The black Land Rover sped along the road, driven by Zhao Wuxia.
This wasnât the one damaged at the police station but a replacement. Zhao Wuxiaâs choice of such a car revealed her strong, controlling personality.
Jiang Feng didnât dwell on itâher fierce nature was why she rose above hundreds of orphans to achieve her current success.
Jiang Feng was physically fine. The hospital confirmed he was merely shaken and could leave anytime.
Zhao Wuxia handled the discharge and drove him home.
Truthfully, Jiang Feng knew he couldnât stay in the hospital even if he were injured. The matter with Li Yuanjue was temporarily resolved, but only temporarily. What came next was uncertain.
This gave Jiang Feng a headache. Heâd hoped to deal with Li Yuanjue once and for all to avoid endless trouble, but things grew messier. He hadnât fully adjusted his mindset or adapted to city life. On the other hand, his strength was lacking. If he were powerful enough, heâd have stormed the Li family the moment they targeted him, leaving them in chaos.
The car stopped at the Jiang familyâs villa estate.
Zhao Wuxia said, âYoung Master, weâre here.â
Jiang Feng nodded lightly, stepped out, and strode inside. Entering the hall, he found it packed with people. Besides the old master and his father, his eldest uncle Jiang Jingyun and third uncle Jiang Mingfei were present. Unlike before, this wasnât an interrogation of him. It seemed a family meeting about the Li family, which heâd stumbled into.
Jiang Feng glanced around and started to leave, but the old master called, âXiaofeng, come here.â
At his words, all eyes turned to Jiang Feng.
He scanned the room casually, gave a faint smile, and walked over.
Jiang Jingyun watched Jiang Feng approach the old master, his eyes flickering. He hadnât expected Jiang Feng to emerge unscathed. Secretly, he cursed Jiang Fengâs luckâsurviving both a shooting and a car accident.
Jiang Jingyun didnât want to attend this family meeting, especially since it centered on Jiang Feng. But with everyone else present, his absence would seem improper. As Jiang Fengâs uncle, despite their strained relationship, he couldnât afford to appear disloyal when the family faced external issues, lest the old master judge him harshly.
Jiang Hao was there too. Heâd seen Xia Dongxue take Jiang Feng away and assumed Jiang Feng would suffer greatly under her. Knowing about the shooting and car accident, he thought Jiang Feng would at least be gravely injured, if not dead. Yet Jiang Feng looked untouched, not even a hair out of place. Disappointment was evident on Jiang Haoâs face.
Jiang Feng caught Jiang Haoâs expression and glanced at Jiang Jingyun, frowning slightly. He noted their reactions.
âXiaofeng, are you alright?â the old master asked.
âIâm fine,â Jiang Feng replied, shaking his head. He could hear the old masterâs concern and, not being ungrateful, didnât repeat his past coldness.
The old master grunted somberly and addressed the room, âXiaofeng nearly died twice. What are your thoughts on this?â
His gaze landed on Jiang Jingyun, who knew he had to speak. Clearing his throat, he said, âFather, I was going to bring this up if you didnât. Xiaofeng clashed with Li Yuanjue and broke his leg. That was his mistake first. The Li family targeting him was inevitable. If Li Yuanjue had broken Xiaofengâs leg, weâd go after them too.â
The old master said coldly, âSo, youâre saying Xiaofeng brought this on himself.â
Jiang Jingyun replied, âFlies donât swarm a perfect egg. If he hadnât caused trouble, why would anyone target him?â
âThereâs some truth to that,â the old master snorted, turning to Jiang Mingfei. âMingfei, your thoughts.â
Jiang Mingfei pondered briefly before saying, âBig Brotherâs logic holds. To me, this is just a young generationâs spat. Since Xiaofengâs fine, thereâs no need to escalate and risk souring ties with the Li family or disrupting years of balance.â
The old master knew Jiang Jingyun disliked Jiang FengâJiang Feng had even offended himâso his stance wasnât surprising. But Jiang Mingfei echoing it darkened the old masterâs expression.
Unhappily, he said, âSo, we just let this go?â
Jiang Jingyun cared little for Jiang Feng. Even if Jiang Feng died before him, heâd feel nothing. He knew the old master would be angry, but so what? He said, âOf course not. The Li family sending people to attack Xiaofeng at the police station was wrong. We must demand an explanation. But how we do that needs careful thought. As Mingfei said, we canât let one personâs issue ruin our relationship with the Li family. That benefits no one.â
His words amounted to nothing substantial. The old master saw through Jiang Jingyunâs evasion. If Jiang Jingyun truly cared about the familyâs interests, he wouldnât speak so. The old master felt a pang of helplessness, wondering if age had dulled his leadership. He glanced at Jiang Hanyu, who dozed in his chair, utterly indifferent. Then at Jiang Feng, who seemed equally unbothered.
After a long pause, the old master sighed, âThen go figure out how to demand that explanation.â
Jiang Jingyun inwardly rejoiced. Heâd expected the old masterâs fury, but instead, he chose to de-escalateâexactly what Jiang Jingyun wanted. It also showed the old master didnât value Jiang Feng, a âuselessâ figure. Anyone else, and the old master wouldnât have let this slide so easily.
The discussion ended as Jiang Feng expected. He wasnât surprised. He never counted on Jiang Jingyun or Jiang Mingfei to stand up for him. The old master was aging, and his father cared for nothingâneither would act for him. But Jiang Feng didnât need others to act. What he wanted, heâd handle himself. The Li familyâs debt, heâd settle thoroughly one day.
Jiang Feng didnât linger. He left the hall for his residence.
Just outside, his sister Jiang Daiâer chased after him.
Clinging to his arm, she asked worriedly, âBrother, are you really okay?â
Jiang Feng smiled, âLook at meâno missing arms or legs. Iâm fine. Donât worry.â
âButâŚâ Jiang Daiâer wanted to say their eldest uncle and third uncle were too much but held back.
Jiang Feng knew her thoughts. He patted her head, smiled, and walked away.
At Huaqing University, on the teaching buildingâs rooftop, a figure leaned against the railing, quietly gazing at the scenery below. A breeze stirred, tousling her light purple hair, which danced like elves in the sunlight. Her face was strikingly beautiful, with a chilling elegance.
Xu Minmin approached, spotting Ye Qingxuan. âQingxuan, I knew youâd be here.â
Ye Qingxuan glanced back, smiling faintly. âWhatâs up? Need something?â
Xu Minmin leaned on the railing. âGuess what exciting stuff happened these past two days?â
Ye Qingxuan, uninterested in gossip, shook her head and looked away.
Xu Minmin found it dull but pressed on, âItâs about Jiang Feng. You wonât believe it.â
Frowning slightly, Ye Qingxuan recalled the figure she saw outside Red Devil Bar that night. Subconsciously, she asked, âWhat happened to Jiang Feng?â
Xu Minmin grinned, âSee? Youâre curious after all. Always acting so aloof, Iâm almost scared to talk to you.â
Ye Qingxuan ignored the teasing. âWerenât you dying to tell me? Hereâs your chance. Speak, or donât.â
Xu Minmin rubbed her forehead helplessly and said, âQingxuan, you remember we saw Jiang Feng enter Red Devil Bar that night, right? I regretted not going inâit was quite a show.â
She then exaggerated the conflict between Jiang Feng and Li Yuanjue. The story had spread widely, and Xu Minmin knew the details. The police station events, however, were hushed by the Li family, known only to them and some Jiangs, not her.
Ye Qingxuan listened quietly. Sheâd assumed Jiang Feng went to the bar for fun that night, but now realized sheâd misunderstood. Li Yuanjue had threatened him with Ma Lianhao, forcing him there. She hadnât expected such an outcomeâor that Jiang Feng would break Li Yuanjueâs leg.
In her mind, Jiang Feng was incompetent and annoying but not truly bad. He was timid and conflict-averse. Since when had he grown so bold?
Softly, she asked, âThen what? Is Jiang Feng okay?â
âThen? How should I know?â Xu Minmin pouted. She didnât care about Jiang Fengâs fateâhis life or death meant nothing to her. Sheâd only heard this story by chance and listened fully because it tied to that night. Otherwise, Jiang Fengâs affairs wouldnât interest her at all.