Beep, beep, beep...
The call was abruptly disconnected, leaving a bewildered Zhao Qingling standing blankly in place.
Were these really her father and grandfather, who usually doted on her so much?
Zhao Qingling checked the phone number, certain she hadn't dialed incorrectly.
By this time, Lin Feng had already gotten dressed. Sitting on the bedroom sofa, he asked, "Have you asked clearly? Do you know that this villa now belongs to me? You can leave right now; I'll let bygones be bygones regarding your trespassing tonight."
Zhao Qingling slammed her phone onto the bed and sat down across from Lin Feng with an indignant look.
"This villa belongs to you now, but my dad told me to share it with you as a roommate! So you want to chase me away? No way!"
Given Zhao Qingling's personality, how could she possibly endure sharing a house with a male stranger?
Even though this was a villa and there was more than enough room for seven or eight more people to move in, Zhao Qingling still found it unpalatable.
However, seeing the look of eager anticipation on Lin Feng's face—as if he couldn't wait for her to leave—made her furious.
She was Zhao Qingling, one of the two pearls of Nancheng.
The men lining up to pursue her could stretch all the way from Nancheng overseas.
Furthermore, she was no mere pretty vase; she helped manage the Zhao Family's company and handled everything in perfect order.
Since this man wanted to chase her away, she refused to leave out of sheer spite!
At this thought, Zhao Qingling sat with her legs crossed, her slender legs faintly visible beneath the hem of her skirt, and sized Lin Feng up properly for the first time.
"My grandfather said he arranged an arranged marriage for me, and the fiancé is you?"
As she spoke, Zhao Qingling slightly furrowed her brows, clearly somewhat resistant to this matrimonial engagement.
Lin Feng shook his head. "It won't be for much longer! I came here precisely to call off the engagement."
Call off the engagement?
Zhao Qingling's eyes widened, her mouth parted slightly, and her face was full of astonishment.
If anyone was going to call off the engagement, shouldn't it be her?
Zhao Qingling let out a cold snort, looking skeptical. "If you're here to call off the engagement, why did you brazenly accept my grandfather's villa and move in overnight? Who would believe you're here to call it off with an act like that?"
Then, Zhao Qingling had a sudden flash of realization. "I get it! You're playing hard to get, aren't you?"
"You know you aren't worthy of the Zhao Family or this young lady, so you're using this trick to catch my attention and make me look at you in a new light!"
"Well, I'm telling you, your wishful thinking is way off the mark!"
"What kind of men haven't I seen? Little tricks like yours mean nothing to me!"
Zhao Qingling lifted her chin proudly, as if flaunting her ability to see through his scheme.
Lin Feng glanced sideways at Zhao Qingling, then shook his head and sighed.
Frowning, Zhao Qingling demanded, "What are you shaking your head for? What are you sighing for? Is it because your petty scheme has been seen through by me, so you're left speechless?"
Dully, Lin Feng replied, "Your grandfather is sick, so he can still be cured, but your brain is damaged, and that's incurable—you might as well just wait for the end."
Zhao Qingling was stunned, momentarily failing to grasp what Lin Feng meant by those words.
But soon, Zhao Qingling sprang to her feet with a start, angrily shouting, "Are you calling me stupid?"
"Not completely stupid yet; at least you still have some self-awareness!" Lin Feng chuckled.
"Ahhh! How dare you insult me! I'll strangle you!"
Reaching out with her delicate hands, Zhao Qingling lunged straight toward Lin Feng's neck.
Only to step on nothing.
"Ah!"
With a piercing scream, Zhao Qingling's body fell headlong toward Lin Feng.
Thud!
Zhao Qingling crashed directly into Lin Feng's embrace, landing squarely against his solid chest.
Lin Feng only felt a warm, jade-like softness enter his arms.
Zhao Qingling's cheeks burned as red as blood; she never expected such an embarrassing thing to happen to her.
"Don't look! Don't touch! Don't feel it, don't think about it!"
Zhao Qingling issued a fierce warning.
Lin Feng hadn't even done anything yet and had been inexplicably chewed out; if he really didn't do anything, wouldn't this scolding have been for nothing?
Without missing a beat, Lin Feng reached out with both hands, scooping Zhao Qingling up by her knees and underarms.
Zhao Qingling let out a startled gasp, instinctively wrapping her arms around Lin Feng's neck, and nervously asked, "What... what are you doing?"
Instead of answering, Lin Feng used a burst of strength to toss Zhao Qingling back onto the bed.
Though the mattress was soft, Zhao Qingling still bounced a couple of times before coming to a safe stop.
"I'll allow you to sleep here for one more night. Remember to pack your things and leave tomorrow morning!"
With that, Lin Feng turned and left the room.
Propping herself up, Zhao Qingling gritted her teeth and yelled, "This is my bridal chamber! My room!"
"Not anymore!"
Lin Feng gave a cool response before the bedroom door slammed shut with a loud bang.
With nowhere to vent her bellyful of fury, Zhao Qingling began furiously kicking the pillow Lin Feng had just slept on with her dainty foot.
"Take that! And that!"
The villa was fully equipped with all daily necessities, so Lin Feng simply found another room and went back to sleep.
The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Lin Feng opened his eyes, got up to wash up, and prepared to go out for a light morning jog.
Moving with the speed of the wind, Lin Feng quickly jogged out of the Yulongwan villa compound.
Just as Lin Feng left, a van parked outside the entrance of the Yulongwan villa compound had a man pick up his phone.
Once the call went through:
"Young Master Huang, we've found the person you're looking for. He just came out of the Yulongwan villa compound."
Huang Qiming's puzzled voice came through the other end of the line: "The Yulongwan villa compound? Isn't land there worth a fortune? The guy I told you to find is just some bumpkin from the countryside who came here to swindle a marriage—how could he be there?"
The man replied, "Young Master Huang, we looked into it and found that the eldest miss of the Zhao Family owns a property in the Yulongwan villa compound, so we came to try our luck. We never expected to actually run into the guy Young Master Huang wants us to investigate!"
There was a slight tone of fishing for praise in the man's voice.
After a moment of silence, Huang Qiming slapped his thigh and exclaimed in realization, "I get it!"
"The brat must be pestering Qingling, so he's trying to intercept her here. I won't let this scumbag succeed!"
"Hurry up and follow him, teach him a good lesson, and let that country bumpkin know there are people he has no business pining for! I'll be right there!"
"When I arrive, I hope to see that bumpkin looking as miserable as possible!"
With that, the call was disconnected.
Receiving Huang Qiming's order, the man immediately started the van and sped off in the direction Lin Feng had taken.
Lin Feng hadn't been jogging for long when a van hurtled up from behind him, screeching to a halt right in front of his path.
Moments later, the van's side door slid open with a loud rattle, and a burly, rugged man stepped out, followed by three or four underlings.
Striding toward Lin Feng with a menacing expression, the burly man sneered, "Country bumpkin, my brothers and I want to borrow something from you!"
"What is it?" Lin Feng asked in return, looking mildly amused.
"One of your legs!"
The burly man grinned, his expression ferocious.
"Not lending it!"
The burly man was momentarily stunned. It wasn't like they hadn't done this sort of thing before, but this was the first time anyone had ever rejected him with such unshakeable confidence.
"Kid, Brother Bao was just trying to be polite when he spoke to you—how dare you refuse?" An underling behind the burly man immediately jumped out, eager to show off.
The next second, Lin Feng raised his leg and kicked the underling squarely in the chest.
Thud!
The man was sent flying backward directly, crashing hard against a utility pole before his head tilted to the side and he passed out cold.
Dusting off non-existent dirt from his trousers, Lin Feng calmly asked, "What did you just say? The wind was too strong, I didn't catch that!"