Chapter Twenty: What Kind of Man Hides Behind a Woman?

Ye Feng knew that he was the one they were waiting for, and he had no intention of running. He walked straight toward them.

Mu Shao was also taken aback. In his experience, anyone who had provoked them always kept their distance; Ye Feng was the first to approach them directly. “He’s got guts!” Mu Shao had seen many people in his years of fighting and chaos, and he couldn’t help but feel a slight admiration for Ye Feng’s composure. But he was here to settle scores, not to recruit followers. The admiration on Mu Shao’s face quickly turned into a cruel, ruthless expression.

“You’re waiting for me?” Ye Feng said calmly.

As Ye Feng reached them, they swiftly surrounded him, leaving no room for escape. But Ye Feng had no intention of fleeing. “Kid, you’ve got nerve. You’re the first who hasn’t run upon seeing us. Hope you’re not just bluffing.”

“Mu Shao, are you here to pay me compensation for your attempt to scare me earlier?” Ye Feng sneered, subconsciously adjusting his clothes, ready for action.

Mu Shao’s expression was odd. At a time like this, Ye Feng still had the audacity to talk tough. “Did you take the wrong medicine today? Me pay you compensation? Ha…” Hearing Mu Shao’s laughter, the brothers beside him burst out laughing as well.

“Mu Shao, is this kid out of his mind? Doesn’t he see the situation he’s in?” one of them joked.

“Hey, you’re Ye Feng, right?” To Mu Shao, Ye Feng was like an ant in his palm, easily crushed. In such a situation, he wasn’t in a hurry to make a move; mocking words came first.

“If you could stop me, you wouldn’t need to ask my name,” Ye Feng replied, not bothering to answer his question.

“That’s right. From the first moment I saw you, you annoyed me. You still do. This annoying attitude. But soon, I’ll make you into someone I like,” Mu Shao’s eyes flashed coldly.

“If you’re here to chat, forget it. I still have groceries to buy and dinner to make,” Ye Feng really wasn’t in the mood to play games with them. Though dealing with them would be easy, he couldn’t start a fight in public. That would put him in the wrong. Since they had come looking for trouble, he’d let them make the first move. If anything happened, it would be self-defense. Ye Feng’s goal now was to provoke them.

Of course, here Mu Shao and his group didn’t care about such things. If they wanted to make a move, they would, regardless of whether Ye Feng claimed self-defense. They had the backing for it.

“If you want to die so badly, let’s help you out. Brothers, go ahead, don’t hold back. Make sure this kid remembers me!” Mu Shao waved his hand lightly, and his brothers started to move in.

“Mu Shao, my hands have been itching for a while,” one brother laughed.

Just then, a crisp voice rang out. “Ye Feng?”

Everyone was distracted by the sudden voice. A girl in denim shorts walked toward them.

Mu Shao’s eyes flickered with interest. “Nice catch.”

Ye Feng was all too familiar with the voice.

“Han Shanshan? What are you doing here?” Ye Feng saw the smiling girl—it could only be Han Shanshan.

“I’m starting my sophomore year. What about you?” Han Shanshan was surprised to see Ye Feng. Was he at her university too, perhaps a junior or senior?

“I’m a freshman, here for orientation,” Ye Feng replied simply. He wasn’t in the mood for small talk; he needed to teach these guys a lesson.

“Freshman? I didn’t expect you to be a freshman. I thought you were an old-timer, but you’re just a student!” Han Shanshan teased. “Come on, call me ‘senior’. I’ll take care of you from now on.”

“Senior!”

Han Shanshan hadn’t expected Ye Feng to actually call her that, and so promptly.

“Not bad, junior.” She patted Ye Feng’s shoulder. Only then did Han Shanshan notice the people around him.

“Junior, are these your friends?” she asked with a smile.

“Mu Shao, is this girl stupid?” Anyone with sense could see that Mu Shao and his group were here to cause trouble, yet she thought they were Ye Feng’s friends.

“Shut up!” Mu Shao had already been captivated by Han Shanshan’s beauty and wouldn’t allow anyone to insult her.

“Hello, classmate. I’m a sophomore too. Young master of the Mu Group, people call me Mu Shao. Nice to meet you.” Mu Shao reached out to shake Han Shanshan’s hand, but his hand hung in midair, unanswered. His face became awkward. Usually, anyone who knew his identity would eagerly offer their hand, but this girl was different.

“Are you blind? Can’t you see they’re here to cause trouble, senior~?” Ye Feng shot Han Shanshan a look, deliberately dragging out the word “senior.”

“You’re the blind one!” Han Shanshan prided herself on being both beautiful and smart.

“You said you’d protect me. No backing out now,” Ye Feng grinned at her.

Han Shanshan wasn’t dumb; she knew Ye Feng’s abilities. Clearly, he wanted her to act as his bodyguard. “I despise you!”

She glanced at Mu Shao’s hand and then at the others. “You guys should leave. This junior is under my protection.”

Mu Shao withdrew his hand with a sour expression. “Pretty classmate, you’d better stay out of this. Come with me, and I’ll protect you.”

Han Shanshan wasn’t intimidated by any Mu Group. She responded coolly, “You’re not qualified.”

Mu Shao’s patience finally snapped after their taunts. “The girl’s mine. Brothers, take care of Ye Feng. Do it!”

The brothers understood. The pretty girl was for Mu Shao; their target was Ye Feng.

Seeing they were about to attack, Ye Feng quickly ducked behind Han Shanshan. “Senior, you promised to protect me.”

“Coward!” Mu Shao had thought Ye Feng had some backbone, but now he saw he was just a coward, hiding behind a woman.

The others didn’t care whether Ye Feng was hiding. One of them threw a punch at Ye Feng.

This ordinary attack was painfully slow for Ye Feng. He’d already anticipated the move, placed his hands on Han Shanshan’s waist, and spun her around, so she now faced the attacker. A fist flew toward her.

Han Shanshan’s face flushed as Ye Feng grabbed her waist, but there was no time to dwell on it. She shouted, “Ye Feng!”

The attacker saw Han Shanshan in front of him and panicked. If he punched her, Mu Shao would never forgive him. At the same time, Mu Shao’s eyes flashed with a chilling glare. The brother instinctively tried to pull back his fist, only to have it caught midair in a firm grip. To his shock, it was Han Shanshan holding his fist tightly. “Such strength!”

He hadn’t expected such power from a seemingly delicate girl. Now, his unease shifted from Mu Shao to the girl before him.

Han Shanshan didn’t want to hold onto a grimy fist. Next moment, she delivered a swift kick, sending the brother flying.

The encirclement was broken. Ye Feng slipped through the gap and stood outside, while Han Shanshan was now surrounded.

“Senior, go for it!”

“Not bad. Looks like we underestimated you,” Mu Shao stretched and flexed.

Minutes later, Mu Shao and his men lay battered and bruised on the ground. Han Shanshan clapped her hands.

She beamed. “Done!”

“Senior, you’re amazing! I’ll stick with you from now on!” Ye Feng exclaimed.

Mu Shao had never been so humiliated; his pride was utterly shattered.

“Ye Feng, hiding behind a woman isn’t much of a feat!” Mu Shao shouted. Even though he’d lost, he still believed he could beat Ye Feng. Seeing Ye Feng cower earlier, he wasn’t convinced Ye Feng was anything special. He wanted Han Shanshan to see Ye Feng as someone who relied on women.

Only Han Shanshan knew how formidable Ye Feng was; she couldn’t even last a single move against him. She wasn’t fazed by Mu Shao’s words.

“I’m telling you, Ye Feng is mine from now on. If any of you dare touch him again, I won’t let you off. Get out!” Han Shanshan walked excitedly toward Ye Feng. Her childhood dream had always been to punish the wicked, and today was finally her chance. Under her grandfather’s protection, she’d never encountered villains before—never had the opportunity. Even though Ye Feng had used her, she was still overjoyed.

The two turned and walked away.

“Hey, what do you mean I’m yours? If anything, you should be mine!” Ye Feng felt uneasy hearing himself declared hers.

“You already have Ling’er, and you still dare come after me? If I really wanted to be with you, would you dare?” Han Shanshan teased.

“Why wouldn’t I dare? It’s normal for a man to have several wives. Besides, I have the ability!”

“What ability?”

“To treat them all equally!”

“Go to hell, I knew you weren’t any good!” Han Shanshan scolded.

“You fought well just now.”

“It was nothing. I’m the president of the Karate Club, after all,” Han Shanshan responded proudly when Ye Feng praised her.

“I told you, karate is just flashy moves, not much use. You were unstable during the fight; against a real expert, you’d be at a disadvantage. You need more practice with your stances,” Ye Feng said calmly.

“Yours are the flashy moves!” Han Shanshan was annoyed that Ye Feng had barely finished complimenting her before he started criticizing again.

“I’m just telling the truth.”

“How are you going to thank me for helping you?”

“I’ll treat you to dinner.”

“Great!” Han Shanshan cried out excitedly.

“I need to buy groceries.”

“You’re cooking yourself?” Han Shanshan was skeptical. She’d never cooked for herself, and Ye Feng, a grown man, claimed he could cook.

“Yes.”

“Is it edible?”

“It won’t kill you, will it?”

“Will Ling’er be eating with us?”

“Yes.”

“Does Ling’er like your cooking?”

“She loves it!”

“You’re just bragging.”

…

Mu Shao listened as their conversation faded into the distance.

“Bastard! I’ll repay today’s humiliation, double!”