Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 111: Watching Others Fight

Chu Tianyu didn’t say much and simply did as Qin Nianran suggested—first taking care of the two people. After finally finishing, Chu Tianyu and Qin Nianran sat back in the car. Qin Nianran didn’t say a word and just started the car.

Chu Tianyu suddenly felt a strange sense of absurdity. The situation now seemed somewhat similar to when he first dealt with Ouyang Ziyi—same vehicle, a sports car; same roles, her driving and him sitting; same atmosphere, awkwardness and uncertainty…

“Where to?” Chu Tianyu couldn’t help but ask.

“To wash the car!” Qin Nianran replied without even turning her head.

Only then did Chu Tianyu smell the sour odor inside the car. He realized they really needed to wash it soon—or else he wouldn’t be able to tolerate it! Thinking about it, his question had indeed been rather “weak”!

The atmosphere in the car fell silent again.

…

After washing the car thoroughly, Qin Nianran took Chu Tianyu to a quiet roadside spot, which gave him another sense of familiarity.

“Do you know martial arts?” Qin Nianran suddenly asked.

“A little…”

“Aren’t you stupid?”

“I’ve gotten better since then…”

“Is Ouyang Ziyi your girlfriend?”

“More or less…”

“Then please give her this back. Tell her I’ve read it—it’s quite detailed and realistic! But it has nothing to do with me!” With that, Qin Nianran handed Chu Tianyu the investigation materials she had received from Ouyang Ziyi.

Chu Tianyu took the documents blankly and flipped through them. They contained Ouyang Ziyi’s research on him, just copies. He had seen the original, which also included her annotations and personal reflections from that time. Now it had become Ziyi’s treasure. She often said it was proof of her “love”!

Seeing these documents, Chu Tianyu was surprised. “Have you met Ziyi?”

The word “Ziyi” coming naturally from Chu Tianyu’s mouth made Qin Nianran feel inexplicably perturbed, though she might not even have noticed this slight change herself.

Still maintaining a calm tone, Qin Nianran said, “It’s more accurate to say she came to see me!”

“What did she want from you?” Chu Tianyu asked without thinking. Once the words left his mouth, he realized what it meant. What good could it be? Considering how she had acted when they first met today, along with her cold expression and words, it was obvious she had been provoked by Ziyi!

“It doesn’t matter what she said. I came to settle our relationship today…”

“What does it matter? What needs to be settled?” Chu Tianyu asked deliberately.
Qin Nianran rolled her eyes and snapped, “Are you really stupid or just pretending to be?”
Hearing this, Chu Tianyu was deeply moved and recalled how he had casually mentioned Qin Nianran’s high IQ of 320 to Ouyang Ziyi some time ago. Ouyang Ziyi had then said mysteriously, “Hmph, an IQ of 320 doesn’t mean she has an EQ of 320…” It seemed there was more to her words back then. But Chu Tianyu had thought it was just a casual joke and didn’t pay much attention. Now it seemed Ouyang Ziyi might have had something specific in mind!
Seeing Chu Tianyu’s expression, Qin Nianran suddenly realized how foolish her question really was!
So she gritted her teeth and blurted out, “No matter what marriage contract or agreement it is, from now on, you take your path, and I’ll take mine! As for the debts owed to Fudu Industrial, you Chu family can do whatever you want with them…”
Before she could finish, Chu Tianyu said calmly, “Yes, it’s safer to put the money with our Chu Group. It’s far better than it being embezzled by Fudu! Often, everyone has their own choices. No matter what Ziyi told you, rest assured—whether it’s our marriage contract or agreement, you can give it up at any time. If you want the money from Fudu, just say so. Even if Grandpa refuses, I can personally repay you every last penny!”
“…” Qin Nianran was speechless. Her sense of powerlessness now was probably not much better than that of Zhou Jie lying in bed. Especially facing Chu Tianyu’s clear eyes and his increasingly astonishing words, she realized she had always treated him as someone inferior, thinking he was just an ordinary person, even a fool. She had accepted this marriage out of helplessness and compromise. But in the end, it turned out she was the one who was the most foolish, making her feelings of grievance and injustice even stronger!
Chu Tianyu looked at Qin Nianran, whose body was trembling slightly, and suddenly felt deep pity. To be honest, at that moment, with their complicated relationship, he suddenly decided to give up. Not for anything else, but because he already had Ziyi, Feifei, and Li Rou—there was no reason to ask for more from Qin Nianran…

And he also bore great responsibility for the agreement at that time. Having just returned from training with his master, he cared about nothing and feared nothing, which led to those absurd decisions and so-called declarations of love. It could be said that his emotional intelligence wasn’t very high back then…
That’s why this time, taking advantage of his brother Zhou Jie’s situation and under the influence of alcohol, he made a bold decision, just as he had said earlier—after all, everyone has to make choices at some point!
The atmosphere around them seemed to be affected by their situation, falling into a highly oppressive and dull mood.
Qin Nianran’s expression was complex and changeable, as if many thoughts were swirling in her mind. After a long while, Chu Tianyu also seemed to remember something and broke the silence with a low voice, “Thank you… thank… you…”
Qin Nianran was stunned and temporarily set aside her emotions, looking at Chu Tianyu in confusion.
“Thank you for helping me when I was young and for those words. I also apologize for my recklessness and lack of consideration regarding my engagement…”
Before Qin Nianran could react, a sudden sound of wind cutting through the air came. Two figures appeared, approaching rapidly, and the strong wind they created made it hard for Qin Nianran to stand steadily.
Chu Tianyu sensed this early on, frowned, and thought to himself, “The cultivators in this city have caused enough trouble for me. Back then, when the Black Dragon possessed someone, it caused chaos among the noble families and martial artists in the city. Later, according to news from the martial arts hall, although none of the cultivators were injured, their homes were all reduced to ruins due to the Black Dragon’s immense power. Everyone thought some enemy or demon had appeared, so they fled the city to find safer places. Even those who stayed were extremely cautious, not daring to show any weakness.”
So, it was surprising to see such arrogant cultivators acting recklessly in the city. Out of curiosity, he blurted out to Qin Nianran, “You go back first. It’s dangerous here. I’ll go take a look…”
As soon as Chu Tianyu started moving in the direction the two figures had gone, he felt Qin Nianran closely following behind him. In just the blink of an eye, he had already pulled a significant distance between them.
Chu Tianyu felt helpless about Qin Nianran’s pursuit. Ignoring her would mean risking more cultivators appearing behind her. Moreover, those two who had just passed by were not only strange but also radiated an evil aura—this was the real reason he decided to follow them.

As Qin Nianran was speaking, Chu Tianyu suddenly disappeared. When she tried to follow his sight, all she could see was his faint shadow moving swiftly through the darkness. Amazed, she instinctively used her light-footwork skills to chase after him.

Although Chu Tianyu was no longer in sight, Qin Nianran continued to chase in the direction she felt he was going. Yet she couldn’t find a reason for doing so—perhaps because she felt the conversation wasn’t over, or perhaps out of curiosity about those two strange figures flying through the air. She dismissed both ideas, and only one conclusion remained: her strong curiosity about Chu Tianyu!

Now she truly understood that Ouyang Ziyi’s conversation with her back then wasn’t meant to provoke her, but to arouse her curiosity about Chu Tianyu. Especially today’s encounter seemed to nurture the seed Ouyang Ziyi had planted. Seeing Chu Tianyu’s miraculous skills, his wisdom in speech, and his calm demeanor only deepened her confusion—a confusing situation she couldn’t explain. She felt anger at his secrecy, yet also greater curiosity. The more curious she became, the more she discovered, and the more angry she got, the more curious she became, wanting to know even more…

As Qin Nianran was lost in her thoughts, she suddenly felt a gentle breeze. Chu Tianyu had matched her speed and appeared beside her.

Chu Tianyu smiled slightly and said, “If you’re curious and want to see what’s going on, you’d better run faster!” Without waiting for her consent, he gently took one of her hands. Before she could resist, a powerful yet gentle force rushed toward her. As the wind shifted instantly, a whirlwind sounded in her ears.

It was only through Chu Tianyu’s rapid movement that Qin Nianran truly understood what light-footwork skills—or even flying—were like…

In a short while, Chu Tianyu stopped. When Qin Nianran regained her senses, she realized they were behind a small hill. She pulled her hand back quickly, ready to question Chu Tianyu for acting without asking. Suddenly, he made a gesture to silence her and motioned for her to look ahead.

On a flat area in the distance, two groups of people were facing each other. Upon seeing this, Chu Tianyu was greatly surprised and murmured, “How is it him?”

After hearing Chu Tianyu’s words, Qin Nianran looked carefully in confusion, but because they were too far away and it was dark, she couldn’t see clearly. So she leaned forward again. Chu Tianyu noticed her movement and immediately understood why. Without her noticing, he grabbed her hand again. As his internal energy flowed through her, Qin Nianran could see everything in the distance clearly, and she could also hear their conversations clearly. After seeing and hearing clearly, Qin Nianran was even more surprised than Chu Tianyu. She didn’t have time to worry about his recklessness and couldn’t help but exclaim softly, “How come it’s them?” “Do you know the person fighting against Zhan Zifeng too?” Chu Tianyu asked curiously after hearing her refer to “them.” “A Peking University classmate—Zhou Chongyun!” Qin Nianran replied simply. The two opponents were none other than Qin Nianran’s two persistent suitors: Zhan Zifeng and Zhou Chongyun. On Zhan Zifeng’s side, there were four neatly dressed middle-aged men. On Zhou Chongyun’s side, besides four tall, muscular men who looked like bodyguards, there were also the two sinister-looking individuals they had encountered earlier. One person already lay on the ground! It turned out that a fight had already taken place earlier, and Zhou Chongyun’s side had lost, with one of their men knocked down. Then his two powerful helpers stepped in and instantly killed Zhan Zifeng’s victorious subordinate. “Zhou Chongyun, I’ll make you pay the heaviest price for this despicable act!” Zhan Zifeng said fiercely, ordering his men to be vigilant. “Damn it, Zhan Zifeng, aren’t you so tough now? I never intended to let all of you go back as corpses. How dare you bully me without even finding out who I am?” Zhou Chongyun roared even more arrogantly. “Tch, talking to someone like you is a waste of my time. Do you really think your Tianxing Group connections give you any advantage? What’s there to know?” Zhan Zifeng said disdainfully. “Zhan Zifeng, don’t get arrogant. Do you really think your father’s power in the government makes you special? To be honest, at his level, he’s just a martial artist—nothing notable!” Zhou Chongyun spat. “Die!” A fierce shout rang out. Zhan Zifeng, enraged by Zhou Chongyun’s insult to his father, finally couldn’t hold back and attacked first. “You brat, how dare you!” With that, the two sinister individuals also ignored any sense of fairness or morality. They attacked simultaneously, blocking Zhan Zifeng’s assault.

With intense energy and clashing fists and feet, it was astonishing that Zhan Zifeng managed to withstand the combined attacks of those two men, moving around with ease as if it were nothing to him! This greatly surprised Chu Tianyu. His investigation into the Zhan family had been thorough, and in addition to hundreds of gigabytes of electronic files, there was also a thick stack of text and photo materials. This allowed Chu Tianyu to understand the immense strength of the Zhan family, especially their connection to the Tiandao Sect… As for Zhan Zifeng, although he had sensed the extraordinary energy within him last time, he hadn’t taken it seriously. Yet today, seeing his actual fighting skills in person was truly shocking—far beyond his expectations! What surprised Qin Nianran, however, wasn’t their combat skills, but rather the thought that those two might have started a conflict just because of her. Looking at the two men lying on the ground, whose fate was unknown, while the two of them acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to argue or fight!