As Ling Feng had predicted, the moment he returned home, a call came in.
"Hello, is this Mr. Ling Feng?"
The voice on the other end was respectful, even a little fawning.
"Who is this?" Ling Feng asked calmly.
After confirming Ling Feng's identity, the caller excitedly stated, "Mr. Ling, I am Hu Deqiang, the CEO of Tianlong Group. I heard you are in Hanjiang, and I would very much like to pay you a visit. Do you have any time available?"
Ling Feng pondered for a moment before replying, "I'm very busy lately."
Tianlong Group, Ling Feng had heard of it. It was one of the largest commercial conglomerates in Hanjiang City, with business spanning across the entire Great Hua, even ranking among the top hundred enterprises. It was a colossal entity. The chairman of such a company was undoubtedly one of the most prominent figures in Hanjiang City in terms of status and position. For such a person to call him personally, it was obvious it had to be about that matter. However, he also knew that he wouldn't be able to extract anything from Hu Deqiang. Therefore, denying him an opportunity to interact might actually make the other party reveal their hand.
As expected, the caller did not give up. The phone rang again shortly.
"Mr. Ling, in that case, I am currently staying at the Runze Hotel, not far from your residence. I will come to visit you as soon as you have time."
Without another word, Ling Feng hung up the phone again.
...
Meanwhile, in a presidential suite at the Runze Hotel, a sharp-featured middle-aged man shook his head and slowly put down the phone. Beside him, a charming beauty leaned in with a sweet smile, her eyes full of allure. "Mr. Hu, what's wrong? You don't look too happy. Did the person on the phone upset you?"
Hu Deqiang's expression remained unchanged, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He didn't answer the woman's question, merely let out a cold snort and turned to walk into another room. Stopping at the doorway, Hu Deqiang turned back to stare coldly at the woman. "I know you're very curious, but it's best to extinguish that curiosity now, otherwise..." He didn't finish his sentence, but the implied threat was clear even to a fool.
The woman sat obediently on the sofa, her face beaming with a sweet, beautiful smile, as if Hu Deqiang's words had no effect on her.
Hu Deqiang entered the room and quickly dialed a number. "Hello, this is Hu Deqiang."
"Yes, how is it going?"
"Ling Feng claimed to be busy, and I couldn't see him."
The voice on the other end was silent for a moment before continuing, "What are your plans then?"
Hu Deqiang immediately replied, "I will continue to wait here until he agrees to see me."
The other person seemed satisfied, and their tone immediately became more relaxed. "I'll trouble you with this. Sigh, we shouldn't have gotten involved in this matter, but leaving a fierce tiger like Ling Feng in Hanjiang is ultimately not an option." After a sigh, the voice on the other end hung up.
Hu Deqiang opened the door and walked out. The beautiful woman was still sitting on the sofa, playing with her phone. Her expression was natural, with a hint of shyness. In Hu Deqiang's eyes, she was just like a girl next door. Seeing Hu Deqiang emerge, she naturally closed her phone and stood up to greet him.
[Everything is normal, Hu Deqiang is being contacted...]
This was the last text message sent before the woman closed her phone. Of course, Hu Deqiang was unaware of this. In his eyes, she was merely an obedient plaything.
"Mr. Hu, are you done? If you are, then we..." the woman's delicate red lips parted, exuding endless temptation.
Hu Deqiang looked at the stunning woman before him, nodding with satisfaction. A smile involuntarily appeared on his lips as he embraced her and walked towards the large bed.
...
After hanging up the phone, Ling Feng turned and walked towards Xiao Ran's room. He had a vague premonition that the great shadow lurking behind his elder brother was drawing closer. Thinking of his elder brother Ling Yan's impending revenge, he couldn't help but recall his brother's final letter, and then he thought of Xiao Ran. She was the only descendant of their Ling family.
"Uncle, this is the homework Old Master left for today. Do you think Xiao Ran did a good job?" Xiao Ran was building with blocks. Upon seeing Ling Feng enter, she excitedly stood up from the floor, intending to rush towards him. However, as she stood up, her calf accidentally bumped into the blocks. With a crisp clatter, Xiao Ran's painstakingly built blocks scattered all over the floor.
"Ah, Xiao Ran forgot to ask Uncle to take a photo." Xiao Ran's little face instantly drooped, and tears began to well up in her eyes.
Seeing the storm brewing, Ling Feng quickly stepped forward to comfort her. "It's okay, Xiao Ran, don't be scared. It's Uncle's fault. Shall Uncle help you put it back together?"
That night, Ling Feng no longer felt anger or sadness. Instead, he felt a sense of ease and relaxation. This was a state that had been absent from Ling Feng for over a decade, so much so that Ling Feng had almost forgotten it. But now, Xiao Ran allowed Ling Feng to experience this feeling again.
...
The next morning, Ling Feng personally drove Xiao Ran to kindergarten and then began driving around Hanjiang City. Meanwhile, Yang Fei, as instructed by Ling Feng, made a public appearance at the Hanjiang City Martial Arts Association to investigate the identities and whereabouts of all its members.
Although the other party had severed the lead, Ling Feng understood from yesterday's phone call that they still harbored a degree of apprehension towards him. Since that was the case, he would act even more conspicuously. He intended to use his actions to stir up this unfathomably deep conspiracy, leaving the insignificant pawns within it no peace, and forcing them to reveal themselves. Since they had cut off Ma Yifei's lead, he would provide them with a new one. This was Ling Feng's objective.
As noon approached, Ling Feng entered a restaurant. The moment he stepped inside, he heard a surprised shout from behind him.
"Ling Feng? Is that you, Ling Feng?" A neatly dressed man, around thirty years old, darted forward and grabbed Ling Feng's shoulder. However, the moment his hand touched Ling Feng's shoulder, he felt an invisible force push him back several steps.
Ling Feng turned around and looked at the man who had called out to him. The man had slightly tanned skin, and although his clothes were neat, a trace of unconcealable fatigue was evident on his face. Ling Feng frowned and asked faintly, "Do you know me?"
The man's face immediately showed displeasure, and he shouted, "Ling Feng, what have you been doing all these years? Not only have you been completely out of touch, but now you don't even recognize your old classmates? I'm Zhou Qing, your middle school classmate. Don't you really remember? We even climbed over the wall to skip class together back then!"
Hearing this, Ling Feng immediately recalled and a knowing smile appeared on his face. "So it's you. I'm truly sorry. You've changed quite a bit over the years, and I didn't recognize you at first."
Zhou Qing laughed heartily upon hearing this, "Have I become more handsome, so handsome that you can't believe your own eyes?" Ling Feng chuckled lightly, offering no comment.
Zhou Qing continued, "By the way, why are you here for the class reunion? I heard people couldn't reach you. How did you get the news? Did you get it from Siqi?" Lin Siqi, a girl Ling Feng had a crush on during his school days, was pure and kind! They had simply lost contact after Ling Feng joined the army and went to the battlefield. Hearing Zhou Qing mention her name at this moment, Ling Feng felt a peculiar emotion stir within him.
Seeing Ling Feng's change in expression, Zhou Qing immediately thought he had captured some important information. "I knew it. Of everyone in our class, if anyone could contact you, it would have to be Siqi. But she kept saying she didn't have your contact information. How annoying! I'll have to settle the score with her later."
Ling Feng, listening to Zhou Qing's wild assumptions, dared not let him continue to imagine things. He quickly interjected, "I just came here to have a meal. I actually didn't know you were having a class reunion here." Zhou Qing knew Ling Feng's personality; he was always a man of his word. Hearing Ling Feng deny it, he was slightly taken aback, then nonchalantly said, "It's fate. Come with me to the class reunion. We can catch up." Without waiting for Ling Feng to refuse, he grabbed Ling Feng and led him towards the second floor of the restaurant. This time, his hand did not receive an electric shock.
...