Chapter 031: Something Has Happened to Qi Hong

Chapter 031: Something Has Happened to Qi Hong

The dinner with the new team was delightful. Chu Fei, ever generous, treated everyone to a lavish seafood feast, costing over four thousand yuan, leaving Zhang Qing and the other women wide-eyed in amazement. When the meal ended, Chu Fei suggested heading to a bar to unwind, but Zhang Qing declined, saying she needed to go home and help her child with homework. The other two girls quickly echoed her words, and even the liveliest, Xiao Yu, waved Chu Fei off and darted into Murong Wei’s taxi.

Watching the two taxis vanish into the night, Chu Fei turned away and glanced around. Not far from him stood the Wind and Dust Bar, so he strolled over.

The Wind and Dust Bar was as lively as ever. Chu Fei went straight to his usual corner. No sooner had he sat down than a pretty girl sidled up to him, joking, “Wow, Brother Chu, you haven’t been here for days! Got time today?”

Chu Fei turned to see it was Xiao Min, the familiar waitress. He smiled, “Been busy lately, no time.”

Xiao Min giggled and asked, “What would you like to drink today? Beer as usual?” Chu Fei always took his time with a beer here.

Chu Fei didn’t answer immediately. He instinctively glanced at an empty spot nearby and asked, “Where’s Sister Hong? She’s not here tonight?” He hadn’t come specifically to look for Qi Hong, but the emptiness of her usual spot struck him as odd.

“She hasn’t been here for two days,” Xiao Min replied.

“Two days? What happened to her?” A sudden unease took root in Chu Fei’s heart.

“I’m not sure. Sister Hua is in charge now. If you want, you can ask her,” Xiao Min suggested.

“No need, you go ahead and work,” Chu Fei shook his head, his brows furrowing tightly. His intuition screamed that something had happened to Qi Hong. It was impossible for her to simply not show up at the bar.

“Brother Chu, here’s your beer.” Despite his silence, Xiao Min brought over a few cans, flashing him a sweet smile before tending to other customers.

Chu Fei’s thoughts returned to Qi Hong. What had happened to her?

He hesitated only briefly before dialing her number, but his frown deepened. The phone was switched off.

Not only had she vanished, but her phone was off. That was definitely not normal.

Just as Chu Fei’s mind formed this thought, he suddenly turned his head, feeling a chill sweep over him—a sense that someone was targeting him.

In his line of sight sat three men in a corner. They looked utterly ordinary, nothing remarkable, but Chu Fei sensed a thick aura of murderous intent emanating from them, directed entirely at him.

Cai Jiu?

The name flashed instantly through Chu Fei’s mind. He vaguely understood what was happening—it must be that Cai Jiu had learned about Qi Hong’s involvement with him.

Realizing this, Chu Fei’s heart tightened. What was happening to Qi Hong? Was she in danger?

Chu Fei had no romantic feelings for Qi Hong, but he couldn’t accept anything happening to her.

Right then, one of the three men in black grinned at Chu Fei, baring his teeth.

Chu Fei rose to his feet—not heading toward them, but striding quickly out of the Wind and Dust Bar. He was certain they would follow.

As expected.

He had barely left the bar for two minutes before the three men followed him out.

Chu Fei didn’t pause. He turned and slipped into a narrow alley, his intentions clear—perhaps he could get some answers from these men.

Behind the bar was a dim street, rarely frequented.

Chu Fei halted and looked back at the three men trailing him.

“You’re Chu Fei?” one asked, as if confirming his identity.

“Yes. Who are you? Did Cai Jiu send you?” Chu Fei asked openly—there was no need to hide; they clearly knew who he was.

“You can ask that in hell,” the man sneered.

He reached for a dagger and lunged at Chu Fei, the two behind him also drawing weapons and charging.

Chu Fei frowned, surprised they resorted to violence so quickly, not even giving him a chance to question them.

But—

Their skills were woefully lacking, barely at the initial stage of external strength. They could easily handle ordinary people, but before Chu Fei, they were nothing.

With three muffled thuds, the three ruthless men were sent flying, landing hard on the ground. Each had a leg broken by Chu Fei’s kick, stripped of any fighting ability. Their faces twisted in agony, yet none uttered a scream.

“Answer my question: were you sent by Cai Jiu?” Chu Fei stepped closer.

The men stared at him in terror. They’d never imagined their prey would be so formidable; in a blink, they’d been incapacitated, unable to comprehend what had happened.

They weren’t even in the same league.

Faced with Chu Fei’s question, they dared not hesitate. The leader stammered, “We don’t know who hired us.” His voice trembled violently.

“Don’t know?” Chu Fei eyed them coldly. The heavy scent of blood and murderous intent clung to them—these men had killed often. Only true killers carried such a presence, and Chu Fei was all too familiar with their kind. They were professional assassins.

Though their cultivation wasn’t high, that didn’t mean they hadn’t killed many. Not only masters could be assassins—ordinary men could, too, and were harder to guard against.

“It’s true, we don’t know. We took the job from the Red List. The target is you,” the man explained anxiously, afraid that a slow response would cost him his life.

“Red List?” Chu Fei was taken aback; this was the first he’d heard of it.

“It’s a kill list in the East Sea region. It posts targets and missions at irregular intervals,” the man explained, seeing Chu Fei’s dark expression, and added, “Oh, and there’s a one-million bounty on you. The agent’s name is Mr. Jun. That’s all we know.”

Chu Fei gazed at the three terror-stricken men, asking no more. He turned and left. He believed they were telling the truth—in life-and-death moments, few could lie. As for their attempt on his life, Chu Fei didn’t bother finishing them off; they were too insignificant to stir his desire to kill, and besides, in a busy district, murder would bring complications.

As for the true mastermind? Chu Fei could only think of Cai Jiu. But now wasn’t the time to deal with him; his worry for Qi Hong outweighed everything else.

Reaching the main street, Chu Fei was about to hail a taxi to Qi Hong’s villa—he wanted to check whether she was there and assess the situation before deciding what to do next. Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes, spotting something in the distance.

A Hummer H3 charged over, bold and wild like a rampaging beast.

Chu Fei paused, then strode forward to meet it.

“Damn, do you walk without watching? Trying to get killed—huh? Master, is that you?” The sultry girl driving reeled off curses, but midway through, her anger turned to delight. She shoved open the door and leaped out, face alight with excitement as she grabbed Chu Fei’s arm. “Master, ha ha, I finally caught you! Let’s see where you run now!”

Chu Fei wiped the sweat from his brow, his gloomy mood lifted by her antics. What did she mean, “caught him?” Did she even know how to talk?

But Chu Fei had no time for banter. He looked at the girl and asked, “I remember you said you wanted me to teach you to drive, right?”

“Yes, yes, Master! I really want to learn. Whatever conditions you have, just say the word—whether it’s something that flies or runs on the ground, I’ll meet them all…” The girl gushed, clearly thrilled.

“Alright, I accept,” Chu Fei cut her off, thinking that if he didn’t, she’d start babbling about escort girls and other nonsense.

“Ah?” The girl paused, thinking she’d misheard.

“What, you don’t want to, then forget it,” Chu Fei frowned.

“No, of course I want to! But…” She looked at him strangely. “Master, aren’t you agreeing too easily? You said before you wouldn’t take disciples…”

“I suddenly want to take one. Do you or don’t you?” Chu Fei interrupted her again.

“I do, I do! Of course I do! Damn, I must be crazy, asking so many questions…” She nodded frantically, even cursing herself, then dropped to her knees and knocked her head three times on the ground. “Master, disciple Lan Youyou bows to you!”

Chu Fei was speechless. He reached out to pull her up, feeling a pang of guilt—he hadn’t expected her to kneel and bow, and by the time he realized, she’d finished.

“Master, I bowed to you. From now on, I'm your disciple. You can't go back on your word!” Lan Youyou was as excited as could be.

“Mm.” Chu Fei nodded, finding the foul-mouthed girl rather endearing. But he quickly regained his composure and said, “I’ll teach you to drive another time. Right now, I need to borrow your car. Is that alright?”

“Of course! From now on, anything of mine is yours, Master. Not just to borrow—if you want it, it’s yours.” Lan Youyou replied without hesitation, generous to a fault.

“Good, I need it now. I’ll return it later.”

Without waiting for another word, Chu Fei jumped into the car and floored the accelerator. The Hummer roared away, vanishing down the street in a blink.

“Damn, Master is wild! Drives like a beast!” Lan Youyou muttered, face full of admiration and excitement.

“Miss, your car—” At that moment, a voice sounded beside her. She turned to find several men nearby—her bodyguards.

“What about my car?” she asked, not quite catching on.

“Miss, was your car stolen? Should we go after it?” the lead middle-aged man asked anxiously.

“Chase what? The driver is my master!” she snapped.

“Ah?” The men stared at her, bewildered.

“What are you waiting for? Let’s go! Tonight I’m happy—none of us leaves sober! Two bottles of Erguotou each, anyone who can’t finish jumps in the river!” Lan Youyou declared, marching into the Wind and Dust Bar.

“Again?” The men exchanged glances, faces grim. None dared to leave; in the end, they lined up obediently behind her, entering the bar with resigned looks.