Ren Yuanhao exhaled a puff of smoke, the rings swirling and twisting in the cold air like thick white ghosts.
"Hmph, good. Raise your hands and come over! Try anything funny, and my blade won't be so reasonable!"
The thug, holding his knife, grew more excited. The onlookers, seeing Ren Yuanhao's actions, slowly stopped, a hint of anticipation for what was to come, or perhaps a desire to see what sparks would fly after two madmen collided.
Ren Yuanhao raised his hands without hesitation and swaggered up to the thug.
"Turn around!"
Ren Yuanhao turned around, but the thug had no idea how dangerous Ren Yuanhao was!
The sound of the thug releasing his grip seemed amplified tenfold. The slicing of the wind as the short blade moved was as deafening as thunder. At this moment, his agility attributes were at full throttle, focused on his ears. Even without looking, Ren Yuanhao knew the exact position of the blade!
He smiled as he watched the onlookers' mouths slowly fall open, their expressions shift, their hands reach up to cover their eyes, the fear in their pupils, the impending pity on their faces. In a flash, his elbow rammed backward like a cannonball. In the blink of an eye, under everyone's gaze, the thug was sent flying backward three to four meters, crashing into the side of the car and promptly knocking himself unconscious!
The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned. Even the young woman was still immersed in the joy of being rescued. It was as if time had been paused by Ren Yuanhao a moment before. A strike, a retreat, and he was gone, all in an instant.
By the time everyone came to their senses, Ren Yuanhao had already slipped into a dark alley and dialed Ji Fu's number.
"Hello, Ren Yuanhao, what just happened, right?"
"Nothing, there was a lot of garbage on the road, so two cars almost crashed."
As Ren Yuanhao was trying to deceive her, the onlookers not far away were surrounding the car the thug had crashed into, exclaiming continuously.
"Holy crap, this is a German car! Look at the dent from the impact, is this even human? Tell me, if that guy's elbow had hit someone's face, wouldn't their whole face become a basin?"
"Who knows how much force was behind that elbow, but I definitely couldn't take it."
At the same time, Ji Fu in the library looked up and saw the television screen, where the camera was now focused on a flattened German car and the downed thug. The host, with an expression of extreme surprise, pointed at the close-up of the dented German car and reported in a voice sweet enough to cause cavities:
"Just two to three minutes ago, a serious criminal incident involving a knife attack occurred here. However, the thug has been subdued by an unidentified man. What the camera captured is the moment the thug crashed into the car, causing damage to the vehicle. One can only imagine how powerful the man who bravely fought the thug was. According to eyewitnesses, the man was over 1.8 meters tall, wearing a black trench coat, and had a handsome and elegant appearance~"
A silence fell over the phone. Ji Fu let out a snicker and said, "Ren Yuanhao, trouble seems to follow wherever you go. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Hey, don't you think what you said is ambiguous? What do you mean trouble follows wherever I go? You asking for it?" Ren Yuanhao flicked away the remaining half of his cigarette, deliberately teasing.
"That's right, I am asking for it, so what? You gonna bite me?"
Ji Fu's smile bloomed. Unconsciously, she realized that only when she was with Ren Yuanhao could she truly laugh, could she truly be herself. She didn't know when it started, but when talking or interacting with other men, she would inevitably compare them to Ren Yuanhao.
The result, no matter what, was always Ren Yuanhao's victory, of course, excluding family background, money, and status.
"I wouldn't dare. You're Miss Ji. I can't afford the responsibility of biting you." Ren Yuanhao felt he had to put a stop to this immediately, otherwise, if the conversation continued, he might...
While he was lost in thought, the voice on the other end of the phone suddenly became a bit melancholic. "It's not like I expect you to support me, why are you so agitated?"
Ren Yuanhao immediately thought of the tear-stained letter, of the arrangements her family had made, and sighed involuntarily. Unexpectedly, Ji Fu tapped the microphone with her fingertip and said:
"Hey, why don't you elope with me?"
Ren Yuanhao couldn't help but laugh out loud at this inopportune moment.
"What are you laughing at? Don't think I'm always so carefree. I'm very good at managing a household. I can do laundry, cooking, and mending. Although my cooking might not be very good, that... that skill can also be learned through practice, right?"
Ji Fu was afraid he would hang up, or perhaps she could only express these words through the air, over the phone. If they met, she would find it difficult to say them.
"I'm not some pampered young lady. I can endure hardships. We can go to the Western Wastes. Raise a few hundred cattle and sheep. During the dry season, we'll herd these beasts to find fresh grass, wandering all over the world. When the wind and sand are strong, you can light a lamp and tell me stories. The content of the stories doesn't matter, whether it's Hercules fighting the Hydra, the Monkey King causing havoc in Heaven, or Marvel, DC, anything is fine~ I~ I..."
Ren Yuanhao, as he listened, seemed to be immersed in this fantasy as well. Perhaps the life Ji Fu described wasn't so bad. Perhaps, deep down, he yearned for such a life, but did he have the destiny for it?
"Let's talk about something practical. I need to see you about something else." Ren Yuanhao had to interrupt. If this continued, he might impulsively decide to elope with her.
"Okay, come to the library to find me. I'll be waiting for you."
...
About ten minutes later, as Ren Yuanhao stepped into the library, he saw a man coming out. They exchanged a nod, and Ren Yuanhao walked in.
"Who was that guy just now? He looked a bit familiar."
Meeting Ji Fu, Ren Yuanhao asked with a hint of confusion.
"That's my informant. He has a common face, so it's not strange that you find him familiar. Hmph, but I really didn't expect my mother to misjudge this time. The man she introduced me to has such deplorable character." Ji Fu leaned against the window and handed Ren Yuanhao the Longjing tea she was holding.
Ren Yuanhao took the tea and asked, "Oh? Miss Ji sent someone to keep an eye on things?"
"Exactly, take a look."
Ji Fu handed her phone to Ren Yuanhao again. However, when Ren Yuanhao saw the secretly taken photos, his expression changed drastically, and he bolted as if mad!
"Hey, where are you going?" Ji Fu grabbed him.
"I know the woman in the photo! I'm going to kill this bastard!"