Chapter 102: [102] Don’t be afraid, I am here_1
The taxi arrived at the residential area where Jiang Zi lived, around midnight.

“Thank you for seeing me home.”

Jiang Zi and Tang Feng got out of the car one after the other, and she returned the coat she had been wearing to him.

“What’s the need for courtesy between us?” Tang Feng put on the coat and looked at her with a smile.

“So… should I go back now?” Jiang Zi pointed in the direction of the residential area, her tone carrying a hint of reluctance.

“Aren’t you going to invite me up for a sit?” Tang Feng raised his eyebrows teasingly at her.

Jiang Zi immediately felt embarrassed, “It’s so late…”

“Haha, just kidding. You should hurry inside,” Tang Feng didn’t continue to tease her, waving her off instead.

Jiang Zi nodded silently, ready to walk towards the residential area.

“Hold on.”

At that moment, Tang Feng suddenly pulled her back.

“What happened?” Jiang Zi was startled and saw that his expression was very serious, unsure of what had occurred.

Tang Feng did not answer her question but instead, his gaze coldly fixed on a dimly lit corner not far away.

Following his gaze, Jiang Zi vaguely saw a figure flash by.

“Who was that?” Her expression changed immediately, and she quickly looked at Tang Feng.

“I don’t know,” Tang Feng said gravely, shaking his head, “but I’ve seen this person before.”

Jiang Zi looked at him in panic, “Where have you seen them?”

“Remember the scene of our last reunion? You were being followed then, and I deliberately struck up a conversation with you to scare that person away,” Tang Feng briefly explained the incident.

Upon hearing she had been followed that day, Jiang Zi turned pale with fright, “Are you saying that person just now is the same one who was following me that day?”

Tang Feng nodded solemnly, “Have you offended anyone recently?”

Jiang Zi thought for a moment and shook her head with certainty, “No. I work in a securities company, how could I have offended anyone?”

“Then what could they possibly want by following you?” Tang Feng was deep in thought.

“What do we do now? Should we call the police?” Jiang Zi, terrified and at her wit’s end, clung to his arm.

“If the Public Affairs Hall’s people come, they might scare them off temporarily, but they definitely won’t give up. They’ll keep following you next time,” Tang Feng immediately dismissed her suggestion.

“Then what should we do?” Jiang Zi was so anxious, she was nearly in tears.

“It’s best to lure them out and figure out who they are so we can come up with a plan,” Tang Feng said while he analyzed the situation for her.

“Whatever you say, I’ll follow you. I have no idea what to do,” Jiang Zi now pinned all her hopes on him, completely at a loss herself.

“Let’s go for a stroll,” Tang Feng suddenly made an inexplicable suggestion.

“Now?” Jiang Zi looked at the dark night; it was the dead of night, where could they possibly go for a stroll?

However, Tang Feng didn’t give her any chance to hesitate and took her hand, leading her forward.

Meanwhile, in a pitch-dark corner.

A vicious-looking bald man watched their retreating backs, slowly pulling out his phone and making a call.

“Hey, Boss, Jiang Zi is back, and it was that same kid who brought her home. They seemed quite close,” he spoke very respectfully, as if fearful of the person on the other end of the line.

“That kid again? Really has a death wish, huh?” a sinister voice came from the other end.

“Boss, what should we do now?”

“Since that kid is courting death, give him a harsh lesson. But remember, no killing.”

“Yes!”

After hanging up the call, the bald man curled his index finger and thumb below his tongue and let out a whistle.

“Shh…”

With his loud whistle piercing through the streets, several dark figures emerged from the shadows.

These figures moved quickly, soon gathering in front of him.

“The Boss has ordered us to teach this kid a lesson without causing any fatalities,” the bald man commanded his group.

“Yes!”

The group responded in unison before trailing Tang Feng and Jiang Zi.

…

“Tang Feng, I’m scared.”

Jiang Zi walked side by side with Tang Feng, her body trembling continuously.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

While comforting her, Tang Feng kept vigilant of their surroundings.

Jiang Zi looked around anxiously, “Isn’t this too risky? What if they really catch up to us, what do we do?”

Tang Feng gently squeezed her hand, “I will protect you.”

“If they don’t come after us, that’s fine, but if they dare, believe me, with just a few punches and kicks, I can send them running with tails between their legs?”

He spoke exaggeratedly while swinging his fists a few times, making overstated fighting motions that made Jiang Zi giggle, easing some of the tension in her heart.

Just as they were laughing and talking, a chilling voice suddenly echoed from behind them.

“Are you sure it’ll take you just a few punches and kicks to send us running?”

Tang Feng and Jiang Zi stopped and turned to look behind them.

They saw a bald man with a sneering smile emerge from the night, followed by two men with similarly menacing expressions.

At the same time, two more figures appeared behind Tang Feng and Jiang Zi.

In total, five men were closing in on them from both sides.

Jiang Zi, whose fears had somewhat subsided, suddenly felt her heart leap to her throat, clutching Tang Feng’s arm tightly as if it were a lifesaving straw.

Previously, Tang Feng might have felt anxious, but he had since leveled up his Martial Arts Mastery to LV2, and after a bout with Xu Xinling during the day, his courage had grown substantially.

He stared unflinchingly at the bald man, “Who are you? Why are you following us?”

Hearing this, the bald man laughed, “Kid, don’t flatter yourself. We’re following Miss Jiang, what does it have to do with you?”

Hearing him admit to following her, Jiang Zi’s face turned deathly pale, “You… why are you following me?”

The bald man stroked his shiny head and said with a teasing tone, “Actually, it’s not really following. We’ve been ordered to protect you, to prevent some delusional toads from getting ideas.”

With that, he glanced at Tang Feng.

The “toad” he referred to was obviously and directly meant for Tang Feng.