Chapter Six: So You're Even More of a Scoundrel Than I Am

Chapter Six: So You’re Even More Shameless Than I Am

He glanced at the Azure Dragon ring on his left ring finger—it looked completely out of place with the rest of his attire. It seemed he needed a new outfit.

Learning from his previous experience on the plane, Long Fei went into town and bought himself a new set of clothes. Money was never an issue for him. Over the past few years, he and Phoenix had traveled the world together, and with the lives he’d taken, the commissions that came with them had amounted to no small fortune. As for exactly how much, he wasn’t sure—Phoenix managed all his banking affairs. All he needed to do was carry a few cards with him.

Of course, credit cards were useless in a small town like this. Fortunately, Long Fei still had a bank card and withdrew some cash to buy the best clothes available locally. Sadly, the town was simply too small, and even the finest clothes didn’t do much to elevate his taste.

Still, it was an improvement. Dressed in his new clothes, Long Fei felt much more put together than before. He found an inn, took a shower that evening, and the next day boarded a train to Shanghai.

That night, he still slept poorly. Yet, he was a man capable of letting things go, and after a night’s adjustment, he felt much better when he woke up in the morning.

He didn’t want to dwell on his father’s affairs anymore; now, he could only take things one step at a time. As Uncle Fu put it, he should focus on enjoying life while he could.

The wealthy, of course, travel in sleepers. Long Fei counted himself among them, so he eagerly climbed into the sleeper car. The moment he entered, his eyes lit up—above his berth was a young beauty.

A “little beauty” in this case meant a rather young, delicate-looking girl, certainly not a day over eighteen. When she saw Long Fei, she seemed to want to greet him, but shyness held her back.

Long Fei took the initiative, smiling, “Hi there, beauty. What an honor to share a train car with you, haha!”

The girl’s expression changed instantly. Not only did she blush, but she seemed slightly annoyed—perhaps she found Long Fei a bit forward. She turned her face away and ignored him.

The other passengers in the compartment shot him disdainful looks, especially the burly, bald man opposite, who glared and shouted, “Pervert!”

Long Fei, in good spirits, didn’t get angry. He just chuckled awkwardly and ignored the man, instead leaning closer to the girl and whispering, “Hey, beautiful, don’t wet the bed tonight—there’s a handsome guy sleeping below you, you know. I just took a shower last night, haha.”

One had to admit, Long Fei could be shameless. He couldn’t resist teasing a pretty girl. But, in all honesty, he was genuinely interested in her.

He may have been a flirt, but he had his principles. In his eyes, flowers should only be picked when they’re in full bloom. For a girl as young as this, to touch her would be truly beastly. But if he didn’t even want to pick such a flower, he’d consider himself beneath even a beast.

Before the girl could respond, Long Fei turned to the bald man, who looked ready to explode, and smiled, “No need to get angry, big brother—it was just a joke. I’m going to sleep now, so please, everyone, don’t disturb me. I didn’t sleep well last night and need to catch up.”

And with that, Long Fei really did go straight to bed, lying down and soon snoring—not too loudly, but enough to leave everyone around him speechless.

He managed to sleep the entire day, not even getting up for a drink of water. If not for the occasional sound of him turning over and his steady snores, people might have thought he’d died.

A whole day passed like this. That night, Long Fei slept again.

Half asleep, Long Fei started dreaming. He dreamed of an earthquake shaking the nameless mountain he once lived on, the ground splitting apart. In his dream, he swayed so much he almost couldn’t stay on his feet, calling out Phoenix’s name all the while.

“Damn it, can’t you be quiet even in your dreams?” The bald man’s furious shout woke him up.

Why was the bed still moving? And where was the fat man across from him? Long Fei was puzzled, but then he heard a rustling sound above his head, and the faint sound of a girl gasping for breath.

He understood immediately—the man who’d just called him a pervert was even more depraved than he was!

As this dawned on him, anger flared. Damn it, I couldn’t bring myself to pick this flower, but you have no such qualms?

He rolled over and got up. His eyesight was excellent, and even at night, with just a sliver of light, he could see everyone’s expressions. Everyone was staring at him with odd looks. Long Fei turned his head to the upper berth and said coldly to the bald man, “Pervert!”

Right then, the bald man had one hand on the girl’s clothes and the other clamped tightly over her mouth.

The girl, though silent, struggled desperately, tears streaming down her cheeks—a sight that made Long Fei’s heart ache for her.

The bald man finally noticed Long Fei and growled, “Mind your own damn business, or I’ll kill you!”

Long Fei didn’t reply. He simply seized the bald man by the ear—hardly a lethal move, but with Long Fei’s grip, the man yelped in pain before being dragged, bed and all, down with a thud to the floor.

Fortunately, Long Fei didn’t use deadly force and let go in time, so the bald man wasn’t seriously hurt.

The young beauty huddled in the corner of her bunk, terrified, tears streaming down her face, not daring to utter a sound.

The bald man scrambled to his berth, fumbling around before pulling out a fruit knife. He really was a desperado—he lunged at Long Fei with the knife.

But there was no way Long Fei would let him get close. With a quick wrist lock, he grabbed the man’s arm and squeezed—there was a sickening crack, and the bald man’s wrist snapped cleanly. The knife clattered to the ground, and with an elbow strike, Long Fei sent the man flying back into the bunk. There was a clang, a pitiful scream, and the bald man didn’t get up again.

Everyone in the compartment covered their mouths, stunned by what had just happened. Perhaps none of them had expected the burly man, bigger and stronger than Long Fei, to be defeated so easily.

“Why aren’t you screaming?” Long Fei squatted beside the bald man, chuckling.

How could he dare scream? If he did, wouldn’t the police come for him? The bald man, even in agony, kept silent. He was guilty of attempted rape and assault with a weapon—he’d be lucky to avoid a lifetime in prison.

Long Fei understood his fear, but he wasn’t about to let him off so easily. Suddenly, he stood and stomped hard on the man’s other hand, grinding it into the floor.

“Mercy! Please, mercy!” The bald man finally let out a blood-curdling scream. He had no choice—if he didn’t, Long Fei would have tortured him to death.

The train police arrived just in time, perhaps having just passed by or maybe alerted by passengers in the next compartment. Whatever the case, the moment the bald man screamed, the door burst open and several officers rushed in, one even drawing his pistol and aiming it at Long Fei.

“Stop! Stop right now!”

Long Fei only released his foot after grinding it a few more times, satisfied the man’s hand was ruined. He smiled politely at the police.

“What happened here? Get him to the medical bay, now!” the lead officer barked.

Two officers dragged the unconscious, pain-wracked bald man away. The remaining three eyed Long Fei warily.

“Officers, I think you’ve got the wrong guy. That man is a hardened criminal, while I’m an upstanding, law-abiding citizen—in fact, a heroic youth who stepped in to stop a crime. Ask the others if you don’t believe me!” Long Fei grinned.

“Is that true?” the officer asked the compartment.

Unfortunately, perhaps Long Fei’s reputation really was that bad—no one said a word. He grew anxious and turned to the still-crying girl, “Hey, beauty, please stop crying and help me out here, will you?”

“It’s true, what he says,” the girl finally managed, vindicating him.

With her words, the others soon corroborated the story, all condemning the bald man’s actions. It was almost comical—none had stood up during the attack, but now, after the fact, each spoke as if they were the hero who had intervened.

With everyone’s testimony, the police finally believed Long Fei, though they still took him to the train’s security office. The girl, as the victim, was also brought in to make a statement.

During this, Long Fei learned the girl’s name was Li Yanran, a true daughter of the southern river towns. She was returning home from visiting relatives and had never imagined she’d experience something so traumatic.

On the way back to the compartment, Long Fei whistled cheerfully, clearly in a good mood.

The young lady ahead of him seemed happier, too. Suddenly, she stopped, and Long Fei nearly walked into her.

“Why did you stop?” Long Fei was startled. Could she have stopped on purpose to bump into him? In all those stories, the “hero saves the beauty” plot, though old-fashioned, never fails—was she already falling in love with him? Or perhaps she wanted to express her gratitude in a more personal way?

Good heavens, what am I to do? I never intended to take advantage of the situation—it’s her who’s throwing herself at me!

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