Starforce Warriors

Chapter 136: Enemies Always Cross Paths.

Li Xiaofei took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. He had no intention of hugging her.

Tears streamed down Zhong Ling's cheeks as she said, "I want you to hug me."

She rushed forward, arms open, trying to forcibly embrace the young man in front of her. Li Xiaofei stepped aside, but Zhong Ling tried to hug him again.

Li Xiaofei dodged once more. He was getting irritated. "What are you trying to do?"

Fear flashed in Zhong Ling's eyes.

She lowered her head and said, "I just want to hug you, Brother Xiaofei."

Li Xiaofei finally couldn't hide his disgust. "Men and women should maintain propriety. Please stop this."

Zhong Ling let out a soft, bitter laugh. "Brother Xiaofei, I know what you're thinking, but it's not like that... You used to like me, didn't you? I don't believe you can cut off all feelings in such a short time."

Li Xiaofei turned to leave, but Zhong Ling grabbed his arm.

"Brother Xiaofei, haven't you always wanted me?" Her eyes glowed with a near-mad light. "I'll give myself to you tonight, okay?"

Li Xiaofei was stunned. Immediately, an uncontrollable anger surged from within him.

"What do you think you are? A commodity?" He said, his face full of disdain. "Our master lived a life of chivalry and integrity. He always taught us to maintain a righteous heart, follow the right path, and do the right thing... He cared for you the most in his life, but look at yourself now. What are you doing?"

Zhong Ling let out a faint, bitter laugh. "I'm repaying you."

"Repaying? You call this repaying?" Li Xiaofei shouted. "This is an insult."

Zhong Ling's tears fell. "It's not what you think."

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Li Xiaofei snorted coldly. "You said you had realized your mistakes and changed. I thought you had truly reformed, but I never expected you to sink to this level... In the future, don't say such things again. Please respect me, respect yourself, and respect our master’s memory."

He was truly angry. He had once thought Zhong Ling wasn't inherently bad. No matter what, she still knew how to respect and love herself. But he hadn't expected her to fall to such a level. This made Li Xiaofei feel heartbroken for his master, Zhong Yuanshan.

Zhong Ling lowered her head, covering her face with her hands. "I'm sorry..."

She cried, squatting down, repeatedly saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Tears streamed through her fingers. Li Xiaofei watched, feeling a bit melancholy.

Out of respect for his master Zhong Yuanshan, he spoke directly, "If you're worried about your future, you don't need to be. I promised in front of Master's shrine that I would protect you. Whether you need money or face any trouble, you can contact me. You will have your own life. Stop doing such extreme things."

Zhong Ling didn't respond.

Li Xiaofei said, "You should head back now."

Zhong Ling slowly stood up, wiped away her tears, and smiled lightly. "I understand. Thank you, Brother Xiaofei. You are a good person."

She handed the good person card to him before turning and stumbling away.

Li Xiaofei sighed and asked, "Where are your friends?"

Zhong Ling stopped and said, "They went back earlier."

"So you stayed behind alone?" Li Xiaofei asked.

Zhong Ling nodded. "I was waiting for you, but you came out too late..."

"Fine, I'll take you home," Li Xiaofei said.

Zhong Ling's mental state seemed unstable. Moreover, it was very late, and the base city had a curfew. Taxis weren't available, and the streetlights were turned off, leaving the city in darkness. If a young woman like Zhong Ling walked back alone and encountered any danger... He couldn't face his master's spirit with such an outcome.

"Thank you," Zhong Ling said, a glimmer of light returning to her eyes.

She quietly followed behind Li Xiaofei.

When they reached the first floor of the building, a service staff member approached them and politely asked, "Are you Mr. Li Xiaofei?"

"Yes, that's me," Li Xiaofei replied.

The staff member handed him a set of keys and said, "Miss Tan Qingying left these car keys for you. She mentioned that she and her father had to head home and couldn't give you a ride, so she left the car for your convenience."

Li Xiaofei was quite surprised.

"Thank you," he said as he took the car keys.

Tan Qingying, that rich second generation, was quite thoughtful. A faint smile appeared on his face. Zhong Ling noticed his smile, but she hugged herself and said nothing.

The two of them took the elevator down to the basement garage. At that moment, Tan Qingying stepped out from a corner of the first-floor lobby. She looked at the elevator display showing -1 and remained silent.

"Miss Tan, I’ve said everything you instructed," the staff member reported, approaching her.

"Thank you," Tan Qingying replied. "You can go now."

The staff member left. Tan Qingying stood there, sighed, and seemed lost in her thoughts.

***

"Damn it, I can't swallow this anger."

Ye Chenglong paced outside the Starry Sky Tower with his entourage. He didn't know what had happened at the party. All he knew was that his father, Ye Xiang, had paid a huge price to get him an invitation to the event. But then, Li Xiaofei, the freeloader, had his qualification revoked by relying on his girlfriend's influence. It was absolutely intolerable.

Since he couldn’t deal with Tan Qingying, the daughter of a high-ranking official, he figured he could at least handle a high school student like Li Xiaofei. He waited across the street from the tower entrance with dozens of people. As long as Li Xiaofei came out without Tan Qingying, they would give him a good beating.

Nobody knew the wait would stretch to three or four hours. It was already past 11 p.m., and all the other important attendees had left, but Li Xiaofei was still nowhere to be seen.

"Did you idiots watch clearly? Did he leave through another door?" Ye Chenglong angrily cursed at his lackeys.

"No way, Young Master Ye, we kept a close watch."

"There are only two exits from the building, one is the parking garage, and the other is here... We kept a close eye, and Li Xiaofei definitely didn't come out."

"Young Master Ye, that kid probably guessed you were looking for trouble and is hiding inside," a few of his usual cronies quickly chimed in.

Ye Chenglong gritted his teeth and said, "Then we'll wait here. I don't believe he can hide all night."

The gang members he had invited naturally had no objections. After all, they were getting paid for this. The longer the wait, the more they earned.

Suddenly, one of his lackeys excitedly said, "Young Master Ye, we got word from the basement. That kid came out with a girl."

"With a girl?" Ye Chenglong's heart tightened. "Is it the Tan family girl?"

"No, it looks like one of the hostesses from tonight's event."

"Oh? Interesting. He dares to cheat..." Ye Chenglong smirked sinisterly. "Spread the word. Let that little bastard get to the street first. Don't stop him yet. We'll make our move once he's further from the Starry Sky Tower."

"Got it."

The group quickly sprang into action.

***

Li Xiaofei was unaware of any of this. He rode his heavy motorcycle, with Zhong Ling sitting behind him, as they exited the basement and hit the road.

Vroom!

The roar of the engine was particularly piercing in the night. It represented the passion of a man.

Zhong Ling held tightly onto Li Xiaofei's waist and pressed her cheek against his back. She could clearly hear the man's heartbeat through his clothing. The warmth transmitted through his clothes provided her with an indescribable sense of security.

Zhong Ling regretted not cherishing this young man sooner. She had been blind not to see his goodness before. Unfortunately, it was too late for everything.

As she was lost in thought, suddenly, the sharp sound of brakes pierced through the air. They were suddenly blinded by headlights as several SUVs blocked the road.

Li Xiaofei slammed on the brakes, perfectly sliding to a stop.

"Haha, little bastard, didn't expect to see us again so soon, did you?"

Ye Chenglong's loud laughter rang out.