He looked at his phone screen and saw the caller ID.
Huan Zhan.
Gou Feng immediately answered.
"You guys are done already?"
"Yes, finally," Huan Zhan's voice came from the other side.
"Where are you? We're at the university parking lot."
Upon hearing that, Gou Feng did not waste any more time and stood from his seat.
"I'm heading there now."
He picked up his belongings and placed several bills on the table, leaving a tip for the staff before walking toward the exit.
The afternoon sun was beginning to set, bathing the campus pathways in a warm golden glow.
With his phone pressed against his ear, Gou Feng turned onto a side path leading toward the parking area when suddenly someone slammed a shoulder into him.
The impact was hard enough to knock his phone from his hand.
Immediately, the device hit the pavement with a loud clatter.
Gou Feng frowned and looked up, only to see several male students standing in front of him.
All wore the same university uniform.
Among them stood a tall young man with pale blond hair and jade-green eyes, clearly possessing mixed foreign ancestry.
The group completely blocked his path.
Among them, Gou Feng recognized one person.
Or rather, he recognized the blond-haired student.
A senior.
One he had seen around campus before.
He didn't know why, but the atmosphere immediately felt wrong.
On the other end of the call, Huan Zhan's voice continued speaking.
"A-Feng? Hello?"
Gou Feng did not have the chance to answer.
The blond-haired student stepped forward.
"So you're Gou Feng."
It wasn't a question.
His eyes slowly traveled over Gou Feng's appearance before a mocking smile appeared on his face.
"I finally understand why people keep talking about you."
Several students behind him chuckled.
"Not bad," one of them said.
"Looks exactly like the rumors."
Another laughed.
"No wonder everyone pays attention to him."
Their comments instantly made Gou Feng uncomfortable.
He didn't know these people.
More importantly, he didn't know why they had surrounded him.
He couldn't think of anything that could have caused them to target him.
Had he offended one of their friends?
Had he unknowingly done something wrong?
No matter how hard he thought about it, nothing came to mind.
He rarely went anywhere without Shen Jiu and Huan Zhan.
Most of his time was spent studying, working in the library, doing his job for Hei Bao or helping with school activities.
So why were these people here?
And why were they looking at him as if he had personally offended them?
Suppressing his irritation, Gou Feng bent down and picked up his phone, all while saying,
"Can I help you?"
The blond-haired student's expression darkened.
"You seem pretty proud of yourself."
Gou Feng blinked, puzzled at his words.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
He slipped his phone into his pocket.
"If you'll excuse me, I have friends waiting for me."
That answer only seemed to anger the other party further, as before Gou Feng could leave, a fist slammed into his cheek.
Pain immediately exploded across his face, and the force sent him stumbling backward.
His phone slipped from his hand once again.
Several nearby students gasped.
"What the hell?"
"Someone's fighting!"
"Isn't that Gou Feng?"
"Oh no, that's Adrian!"
"Quick! Call security!"
The blond-haired student, whose name Adrian grabbed Gou Feng by the collar.
"You think you're impressive?"
Gou Feng stared at him, confused despite the pain.
Honestly, the punch hurt.
A lot.
This Adrian guy clearly spent his time inside the gym.
But what confused Gou Feng most was the anger in Adrian's eyes.
Why was he angry at him?
What exactly had Gou Feng done?
"I don't know what you want from me," Gou Feng said honestly.
"But if I've somehow offended you, then I'm sorry."
Adrian let out a short laugh.
"You don't even know."
He turned toward his friends.
"Hear that? He doesn't even know."
The group laughed.
One of them shook his head.
"That's unbelievable."
Another muttered,
"Acting innocent now won't help."
Gou Feng's confusion only deepened.
What exactly were they talking about?
Before he could ask, another punch landed, then another.
Blood appeared at the corner of his mouth. The situation worsened, but despite that, he did not fight back.
Not because he couldn't, but because he didn't want trouble.
If security arrived and found students fighting, everyone involved would be dragged to the principal's office.
Sooner or later, Hei Bao would hear about it.
That was the last thing Gou Feng wanted.
Hei Bao already carried enough responsibilities. The man barely had time to rest.
Why should he add another burden?
Unfortunately, his silence only encouraged Adrian as another fist came toward him.
At the same time, several voices suddenly exploded from his dropped phone.
"WHAT WAS THAT SOUND?!"
"A-FENG?!"
"ANSWER US!"
It was Huan Zhang and Shen Jiu.
The moment they heard the shouting and impacts through the phone, they knew something was wrong.
Unlike certain people they knew, Gou Feng never disappeared from a call without saying goodbye.
The line remained connected.
The sounds of shouting, and chaos had been transmitted clearly.
The moment Huan Zhan and Shen Jiu realized Gou Feng might be in trouble, they immediately activated the linked trackers on their phones.
In less than two minutes, they found his location.
Neither of them even remembered to lock their car doors before rushing out.
At that moment, nothing else mattered.
When they arrived, they witnessed a five punch flying directly toward Gou Feng.
"A-FENG!"
Huan Zhan's furious roar echoed throughout the pathway.
Adrian alongside his gang froze.
Shen Jiu's face darkened.
The moment he saw the blood at the corner of Gou Feng's mouth, the veins on the back of his hands stood out visibly.
The cousins rarely got angry, but when they did, people tended to regret it.
Both had trained in Taekwondo since childhood.
Both held black belts, and both were exceptionally protective of those they considered family.
The group of seniors immediately recognized them, and their confidence disappeared almost instantly.
"Run!"
One of them shouted.
Without hesitation, they turned and fled.
The others quickly followed.
Within seconds, the entire group scattered like frightened birds.
Huan Zhan immediately took a step forward.
His fists clenched, and his eyes firmly locked onto Adrian's retreating figure.
Every instinct in his body screamed at him to chase after them, however, before he could walk further Shen Jiu's voice thundered across the path.
"HUAN ZHAN!"
The shout stopped him.
Huan Zhan turned around, still breathing heavily, expression full of anger.
Shen Jiu then pointed toward Gou Feng.
The message was clear.
The priority was Gou Feng.
Huan Zhan clenched his jaw before finally nodding.
The two cousins immediately rushed over.
"You idiot," Huan Zhan muttered.
"Come here."
He grabbed Gou Feng's arm carefully.
"Hold onto me so you don't fall."
Gou Feng wiped the blood from his mouth and accepted the support.
For a moment, he tested his footing, and sighed.
"That blond guy punches like there's no tomorrow."
The two cousins looked at him, before they looked at each other, and sighed simultaneously.
Even after getting beaten up, this guy was still talking about the quality of the punches.
Together, they guided him toward a nearby bench.
Once seated, Huan Zhan pointed at the bruise already forming on Gou Feng's cheek.
"That doesn't look good."
"It's only a few punches."
Shen Jiu's eyebrow twitched.
"That is not helping your argument."
Huan Zhan nodded.
"For once, I agree with him."
Gou Feng shrugged.
At least nothing seemed broken.
That was good enough for him.
Shen Jiu sat down across from him and took a deep breath.
"Have you calmed down?"
Huan Zhan asked quietly.
The question was directed at Shen Jiu.
Everyone knew his temper resembled Hei Bao's the most, silent, controlled, but dangerous when pushed too far.
Shen Jiu released a sharp breath.
"I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
"I'm not the one bleeding." Shen Jiu reminded his cousin, and that immediately ended their discussion.
Several minutes later, after buying a bottle of water and a bag of ice from a nearby convenience store, the three settled down.
Gou Feng pressed the ice against his cheek while explaining everything that had happened.
The more Shen Jiu listened, the darker his expression became.
By the end, his hands were tightly clenched.
"Those losers. I'll make them pay."
"Don't leave me out."
Huan Zhan adjusted the ice pack against Gou Feng's face.
"I want in too."
Gou Feng immediately shook his head at their words.
"Forget it."
The two looked at him.
"Let's not attract attention to ourselves. Our clan could get involved if this escalates."
He lowered the ice pack slightly, and continued.
"A simple problem could become a much bigger conflict."
Huan Zhan clicked his tongue.
"Why are you always like this?"
Gou Feng blinked.
"Like what?"
"Why do you always defend everyone else?" Huan Zhan pointed at his bruised face.
"You got beaten up. And you're still thinking about protecting them from consequences."
Gou Feng thought for a moment before replying.
"They must have had a reason."
The silence that followed was immediate.
"Jiu."
Huan Zhan slowly turned toward his cousin.
"Did you hear what he just said?"
Shen Jiu rubbed his forehead.
"I think getting punched damages his brain."
Gou Feng looked offended.
"My brain is fine."
"No."
"It's not."
Both cousins answered at the same time.
"A-Feng."
Shen Jiu sighed.
"Don't be so nice."
Huan Zhan nodded.
"People like that don't deserve your understanding."
Before Gou Feng could answer, a distant voice suddenly called out.
"Gou Feng!"
All three turned.
As the voice grew closer, Huan Zhan immediately stood up and waved.
"Over here! Gou Feng is here!"