111: Chapter 111 Living in Feng Hualian’s new home

Cao Kun helped Feng Hua Lian move her luggage into her new home.

The house had already been cleaned; the windows were bright and the floors spotless. Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, warm and bright.

"There are some ingredients in the refrigerator, so you can cook for yourself," Cao Kun said. "There is a Supermarket at the entrance of the Residential Complex, so life is very convenient. This is the access card, and these are the keys..."

He explained everything one by one, meticulous and thoughtful.

Feng Hua Lian stood in the center of the living room, looking around at this unfamiliar yet comfortable environment, feeling as if she were in a dream.

A week ago, she was still curled up in that cold, dilapidated rental room, being beaten.

A week later, she had a safe place to live, a promise of a job, and... a protector like Cao Kun.

"Mr. Cao, about the rent... I really cannot live here for free," she insisted. "Once I start working, I will definitely pay the rent on time."

Cao Kun saw her pride and stopped insisting: "Fine, then it will be deducted from your salary."

At noon, Cao Kun took her to a restaurant near the Residential Complex for a meal. Feng Hua Lian was very reserved and only ordered the cheapest dish.

Cao Kun didn't say much and ordered a few signature dishes himself, all of which were nutritious and suitable for her recovery.

After the meal, Cao Kun accompanied her to the Supermarket to buy some daily necessities.

In the afternoon, the two of them tidied up the house together.

In the evening, Cao Kun prepared to leave.

"Um..." Feng Hua Lian stood at the doorway, hesitating to speak.

"What's wrong?"

"I... I'm a little scared being alone," Feng Hua Lian said, her head lowered and her voice very soft. "I'm afraid Liu Zhen will find this Residential Complex; he might..."

Cao Kun understood.

He checked the time; it was seven in the evening.

"I'll stay here tonight," he said. "The guest room is clean; I'll sleep there."

Feng Hua Lian looked up abruptly, a flash of pleasant surprise in her eyes, followed immediately by embarrassment: "It's too much trouble for you..."

"It's no trouble," Cao Kun said in a calm tone.

That night was very peaceful.

Cao Kun slept in the guest room, and Feng Hua Lian slept in the master bedroom.

The two washed up separately and wished each other goodnight, just like real roommates.

But Feng Hua Lian suffered from insomnia.

She lay in bed, listening to the faint sound of breathing from the next room, complex emotions surging in her heart.

Gratitude, reliance, admiration... and a hint of a flutter in her heart that she dared not even admit to herself.

Cao Kun was the light that suddenly appeared in her dark life.

He was powerful, gentle, and reliable, giving her hope to go on living.

But... was she worthy of such light?

A woman beaten black and blue by a man, buried in debt, and weighed down by family burdens—what right did she have...

She dared not think any further.

In the next room, Cao Kun wasn't asleep either.

He was thinking about Liu Zhen.

Although he had taught that guy a lesson today, knowing Liu Zhen's character, he definitely wouldn't let it rest.

This kind of person is like psoriasis; if not completely eradicated, they will always recur.

The system mission required helping Feng Hua Lian escape from Liu Zhen's clutches.

The word "escape" was very subtle.

Was it enough to just have her move to a safe place?

Or did it mean making Liu Zhen completely lose the ability to threaten her?

Cao Kun leaned towards the latter.

Just as he was thinking, his phone vibrated.

It was a message from Liang Lingmeng: "Liu Zhen went to the Law Enforcement Bureau this afternoon to report that you assaulted him. I suppressed it, but you need to be careful; this man is vindictive."

Cao Kun replied: "Got it, thanks."

He thought for a moment and sent another message: "Help me check someone. Does Liu Zhen have any 'big brother' type figures backing him?"

Liang Lingmeng replied quickly: "I'll try, but it might involve gray areas, and the information may be incomplete."

"Let me know if you get any news."

Putting down his phone, Cao Kun closed his eyes.

A plan was gradually taking shape in his mind.

To deal with someone like Liu Zhen, simple violence wouldn't solve the problem. To make him disappear completely, he would need to use some methods.

...

The next three days were calm and peaceful.

On the fourth day, Feng Hua Lian started working at the Xinghui Company.

Ji Guangli arranged a clerk position for her; the work wasn't difficult, and her colleagues were friendly.

She finally lived the life of a normal person.

But Cao Kun knew that the peace was only temporary.

Sure enough, on the evening of the fifth day, he received a call from Feng Hua Lian.

"Mr. Cao, I... when I got off work, I think I saw Liu Zhen," her voice was trembling. "He was right at the entrance of the convenience store across from the company building."

"Don't be afraid, I'm coming over now," Cao Kun, who was eating with Bai Muyou, stood up immediately.

"No, no, I'm already home," Feng Hua Lian said hurriedly. "It's just... I'm a little scared."

"Lock the door, I'll be there in a moment."

When Cao Kun arrived at Yuelan Bay, Feng Hua Lian was sitting on the sofa with her knees hugged to her chest, her face pale.

Seeing him arrive, she relaxed slightly.

"He might have just been passing by..." she consoled herself.

"He wasn't passing by," Cao Kun said in a deep voice. "I've checked; Liu Zhen has been asking about me for the past few days. He has some dubious friends on the street, so he's probably looking for people to deal with me."

Feng Hua Lian's face turned even paler. "Then... what should we do? Should we call the police?"

"Calling the police treats the symptoms but not the root cause," Cao Kun sneered. "With this kind of person, you have to make him truly afraid."

He comforted Feng Hua Lian for a while and didn't leave until her emotions had stabilized.

But he didn't go home; instead, he drove to an old neighborhood in the west of the city.

According to the clues provided by Liang Lingmeng, Liu Zhen often frequented the chess and card rooms and underground casinos in this area.

Cao Kun parked the car and walked into a chess and card room named "Old Place".

The air was thick with smoke, and the place was noisy.

Several mahjong tables were full of people, and there were people playing poker in the corner.

Cao Kun scanned the room but didn't see Liu Zhen.

He walked to the counter and said to the boss who was watching a TV series: "Looking for Liu Zhen."

The boss looked up and sized him up: "Who are you?"

"A friend." Cao Kun handed over two hundred-yuan bills.

The boss took the money, and his attitude improved slightly: "Liu Zhen, huh? He was here this afternoon. He lost over two thousand and left, cursing and swearing. He probably went to 'Golden Splendor'."

"Golden Splendor" was a nearby KTV, which also served as a front for an underground casino.

Cao Kun thanked him and turned to leave.

Just as he stepped out of the chess and card room, his phone rang; it was an unfamiliar number.

"Cao Kun, right?" the voice on the other end was rough and husky. "I heard you've been very arrogant lately, daring to beat up my brother."

"Who are you?" Cao Kun asked calmly.

"People on the street call me 'Brother Knife'," the caller sneered. "Liu Zhen is my underling. You laid a hand on him, which means you're not giving me face."

"Tomorrow afternoon at three o'clock, at the West City Scrapyard, let's have a talk."

"Don't call the police, or neither you nor your little lover will have it easy."

He hung up after saying that.

Cao Kun looked at his phone and smiled.

He was just worrying about not finding a breakthrough, and the other party had delivered it to his doorstep.

Brother Knife, real name Zhao Dayong, was a leader of small-time thugs in the West City area, with over a dozen people under him, mainly surviving on collecting protection money and loan sharking.

Liu Zhen had indeed hung around with him for a while, but he was only a peripheral lackey, not a core member.

Cao Kun didn't tell anyone about this.

The next day at 2:50 PM, he drove alone to the West City Scrapyard.

It was piled high with scrapped vehicles and overgrown with weeds, a "good place" to settle private grudges.

When Cao Kun arrived, seven or eight people were already waiting there.

The leader was a burly man with a shaved head and a green dragon tattooed on his neck; this must be Brother Knife.

Liu Zhen stood beside him, and when he saw Cao Kun, a flash of resentment crossed his eyes.