Chapter Three: Counting Paper Balls

“You beast!” The young girl’s nose suddenly tingled as if she might cry. She was also a woman and understood all too well the feeling of being violated. She had clearly had the chance to stop things before they happened, but she simply didn’t have the ability. Now, she was overwhelmed with regret, and all she could do was bring the villain to justice.

She rushed out, glaring at the man who stood about six foot one, and shouted, “Brother Lingsong, grab this beast! Then just execute him on the spot!” Her little face was flushed with anger—this had happened right under her nose.

“Oh, so you’re the one who called this team up here.” Ye Feng noticed her calling the big guy “Brother Lingsong,” which meant their relationship was anything but ordinary.

“What, are you scared now? Why didn’t you act earlier! I know you can fight, but my Brother Lingsong is the captain of the special forces squad. There’s no escape for you today!” The young girl spoke with confidence.

“You’re under arrest!” the big man said sternly.

“Under arrest? Captain, can’t you check the facts before making a conclusion? You can’t just take this silly girl’s word for it,” Ye Feng said helplessly. How had he ended up accused of something so outrageous?

“You’re the silly one! I knew I couldn’t take you in a fight, and calling the regular police wouldn’t be enough to deal with you, so I called the special forces! Now you’re scared, aren’t you?” the girl boasted.

“Anything else you want to say?” The captain, who hadn’t become a leader by chance, had noticed Ye Feng’s composure as soon as he entered. If this really was a kidnapping, the suspect would have put up a fight already. And, truth be told, this girl was a bit naive.

“I’m just living with my girlfriend—is that illegal?” Ye Feng shrugged. It had been Bai Ling’s idea to come over, so he wasn’t worried Xia Ling would contradict him.

“If she’s really your girlfriend, then it’s not illegal. The law no longer considers cohabitation a crime,” the big man replied truthfully.

“Impossible! How could such a beautiful woman like her fall for you?” the young girl exclaimed.

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask her yourself.” Ye Feng stepped aside to let the girl pass.

The girl approached Xia Ling cautiously. “Don’t worry, beautiful sister, this is the captain of the special forces. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Just tell us if this beast forced you. We’ll see that justice is done.”

Xia Ling found this pure and kind-hearted girl quite endearing, but in her usual frosty manner, she simply replied, “He’s my boyfriend.”

“Ah!” The young girl instantly realized she’d made a terrible mistake.

“I’m so sorry! Actually, your boyfriend is really handsome! If I found someone like that, I’d feel so reassured.” She thought back to how she’d called Ye Feng a beast and a pervert, how she’d wondered aloud how someone as beautiful as Xia Ling could possibly like him. It was as if she’d been questioning Xia Ling’s taste.

“Hey, your apology sounds a little backhanded. What do you mean by ‘reassuring’?” Ye Feng protested. He thought he was decent-looking enough, yet in this girl’s mouth, he sounded so unappealing.

“I’m sorry! Big brother, I really admire you for having such a beautiful girlfriend. Sorry to have disturbed you!” The girl kept bowing and apologizing.

“Wait!” The big man noticed how weak Xia Ling looked.

“Brother Lingsong, I made a mistake this time. Let’s just go,” the girl said, feeling embarrassed ever since Xia Ling confirmed their relationship.

“Why is she so weak?” Out of a soldier’s instinct, he still felt something was off.

Xia Ling’s heart skipped a beat. Her strength was almost gone. If this was revealed and someone recognized her, the consequences would be unthinkable.

“Hey, look at the floor—when a woman’s weak, it means her man is strong. Get it?” Ye Feng pointed proudly at the dozen or so crumpled tissues on the ground.

The girl began counting, “One, two, three... fifteen! Fifteen times! That’s amazing!” Her face turned crimson and she shyly hid behind Lingsong.

Xia Ling was speechless at Ye Feng’s explanation, but a faint blush still appeared on her pale cheeks. When she heard the girl counting the tissues, she couldn’t help but turn her head toward the wall.

Ye Feng’s explanation was plausible enough; after all, Lingsong was a man too and would understand.

“Team, fall out!”

At the captain’s command, the others quickly withdrew. Lingsong turned to leave as well.

“Hold on! You barge into a private home and now you just leave?” Ye Feng was upset by their sudden intrusion. This was his home. Special forces or not, they couldn’t come and go as they pleased.

“Sorry!” Lingsong bowed at a ninety-degree angle. “I, Lingsong, have never apologized to anyone in my life. You’re the first.”

“Well, I’m honored then!”

“I heard from Shanshan that you’re quite skilled. I admire capable people. Here’s my card—let’s spar sometime!” Lingsong handed him a business card with both hands.

Ye Feng had a good impression of Lingsong from the start. They’d only barged in to save someone, after all. If someone truly needed rescue, you couldn’t exactly ask the suspect for permission first.

“Sure, I’ll definitely look you up! I’d love to see just how strong the special forces are.” Ye Feng had watched plenty of special forces shows on TV and, like most men, was intrigued. Now that he had the chance to meet someone in person, of course he was interested.

“It’s a promise!”

“A promise!”

“By the way,” Ye Feng said, fixing his eyes on the young girl behind Lingsong.

“Anything else?”

“May I ask the young lady’s name? Shanshan?” His gaze took on the lewd, mischievous look she’d accused him of.

“Mister, my Brother Lingsong is here, your girlfriend is here, and you still dare tease me?” The girl snuck a glance at Xia Ling as she spoke.

“Mister? Am I that old? Don’t worry, Ling’er doesn’t mind. Besides, after being falsely accused, it’d be strange not to at least know your name.”

“I’m Han Shanshan!”

“Ye Feng!”

“Mister, let’s chat sometime!” she said with a flirtatious glance. “I’ll be curious to see how your girlfriend deals with you later.”

Ye Feng could only smile wryly—he hadn’t expected this little minx to be so sly.

Han Shanshan stuck out her rosy little tongue and pulled Lingsong out with her.

“Brother Lingsong, I’m sorry,” Han Shanshan said, head lowered.

“It’s fine. When will you grow up, you little rascal?” Lingsong sighed.

“I am grown up!” Han Shanshan puffed out her chest in defiance. She’d grown up being told she was just a child. Now she was an adult, yet no one treated her as one. Of course she was upset.

“All right, all right... you’re a big girl now. Ha ha...”

“Brother Lingsong!”

...

“Just now, when that little girl was counting tissues, you seemed quite proud of yourself, didn’t you?” Xia Ling looked coldly at Ye Feng. His explanation had been a bit crude, but it worked—at least Lingsong believed it and was even impressed.

This is a results-oriented world, after all. No one cares about your process; as long as the outcome is good, it means you’re competent. Wei Xiaobao knew no martial arts, yet he toyed with all the masters and married so many wives—everyone admired his skill. He was the benchmark for countless men.

“Not at all,” Ye Feng replied with an awkward smile, quickly tidying up the room. After a bit of cleaning, it looked much better.

At some point, Xia Ling had already fallen asleep.

Ye Feng habitually turned on his computer, logged into his stock account, and checked the balance.

“Because of the market crash, the index is already down to just over 2600 points—a record low. Yet everyone’s still terrified of stocks.” He licked his lips greedily. “This is my chance!”

Ten years ago, his parents had disappeared without explanation, leaving him only a little money. Luckily, cultivating the ‘Pure Heart Sutra’ had enhanced his stamina, mind, hearing, and sense of smell. With keen judgment, he’d earned profits in the stock market, quickly multiplying his inheritance. Years ago, real estate in BD was cheap, and the apartment he now lived in had cost only about a hundred thousand yuan. Ye Feng bought it outright.

It turned out to be the right decision. Not long after, policies like “BD Political Sub-Center,” “Integration,” and “Hu’an New District” caused property prices to skyrocket. But the average salary in BD remained just one or two thousand yuan. Those who bought homes were fine; those who didn’t were in trouble.

Time passed quickly, and soon dusk was falling. From Xia Ling’s room came a noise.

“Ling’er’s awake!”

“How are you feeling?” Ye Feng asked with concern.

“My strength has returned a little.” He could see a trace of color in her cheeks—she looked much better than before.

Suddenly, Xia Ling’s stomach rumbled. Her cheeks turned red.

“Hungry?”

“No.”

“But your stomach growled.”

“No, it didn’t.”

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about—it’s normal to need food. Wait here, I’ll cook something.”

“You can cook?” Xia Ling’s large eyes fixed on him.

Under her gaze, Ye Feng suddenly felt shy. She really was beautiful.

He bustled in the kitchen for a while, and soon three dishes and a soup appeared on the table.

“Ling’er, dinner’s ready. Come eat!” Ye Feng called excitedly. “Can you get up?”

“Yes.” Ling’er now felt much stronger than before.

Ye Feng filled a bowl with rice and handed her a pair of chopsticks.

Ling’er slowly picked up a bit of rice and placed it in her mouth, chewing gracefully, lips closed, with all the poise of a lady—even though she was hungry.

No man had ever cooked for Xia Ling before, nor had she ever shared a meal with one like this. The experience was novel and inexplicably pleasant. She ate comfortably.

Ye Feng, on the other hand, had no such elegance. He wolfed down his food, tired from a long day.

Ling’er found his eating so amusing she nearly laughed, though she held it in. Still, her expression did not escape Ye Feng’s notice.

“You have a beautiful smile.”

If anyone had ever spoken to her like that before, he would have ended up dead or crippled. But this time, it actually felt pleasant—at least she didn’t want to kill him right away.

As they finished, Ye Feng flared his nostrils, sniffing. “Seems like there’s a hint of blood in the air.”

He glanced down at Xia Ling, but before he could see anything, a palm struck out. “Turn around!”

“Did your relative come to visit...?”

“Shut up!”