I Have a Lake as I Walk Through the Courtyard

Lin Feng turned to look at Old Master Xiao. "What is it?"

Old Master Xiao glanced at his son and his good-for-nothing grandson. "I've spent my whole life on the battlefield, and now in my old age I'm being bullied by a junior. Although I despise such behavior, I still have my pride!"

Xiao Lingyun kept his head down. If this matter were exposed, his reputation would be ruined. Even Xiao Yan, who was usually aloof, was hesitant when she looked at her grandfather.

Seeing that his younger relatives didn't move, Old Master Xiao was so angry he wanted to swing his cane at his grandchildren. "Where the bodyguards are?"

Hearing this shout, Lin Feng's body suddenly tensed up. "You want to get physical?"

Old Master Xiao glanced at Lin Feng disdainfully. "This old man isn't so despicable. If I let you walk out of the Xiao family like this today, what will become of my reputation?"

After finishing his sentence, Old Master Xiao glanced at the two guards. "Send him to the police station. Make up your own reasons!" With that, Old Master Xiao stormed into the inner room.

Xiao Yan's eyes flashed with a dangerous light as she looked at Lin Feng. "Did you hear that! Arrest him! Trespassing into my Xiao family and threatening the leader's safety won't get you away so easily."

Without hesitation, the two guards rushed forward from either side. Just as Lin Feng was about to resist, Xiao Yan coldly spoke, "Dare to resist? Shoot him on the spot!"

Damn it, they've stopped acting altogether. Seeing the two heavily armed guards, Lin Feng stopped resisting. The guards, as if in retaliation, tied him up tightly.

Lin Feng glared at Xiao Lingyun. "Are you even a man? Is this all you can do? Despicable and shameless, ptooey!"

Xiao Lingyun clenched his fists, his face burning red, unable to refute Lin Feng's questioning.

"Enough! Take him away." Xiao Yan slammed her hand on the table in anger as she watched her younger brother being humiliated.

"Fine, fine, fine!" Lin Feng suppressed the urge to attack, and was restrained in the courtyard by two guards in a shameful manner.

"Grandpa, go save him!" Sun Ling jumped up and down in panic when she saw this scene.

"Oh, my dear granddaughter! It's not that Grandpa doesn't want to get involved, but that old man from the Xiao family is very stubborn. Don't worry, the boy will be fine. It's just a warning."

"But..."

"No buts. How have I taught you? If I step in now, this will blow up and it will be even harder to handle. If that guy gets angry, this kid will be in even worse shape."

"No! I have to save him!"

"Nonsense!" Old Master Sun roared angrily. "Come out now and take your good daughter inside!"

Inside the police station, the chief, having learned of the situation, smiled as he saw the two guards off, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Lin Feng. "You really are a tiger... Stay in there and reflect on your actions. It's good they didn't hold it against you!"

At this moment, Lin Feng calmed down. It would be incredibly easy for such a person to pin a crime on him. His actions had essentially handed him a knife. To put it bluntly, crushing him would be as easy as crushing an ant!

"How long will I be locked up?"

"This is not your place to ask! Just stay here and reflect on your actions."

He was locked up for seven days. Apart from one meal a day, almost no one paid any attention to him. It wasn't until seven days later that Lin Feng was brought out. Lin Feng smelled his body and felt that he smelled terrible!

"Don't go looking for Lingling anymore."

"Who are you?"

"I'm his older brother!" Sun Jingye glanced at Lin Feng. "You saved him, so I still owe you a favor. I can help you sort out the work issue! From now on, we're even."

Lin Feng looked up. "No need, I just want to see your sister!"

Sun Jingye looked up at the sky. "She's no longer in the capital."

Where is she?

"What's the point of asking these questions? Kid, I'm only patiently talking to you because you saved my life. After being locked up for seven days, don't you realize the difference between you and us?"

Lin Feng took a deep breath. "Understood!" he said, then turned and left.

"I advise you not to do anything foolish. Old Master Xiao doesn't care about you yet. If you insist on fighting against him, it won't do you any good. I can help you with your job, even get you a promotion, but that won't help. Your life will go back to normal. Forget about all this!"

"I said no need! Lingling has already repaid the favor, we're even now!" Lin Feng turned around, said in a very calm tone, and then left.

"Sigh! Passionate young people... What's the point of all this?" Sun Jingye said, kicking a stone at his feet, feeling somewhat disheartened.

For the next two weeks, Lin Feng truly experienced what it meant to have nowhere to turn for help. Besides being subjected to countless scornful looks, he also felt a profound sense of powerlessness at his own inadequacy.

For so long, Sun Ling hadn't come to see him. Lin Feng had also lingered at the gate of the compound several times. After not seeing the figure he longed for, he finally realized that Sun Jingye hadn't lied to him; Sun Ling really wasn't in Beijing anymore.

Disheartened, Lin Feng returned home and slumped for a month. His sadness finally lessened a lot. Having lived two lives, he wasn't impulsive enough to recklessly search for Sun Ling, especially since he didn't even know where she was.

After dinner that day, there was a knock on the door. Lin Feng opened it to find Sister Zhao there. "Sister Zhao, what brings you here?"

"I haven't seen you for almost a month. Your workplace sent me to check on you. What happened? Why haven't you been to work? It may be a less prestigious position, but it's still a legitimate job with a permanent position. Don't do anything foolish!"

Lin Feng was a little confused after hearing this. "Having been away from work for so long, haven't you been fired yet?"

"It won't be that bad! But the punishment will definitely be severe, after all, you've been absent from work for so long! Jobs are hard to find these days, and you're all alone. Even if something really serious happens, listen to Sister Zhao, let's keep your job first!"

Looking at the anxious expression on Sister Zhao's face, Lin Feng lowered his head and smiled bitterly. This was the most real life of ordinary people. Three meals a day were the most important thing, and love was a luxury.

Lin Feng remained silent for a long time. "Sister Zhao, do you have any relatives who want to work?"

"Xiaofeng, what are you trying to do?"

"I've thought about this for a long time. I don't want to stay in Beijing anymore. This job is tough, but it's better than being unemployed. It's better to benefit my own people than others!"

"Are you serious?"

Lin Feng nodded. He also wanted to stay here, but after Sun Ling's incident, Lin Feng's thoughts were completely different. He was completely clueless about interpersonal relationships, and his personality was not suitable for officialdom at all. Therefore, his path was destined not to be in the capital.

"So where are you planning to go? You don't want to go back to the countryside, do you?"

Lin Feng shrugged. "There's no one left in my hometown. If you have any influential relatives, I can transfer this house and this job to you! I'm going to go find my Uncle Chen."

Sister Zhao finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. "That's good. With your Uncle Chen around, you probably won't be bullied. Sister Zhao has saved up some money over the years, and I also have a younger brother who's reached marriageable age. How much money do you plan to spend on both of those?"