"Grass. Mud. Horse. Get lost!"
A young man running at the front angrily shouted at the diners watching from the roadside.
Gao Fei frowned and, along with others, dodged to the side to make way.
As the five young men were about to run into the food stall, intending to escape through the back alley, a brick flew through the air.
Bang!
A muffled thud.
The brick accurately and forcefully hit one of the young men on the head, and he immediately fell forward.
Seeing their companion struck down, the four running in front immediately turned back.
Though they were loyal to each other, they were also surrounded by over twenty pursuers.
The next second, the street was filled with flashes of blades, and cries of anguish echoed, blood flowing along the cracks in the pavement to the roadside.
About a minute later, police lights flashed at the end of the street, accompanied by the alarm sound that made thugs fearful.
Whoosh!
The twenty-plus people who were frantically hacking at the five young men immediately put away their weapons and scattered, quickly fleeing the scene.
Watching the five men lying in pools of blood, Gao Fei secretly shook his head.
Whether in his past life or in the current Dragon Country, being involved in society meant one foot in prison and the other at the gates of hell.
In short, a dead end.
Just as he was about to leave, the local police officers got out of their cars and walked over.
As they were eyewitnesses, they needed to go through the procedural recording.
Gao Fei, who remained, sat at the very back. In front of him, five or six younger men were discussing the recent brawl.
"To have a late-night snack and a drink, and then witness a street fight, what bad luck!"
"Damn, you've only been here for a little over half an hour. Before you arrived, there were already three or four brawls and bloody conflicts on this street. The fighting was so intense that more than ten crowbars were broken."
"Don't just talk about this street. I heard from other friends that tonight is very turbulent in Kyoto. From small late-night food stalls to KTVs and clubs, many brawls have occurred. The suburban areas are even more chaotic; they've even used guns, and it's said that people have died!"
"Why did it suddenly become so chaotic? This is Kyoto, aren't these people afraid of death?"
"Isn't it obvious with Yu Min and Xiang Nan from Tian'an Group being arrested? Before, Tian'an Group kept a lid on things; no one dared to cause trouble openly. Now that Boss Yu and his gang are in, the low-level gang leaders will definitely be vying for power!"
"It's also strange. According to the past, a large criminal organization like Yu Min's would take at least a month to be fully arrested. But this year, the police issued the notice less than a week ago, and everyone is in. It's astonishingly fast!"
"I heard some gossip that it seems Gao Fei wanted to take over Yu Min's position, so he set a trap to get Yu Min and his gang arrested. Otherwise, with Yu Min's connections, it wouldn't have been so quick."
"Real or fake? Wasn't it cleared up that Gao Fei was being slandered?"
"Damn it, the internet is saying that the guy named Gao has already become half the underground world of Kyoto. Would such a thing come out of nowhere?"
Just as the few people were engrossed in their discussion, the police officer taking statements walked over to them.
"ID cards, please... Describe what the suspects looked like during the fight you just witnessed..."
The officers checked identities while taking statements.
When they reached Gao Fei, an officer pointed at his mask and gestured for him to remove it.
Upon seeing him, the officer was first stunned, then smiled and said, "It's Mr. Gao Fei."
The moment the words fell, the six people who had just finished their statements turned their heads abruptly.
"Holy crap!"
A common exclamation erupted from the mouths of the six in unison.
Gao Fei nodded and smiled at them, then looked at the officer who was about to let him go: "Let's follow the procedure. With so many people around now, it'll be even harder to clear my name!"
The officer understood and nodded, checking his identity and taking his statement.
After the procedures were completed, Gao Fei put his mask back on, turned, and left. He got into a taxi and disappeared down the street.
Watching the departing taxi, the six young men who had been discussing him swallowed in unison.
"Damn, it really was Gao Fei. You can't say Dragon Country people, they just appear when you mention them!"
"He was sitting right behind us. So, did he hear everything we said before?"
"It's over, it's over. We were gossiping right in front of him. Will Gao Fei send someone to silence us?"
Hearing the six start to wildly speculate again, the investigating police officers couldn't help but frown.
The lead officer interrupted their chatter and said helplessly, "Gentlemen, the municipal bureau has already clarified the online rumors for Gao Fei; it was all fabricated by someone. Please do not continue to spread rumors or imagine things."
"Yes, yes, yes, we understand!"
The six nodded one after another and hurried away.
But their whispers could still be faintly heard: "The police are backing Gao Fei, so it seems he has already taken Yu Min's place..."
Listening to the departing voices, the lead officer rolled his eyes and uttered three words: "Crazy."
His colleagues also smiled speechlessly, sharing the same sentiment.
Feiteng Investment Company.
It was already past midnight. Gao Fei did not return to his school dormitory but went directly to the company office.
When it was rented, Jin Qiqi had specifically prepared a lounge area of over fifty square meters for him in the office.
As soon as he entered the office, Gao Fei noticed a fingernail-sized piece of paper on the floor, which he had deliberately slipped under the door when he left.
Seeing the paper, he began to search the office.
"All the equipment has been removed?"
Gao Fei walked to the window and looked down at two of the parking spaces. The vehicles responsible for monitoring him were gone.
He turned on the computer and accessed the office surveillance, starting the playback.
Seeing the special task force infiltrate and remove all the equipment, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as Gao Fei was about to go wash up, a trending news item popped up.
"Gao Fei, who has received numerous honors in one year, is he corrupt or righteous? Appearing at a brawl scene late at night, is he truly just a college student, actor, singer, producer, and owner of an investment company?"
Clicking on the news, it contained exclusive reports from paparazzi.
It was accompanied by on-site photos of the brawl on the late-night food street, as well as exclusive photos of him standing in the crowd observing.
"Damn it, no wonder no matter in my past life or now, all celebrities hate paparazzi. A few photos and they're spouting nonsense, falsely labeling people!
It took so much effort to clarify things, and now I've been photographed again. I really can't clear my name!"
Gao Fei looked at the news speechlessly and annoyedly closed the webpage.
He did not look at the comments, as he knew without guessing that the haters were undoubtedly spreading rumors hysterically.
Indeed, in the comment section of the trending news, the fans' comments were completely drowned out by haters and paid trolls.
After a moment of thought, Gao Fei sent a message to Jin Qiqi.
"Sister Jin, I'm returning to school for a while. Contact me when Hank arrives."
"Got it!"
As soon as the message was sent, Jin Qiqi quickly replied.
....
Half a month later.
Gao Fei, having returned to campus life, was not like other students studying or attending classes in the lecture halls.
On his first day back at school, he was immediately brought by Dean Li Chenghao to the Civil Navigation System Working Group.
For half a month, he had basically abstained from the internet, and he had cast aside the online rumors.
However, during this time, Gao Fei, while part of the research and development team, basically did not inquire about the system's development progress, other than drinking tea, playing games, and going to and from work for meals.
He was living a life of leisure.
Therefore, some senior students who already had a poor impression of him due to online rumors were now even more dissatisfied.
The next day.
Gao Fei leaned back in his chair, his finger repeatedly tapping his phone.
On the screen was a new mobile game he had recently developed: a match-three puzzle game.
Just as he was engrossed in playing, a voice filled with veiled sarcasm was heard.
"Famous people and rich people are indeed different. They only know how to sleep, eat, and play games all day. They come here for a quick stint, and when the system is developed, they'll shamelessly try to grab a spot."