23 - The protagonist becomes a bad guy
Time rewinds to a few hours earlier.
After declining Hong Niang's offer to drive him, Ye Feng boarded a bus heading to Anping.
The reason for this decision was not just his long-standing habit of low-key living due to his military career, but also his consideration for Yang Qing's perspective.
Ye Feng had learned most of Yang Qing's circumstances from his comrades.
He knew that both Yang Qing and her mother were very wary of wealthy people, so he wanted to present himself as an ordinary person.
Although Ye Feng had recently retired and didn't have much money at the moment, he could easily call on his former comrades or other acquaintances to provide him with funds if needed.
The bus arrived in Anping.
The station was bustling, crowded with travelers.
After recalling Yang Qing's address, Ye Feng prepared to hail a taxi.
But suddenly, his sharp gaze caught something unusual.
Not far ahead, he saw a middle-aged man in a black suit.
Compared to the other travelers, this man appeared to be quite affluent and exuded strong confidence.
Following closely behind the man was a skinny young man.
The young man had dyed yellow hair, wore a sleeveless vest, and had a sneaky, shifty appearance.
Soon enough, amidst the jostling crowd, the young man took out a pair of tweezers and began slowly reaching toward the middle-aged man's pocket.
Ye Feng simply stood there, quietly watching, with no intention of intervening.
After all, everyone has their own way of surviving in society.
Could Ye Feng possibly stop all the wrongdoing in the world? Moreover, being targeted by the pickpocket was partially the middle-aged man's own fault for being careless.
But the next moment, Ye Feng moved!
He suddenly noticed that standing beside the middle-aged man was a woman with decent looks.
This wasn't about lust but rather Ye Feng's inherent personality.
His years in the military, coupled with his innate belief that women deserved protection, compelled him to act.
If Jiang Hao were present, he would immediately understand.
No wonder in the original story, Ye Feng often stood up for justice, yet it always seemed to involve women!
Whoosh!
Ye Feng pushed off the ground, his body shooting forward like an arrow.
His speed was incredible, yet somehow, he avoided bumping into anyone in the crowded space—a feat both swift and bizarre.
Moments later, Ye Feng grabbed the pickpocket's hand.
The young thief stared intently at Ye Feng, as if warning him not to meddle in other people's business.
Unfazed, Ye Feng tightened his grip.
"Ahhh! It hurts! It hurts! Brother, please have mercy!" the young man howled in pain, his face twisted in agony.
The commotion and scene quickly drew the attention of other travelers.
The middle-aged man, realizing he had been the target, turned around and thanked Ye Feng profusely.
But Ye Feng wasn't interested in the middle-aged man. He simply waved dismissively and turned his attention to the woman from earlier, giving her a friendly smile.
"Well done!" The woman clapped her hands in applause.
A simple sentence filled Ye Feng with pride.
To showcase his strength further, he suddenly raised his leg and kicked the pickpocket, sending him flying several meters.
The pickpocket, already frail, couldn't handle such a blow and nearly lost consciousness.
The woman clapped again, and Ye Feng crossed his arms, standing tall and expressionless.
Around them, the crowd began murmuring in admiration.
This kind of scenario was something Ye Feng was used to. However, the slight arch of his eyebrows revealed his satisfaction.
"You dared to hit me? Do you even know who I am?" the pickpocket rasped from the ground.
"Oh? Who are you?" Ye Feng asked indifferently.
"I'm one of Master Li's men. You're dead! You'll regret this!" the pickpocket spat venomously.
Master Li?
Ye Feng's expression darkened.
He recalled that the last time he caught a pickpocket at a train station, that thief had also claimed to work for Master Li.
Logically, dealing with a subordinate would inevitably lead to a confrontation with the boss.
Ye Feng had been prepared for this and had even been waiting for Master Li to come after him. Perhaps he could use it as an opportunity to show off and gain some benefits.
But who would have thought…
Days had passed, and nothing had happened!
"Tell Master Li that I'll be waiting for him here," Ye Feng said, exuding a commanding presence.
Hearing that the man before him wasn't afraid of Master Li and wasn't even planning to flee, the pickpocket laughed bitterly.
The pickpocket struggled to his feet, pulled out his phone, and prepared to call his boss. He paused to ask Ye Feng for his name.
"Ye Feng! Remember it well—this name will soon haunt you all as your worst nightmare!" Ye Feng declared.
"Ye Feng? You're Ye Feng!?" The pickpocket froze, dumbfounded.
"What? You know me?" Ye Feng raised an eyebrow.
"Of course, I know you!"
The pickpocket nodded repeatedly, exclaiming, "Brother, why didn't you say your name earlier? This whole situation could've been avoided!"
Ye Feng was even more confused now.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the pickpocket abandoned the idea of calling for reinforcements.
He limped closer, patted Ye Feng's shoulder, and said, "Master Li told us to look after you! How could I dare offend you? This territory is yours now—I'll go somewhere else!"
With that, the pickpocket hobbled away.
Ye Feng was stunned, and so was the crowd.
Ye Feng couldn't fathom how he had become someone Master Li needed to protect. He didn't even know who Master Li was!
The crowd, on the other hand, jumped to a different conclusion. Judging from the pickpocket's words, they suspected Ye Feng wasn't a good person either.
"Disgusting!"
The victim spat on the ground before walking away.
The woman beside him also looked at Ye Feng with disdain.
Soon, the crowd erupted into boos.
If not for Ye Feng's impressive fighting skills earlier, they might have dragged him to the police station themselves!
Overwhelmed by confusion and unexpected twists, Ye Feng stood frozen for a long time.
By the time he snapped out of it, the pickpocket was long gone, and he had inexplicably become the villain in everyone's eyes.
"What's going on?" Ye Feng muttered to himself, feeling as though his intelligence was insufficient to comprehend the situation.
Unable to make sense of it all, he decided to let it go and left the station.
As he walked, Ye Feng's earlier confidence was nowhere to be found. Instead, his face was full of bewilderment.
Half an hour later, Ye Feng arrived at the county hospital.
His fallen comrade had mentioned that Yang Qing's mother was in poor health and often stayed in the hospital, so Ye Feng decided to start his search there.
He approached a nurse, described Yang Qing's mother, and added, "Her daughter's name is Yang Qing. She should be pretty well-known, right?"
At first, the nurse seemed impatient and uninterested.
But the moment she heard "Yang Qing," her eyes lit up.
Nowadays, everyone at the county hospital knew about Yang Qing.
After all, she was a very lucky woman—beautiful and fortunate enough to receive financial support from the eldest son of the Jiang family, who had even transferred her critically ill mother to the prestigious Xia Family Hospital!
"You lowlifes better stop dreaming about Yang Qing! Take a look at yourself—how can you compare to Young Master Jiang?" the nurse mocked disdainfully.