The old city never truly slept—it just changed faces. By day, it was a labyrinth of corner markets, cracked tiles, and timeworn smiles. By night, it pulsed with a different energy—restless, unpredictable, watching.
Lin Feng stood near a shuttered herbal shop, the flickering neon light above humming faintly. Behind him, a narrow alley twisted into darkness. He wasn't dressed like someone powerful—just a black windbreaker, worn boots, and that ever-calm expression—but the quiet way people made space for him said enough.
A low voice spoke beside him.
"You sure this is the right place to meet her?" Guo Yuwei asked, glancing around the alley.
"She picked it," Lin Feng replied. "And people like her don't choose spots randomly."
Moments later, the shadow at the alley's end shifted. Out stepped a woman—sleek crimson cheongsam, midnight coat draped over her shoulders, and a silver pin shaped like a sakura blossom at her collarbone.
Xu Shanyue.
Her gaze swept over Lin Feng and paused briefly on Guo Yuwei, who instinctively took a step closer to him.
"You brought company," Xu Shanyue said flatly.
"Didn't know I needed to RSVP solo," Lin Feng replied coolly.
Shanyue didn't smile, but her tone softened. "The Crimson Circle isn't interested in decorum tonight. Only leverage."
She motioned toward a black car idling at the corner. "There's a marked building three blocks from here. A renovation project. Problem is—two groups claim rights to it. One is ours. The other just so happens to be… friends of Luo Zixuan."
Yuwei's brows furrowed. "You think it's a trap?"
Xu Shanyue gave a small shrug. "I think it's a test. Whether you survive it depends on how fast your mind and feet are."
Lin Feng turned toward the dark street, already moving. "Then let's not keep them waiting."
The "marked building" was a derelict structure with scaffolding still half up, plastic tarp fluttering in the wind. Two SUVs were parked nearby, their engines still warm. Inside, the air was thick with tension.
A group of men stood waiting—rough, street-polished, clearly not students. In the center was a familiar figure: Qiao Liang, one of Luo Zixuan's less-refined associates. The kind who didn't smile unless money or blood was involved.
"Well, well," Qiao Liang drawled. "If it isn't the mystery tycoon himself. We heard you might poke your nose where it doesn't belong."
Lin Feng stepped into the room calmly. "I go where I'm needed."
Qiao's smirk faded. "This isn't your game. Back out, and we'll pretend you were never here."
Lin Feng's reply was a low murmur. "You want the streets? Win them. But don't assume you own them."
The tension cracked like a matchstrike. Someone moved behind Qiao—too fast.
Guo Yuwei gasped as the man lunged forward. Lin Feng twisted, catching the attacker's wrist mid-air, slamming it against the metal scaffolding with a crack that silenced the room.
[System: Host, that's one way to RSVP.]
Lin Feng turned to Qiao Liang. "You brought muscle. I brought resolve. Now let's talk property—or do you need more demonstrations?"
Xu Shanyue stepped inside then, slow and cold as winter rain. "Enough. The Crimson Circle claims this zone under local code 42.3—reinvestment priority. You challenge it, you challenge us."
Qiao spat on the ground but backed off. "This isn't over."
"I know," Lin Feng said quietly. "You never had the stomach to finish things properly."
Outside, under the bruised night sky, Lin Feng and Xu Shanyue stood beside the construction site. She regarded him with an unreadable expression.
"You didn't have to come. We could've played this through politics."
"I don't mind getting my hands dirty," Lin Feng said. "But I like knowing who's watching."
She nodded slowly. "Then you should know: Luo Zixuan's reach goes deeper than you think. If you're not careful, the next ambush might not be in the street—it'll be in someone's smile."
Lin Feng looked back at the building. "Let him try. I don't lose sleep over men who send proxies to do their work."
As he walked away, Guo Yuwei fell in step beside him, still quiet from the earlier clash.
"Are we in over our heads?" she asked finally.
Lin Feng didn't look at her. "We're exactly where we need to be."
[System: Host, the streets are buzzing. And so is your reputation. Shall we upgrade from 'mystery' to 'myth'?]