Chapter Sixty: An Unexpected Encounter

Still, to have the car repaired so quickly was an immense relief. Jiang Xiaotian was overjoyed and had no mind for anything else. He immediately got dressed to go pick up the car. Once he collected it, he could finally return home. Even though Zhang Guodong hadn’t pressured him, after all the help he’d received, it would be ungrateful not to show at least this much initiative.

Ling’er had already gone out to forage for food early in the morning. Jiang Xiaotian figured he didn’t have to bring her along, so he set out by himself, happy and carefree.

This time, he didn’t take the bus; instead, he rented a shared bicycle. To be honest, when he was in Beihai, he couldn’t even bring himself to ride a shared bike—mainly because the deposit was so high, and he worried he might not get it back. Now that he had the chance, he naturally wanted to give it a try.

His body had already surpassed that of ordinary people; cycling didn’t tire him at all. As long as the bike could handle it, he could even ride faster than a car.

He’d been to Jiangzhou so many times, but never had the chance to explore it. He decided to use this opportunity to reacquaint himself with this city—so strange and yet so familiar.

Jiangzhou was indeed prosperous, full of towering buildings, but its spiritual energy was pitifully thin, and martial artists were a rare sight. He’d been here for days, spent so much time in Platinum, yet hadn’t encountered a single practitioner.

It seemed that training in martial arts also relied heavily on the right time, place, and people. This place wasn’t suitable for cultivation, so no matter how much money there was, few would be willing to come.

Riding along, humming a tune, Jiang Xiaotian was in excellent spirits. But suddenly, a car roared past him, startling him with its deafening noise!

He thought it was just some street racer, but to his surprise, the car abruptly pulled over at the intersection ahead.

A man and a woman stepped out.

He wondered what kind of idiot it might be, but as he got closer, his hands trembled on the handlebars.

It was his little cousin!

And the man was none other than Yang Feng, whom he’d just met recently.

So he really was a rich kid. Jiang Xiaotian glanced at them and noticed Yang Feng was driving a Porsche 911 as well, though his was pure black and looked even more striking.

But he had no mind to dwell on that now; all he wanted was to avoid being noticed.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans. As he brushed past, Li Xiaoqing recognized him. “Jiang Xiaotian?!”

Jiang Xiaotian’s heart sank—trouble had found him.

Sure enough, Li Xiaoqing grabbed his bike. “Get off right now!”

He couldn’t exactly drag her along, so he stopped. “What is it?”

Li Xiaoqing glared at him, her anger flaring up. “Didn’t you leave? What are you still doing here? You said you were leaving a few days ago! My dad’s been furious at home because you threw a tantrum. He thinks I drove you away, but you never left?”

Jiang Xiaotian couldn’t be bothered to lie. He nodded frankly, “Yes, I had some unfinished business, so I was delayed for two days. But I should be able to leave today. If you have nothing else, could you let go? I’m in a hurry.”

His attitude was indifferent, nothing like the obedient cousin he once was. Li Xiaoqing grew even more annoyed. If Jiang Xiaotian weren’t her cousin, she would have exploded with curses.

“Are you sick or something? If you couldn’t leave because you had business, why pretend otherwise? Isn’t this all just an act? You just wanted my dad to find out you were still here, invite you back, and get angry at us, didn’t you?”

Jiang Xiaotian nearly laughed aloud—what on earth was his cousin imagining? Did he have the time or energy for such schemes?

“Xiaoqing, you’ve got it wrong. But there’s one thing you should know yourself: you never wanted me to stay at your house. So even if I had problems, I never bothered your dad. Was I wrong?”

Li Xiaoqing was momentarily stunned, but the less she could argue back, the angrier she became.

Luckily, she wasn’t alone today.

Yang Feng stepped forward, suave as his name suggested. “You must be Xiaoqing’s cousin. I think, as an elder, you shouldn’t be upset with a child. I know you’re angry because Xiaoqing didn’t invite you to her birthday, but that was a joint decision between us, also for your sake.”

Jiang Xiaotian shot him a cold glance, a mocking smile playing on his lips. No wonder Xiaoqing had used her birthday gift as leverage to keep him away—so it was this little busybody’s doing.

His goodwill toward rich kids evaporated, but since he wasn’t likely to see this one again, Jiang Xiaotian couldn’t be bothered to argue. He simply nodded. “You’re right. That’s why I didn’t go. Can I leave now?”

But Yang Feng just smiled and rubbed his nose. “No, Jiang Xiaotian, you’re missing the point. Xiaoqing later softened and wanted to invite you, but you refused. If I had to sum it up, there’s a phrase for that… Oh yes—ungrateful! Haha, just joking, cousin, don’t take it to heart.”

Jiang Xiaotian’s eyes narrowed. This man was insufferably fake.

Li Xiaoqing, for her part, didn’t echo him this time. Family was family, and she wasn’t ready to be so harsh.

“It’s hard for an outsider to judge family matters. You, as an outsider, really shouldn’t be meddling in our family’s affairs, don’t you think?” Jiang Xiaotian looked at him with a half-smile.

Yang Feng shrugged, utterly unconcerned. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll be family in the future. I’m only Xiaoqing’s boyfriend now, but becoming her husband is just a matter of time.”

“So you’re her boyfriend. My apologies. But Xiaoqing, you’re supposed to be preparing for the college entrance exam. Dating now isn’t the best idea, is it?” Jiang Xiaotian looked at Li Xiaoqing, thinking she must be blind.

But Li Xiaoqing regained her assertive air, frowning. “What’s that got to do with you? Who are you to interfere? And you—what urgent matter could you possibly have in Jiangzhou?”

“Oh, I’m just waiting for my car to be repaired. Once it’s done, I’ll leave.” Jiang Xiaotian answered truthfully.

Yang Feng and Li Xiaoqing exchanged glances, and Yang Feng’s expression turned theatrical. “Cousin, don’t tell me you wrecked a shared bike—that’ll cost you! Is the repair expensive?”

His tone was thick with mockery and contempt.

Jiang Xiaotian clicked his tongue. “Why do you talk so much nonsense? I’m having a car repaired. And you don’t deserve to call me cousin. If Xiaoqing ever marries you, she’ll have to be blind.”

At this, both Li Xiaoqing and Yang Feng’s faces changed dramatically.

No one had expected Jiang Xiaotian to be so blunt, even outright rude!

Very few people dared speak to Yang Feng that way.

Li Xiaoqing was furious. “Jiang Xiaotian, are you insane? Return that bike! You can’t even afford to ride a shared bike, and you’re still pretending? You used to be so different. What happened to you in Beihai that made you so disgusting?”

Yang Feng stood aside, smiling in a way that was hard to read, though his eyes flashed coldly.

Jiang Xiaotian had no desire to argue with them. He simply gave a nonchalant “Whatever you say. I really have things to do—see you around. Say hello to my uncle for me.”

That last line nearly made Li Xiaoqing burst a blood vessel.

Yang Feng called after him, “Jiang Xiaotian, I call you cousin out of courtesy. I hope you won’t regret what you said today!”

Only children make such threats. Chen Yu had once threatened him the same way, and in the end, it didn’t do him any good.

If Yang Feng weren’t just a brat, Jiang Xiaotian might have taught him a lesson right then and there!

But he was in a good mood today and didn’t want to make a fuss. He pedaled away and soon arrived at the 4S dealership.

There were quite a few Porsche dealerships in Jiangzhou. The staff assigned him to the nearest one for convenience.

As soon as he explained his situation, someone came out to greet him warmly and politely. This only made Jiang Xiaotian more annoyed—he was clearly quite capable, so why did he always have to deal with such idiots?

As for his cousin, she had always been that way—never really crossing any lines—yet ever since she’d met Yang Feng, her attitude toward him had soured, and she’d even started acting like a rebellious teenager. Marrying the man who’d turned her into this—if that wasn’t blindness, what was?

The sales staff served him tea, snacks, and desserts, apologizing for the wait to the point that Jiang Xiaotian began to feel embarrassed.

But then, someone walked out from the back, and his smile froze instantly.