Chapter Eighty-Five: The Call of the Storm

  Just as An Yiran was sitting in the ward feeling anxious and annoyed, Jiang Fengchen was busy collecting the warm and intimate items that An Yiran had set up yesterday with the store employees at the bar. Valentine's Day is over, there's no need to hang these romantic things anymore.

  Looking at the hall that had finally restored its original cleanliness and simplicity, Jiang Fengchen finally wiped the sweat from his face and nodded in satisfaction.

  "Apprentice, don't slack off just because you're temporarily in charge!" This was Minam shouting at him discontentedly while cleaning the cocktail equipment behind the counter.

  Jiang Fengchen suddenly chuckled and turned his head, saying: "Min Nan Ge, I've already crossed the river and dismantled the bridge, didn't you know?"

  Min Nan snorted, "I don't know!"

  Jiang Fengchen was about to retort when Min Nan suddenly spoke up, "Ah, I knew something felt off just now. It turns out your phone has been vibrating all along! I only found out when I opened the drawer. Why did you put your phone in the drawer for no reason?"

  "I'm climbing up and down, it's not convenient to bring my phone." Jiang Fengchen hurried over to take the phone handed over by Min Nan, saw that the screen displayed An Yiran's incoming call, and subconsciously furrowed his brow, afraid that something unexpected had happened at the hospital. He nervously answered the phone and asked: "Yiran, what's wrong?"

  "Wind Chen!" Finally got Jiang Wind Chen to answer the phone, An Yiran became excited all over, and his heart let out a sigh of relief. The next second, he asked nervously: "Is there anything going on at the bar? Do you have any trouble? Has anyone gone to bother you?"

  Listening to Anyan's rapid-fire questions, Jiang Fengchen was suddenly at a loss for words. "Anyan, what's wrong with you? Why are you so tense? Nothing happened in the bar, I just took down those paintings you hung up yesterday."

  "Ah!" Listening to Jiang Fengchen saying it was nothing, An Yiran finally put his heart at ease. "It's good that nothing happened. I just saw the news. That reporter exposed your name, and I'm worried their accomplices will find you for revenge. You need to be careful recently, don't get targeted by them."

  "News?" Jiang Fengchen repeated An Yiran's words with a puzzled expression, "How did it become like this?"

  "I don't know either..." An Yiran knocked her head in distress. The tearing sound of the wound on her arm made her feel a sharp pain, "I'm worried that there's someone behind this, anyway, just be careful, if nothing happens, don't go out, got it?"

  Jiang Feng's heart flashed with a hint of unease, but he quickly calmed down. He forced a relaxed smile and comforted, "Think positively, maybe things aren't as bad as you think. Don't worry unnecessarily. Your biggest task now is to take good care of your injuries, got it? This bar is still waiting for you to come back and manage it. I'm just a half-baked monk, what do I know?"

  Under Jiang Fengchen's repeated comfort, An Yiran finally calmed down gradually, and a hint of fatigue appeared on his tightly closed face. "Okay, I hope it was just my imagination running wild. I'm also a bit tired, I'll take a nap first."

  He hung up the phone, and Jiang Fengchen couldn't help but smile wryly at his mobile phone. He turned around and continued to immerse himself in tidying up the bar. Gradually putting this matter behind him, after a few peaceful days had passed, he didn't even consider it a big deal anymore.

  It was already late at night, and Jiang Fengchen was busy preparing for business. At this time, a figure slowly walked in from outside the door. Jiang Fengchen turned his head to look, and suddenly opened his mouth in surprise, saying: "Yiran, how did you come back?"

  An Yiran's face was a bit pale, perhaps due to the long hospital stay, and her skin tone was slightly pale. However, her expression at this moment did not match the weariness on her face. She smiled happily and walked over to the sofa, propping up her legs and sighing: "Oh my, these hospital days are simply unbearable. I had to persuade the doctor for a long time before he agreed to let me go home and rest, so I rushed back as soon as possible. Ah...the outside world is so wonderful, the outside world is so lively."

  "Sounds like you're going to prison or something."

  "I reckon, being in prison isn't so unbearable after all."

  "Sister, you're finally back! We were worried to death!" At this time, the shop assistants swarmed up, surrounding An Yiran, chattering non-stop. An Yiran couldn't take it anymore and shouted: "You're all so noisy! I've never seen you all so lively before."

  "Haha!" Jiang Fengchen couldn't help but laugh at his misfortune, turning around to walk towards the counter, "You can just slowly enjoy this queen-like treatment."

  "Jiang Fengchen, you——"

  "Excuse me, which one is Jiang Fengchen?" Just then, a little girl suddenly walked into the bar, her hands rubbing together awkwardly, her bright eyes constantly scanning the crowd.

  The people in the store had never seen such a situation before, and they were all stunned by the sudden appearance of this young girl, forgetting to answer her question.

  "Huh?" The first to react was An Yiran. She gently pushed away the people surrounding her, stood up and walked to the little girl, squatted down and softly asked: "Little sister, who told you to come find Jiang Fengchen?"

  The little girl pointed to the entrance of the bar and replied in her childish voice: "It was an uncle outside the door who asked me to come in. He said he was a friend of Jiang Fengchen's and wanted to come over to catch up with him, but he couldn't come in himself, so he asked me to help find Jiang Fengchen."

  An Yiran looked in the direction the little girl was pointing, the bar's door was closed, and the fluorescent screens on both sides were slowly changing colors. Outside the door was dark, only the headlights of passing cars could be seen on the highway. She couldn't help but furrow her brow, and a sense of unease crept back into her heart. It had been too quiet these days, quiet enough to make her feel afraid, always feeling that a huge storm was waiting for them. So, is this it?

  Jiang Fengchen listened to Ah Na's conversation with the little girl, and a hint of doubt flashed in his mind. What friends did he have in Yincheng?

  An Yiran turned his head to look at him, and then softly said to the little girl: "Little sister, thank you. You go out and tell that uncle outside that Jiang Fengchen will be out soon. Ask him to wait patiently for a while, okay?"

  "Good." The little girl obediently responded with a single word and nodded before walking away.

  "What are you all doing here? Go and do what you should be doing!" As soon as the little girl walked away, An Yiran's expression suddenly turned stern, and she shouted at the few shop assistants who were standing by in a daze.

  "Ah..." The shop assistants scattered and busied themselves. At this time, customers started to arrive one after another, and they also needed to be attended to.

  "Feng Chen..." An Yiran gazed at Jiang Fengchen with concern, her eyes filled with an unhidden unease.

  Jiang Fengchen hid his worries and replied with a comforting smile, "Maybe my friend really did pass by Yin City and came to see me. Don't worry, everything has been fine these days, and today will be too."

  "What's meant to come will always come, Feng Chen, I'll go out with you!"

  Jiang Fengchen shook his head, "Don't go out and take risks anymore, just stay in the bar. If you see anything suspicious, report to the police immediately. They're on high alert now, they don't dare to make any moves."

  Upon hearing this, An Yiran could only nod in agreement and watch as Jiang Fengchen pushed open the door to the bar.

  Jiang Fengchen took a deep breath and walked out, the neon lights across from the bar flashing so much that he felt dizzy, the streets were crowded with cars and people flowing endlessly, the sharp sound of car horns filled his ears, he couldn't help but furrow his brow, looking around for any familiar figures.

  Not far away, under the street lamp post stood three sturdy men, who were currently smoking a cigarette, leaning against the post with an air of nonchalance, occasionally glancing around suspiciously. They saw someone coming out of the bar, looking around, and couldn't help but take a few steps forward, asking: "Jiang Fengchen?"

  Jiang Fengchen was startled and quietly sized up the three of them, calmly saying: "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

  "Hmph!" One of them twisted his neck and loosened his wrist, saying: "What do you want from me? Ask my fist!" As he spoke, he suddenly punched Jiang Fengchen's abdomen.

  Jiang Fengchen dodged and weaved, but was hit by him and bent over at the waist, retreating several steps in a row, groaning in pain. Before he could adapt to the sudden pain, another person's legs and feet came swinging over again.

  "Wind Chen!" An Yiran, who was hiding behind the door, saw this situation and couldn't care about anything else. She let out a sharp cry and ran out, blocking Jiang Wind Chen in front of her, taking that kick for him. The man, seeing someone suddenly appear, felt annoyed and impatiently swung his arm to push her away, but it just so happened to land on An Yiran's wound, causing the huge impact force to make her originally unhealed wound immediately bleed again, instantly staining her clothes red.

  "Ugh..." An Yiran groaned in pain, covering his wound and taking a few steps back, but still subconsciously blocking Jiang Fengchen's path.

  "Ah Ran!" Jiang Fengchen exclaimed in shock, supporting An Yiran as she frantically backed away repeatedly.

  The three of them stopped their attack, forcing them into a desperate situation, and looked at them with mocking smiles on their faces. One of them sneered, "Hmph, quite the loving couple, aren't you? Jiang Fengchen, using a little girl to shield yourself, isn't that humiliating? Tsk, tsk, if it were me, I'd be dead from shame."

  "Haha......" The other two burst into unscrupulous laughter.

  Jiang Fengchen clenched his fists tightly, his piercing eyes staring fiercely at them, yet he was helpless. An Yiran's injuries were getting more and more severe, urgently needing medical attention, but he was trapped by the three people in front of him and couldn't escape. He looked around frantically, trying to seek help from passersby. But the pedestrians on the street had already been scared away, and the once bustling streets were now empty. The bar was playing deafening music, everyone was immersed in a world of sound and color, and no one noticed what was happening outside.

  "Hey kid, aren't you supposed to be quite capable? How did you end up so pathetic? If you're really something, then fight us! If you win, we'll go rescue your lovely girlfriend for you, haha..."

  The three men's mocking voices still echoed in his ears, Jiang Fengchen didn't say a word, his eyes were bloodshot red, staring tightly at the three of them, looking for an opportunity to escape.