Reborn in 2006, I met Mr. Zhou from the past.

Meanwhile, in a hotel room in Zhucheng City.

Su Fengnan suddenly woke up from her dream. In the dream, she seemed to see an old monk who recited a passage of scripture for her, gave her a few instructions, and then disappeared into thin air.

She sat up on the bed, rubbing her throbbing temples, trying to recall the old monk's words, but her mind was a complete blank. The only lingering impression was the phrase "preordained connection."

That old monk must be Master Juyuan. But what to do? Su Fengnan couldn't remember the master's specific instructions at all.

Su Fengnan scratched her hair in frustration and sighed, "Oh well, never mind, let's get down to business."

She got out of bed, went into the bathroom, washed up and tidied herself up, then left the hotel with her bag and went to the street in the city center that connected to the Normal University. She wanted to open her future dessert shop there.

Soon, Su Fengnan found a real estate agency. After listening to her needs, the young agent showed her several shops. After looking around, Su Fengnan only liked one: a shop of over 70 square meters, in an excellent location, next to an upscale residential area, close to an elementary school and kindergarten, and also close to the Normal University. The rent was 3,500 yuan a month, with a deposit of one month's rent and payment made in advance for the whole year.

Su Fengnan was decisive; once she had her eye on something, she signed the contract and paid the rent on the spot.

With the shop matter settled, she checked the time and realized she wouldn't have time to go back to Zijiang for evening self-study, so she simply called her teacher to ask for leave.

Since there was no rush to go back, Su Fengnan invited Hai Ge and Yanzi to have dinner together. Tonight, the three of them chose a bean and rice hot pot. The pot was bubbling with vegetables, and amidst the steaming heat, the three ate and chatted, filled with hope for the future.

"I've already rented the shop. Tomorrow I'll go see a renovation contractor, and once the design is finalized, construction will begin. If you have time, please come and supervise the work."

Yanzi nodded: "I already told my boss I was leaving today. I can leave once I've found someone and finished the handover."

Hai Ge chimed in, "I'll bring it up after Yanzi leaves. If we both bring it up at the same time, the boss will probably be furious."

"Okay, that works too." Su Fengnan agreed, then changed the subject, "By the way, Hai-ge, I'm thinking of renting an apartment in Zhucheng, so I'll have a place to stay when I come up on weekends. I'd like to rent a bigger three-bedroom apartment, why don't you guys move in with us? It'll be better if we stay together and look after each other."

Hai thought the suggestion was good, but as a guy, it would be inconvenient for him to live with two girls. After thinking about it, he declined: "I'm a grown man, so it doesn't matter where I live. Yanzi can move in with Xiaonannan, it'll be convenient for you girls to live together."

Su Fengnan nodded quickly: "That's right, Yanzi, move in with me. I'll rent a two-bedroom apartment, and you won't have to pay the rent. I'll just stay here for two days on weekends."

Yanzi said in a low voice, somewhat embarrassed, "I'm living with Wang Huihui now, and if I want to move... I'm a little embarrassed to tell her."

Seeing her hesitant expression, Su Fengnan didn't press the matter, thinking they could discuss it later: "Then let's talk about it later. I'll come up and check it out during the National Day holiday."

The three siblings enjoyed a delicious and affordable hot pot meal with beans and rice, leaving them completely satisfied.

As night deepened, for safety reasons, the three did not gather together again. Yanzi and Haige lived in old neighborhoods far from the city center, so they went back to their respective places. Su Fengnan lived not far from the hotel, so she decided to walk back and digest her food.

The night sky was dotted with stars, neon lights flickered on the streets, and cars weaved through the interplay of light and shadow. Strolling through this nighttime spectacle, Su Fengnan hummed a song. She had lived here for over ten years in her previous life, and knew every street in this city intimately.

As they approached the hotel, passing through a dimly lit alley, Su Fengnan suddenly stopped in her tracks.

In the alley, a little girl was being bullied by two thugs who had cornered her against a wall. One thug held a knife to her neck, while the other was groping her. The girl was already crying out in fear, her whole body trembling.

"I'll give you all the money, just let me go..."

"Shut the hell up! If you cry again, I'll stab you in the back!"

"Brother, stop talking nonsense and hurry up and tie him up and let's go."

Su Fengnan was also a girl, and she was equally frightened by the scene. But how could she bear to just stand by and watch someone die without offering any help? In just a few breaths, her sense of justice overcame her fear.

She quickly looked around for a weapon to defend herself, and spotted a brick in a flower bed by the roadside. Su Fengnan quickly picked up the brick, took out her phone at the same time, and rushed over without hesitation.

"What are you doing? Release them right now! I've already called the police!"

The two thugs were initially somewhat wary, but when they saw that Su Fengnan was alone and a young girl, they became bolder and even had the wicked thought of tying her up together.

"Heh, another busybody has arrived. Well then, come with us."

Su Fengnan, emboldened by some unknown source, rushed forward and smashed a brick hard on the head of the man who had said "kidnapping." The man didn't even utter a sound before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

Seeing his brother fall to the ground, the thug with the knife glared menacingly and swung his knife at Su Fengnan.

Su Fengnan instinctively stepped back, using her arm to block the blow, instantly drawing blood from a gash on her forearm. Her phone slipped from her hand and fell to the ground, but she reacted swiftly, swung a brick at the man's wrist holding the knife. The man groaned in pain, the knife clattering to the ground. Immediately afterward, Su Fengnan raised her leg and kicked the man hard in the groin.

The movements were smooth and fluid, executed in one go.

The man clutched his groin with both hands, curled up on the ground in pain, and cursed inwardly: This woman looks young, how can she be so strong!

Zhang Xinrui, who had been rescued, was in despair when someone suddenly rushed out to save her. She was filled with gratitude, but also terrified, and stood frozen in place, at a loss for what to do.

Su Fengnan picked up the phone from the ground and shouted impatiently, "What are you standing there for? Run!"

Zhang Xinrui then seemed to wake up from a dream and followed closely behind Su Fengnan. The two of them ran out of the alley in one breath.

It wasn't until they reached the brightly lit street that Su Fengnan felt a sharp pain in her arm.

"Oh no, you're bleeding!" Zhang Xinrui looked around and saw a pharmacy across the street. "Let's go to the pharmacy!"

The two ran all the way to the pharmacy and only felt relieved after confirming that no one was chasing them.

Exhausted and disheveled, Zhang Xinrui plopped down on the ground, panting heavily. Her hands trembled as she rummaged through her small bag for her phone and dialed a number: "Hello, brother..."

Su Fengnan's condition wasn't much better; her left hand was still bleeding, and her right hand was trembling uncontrollably.

She bought hydrogen peroxide, iodine, gauze, and cotton swabs from the shop assistant and walked aside to handle it herself.

"Give it to me, I'll help you." Zhang Xinrui hung up the phone and came to her side.

Su Fengnan glanced at her and said calmly, "You should go home now and stop wandering around outside."

Zhang Xinrui stared at the still-bleeding wound on her arm and quickly snatched the things from her hands: "I'm not leaving! I'll treat your wound first."