It was a new year, and a new beginning was in order.
Since he had decided to leave, why waste time making a meal?
Even though her heart was a turmoil of emotions, the thought of never seeing him again made her want to cry, yet Zhan Jingchun still said it wasn't necessary.
"Let's go."
Peng Fei was silent for a moment, not knowing what else to say. He stood up straight.
"Okay, I'll be going then."
He turned to leave, but Zhan Jingchun called out to him again.
"Wait."
"Don't you have no money on you? You can't walk back, can you? I'll get you some money."
Peng Fei indeed had no money and knew he couldn't walk back, but he didn't want Zhan Jingchun's money.
"No need."
"No need for what. It's almost New Year, and even if you want to find work, you need a place. Take it, you owe me more than this anyway."
They never exchanged contact information, so she couldn't transfer the money to him. Zhan Jingchun gave him ten thousand in cash.
Peng Fei's face turned red when he saw the amount.
"I don't need this much. I'll take the train back."
He wanted to take a thousand, but Zhan Jingchun stuffed it all into his arms.
"Take it all. If you can't spend it, donate it back home and do some good deeds for your hometown. Go on."
Peng Fei looked back at her with extreme reluctance, gazing at her from head to toe one last time before leaving reluctantly.
The villa complex was vast, with greenery planted everywhere. Even in the depths of winter, it was lush and beautiful.
But all he felt was desolation, utter loneliness. Every step felt heavy as if carrying a thousand pounds. It took him half an hour to reach the entrance.
Just as he was about to step out, to finally leave this place, a black car suddenly sped towards him.
A familiar, crisp voice called out.
"Brother! Brother Peng Fei!"
Peng Fei turned to look. It was Nan Nan.
She was sitting in the back seat of the car, rolling down the window, and waving excitedly at him with her chubby little hands.
For some reason, a large patch of her face was red, and it looked like she had a bandage on her forehead.
Recalling the scene of her father's madness last night, Peng Fei's heart tightened.
How could she end up like this after only not seeing her for half a day?
Did that scumbag father hit her?
Did he hit her so hard that her head was bleeding?
Without time to think, he chased after the car.
"Nan Nan, why are you injured? What happened to your face?"
The man, hearing his daughter talking to someone, yelled furiously while driving.
"Who told you to roll down the window? Raise it! Don't you know not to talk to strangers? You're asking for death!"
With that, he rolled up the window.
Nan Nan's entire arm was still outside and she couldn't retract it in time. She was caught by the glass.
Seeing her like this, and hearing the man's angry roar, Peng Fei became even more worried.
Nan Nan's mother was in a custody battle to get her back. Could this man be trying to take Nan Nan and hide her to avoid her?
How could such a young child endure such torment?
"Stop, stop the car!"
He didn't know what he could do by chasing after him, but instinctively, he did.
The man completely ignored him. The automatic gate recognized the license plate and quickly lifted, allowing the car to speed away.
Peng Fei relentlessly followed, shouting for him to stop.
The man drove incredibly fast, but Peng Fei also ran with all his might. He ran through two blocks and was still behind him. The man was furious. As they approached the next intersection, he slammed on the brakes, stopped the car by the roadside, got out, and walked towards Peng Fei with a fierce expression.
"What the hell do you want? Are you done yet? I haven't settled the score with you for bullying my daughter, and you still dare to follow me? You're tired of living, aren't you?"
He was about Peng Fei's height, but at least dozens of pounds heavier. He walked up to Peng Fei and pushed him.
Fortunately, Peng Fei had already recovered his strength and stood his ground. He blocked the man's arm.
"What's wrong with Nan Nan's face? Why is her head bleeding too? Did you hit her? Are you even her father? How could you lay a hand on such a small child? Are you even human?"
"Screw you! Who do you think you are, yelling at me like this? Are you getting too big for your britches? I'm not her father? Then who are you? Are you that woman's lover? Did she secretly have her with you behind my back?"
It was quite something that he was a lawyer, yet his words were so uncouth.
Peng Fei grabbed his tie.
"Watch your mouth! I've seen people looking for death, people looking for medicine, but never people looking to be cuckolded! Someone like you thinks he's fit to be a father?"
"Since you dislike Nan Nan so much, why don't you just let her go and give her back to her mother?"
The man gritted his teeth and tried to pry Peng Fei's hands off.
"Do I need you to teach me how to be a person? I think you're just asking for a beating! Let go of me, or I'll beat you until you're spitting teeth!"
As they cursed each other and were about to fight, Nan Nan pushed open the car door and ran out.
She didn't dare to pull the two of them apart, shouting "Daddy, brother, don't fight!" while crying and running towards the oncoming traffic.
"I'm so scared, I want to find Mom. Mom, where are you? Nan Nan is so scared~"
Hearing her voice, both of them looked at Nan Nan.
Seeing her run into the traffic with her eyes closed, they forgot about their fight and both took off running after her.
Cars honked their horns, braking sharply to avoid her.
Peng Fei ran swiftly, overtaking the man. Before a car could hit her, he used a move called "Haidi Laoyue" to scoop Nan Nan into his arms.
He glanced back. The man had almost been hit by a car and was now blocked behind another vehicle.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, he ran in the opposite direction with Nan Nan in his arms.
"Don't cry, I'll take you to find your mom. Come with me!"
Peng Fei ran with all his might, heading towards secluded areas and alleys. The man couldn't catch up.
After running for an unknown distance, assuming the man couldn't catch up anymore, he finally stopped.
Looking at Nan Nan, who was crying inconsolably, he wiped away her tears.
"Do you know where your mother's house is? Stop crying, I'll take you to her. You'll be safe once you find your mom."
Although he didn't know where her mother was at the moment, Nan Nan remembered her grandmother's house.
Based on what she told him, Peng Fei took a taxi and took her to her grandmother's place.
Nan Nan's mother was extremely grateful to Peng Fei. Her ex-husband had kept Nan Nan like a caged bird, making it impossible for her to get close.
This time, her daughter had finally returned to her side. Even if it meant losing her fortune and exhausting her life's energy, she would fight to win her back.
Seeing that Nan Nan was safe, Peng Fei had no more attachments in Nancheng. It was time for him to leave.
He took a taxi to the Nancheng train station, and it was already past three in the afternoon.
The square outside the train station was vast, and it was crowded with people.
It was his first time traveling by train, and he was confused about the way and didn't know how to buy a ticket. He was looking down at his phone, researching, and walking when suddenly, a black car sped towards him.
The crowd let out a scream. Peng Fei had no time to dodge, and the car hit him squarely.
He was thrown several meters before crashing to the ground, blood splattering everywhere. He instantly lost consciousness.