I looked at her and shook my head helplessly: "Who do you think I am? I can save you, but do you think they won't retaliate? You think you're safe just because you ran away? You're really too young and arrogant..."
I pushed her into the room and sat outside waiting.
I paced back and forth in the living room, glancing at the time every now and then, feeling a little anxious. Finally, I couldn't resist knocking on her door and urging her to hurry up.
After a long time, Ni Duoduo finally came out of the room, changed into clean clothes, and carried a bag in her hand.
"All packed up?"
"Yes." Her face was pale, and there was a hint of fear in her eyes. "Where are we going?"
I shook my head. "Let's talk about it on the way. At least you can't stay here. I'm worried they'll come here."
He glanced at the bag in her hand: "Where are your documents? And bring the money from home too. You don't need to bring too many clothes or anything."
Ni Duoduo seemed a bit absent-minded. Judging from her appearance, she seemed to want to bring things like towels and toothbrushes. I frowned and said, "It's not a trip! Bring as little as possible, just bring what you really need."
I took her bag, opened it, and saw that it was stuffed with a large bag of clothes. I couldn't help but say, "You don't need to bring these. You can buy clothes anytime."
This time, Ni Duoduo was surprisingly stubborn: "No, I want this outfit..." She glanced at me and lowered her voice: "This is the one you bought for me last time."
I didn't say anything. I helped her check some documents and other things. After everything was in order, I took her out the door, downstairs, and into the car.
Without hesitation, I drove straight home.
The situation is different now, and the conflict with Amei is no longer important.
On the way, I hesitated for a moment and then made a phone call to Cangyu.
I didn't know whether I should make this call, but I remembered that Cangyu had told me that I could contact her if I had any difficulties. After hesitating for a long time, I still dialed her number.
Part One: A Man in the Martial World, Forced by His Own Will, Chapter 100: Extinction of His Lineage
"I'm in a bit of trouble," I said bluntly after the call was connected.
Cang Yu's tone was a bit strange. She quickly replied, "I'm not available right now. I'll contact you later."
After she finished speaking, she hung up the phone.
I find it a little strange.
Because Cang Yu's voice sounded somewhat agitated, as if she were in a hurry, which seemed quite unlike her usual calm and composed tone.
I could even detect a hint of panic in her voice.
I frowned, not thinking too much about it, and drove home. I took Ni Duoduo upstairs and into the house, but as soon as I opened the door, I froze.
Fang Nan and Yan Di sat facing each other on the sofa, both women looking somewhat awkward.
Yan Di and Fang Nan were stunned when they saw me walk in, holding the hand of a young girl.
"You...you're back." Yan Di seemed a little flustered. She immediately stood up, looked at me, and then glanced at Fang Nan: "This...this Miss Fang is here to see you."
Her tone was a little nervous, but mostly confused. I didn't have time to explain much. I just nodded to Yan Di, then brought Ni Duoduo in, pointing to her and saying, "Yan Di, this is my friend's daughter. She'll be staying here. Could you help her unpack her things first... Okay, Duoduo, you go with her."
Then I looked at Fang Nan and asked, "Why are you here?"
Fang Nan looked a little flustered. She stood up, seemingly so nervous that she didn't know where to put her hands: "I...you said you weren't feeling well. I came to see you after get off work."
Her tone was somewhat aggrieved, and her eyes, when she looked at me, clearly held a hint of tenderness.
I had a bit of a headache, and I sighed, "I'm fine, nothing's wrong... Thank you... Thank you for coming to see me."
Fang Nan seemed to want to laugh, but her lips twitched and she couldn't manage a smile.
I sighed. I know my tone was a bit harsh just now. Fang Nan probably felt wronged... but I'm really confused right now. What happened tonight was too sudden, and I really don't have the mood for anything else.
Yan Di, a kind-hearted girl, wasn't naive; she seemed to sense the subtle tension in the air. However, she didn't say anything, only gave me a deep look, seemed to sigh softly, then came over and took Ni Duoduo's hand, gently saying, "Come in."
Ni Duoduo hesitated for a moment, then looked at me pleadingly, and I nodded. Only then did she obediently let Yan Di pull her hand and follow her into the room.
Seeing my gloomy expression, Fang Nan's eyes filled with even more grievance. She slowly walked over and whispered, "I...I didn't mean to come looking for you...I was just worried about you...worried about you. Didn't you say you weren't feeling well during the day...I..."
I looked into her eyes and whispered, "Okay, I know, I know... I don't blame you."
Fang Nan was still worried: "Are you really alright? You don't look too good." She seemed to want to reach out and touch my face, but she put her hand down halfway through.
I shook my head. "I'm sorry, I have something on my mind, and I'm not in a good mood right now... Okay, it's nothing serious." I tried to soften my tone. "We can talk about it tomorrow, okay?"
"Are you... in some kind of trouble?" Fang Nan immediately said, "Perhaps I can help you."
I thought about it very seriously: "Not for now..." Looking into her eyes, my heart softened: "Okay, if I need help, I will definitely come to you, I promise, okay?"
Fang Nan wasn't stupid; she understood that everyone's position was awkward—especially my family's.
She forced a smile, then sighed, "Okay, I'm leaving."
I saw her to the door and closed the door after Fang Nan left. Only then did Yan Di come out of the room.
"She's gone?" Yan Di's expression remained gentle, without the slightest hint of resentment.
I felt a little embarrassed: "I'm...I'm sorry."
She smiled calmly and asked, "Why are you apologizing to me?"
I was speechless...
Yes. Why should I say sorry?
Of course I know why I'm saying "I'm sorry".
But can I bring myself to say these words?
Yan Di is truly an understanding girl... I even think she's surprisingly kind!
She seemed to smile. She walked over to me, first helping me take off my coat, then frowned: "Why is there blood on you?"
I took a look and sure enough, there were some bloodstains: "It's someone else's. I ran into some trouble tonight and got into a fight with someone."
Yan Di then gave me a resentful look and whispered, "Fifth Brother... can you please not be so impulsive in the future? You've always been very impatient... but do you know how worried I am? I'm begging you, okay?"
I was speechless for a moment, then couldn't help but hug her and kiss her hair: "Okay, I'll remember."
He looked at her and asked, "Where's A-Mei? I haven't seen her."
Yan Di smiled helplessly: "Amei said she was going out for a walk, but you two are both so impatient... I don't know where she ran off to."
I thought about it for a moment, then dismissed it, glancing at the room: "This girl..."
Yan Di smiled, looking into my eyes as she nestled in my arms. She looked up at me, her eyes gentle and tender, and whispered, "Brother Wu...actually, I'm a very simple girl...I never ask you what you do outside. I don't understand so much, and I don't know what you men are busy with outside...You...you don't really need to explain many things to me." The girl blinked, her voice soft and wistful, "That Miss Fang came to see you tonight...it's not that I don't understand. It's not that I'm pretending to be stupid...I just choose not to ask."
I felt a lump in my throat and whispered, "I...actually I..."
“You don’t need to say anything.” Yan Di shook her head, sighed, and snuggled into my arms again. “There are some things I really don’t want to think about… Do you think I can’t see what Miss Fang is thinking? She’s prettier than me, has a better figure than me, and is richer than me… She’s definitely smarter than me too. I’m just a stupid girl who doesn’t know anything except how to do housework for you at home.”
I don't know why, but suddenly my mind went blank, and the words that came out of my mouth were: "Aren't you worried about me...?"
"I am worried." Yan Di still looked very weak. "I am worried... But what's the use of my worry? Do you think it will help if I criticize you, interrogate you, or have a big argument with you?"
Her eyes suddenly reddened, and she buried her head in my arms, whispering, "Fifth Brother... if you really have to leave me in the future... can you promise me one thing? You must tell me, you must tell me first, tell me face to face, and then I promise I won't bother you."
I didn't know how I felt. I just felt a surge of guilt, a feeling that made me want to slap myself a few times: "Stop thinking such nonsense... What you're saying won't happen."
Yan Di quietly wiped her eyes in my arms, then looked up with a bright smile back on her face: "Alright. I'll go get some medicine for this little girl. She seems to be catching a cold; her hair is all wet. Did she get caught in the rain? It didn't rain today..."
Yan Di pulled away from my embrace, but I noticed that Ni Duoduo had quietly opened the door halfway, peeking out with half her head and looking at me from inside the room, her eyes darting around. When she realized I had noticed her, she immediately shrank back inside.
Seeing me sigh, Chen sat on the sofa, first composing himself. After a while, he picked up his phone and dialed Cang Yu's number.
This time, I simply didn't answer the phone; it rang twice, then I disconnected.
I frowned slightly, as if I sensed a hint of unease...
It was past 10 p.m. when Yan Di had already given Ni Duoduo a bath, while I sat in the living room waiting for a call.
But my heart was filled with doubts.
Is Cang Yu unwilling to help? Or does she simply not want to talk to me?
Actually, I just wanted Cangyu to help me find out who the owner of that villa, that man, really was.
I sat on the sofa and carefully recalled what happened tonight. At the time, time was tight and I didn't have time to think about it in detail, but now that I'm sitting down and thinking about it slowly, I find that many details are worth exploring in depth.
First, I remembered the male homeowner. When I beat him, he spoke standard Mandarin, and clearly with a northern accent. It was definitely not a local accent.
Secondly, I remembered a row of motorcycles parked outside the villa. There were several road racing motorcycles, which looked like very professional racing motorcycles and were obviously very expensive to build.
Having been involved in the high-speed racing scene, I know very well that truly top-tier Serpentines like these don't exist in Nanjing.
Finally, around eleven o'clock, my phone rang!
It's Cangyu!
"Chen Yang, I'm downstairs at your place. Come down right now, alone!" With that, Cang Yu hung up. Her tone was unfriendly, somewhat cold.
I was a little confused, so I got up, grabbed a coat, put it on, knocked on Yan Di's door to tell her I was going downstairs to buy cigarettes, and then went out.
It was already past eleven o'clock. The neighborhood was quiet, and the streetlights were shining. I went out the gate and saw a silver BMW parked under a streetlight not far away. The window was half open, and Fang Nan was sitting inside…
Cang Yu held a cigarette between her fingers, the embers sparkling. I immediately went over, but halfway there, I was suddenly astonished to see Fang Nan sitting in the back seat of her car!
"Get in the car." Seeing me standing there in a daze, Cang Yu quickly flicked away her cigarette butt and said it casually.
I walked around to the other side, opened the door, and got into the car. I saw Fang Nan with a serious expression and worried eyes. When she saw me, her brows were tightly furrowed.
I was sitting in the front passenger seat. Cang Yu didn't look at me; she first rolled up the window and then turned off the headlights.
"Chen Yang, I don't have much time and can't stay here for long, so I'll keep it short... Don't interrupt me while I'm speaking, and ask me any questions after I've finished. Understand?" Cang Yu's tone was somewhat stiff.
"Okay," I replied.
"Fang Nan, and you, don't interrupt right now." Cang Yu didn't turn around, but only glanced at Fang Nan in the rearview mirror.
She took a deep breath, glanced at me quickly, and said in an unprecedentedly serious tone, "Chen Yang, you're in trouble... a really, really bad mess! I can even say that if a miracle doesn't happen this time... you're dead! They'll find you by tomorrow afternoon at the latest, and you'll die a horrible death!"
I frowned, wanting to ask a question, but then remembered what Cang Yu had just said, so I kept quiet.
Cang Yu was wearing a very large coat. Her hair was a little messy, as if she had rushed over.
"Do you know a girl named Ni Duoduo? About three hours ago, did you go to that villa area not far from the East Suburbs Clubhouse District? And then there, you took a girl named Ni Duoduo away and injured several people?"
Cang Yu's face was somewhat pale. I nodded.
She turned me around to face me directly, her eyes filled with a complex emotion: "I'm being realistic... I told you you could come to me if you ever had any trouble. But this time you've gotten yourself into way too much trouble... I can't protect you at all... and if I dared to protect you... no, I should say, if I dared to reveal even a hint that I have a connection with you... I'd die. So, I'm sorry. I can't help you. Just now, I found Fang Nan because I know there's something between her and you... Don't misunderstand, I didn't ask her for help, I found her to make her leave you immediately! And never have any contact with you again!"