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"Ji Feng! Are you okay?"
The first one to reach him wasn't the police officers storming in with flashing lights—it was Tong Lei, breathless, her face full of worry.
"I'm fine. Don't worry," Ji Feng grinned, brushing some dust off his pants. "I've already taken care of those two idiots."
He casually pointed toward the motionless bodies sprawled out nearby.
"But wait…" He glanced at the fast-approaching police car. "You ran back to call the police? How did they get here this fast? It takes at least ten minutes to drive from the station."
Tong Lei hesitated, then mumbled, "I… I didn't call the regular line. I used the special ops number."
Ji Feng raised an eyebrow. Then he chuckled. "Ah, makes sense now."
In Mangshi County, people who were in the know understood what that number meant. It wasn't some public hotline—it was the kind of number only handed out to certain families, people with authority, or those with special connections.
And Tong Lei… well, as the daughter of the county party secretary, she was definitely on that list.
Police took those calls seriously. If they didn't, someone was likely to lose their job by sunrise.
Tong Lei saw the smile forming on Ji Feng's face and suddenly grew flustered. "Don't misunderstand! I wasn't trying to show off or anything… I was just really worried that you'd get hurt. Normally, I wouldn't… I wouldn't use special channels."
Ji Feng couldn't help it—he laughed softly and reached out to lightly pat her on the head. "Silly girl. You have those privileges, so use them. There's nothing wrong with that, as long as you're not abusing it to step on people. Anyone who complains is just bitter they don't have what you have."
(Author's note: these are Ji Feng's views, not the author's!)
Ji Feng had learned the hard way how important background really was. When Xu Mo had sent Bald Chao and his thugs after him, Ji Feng realized something crystal clear—without power or connections, you're just an easy target.
If he'd had someone powerful behind him, Xu Mo wouldn't have dared to provoke him in the first place.
Even back in childhood, Ji Feng had experienced it. Kids laughed at him for not having a father, some even bullied him for it. That kind of thing left a mark.
But he hadn't let it turn him bitter. Especially after getting the intelligent brain, his thinking had become sharper, clearer. He didn't wallow in self-pity—he analyzed, understood, and planned.
He knew what he lacked, and he was determined to change it.
So when he saw someone with advantages, he didn't get jealous. He got motivated.
"Really?" Tong Lei looked at him, surprised—and visibly relieved that he didn't take her call the wrong way.
"Really," Ji Feng said, smiling.
Then, all of a sudden, he tensed slightly.
He'd forgotten to deactivate the bioelectric current, and in the darkness, it gave him almost perfect night vision. He could clearly see Tong Lei's delicate, beautiful face right in front of him, and his heartbeat quickened unconsciously.
"Ji Feng? What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.
"N-nothing!" he stammered, snapping out of it. Internally cursing himself, he immediately told the intelligent brain to shut it off.
Just then, a loud voice echoed in the distance. "Miss Tong! Miss Tong!"
A group of uniformed police officers came running toward them, their flashlights slicing through the dark.
"Miss Tong, are you alright?" one of them asked breathlessly.
Another officer—a tall, imposing man—rushed over with a furrowed brow. "Xiao Lei, what are you doing out here this late? You should be home by now!"
As he spoke, his eyes darted toward Ji Feng, scanning him suspiciously like he was some street punk.
But then the officer blinked in surprise and leaned in. "Wait… Ji Feng?"
Ji Feng tilted his head. The voice… sounded familiar.
"You know me?" he asked.
The officer frowned, then looked closer—and laughed. "It's me—Captain Yan!"
Tong Lei looked between the two in surprise. "Brother Yan? You know Ji Feng?"
Ji Feng's memory clicked. "Oh! You're the one who handled the last mess Xu Mo stirred up, right?"
He quickly nodded. "Sorry, Captain Yan—I didn't recognize you in the dark."
"What are you doing here?" Yan asked, confused.
Before Ji Feng could answer, Tong Lei jumped in. "Brother Yan, Ji Feng is my classmate! It was late, and I didn't want to go home alone, so he walked me back. He's the one who saved me! Those two thugs tried to attack us!"
Ji Feng just pointed casually at the two unconscious guys on the ground. "Yeah, they're right there. Problem handled."
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