Chapter 42 Upholding Justice

Han Wenxue's ears, still ringing from the earlier commotion, gradually began to recover.

"Miss, are you alright?"

A voice called out to her.

She wasn't dead?

Yes, Han Wenxue had survived!

The falling billboard had narrowly missed her, crashing to the ground instead. One end of it had been stopped by a wall, creating a hollow triangular space beneath it.

By sheer luck, Han Wenxue had been right in that safe spot.

The steel bars, electric wires, and shards of glass—none of them had harmed her in the slightest!

"Quick, get out of there! It's dangerous!"

Han Wenxue opened her eyes and realized, with a start, that she was indeed still alive.

Had he saved her, or had his calculations failed?

She couldn't be sure.

"Watch out above!"

Someone shouted a warning.

Looking up, she saw a steel bar, bent by the immense impact, protruding menacingly and gleaming coldly just above her head.

A few centimeters lower—or had she been standing just a bit taller—and that steel bar would have pierced her skull.

If she hadn't crouched down, if she hadn't collapsed in fear, she would surely have been lying in a pool of her own blood by now...

Her face pale as death, Han Wenxue clambered out with the help of bystanders, her movements frantic and unsteady.

"eedtoknownow,canyouloveaga..."

Just as she stumbled out, her phone began to ring. It was Chen Yi.

Gathering her composure, she answered the call, her voice cold. "Calling to confirm I'm still alive?"

There was silence on the other end, followed by the abrupt sound of the call being disconnected.

What was that supposed to mean? Contempt? Or tacit acknowledgment?

Han Wenxue couldn't tell if Chen Yi had genuinely saved her or if his miscalculation had inadvertently done so.

If he had truly intended to save her, then what did his silence on the phone mean? Given his personality, if she had wrongfully accused him, he would surely have responded with biting sarcasm.

But if it had been a miscalculation, could she dare to return to him?

This time, he had miscalculated. What about next time?

Meanwhile, after hanging up, Chen Yi's body convulsed violently. His face twisted in pain as he began to cough uncontrollably, as though his lungs were about to burst.

"Ugh—"

A mouthful of bright red blood spurted out, staining the A4 paper on the desk—on which the words "At the third quarter of the Shen hour, a sharp object will fall. Stay within three feet of the ground" were written—with a glaring crimson.

It was a long while before Chen Yi managed to catch his breath and his coughing subsided.

"Defying the heavens and tampering with fate... The backlash of divination is no joke!"

Chen Yi wiped the blood from his lips, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth despite the lingering traces of red.

When Han Wenxue returned, she found Chen Yi sitting at his desk, his complexion pale and his expression dark as he stared at her.

"Are you surprised that I came back? Or surprised that I'm still alive?"

She scrutinized his face, searching for any hint of emotion, whether good or bad—anything she could interpret.

But she was disappointed. Chen Yi said nothing, merely turned and walked into the bathroom.

Soon, the sound of suppressed coughing echoed from within.

What was this?

Did he not even want to say a single word to her?

After a long time, Chen Yi emerged from the bathroom, not sparing her so much as a glance. He returned to his desk and resumed his work with those incomprehensible symbols, though this time, he wasn't writing—just staring at them.

"Hasn't it been like this all along?"

Han Wenxue let out a self-deprecating laugh.

She suddenly recalled that this had been the state of things between them for days now.

Neither of them would acknowledge the other. If she didn't speak, he wouldn't speak. And if she did speak, he still wouldn't respond.

That night, Chen Yi didn't cook, and Han Wenxue didn't eat. By ten o'clock, the lights were off, and they went to bed.

Of course, the new lingerie she had bought remained unworn.

In the darkness, Han Wenxue could hear the faint rustling of Chen Yi moving about, like an old man shuffling slowly.

For the first time in days, she felt genuinely nervous. Her hand gripped the stun baton tightly. She didn't even know if it would work against Chen Yi.

Though she prided herself on keeping her guard up and never letting her intentions show, she was certain that, with his skill in divination, Chen Yi must have known all along.

It wasn't until she heard the sound of his steady snores that she finally relaxed.

During their "cohabitation," Han Wenxue had never heard Chen Yi snore before. She remembered reading an article about snoring once—it said that if someone who doesn't normally snore suddenly starts, it's usually due to either extreme exhaustion or some kind of illness, such as a cold or disrupted blood flow. The sound waves from snoring, it explained, serve as a form of self-repair.

But Chen Yi hadn't exerted himself all day, so why would he be exhausted?

Perhaps seeing her still alive had made him so frustrated that he'd fallen ill.

Han Wenxue chuckled coldly at the thought, then drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Chen Yi woke early and left quietly before Han Wenxue stirred.

Having coughed up blood twice the day before—once after finishing his calculations and once in the bathroom—his qi and blood were severely depleted. He needed to buy some traditional medicine to replenish his strength.

Chen Yi spent over two thousand yuan, visiting three different pharmacies to gather the herbs he needed.

As he exited the last shop, a young man blocked his path.

"Don't move," the man said, lifting his shirt to reveal a knife tucked into his waistband.

Before Chen Yi could respond, five or six more people emerged from the side, surrounding him.

When misfortune strikes, even drinking cold water can choke you.

"Which street are you guys from?" Chen Yi asked, hoping this was just a robbery. If they were after money, perhaps he could resolve the matter without resorting to violence.

Normally, Chen Yi wouldn't have feared them, but the severe backlash from his divination had left him weak. If he could avoid a fight, he would.

"Save the chatter. We're not here for money. Someone wants to see you," the young man said, signaling to the others. Together, they herded Chen Yi into an alley behind the pharmacy.

"Master Chen, we meet again so soon!"

Three people stood waiting in the alley. Two of them were familiar faces: the pretty-boy Feng Kun and the slick-haired Ji Hao. The third was a tall, imposing man whom Chen Yi had never seen before.

It was Feng Kun who spoke.

"Brother Feng, what a surprise! I thought you'd be busy nursing your injuries these days. How's your face? I just heard about a remedy that's great for reducing bruising and swelling. Works wonders!"

Chen Yi greeted him warmly, as if they were old friends.

"And Ji Hao, you're here too! How was your sleep the other night? Didn't catch a cold, I hope? It's my fault for leaving in such a hurry—I should've at least thrown a blanket over you. That was thoughtless of me. Next time, I won't forget."

Chen Yi's enthusiastic concern was so heartfelt it could almost bring tears to one's eyes.

The contrast between Feng Kun and Ji Hao's pale bandaged faces and their dark, livid expressions was almost comical. They looked like they wanted nothing more than to skin Chen Yi alive.

The tall man glanced at the two of them, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

This man didn't seem like the villain they had described—a scoundrel who preyed on innocent women. On the contrary, they seemed like old friends with a close bond.

"Chen Yi, we're not here to make trouble. We just want my phone back," Feng Kun said, his tone unusually reasonable. "We'll let the twenty thousand go, but the phone has to be returned. It has important business information stored on it. It's useless to you, but if you like, I can give you a brand-new one as compensation."

Ah, so that's what this was about—the phone. Chen Yi understood now. The phone must contain evidence of Feng Kun's crimes, which was why he was pretending to be so generous.

Feign generosity, and I'll play the villain?

"Brother Feng, that was your phone? I thought someone had slipped it into my pocket. Since I couldn't find the owner, I handed it over to the police!"

Feng Kun's face darkened. If the contents of that phone were leaked, he'd be in serious trouble.

"Chen Yi, we've already lowered ourselves enough. What more do you want? Don't think that just because you're cozy with Officer Luo Yan, we're afraid of you. Don't use her to pressure us. There's still law and order in this world!" Ji Hao declared, his tone righteous.

Law and order?

Chen Yi was baffled.

When had these two clowns turned over a new leaf?

And how had he become the villain of this drama, oppressing the innocent and flouting the law?

"Handing it over like this feels like a loss to me. Brother Feng, you still owe me a million yuan, remember?"

Chen Yi felt he had been shortchanged that night—losing a million yuan and being mistaken for a lecher by Han Wenxue.

He had suffered on both fronts. Never in his life had he endured such frustration.

He decided to recoup some of his losses from this fat sheep, Feng Kun.

"You're too arrogant, scammer!" Ji Hao interjected, his voice filled with indignation. Turning to the tall man, he said, "Brother Guangming, you've seen it for yourself. This man is utterly shameless. You must teach him a lesson!"

"So, you really have Feng Kun's phone?" the tall man asked.

"Yes," Chen Yi replied, eyeing him warily. Was this man here to fight or to negotiate?

"And you beat up Feng Kun and Ji Hao?"

"Yes."

"And that girl, Han Wenxue—you took her away as well?"

"Yes."

"Judging by the scratches on your face, I assume she clawed you?"

Chen Yi was exasperated. Why did everyone have to bring that up? "If you want to fight, let's fight. Stop with the sanctimonious nonsense. What's the point of playing the hero here? D*mn it, why do I keep running into lunatics these days?"

If not for the severe backlash from his divination, Chen Yi would have cast a hex to see if this guy was mentally deficient.

Ji Hao, meanwhile, was practically bouncing with excitement.

"Brother Guangming, you see? He's admitted to everything! He's a habitual offender, utterly unrepentant. You must give him a harsh lesson so he won't dare deceive anyone ever again!"

Suddenly, Chen Yi understood.

D*mn it, he'd been set up. This tall guy wasn't in cahoots with them.

No wonder these two had been trying so hard to sound cultured.

It was all to convince this Guangming fellow that Chen Yi was a despicable con artist deserving of punishment!

D*mn it. Years of catching prey, only to be outsmarted by these two clowns.

This man, Li Guangming, was a recently retired soldier. Rumor had it he had been an instructor for the elite Snow Wolf Special Forces, with extraordinary combat skills.

A few days ago, while drinking with friends, he'd heard about a "scammer" wreaking havoc in Quancheng—cheating, stealing, and even preying on women. Supposedly, this man had connections with a female police officer, allowing him to operate with impunity.

Fueled by righteous indignation—and a bit of alcohol—Li Guangming had been livid. Though it was his first time meeting Feng Kun and Ji Hao, he had immediately vowed to step in and ensure justice was served.

And so, less than a day later, the two had tracked down Chen Yi's whereabouts and brought Li Guangming along to "uphold justice."