Chapter 41: Taking the Initiative

Lunch was served at one o'clock in the afternoon.

Sun Xiaorui spent over an hour busy in the kitchen before finishing a total of eight dishes.

She came from Anhui Province, so her cooking belonged to the Southern cuisine style, which wasn't too different from Chen Feng's local palate.

Overall, her culinary skills were quite impressive; one could say she gave Chen Feng a pleasant surprise.

After all, in modern society, young women who know how to cook are not many, and those with excellent skills are even rarer.

A young woman who was both a great cook and beautiful could only be described as a rare specimen.

And yet, Chen Feng had run into such a person, and she had practically delivered herself to his doorstep.

Just based on her cooking alone, Chen Feng suddenly felt that a fifty-thousand-yuan salary was truly a bargain.

After eating, the two sat in the living room together watching TV and eating snacks, enjoying a very casual and relaxed atmosphere.

It was nearly an hour later when Sun Xiaorui finally suggested going to her company to formally resign and complete the handover procedures.

Naturally, Chen Feng did not object.

As soon as she left, Chen Feng also headed out. He was going to buy lottery tickets.

He searched on his phone and quickly found the nearest betting station.

It wasn't far, only about two or three kilometers away, so Chen Feng walked there, treating it like a stroll.

He arrived at the betting station ten minutes later.

There weren't many people in the shop at the moment, only five or six. Chen Feng walked straight up to the owner behind the counter and said, "100 bets of Lotto with a 5x multiplier, and another 100 bets with a 5x add-on. All quick picks."

"Alright. One moment."

One thousand plus one thousand five, totaling two thousand five hundred. The owner of the betting station wasn't particularly surprised; it wasn't uncommon for people to spend several thousand or even tens of thousands on the lottery at once.

There were forty tickets in total, and they were printed out shortly after.

After picking up the tickets and checking to ensure the multiplier was correct, Chen Feng put them away and turned to leave. He was very efficient, as if he were just buying a pack of cigarettes.

In fact, many people buy lottery tickets just like they buy cigarettes; some even quit smoking specifically to save money for the lottery.

This was the grounded, gritty reality of everyday life.

Of course, in recent years, many people have claimed that buying lottery tickets is paying an "intelligence tax."

There is truth to that, and there isn't. It's true in the sense that the draws aren't always very transparent, especially with winners wearing various masks to hide their faces.

It's untrue in the sense that, in real life, there truly are a tiny number of lucky winners.

As far as Chen Feng knew, someone in his hometown had won over seven million a few years ago, which caused quite a sensation. Once the news leaked, the entire family moved to another city overnight.

Since this happened within his own social circle, it couldn't be fake.

However, what was certain was that the probability of winning a jackpot was extremely low.

If Chen Feng weren't currently certain that his luck was heaven-defying, he certainly wouldn't have spent these extra two thousand yuan this way.

Walking out of the betting station, Chen Feng strolled leisurely back.

After walking for a few minutes, a car suddenly pulled up beside him.

Chen Feng's heart skipped a beat. He quickly dodged a few steps away before looking over warily.

The window of the black sedan rolled down, revealing Wang Yue'e's face.

"Can I talk to you?" Wang Yue'e said to Chen Feng with a complex expression.

Chen Feng's expression changed upon seeing her. However, seeing that there seemed to be only two people in the car—Wang Yue'e and a driver—he felt slightly relieved.

"Is there something you need from me?" Chen Feng asked, though he already knew the answer. In truth, he didn't want to talk to her. What was there to talk about?

Wang Yue'e, however, appeared to be in a good mood, speaking patiently: "About Xiaowen. I want to have an open and honest conversation with you."

Since she was taking the polite approach first, Chen Feng thought of those two men from last time and knew he couldn't avoid this. He said, "Fine. Let's go to that cafe over there. I'll head there first."

There was a cafe across the street not far away.

Wang Yue'e glanced toward it and nodded. "Alright, let's go there."

After saying that, she decisively opened the car door and stepped out.

The two crossed the street one after the other and entered the cafe. It was medium-sized, and since there weren't many customers at the moment, it was a suitable place for a conversation.

They sat opposite each other by the window.

Chen Feng ordered an Osmanthus Oolong tea, and Wang Yue'e ordered a lemon tea.

"Xiaowen is very angry right now. She even wants to kill you, do you know that?"

As soon as the waiter left, Wang Yue'e dropped the bombshell.

Chen Feng was not intimidated. He nodded and said, "I know. Even though I don't think I was in the wrong, I did indeed hurt her."

Wang Yue'e frowned slightly and said, "Let's set that aside for now. I heard from her that you have photos of her. How do you plan to handle them?"

Chen Feng said nonchalantly, "I don't have any plans to handle them. I can only say that as long as you don't threaten me, those photos will never be leaked."

Wang Yue'e's expression turned cold, and she said sternly, "I want you to destroy those photos completely, and also sign a non-disclosure agreement with us."

Chen Feng couldn't help but laugh. "On what basis are you asking me to do that?"

Wang Yue'e said solemnly, "On the basis that I can put you in prison."

Chen Feng smiled and shook his head. "That kind of attitude isn't suitable for a negotiation."

Wang Yue'e frowned. "I know you aren't short on money, but you should also be aware of Xiaowen's family influence in Xiuzhou. Xiaowen and I are keeping this a secret from her family for the time being. If her family finds out, I can guarantee you that things will end very badly for you."

Hearing this, Chen Feng felt a slight chill in his heart. He had known before that Zhang Jingwen had a background, but he had only thought she had wealthy backers and a powerful company.

Now, hearing Wang Yue'e's words, it seemed as though Zhang Jingwen's own family was also very formidable.

It really was!

However, Chen Feng certainly could not compromise on this matter. Signing a non-disclosure agreement or whatever wouldn't matter, but he feared leaving leverage directly in their hands.

And right now, he was the one holding the leverage over them.

He could not give up the initiative.

"I can agree to destroy the photos. But I won't sign a non-disclosure agreement with you. Signing such a thing doesn't actually mean much. If I really wanted to leak them, they would be leaked sooner or later, wouldn't they? But I can guarantee you that I won't leak them. I'm not that despicable."

Wang Yue'e stared at Chen Feng without speaking.

After a moment, the waiter brought the two teas, set them down, and left.

"I'll give you one day to think about it. You must give me an answer by this time tomorrow. Otherwise, I can only regretfully tell you that you will die a very miserable death. Don't blame me for not warning you in advance."

After speaking in a harsh tone, Wang Yue'e stood up to leave.

But Chen Feng called out to her, "Wait. We haven't even drunk the tea yet. Since we ordered it, we should at least have a sip."

Wang Yue'e looked at him with disgust and was about to speak when Chen Feng continued, "I made a copy of the photos and gave them to a friend. The reason is that I'm afraid you might act against me. If he can't get in touch with me, he will expose the photos."

Wang Yue'e's expression froze. She sat back down and glared at Chen Feng. "What exactly do you want?"

Chen Feng shook his head. "I don't want anything. I already told Jingwen before that the photos were just kept as mementos. As long as I am fine, I certainly won't expose them. She has a bright future ahead of her, after all."

Wang Yue'e took a deep breath, picked up her lemon tea, gulped it down in a few large swallows, and set it down heavily. She stared at Chen Feng and said word by word, "I am warning you, if these photos are leaked, you have only one outcome: death. Don't think I'm being alarmist; since you are Xiaowen's obsessive fan, you should know her family's background. I can only say that you are playing with fire."

Chen Feng sighed helplessly. "I have no choice. It's precisely because I know how powerful her family is that I am protecting myself this way."

After giving Chen Feng a long, deep look, Wang Yue'e stood up abruptly and turned to leave without saying another word.

This time, Chen Feng did not call her back. Watching her walk out of the cafe, a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

In the end, the initiative was back in his hands.

As for how powerful Zhang Jingwen's family was, although he felt some apprehension, it was just that. He only needed to live well for now.

As long as Zhang Jingwen didn't come to bother him, a few months should be enough. By then, he might already be six feet under; what would he have to fear from her family then?