Chapter 44: Meeting

"Wanqing, are you feeling unwell? Your face looks a little pale," Lin Nuoyi asked. Her words sounded concerned, but there was a distinct lack of warmth.

Xu Wanqing's heart skipped a beat. She knew Lin Nuoyi was displeased with her and was using a form of "cold warmth" to subtly admonish her.

"Yes, I didn't rest well, and I caught a chill last night," Xu Wanqing replied with a weak smile, touching her pale face. She stood up, intending to apologize and then take her leave.

However, before she could speak, Lin Nuoyi produced a bottle of blue liquid, told her to drink it, and instructed her to rest there, clearly not planning to let her go.

Xu Wanqing's heart nearly leaped out of her chest. She recognized the thumb-sized crystal bottle containing the blue liquid; it was similar to the one Mu held. Just recently, eighteen mutated individuals had consumed it!

What did this mean? Xu Wanqing's heart pounded with tension, growing increasingly uneasy.

"This is a new special medicine. It enhances immunity and boosts vitality. You'll feel its effects quickly after taking it," Lin Nuoyi said calmly.

Xu Wanqing was startled. She took the bottle, examining it repeatedly. The color was slightly lighter, suggesting it might not be the exact same medicine, but it still made her incredibly nervous.

"Wanqing, what exactly have you done? Don't hide it from me; you know my personality," Lin Nuoyi said, gazing at her.

Xu Wanqing smiled, but a chill ran through her heart. Trembling slightly as she considered the possibilities, she thought that even if Lin Nuoyi could never be with Chu Feng, she still didn't want anything to happen to him. If Chu Feng had died, it would have been fine; Bodhi Gene and King Kong could have covered up all traces. However, what terrified her was that he was still alive.

"Last time we spoke, Chu Feng and I had a spat, arguing a bit. I told him he wasn't good enough for you, and I imagine he hates me terribly," Xu Wanqing said softly, glancing at Lin Nuoyi. "I just feel he's not right for you. You two are from different worlds." She used partial truths to conceal her actions, trying to buy time. Even if Chu Feng arrived, she intended to use this to argue her case and deny what she had done.

"You disappoint me greatly!" Lin Nuoyi stated flatly, her true thoughts hidden behind her calm expression.

Xu Wanqing felt uneasy, sensing trouble. Lin Nuoyi was too intelligent; even without news or evidence, she might already have suspicions.

Just then, Lin Nuoyi's communicator rang. "The young woman you sent to drive me was killed by a rocket blast halfway here. She was quite pitiful," Chu Feng's voice came through.

Lin Nuoyi had suspected something, but not anything this severe. She whirled around, looking at Xu Wanqing, the gaze from her beautiful eyes almost tangible.

Xu Wanqing gasped as the piercing gaze felt like needles, making her eyes sting and her heart pound with panic. At the same time, she had heard Chu Feng's words, throwing her into disarray. It was confirmed: that man truly wasn't dead. How could this be? Was he not in the car at the time? While fear gripped Xu Wanqing, a hint of resentment also surfaced. Why wasn't he dead? If Chu Feng had simply disappeared, everything would have been erased. Some people are always like this, never looking for reasons within themselves.

"Mu will definitely save me!" Xu Wanqing prayed silently, reminding herself that she had done all this to help Mu.

"Uncle Qian, take her away. Don't forget she's a mutated individual; use the latest alloy shackles," Lin Nuoyi said calmly.

Xu Wanqing was instantly stunned, her face draining of all color, turning deathly pale in an instant. Terror and fear overwhelmed her, and her ears began to ring. She knew that only mutated individuals who committed unforgivable crimes were treated this way. Once restrained by shackles made of rare alloy, escape was impossible, and severe punishment awaited them.

A slightly corpulent elder entered. He usually had a kind face and a gentle demeanor, but now he was solemn, faithfully carrying out Lin Nuoyi's orders.

"Nuoyi, how can you do this to me?!" Xu Wanqing cried out.

"You are my assistant. I trusted you to handle various matters for me when I couldn't communicate with the outside world for a short period, yet you crossed my line!" Lin Nuoyi's expression was cold. She was tall and exceptionally beautiful, enough to make Xu Wanqing envious. But when Lin Nuoyi became angry, she exuded a chilling aloofness that kept people at a distance, making her even more strikingly cool and elegant. Though Xu Wanqing was beautiful, she felt utterly inferior under such pressure. She was terrified, and the force of Lin Nuoyi's presence left her speechless.

Lin Nuoyi waved her hand, signaling Uncle Qian to take her away.

"Chu Feng, where are you? I'll pick you up," Lin Nuoyi said, speaking to him on her communicator.

"I'm already in the county town."

"I originally wanted you to treat me to some local specialties, but it seems I'll be treating you instead," Lin Nuoyi said.

Chu Feng knew she was implying something, as if apologizing.

He gave her an address. Soon after, Lin Nuoyi drove a red car to the roadside and said, "Get in."

Chu Feng surveyed the car. "Red? That doesn't really match your cool elegance. I thought your car would be blue."

"Still the same old smart-aleck," Lin Nuoyi said with a faint smile. She wasn't wearing a long dress, but simple shorts and a t-shirt, devoid of luxury or brand names.

Soon, they arrived at a restaurant. The place was peaceful, with soothing music, crystal chandeliers, and marble floors. While it couldn't compare to restaurants in large cities, it was considered a very pleasant dining spot in the county town. Its main features were its elegant cleanliness.

Stepping out of the car, they walked side-by-side into the restaurant. Chu Feng naturally noticed her simple attire of shorts and a t-shirt. However, this casualness also highlighted her figure: 170 centimeters tall, with long, straight, and well-proportioned legs that were strikingly fair and dazzling.

"What's wrong?" Lin Nuoyi turned her head to look at him.

"Long time no see. You're dazzling my eyes; I need a closer look," Chu Feng said with a chuckle.

What Lin Nuoyi found most exasperating about him was how he always managed to sound so righteous while being completely mischievous. One could call him honest, or one could call him a scoundrel.

"You haven't changed," Lin Nuoyi said with a smile. She didn't dislike Chu Feng's personality; in fact, it was precisely because of it that they had first become acquainted. In school, who would dare to provoke her? A host of admirers were always careful not to displease her. Even due to her cool demeanor, ninety percent of people couldn't muster the courage to approach her. Only Chu Feng was so impudent upon their first meeting. He snatched her seat, folded her papers into a paper airplane, and blew it gently out the window right in front of her. At the time, he was truly obnoxious, yet she found herself unable to genuinely get angry. In the end, it was this very interaction that led to their acquaintance.

"Come on, let me see if you've changed," Chu Feng said with a smile, growing even bolder as he eyed her up and down, from her beautiful face to her snowy neck and further down.

"Stop being a pest, sit down!" Even with Lin Nuoyi's typically cool demeanor and rare smiles, she couldn't help but let the corners of her mouth curl up, shedding her cool elegance for a moment.

"See how much better you look when you smile? It's delightful!" Chu Feng said, pulling out a chair for her and gently pressing her shoulders to help her sit.

Not far away, Uncle Qian, seeing this, raised an eyebrow on his slightly corpulent face, but ultimately pretended not to notice, gazing idly out the window.

"I'm sorry," Lin Nuoyi said softly once they were seated.

"Don't be like that. I'm fine, really. It's just a shame about that young woman," Chu Feng said, shaking his head.

"Yes, I will compensate her family." Lin Nuoyi's beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly. Though she rarely smiled, her heart was not cold.

Chu Feng nodded.

"Have you encountered any other dangers these past few days?" Lin Nuoyi asked.

"A woman whose palms could grow vines, a bat, a spider, four monsters covered in scales, and a group of armed people—they all came looking for me," Chu Feng said casually.

Lin Nuoyi sat up straight, a brilliant, almost tangible light in her eyes. She looked at Uncle Qian, who was not far away, and said, "Keep a close watch on Xu Wanqing. No one is to approach her!"

"Understood!" Uncle Qian turned and left to give the orders.

"I will give you an explanation," Lin Nuoyi said, looking earnestly at Chu Feng.

"How do you plan to deal with her?" Chu Feng asked.

Lin Nuoyi gathered her beautiful hair, revealing her fair forehead. Her lovely eyes held a hint of coldness as she said, "She went too far. First, I'll revoke her status as a mutated individual."

Chu Feng was surprised. Was there a way to revoke a mutated individual's status?

"However, I also ask for your understanding that her severe punishment will take some time. My paternal uncle is about to marry her elder sister, and he had specifically asked me to look out for her. I need to communicate with him first," Lin Nuoyi explained patiently.

"What's the most severe punishment for her?" Chu Feng pressed further, as he truly detested that woman.

"The most severe punishment is that she will never appear again," Lin Nuoyi stated.

Chu Feng nodded. "However, I'm a little worried. The person who saved me has a short temper. I'm afraid he might do something first."

A flicker of curiosity, rare for her cool and elegant demeanor, appeared in Lin Nuoyi's eyes. She asked, "I've always wanted to ask, who is helping you? Of course, you don't have to say if it's inconvenient."

"A friend of my parents'. You know our family is in that massive city to the north; I only come back here for holidays. Now that all sorts of strange people are appearing, that friend of my parents has also undergone a change—he's very strong. My parents miss me, but the journey is too far and dangerous now, so they asked that friend to find me and bring me to that northern city," Chu Feng explained. He felt it was better to keep a low profile for now. Eighteen high-profile mutated individuals had been killed by him in one go—it was too brutal! In these times, quietly lying low and becoming stronger was far better than showing off early on. At the same time, he had no intention of using his ability to defeat mutated individuals or his status to attract Lin Nuoyi or try to win something back. Liking someone meant genuinely liking them, and not liking someone meant genuinely not liking them. It should be pure, unrelated to power, status, or position. Perhaps he was too idealistic, but this was his current pursuit, his belief. He didn't want to leverage his sudden increase in strength to gain anything.

"There's someone like that?" Lin Nuoyi nodded.

"This morning, it was also him who advised against me getting into the car, which is how I avoided disaster," Chu Feng mused.

Just then, Lin Nuoyi's communicator rang. The display showed that someone named Mu was calling her. She answered, and a pleasant voice of a young man came through, though it now sounded quite serious.

"Nuoyi, we might have to confront Bodhi Gene earlier than expected," he told Lin Nuoyi. King Kong had launched a surprise attack that morning, completely wiping out a crucial force under his command. Eighteen mutated individuals, even after taking the latest medicine, had still been killed in action.

"I understand," Lin Nuoyi said, hanging up. She gently tapped the table, an expression of contemplation on her face. Once quiet, her beautiful features became even more captivating, fair, luminous, and incredibly delicate.

"What's wrong? Did something difficult come up?" Chu Feng asked.

"Someone at the apex of the mutated individuals' hierarchy, named King Kong, attacked and killed eighteen mutated individuals from Tian Shen Biological. It happened on the very road where the car meant to pick you up was attacked. Heh, what a coincidence," Lin Nuoyi said with a small laugh. Brilliant beams of light flowed in her beautiful pupils. Then, she raised her head and looked at Chu Feng. "Tell me, was it the person behind you who killed those eighteen mutated individuals? I won't blame him."

"King Kong? That guy... he's amazing!" Chu Feng blurted out. This was truly unexpected for him. He continued, "The person helping me didn't act. He was with me the whole time until he brought me to the county town. We only saw the bombed car when we passed by, confirming someone wanted to harm me, but he wasn't involved in that incident."

"I think those eighteen mutated individuals originally harbored malicious intent towards me, but unfortunately for them, they ran into King Kong," Chu Feng said, not elaborating further, but his words were sufficient. He was happy to avoid the whirlpool if he could, content to watch from the sidelines and let those who wanted to kill him go after King Kong instead. "King Kong, it's not that I'm sorry for you; it's those damned people who insisted on blaming you. But seriously, thank you!" These were Chu Feng's true thoughts, genuinely appreciating King Kong's "good deeds."

Lin Nuoyi looked at him, decided not to pursue the matter further, and dropped the subject.

"What would you like to eat?" she asked, a faint smile gracing her vibrant red lips, revealing pearly white teeth. For someone who rarely smiled, that fleeting moment of exquisite charm was truly stunning and captivating.

However, Chu Feng's next words shattered the delicate atmosphere. He loudly called out, "Boss, bring me ten pounds of beef first!"

A few dark lines appeared on Lin Nuoyi's fair forehead. She felt fortunate that this wasn't a high-end restaurant and that no one else was nearby; otherwise, it would have been utterly embarrassing.

"Are you a starving ghost?" she playfully chided, but in the end, she couldn't help but laugh.

"You don't understand, recently I've been craving beef so, so much, but I just can't get any! It's driving me crazy; I start salivating just thinking about it!" Chu Feng said earnestly.

Lin Nuoyi was amused by his earnestness. "Alright, if you like meat, that's easy. I'll order a whole table of different kinds for you later, so you can eat to your heart's content."

"No, I only want beef!" Chu Feng firmly refused.

Seeing his serious expression, Lin Nuoyi couldn't help but want to laugh. This guy was just so uninhibited, always casual, never pretending to be refined, though he did occasionally act goofy. However, Lin Nuoyi truly misunderstood Chu Feng this time. He really did crave beef. These past few days, ever since a certain 'Bull Demon King' came to live in his home, beef had become completely off-limits to him.