sister, Chen Qing'er."

"I'm Chu Feng," he said with a smile. He glanced around the room. "May I come in and sit for a while?"

"But it’s a bit messy inside..." Mengzi hesitated.

Chu Feng reached out and draped an arm around Chen Meng’s neck. "Forget about that! Let’s go!"

Stepping into the shack, the scene before Chu Feng was one of utter destitution. The mottled marks on the walls spoke of the passage of time, and the dilapidated furniture emitted a musty, antique odor. The room was dim, with only a single, faint lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, barely illuminating the cramped space. Chu Feng noticed the floor was covered by a worn-out carpet, riddled with stains and signs of wear. A simple wooden table sat in the center of the room, holding a few dishes—the remnants of a recent meal. Although the siblings each had their own bed, there was only an old bedsheet hanging between them as a partition. The entire place looked incredibly bleak.

"Xiaofeng, have some tea." Chen Qing'er brought over a paper cup and brewed a tea bag for him; Chu Feng noticed it was one of those hospital-grade tea bags.

"Thank you." Chu Feng sat on a plastic chair. After a brief chat with Chen Qing'er, he understood the siblings' current situation. In short, it was dire.

Chu Feng patted Mengzi on the shoulder. "Wanna go out for a smoke?"

"Huh?" Mengzi, looking quite naive, glanced at Chu Feng and then at Chen Qing'er.

"Are you hungry? Would you like me to cook you some noodle soup with eggs?" Chen Qing'er asked with concern.

"Thank you, Sister Chen, but I need to have a word with Mengzi!" Chu Feng led Mengzi outside with an arm around his shoulders. Mengzi looked quite uneasy. A number of people were passing by—likely local laborers from the area.

***

"Mengzi, I’ll cover your sister’s medical expenses," Chu Feng said.

"What?" Mengzi was stunned. "Young Master Chu, what did you say?"

"I said, I’m covering your sister’s medical bills!" Chu Feng rolled his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Mengzi froze in place, tears instantly welling up in his eyes. "Young Master Chen, am I dreaming?" Even in his dreams, Mengzi had been desperate to save money for his sister's treatment.

Chu Feng laughed, chiding him, "You keep fighting in those matches for five hundred bucks a pop, risking your life—it’s not worth it!"

"No!" Chen Qing'er had rolled her chair out of the room, her brows furrowed in protest. "Ah-Meng cannot fight anymore. He... he should still be in school." She bit her lip, large tears streaming down her cheeks. "If it takes my brother fighting to pay for my treatment, I’d rather not be treated at all!"

Watching this display of deep sibling affection, Chu Feng felt a surge of emotion. Chen Meng grabbed Chu Feng’s hand. "Young Master Chu, I’m with you."

"Young Master Chu, I beg you... for the sake of a sick person like me... please let my brother go!" Chen Qing'er fell from her wheelchair, attempting to kneel before Chu Feng.

Chu Feng frowned but reached out to help her up. "Miss Chen, why do this? When did I ever say I wanted Chen Meng to keep fighting?"

"Eh?" Chen Qing'er looked bewildered.

Chu Feng smiled. "I have another rental property in the urban village. It’s not much, but it’s far better than this shack."

Chu Feng took them to get something to eat and then brought them to his former rental unit. Since his lease wasn't up until the end of summer, the place had been sitting empty. The next day, to put the siblings at ease, Chu Feng rented the adjacent room as well, signing a one-year lease.

That afternoon, Chu Feng drove the siblings to the hospital. After the scans, it was clear that Chen Qing'er’s condition was critical, so they proceeded with surgery immediately.

Outside the operating room, Chen Meng’s eyes were red with excitement. "Young Master Chu, from now on, my life is yours!" He pounded his chest hard with his fist. Thirty thousand was an astronomical sum to him, and the doctor had warned that without surgery, his sister would only have six months to live. To Mengzi, Chu Feng was a savior descended from the heavens.

Chu Feng didn't speak; he simply handed Chen Meng a cigarette. Mengzi took a puff and immediately began to cough violently.

***

Chu Feng teased, "Don't know how to smoke?"

"It's my first time," Chen Meng said, looking embarrassed.

"From now on, you're with me. We're brothers, and you'll get your fair share of the money," Chu Feng said, patting him on the shoulder.

Chen Meng clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly. "Brother... why are you so good to me? What do you want from me?"

"Loyalty," Chu Feng replied, glancing at him. "Your sister’s surgery is almost done; go take care of her." He waved a hand and left the hospital.

There were few people Chu Feng trusted, but Chen Meng was one of the rare few.

"Time to head back!" Chu Feng stretched. "That little vixen Li Xueli is still waiting for my signal!"

Just as he was about to drive away from the hospital, his phone rang at an inconvenient moment. He started the car and picked up the phone, only to find a message from Zhang Yanran: "Where are you? I want to see you."

Chu Feng frowned slightly at the message. Hadn't Zhang Yanran returned to the villa? Why did she want to see him? Could she have learned something?

He knew that by pulling Zhang Yanran closer through the connection to her biological mother, he had effectively planted a pair of eyes beside Zhang Fuqiang. She could gather far more intelligence than he could, and Zhang Fuqiang was an extremely cautious man. Even in his previous life, Chu Feng had spent thirteen years in prison, and Zhang Fuqiang had remained a powerful force. As the saying goes, the good die young and the wicked live for a thousand years. While Chu Feng didn't claim to be a good man—he was always eyeing other men's wives, after all—he had never taken a human life. Or, at least, he hadn't, setting aside the accidental killing at the alleyway.

"Where are you?" Chu Feng replied.

Zhang Yanran quickly messaged back: "The milk tea shop at the school gate. I’ve already bought the tea. I’ll wait for you."

Chu Feng put the phone down, feeling a sense of irony. In the past, it was always Chu Feng buying the milk tea. He was the one who used to grovel for Zhang Yanran, but now, the roles were reversed.

"Interesting," Chu Feng stepped on the gas, the Ghost roaring like a beast.