Chapter 72: I Will Prove It All With My Strength

Mmm! Mmm!
A faint sound escaped from Fang Yue’s nose, and for this young couple, a dreamy intoxication lingered between them.
Mmm!
After a long while, they finally parted. Fang Yue’s pretty face was flushed crimson. She lay bashfully in Chen Feng’s embrace, not daring to meet his gaze. Chen Feng, however, held her tightly, kissed her gently on the forehead, and said, “Alright, it’s already past two o’clock. Will it be a problem if you don’t go home?”
“It’s fine. I already called my family and told them I’m at a classmate’s house doing homework. Since it’s so late, I said I wouldn’t be coming home tonight,” Fang Yue replied softly, still nestled in his arms.
“Okay.” Chen Feng nodded slightly. “I’ll find a room for you. Get some rest. It’s already past two, and we’ve got exams when the sun comes up!”
“What about you?” Fang Yue looked at him with concern.
“I’m alright. I’ve got plenty of energy!” Chen Feng smiled, “It’s nothing if I don’t sleep for a night. Besides, it’s not like I won’t sleep at all. Don’t worry about me.”
Fang Yue nodded lightly.
Chen Feng glanced at his parents, who were lying on the hospital beds. They didn’t have any serious injuries, but after the trauma and the beating, exhaustion weighed heavy on them. They were sleeping soundly. Chen Feng, on the other hand, was wide awake. It was already past two in the morning, yet he felt full of vitality; missing a night’s sleep meant little to him.
He opened the Grand Extraction System and glanced at it. His achievement points had reached three hundred seventy-five—a significant increase after the night’s turmoil. If things had escalated further, Chen Feng suspected his achievement points would have soared straight into the thousands.
Still, if things really had gotten out of hand, Chen Feng couldn’t help but purse his lips; he doubted he’d be so relaxed now.
He stretched his limbs, then sat in a chair and dozed quietly for a while. Around five in the morning, his father’s coughing caught his attention.
“Dad, you’re awake!” Chen Feng’s eyes snapped open, and in a heartbeat he was at his father’s side, his face full of concern.
“Son?” Chen Ze stared in surprise, then anxiously blurted out, “You—you’re alright? Yesterday, yesterday…”
“It’s fine!” Chen Feng comforted his father and continued, “It’s all been handled, Dad. Someone will compensate our family soon, and those little punks will get what they deserve. You don’t need to worry about this anymore. Just focus on getting better.”
Chen Ze and his wife had been knocked out the previous night. They knew Chen Feng had fought, but not what had happened afterward—and certainly not that he’d killed someone. They only remembered Chen Feng teaching those thugs a lesson.
Their memories stopped there.
Now, seeing Chen Feng’s radiant face, Chen Ze finally felt a little relief; as long as his son was safe, nothing else mattered.
Chen Feng repeated the cover story he’d prepared: the police arrived, arrested the thugs, and he acted in self-defense. With Xiao Yu’s help, he was released that very night.
Chen Ze was left dumbfounded by this explanation, but Chen Feng didn’t mind. He wasn’t worried about gossip. The night before, Lu Rui had already handled everything, and his parents wouldn’t be going home for a while. Once they recovered, he planned to ask Xiao Yu to help get them a new house.
After Chen Feng’s explanation, Chen Ze sighed and said, “Son, our store’s been shut down. The Commerce Bureau says we used inferior beef. Who knows what’ll happen next?”
“I know already,” Chen Feng shrugged, unconcerned. “Don’t worry, our shop won’t stay closed for long. Besides, I just reached a deal with Xiao Yu. We’re going to mass produce our signature beef balls. She gets sixty percent, I get forty percent. We’ll have plenty of opportunities to make money, so don’t worry. Hungry? I’ll ask a nurse to bring you something to eat.”
Chen Feng didn’t care about the shop’s closure; with his new partnership with Xiao Yu, money would come easily. As for the Commerce Bureau staff, he guessed someone else would deal with them, even without his intervention.
Looking back, having power and influence really did make life simple; any problem could be swept away with ease.
After comforting his parents and making sure they were truly alright, Chen Feng woke Fang Yue and headed to school with her.
Standing before the school gates, Chen Feng felt a strange sense of dislocation, as if a lifetime had passed in a single night. Who could have imagined so much would happen before dawn?
Now, standing at the threshold of school, his entire outlook had changed.
An indescribable feeling welled up inside him.
As they entered the school, Fang Yue naturally linked her arm through Chen Feng’s, bringing him a quiet pleasure. He walked with her toward the classroom, savoring the moment.
Their intimacy didn’t cause much of a stir. Although Chen Feng had always avoided acknowledging their relationship, in the eyes of many, they’d long been a couple; it was just that neither had spoken it aloud. Now, seeing them together like this, no one was surprised.
Though the school prohibited early romances, hand-holding among high schoolers was common. Even if Chen Feng and Fang Yue walked together, no one would say much.
However, as he entered, Chen Feng distinctly felt a strange atmosphere. Numerous eyes lingered on him, and he couldn’t help but wonder what they meant.
Since the exam hadn’t started yet, Chen Feng returned to his seat. Soon, Zheng Qiang approached him, looking secretive. “Chen Feng, I heard you’re taking the college entrance exam ahead of schedule?”
Zheng Qiang, though on the basketball team, never intended to go to sports school. He only joined practices out of interest. He hadn’t played in the match against No. 17 High or been bribed by Luo Wenhao, so his friendship with Chen Feng remained solid.
“How did you know?” Chen Feng widened his eyes in surprise. Only a handful of people knew—besides the teachers, only An Ran was aware. Could the rumor have come from her? If so, she was being awfully petty.
He’d never interacted with An Ran before—a dazzling, wealthy top student and, by contrast, he’d been the short, chubby academic underdog. They belonged to different worlds; all he could do was look up to her. But now, Chen Feng found himself on equal footing. Despite the praise she received, he sensed an air of arrogance about her, a belief in her own superiority.
Yet now, Chen Feng no longer found her so unattainable. No matter how good her grades were, he could surpass her all the same.
“Sigh, Chen Feng, I’ve heard some nasty rumors going around. Don’t get mad, okay?” Zheng Qiang whispered as Chen Feng fell into thought.
“What are you talking about?” Chen Feng looked at him in confusion. “What rumors?”
He was curious—what gossip could possibly arise overnight? Was it just about him taking the exam early? Surprising, perhaps, but not unheard of.
“They say, who are you to compare with An Ran? That you should take a look at yourself before getting ideas above your station.” Zheng Qiang hesitated, then added quietly, “Don’t think that just because you play basketball well, you can do well in school too...”
He didn’t finish, but Chen Feng understood there was more unpleasant talk. Still, he simply shrugged it off. “That’s all?”
“Of course not. There’s worse. Aren’t you angry?” Zheng Qiang looked at him in surprise. If it had been him, he’d have blown up, but Chen Feng seemed utterly unfazed.
“Why should I be angry? At whom? What’s the point?” Chen Feng spread his hands and feigned confusion. “People used to call me fat, a pig, said I couldn’t play basketball. Who dares say that now? Who still calls me fat? Let them talk—what does it matter to me? Why stoop to their level?”
By nature, Chen Feng was open-minded. After the previous night, his perspective had broadened even further. To him, the people mocking him were nothing more than stray cats and dogs—hardly worth his attention.
“Well, that’s true!” Zheng Qiang was at a loss for words, marveling at Chen Feng’s composure. In his place, he never could have stayed this calm.
Chen Feng stretched comfortably, patted Zheng Qiang on the shoulder, and said, “Thanks for telling me, Zheng Qiang. I get it. No need to worry about these trivial things. They can say what they like. I’ll prove them wrong with my own ability!”