Pampered by the School Bully
Chapter 195 - 189. Sangzhi, I want to support you (1)

Chapter 195: 189. Sangzhi, I want to support you (1)

At this moment, Huo Feng was riding his mini electric scooter in pursuit of the man in the military coat.

The road seemed endless, bustling with people. In the dim light of the streetlamps, finding someone in the crowd was not an easy task.

As Huo Feng rode, he squinted and craned his neck, scanning his surroundings...

He had been riding out for several minutes already, covering several hundred meters. Judging by a person’s walking speed, he reckoned he should have caught up by now.

Therefore, Huo Feng dared not go too far; he rode his mini electric scooter around in circles nearby, searching everywhere for the ’Big Coat Bro’.

Yet, this ’Big Coat Bro’ seemed to have vanished into thin air. No matter how hard Huo Feng looked, he couldn’t find a trace of him...

So, twenty minutes later, Huo Feng returned to the snack shop where the chubby aunty was still holding her thermos, sitting inside watching her soap opera on her mobile phone.

Seeing Huo Feng come back, she freed up one hand to pause the drama and then asked him, "Well? Did you find him?"

"Not yet," he replied.

Huo Feng’s mini scooter stopped by the chubby aunty’s counter. Sitting on the scooter, he tapped the glass counter and said, "Hey, give me a bottle of Want-Want milk."

The chubby aunty got a bottle of Want-Want milk for him and, after sitting down, asked again, "Didn’t catch up with him, even with the scooter?"

"Nah..."

Huo Feng took out his phone to pay for the milk, then opened the Want-Want milk and took a big gulp before exhaling, "It’s so strange. I chased after him right away and still didn’t see a trace of him. You don’t think he lives around here, do you? Maybe he went straight home?"

The chubby aunty waved her hand dismissively, "That shouldn’t be the case. I’ve lived here for decades and I have a pretty clear idea of who lives around here. That guy looked like an outsider; we have mostly locals in this area, so he probably doesn’t live here."

This made Huo Feng even more worried, "Sister, has he been coming here often recently?"

The chubby aunty pondered for a moment, "Three times this week, I think? But two of those times he just bought cigarettes and left. Only this time, after buying cigarettes, he didn’t rush off. Instead, he squatted down and smoked for a while."

Turning his head, Huo Feng walked towards the area that the chubby aunty had indicated with a look of curiosity. He got off his mini scooter and walked in the direction she had pointed.

Finding a spot that seemed about right, Huo Feng stopped and asked the chubby aunty, "Here?"

The chubby aunty pointed a little further, "Keep going, probably just around that street light."

Huo Feng walked a bit further and, under the aunty’s guidance, arrived at the exact spot, "Here?"

The chubby aunty nodded, "About there."

Standing in the position where the man had been, Huo Feng sipped on his Want-Want milk as he peered into the alley...

He realized the spot offered a really good view; the entire alley was clearly visible, and he could even see the front door of Pu Sangzhi’s house.

Of course, he could see the entrances of other houses just as clearly if he chose not to focus on Pu Sangzhi’s.

Still, Huo Feng couldn’t fathom the man’s intent and remained unsure whether this man’s presence was a threat or harmless.

The chubby aunty, seeing Huo Feng’s serious expression, suddenly laughed, "You know, you’re acting just like a police officer investigating a crime, isn’t that a bit much?"

Huo Feng looked back at her with a smile, "I’m just concerned. Recently I heard about stalkers and murderers being particularly rampant, and I’m worried about Sangzhi and her daughter. They’re just two women living on their own!"

Hearing this, the chubby aunty agreed, "Yes, it’s just the two of them at their home, and they’re in debt too. They really should be careful."

Huo Feng was surprised as he approached the chubby aunty with his Want-Want milk, "Sister, you know about their debts?"

With a casual expression, the chubby aunty said, "Hey, everyone in this alley knows about the tens of thousands in debt they owe. Mrs. Zhao got sick and had to stay in the hospital for a long time, so they’re staying in her house now. I heard their business failed and the man ran off, leaving just the mother and daughter. They also inherited all that debt, which is quite pitiful..."

Huo Feng nodded, "Yeah... If only I were a rich second generation, I’d really want to help them pay it off."

The chubby aunty looked at Huo Feng with amusement, "You’re an interesting kid, talking like an adult when you’re so young. But let me tell you, they owe a lot of money. I heard that just from relatives they owe five or six hundred thousand. So now the mother and daughter stay away from their relatives and don’t mix much with neighbors, just getting by with their own lives."

"It’s not that much..."

Huo Feng raised his eyebrows, "Just five or six hundred thousand. If I stop schooling and work hard, I could pay it off in a year."

The chubby aunty chuckled, "Ha, listen to you, boasting now!"

Huo Feng also laughed, "I’m not boasting; I, Huo Feng, am really capable. If it weren’t for school holding me back, I’d have already elevated myself to a rich first generation."

The chubby aunty teased, "Go on, keep dreaming! Making money isn’t as easy as you think!"

Not convinced of Huo Feng’s abilities, the chubby aunty received no further explanation from him. He simply said, "Sister, I’m off then. Next time you catch wind of something, let me know immediately, and I’ll come right over. If I keep chasing him, I’m bound to catch up eventually!"

The chubby aunty replied, "Alright, off you go, take care!"

And so, Huo Feng waved goodbye to the chubby aunty and rode his mini electric scooter back to Shen Jianhua’s home.

This matter came to a temporary standstill.

But Huo Feng was not wrong.

With a few more attempts, he was bound to catch up eventually.

...

When Huo Feng got home, it was nearly ten o’clock.

He shed his leather jacket and laid down on the sofa, his gaze fixed melancholically on the ceiling where the chandelier’s light flickered.

At this moment, I suddenly felt incredibly useless.

As a student who didn’t have any money, I couldn’t even protect the girl I liked, which made me feel pathetically weak.

Until Huo Feng reached this age, one could say that he had never worried about money. If there were ever any concerns, it was just minor financial troubles that were easily resolved.

But it wasn’t until he met Pu Sangzhi that he slowly realized how difficult the adult world could be, and how the pressures of life could indeed force a person to mature quickly.

After learning about her family’s real situation, Huo Feng grew to understand Pu Sangzhi’s persistent pursuit of her dreams and the formation of her current personality traits even more.

Compared to her peers, she lacked a certain naivety and romanticism.

Now when Huo Feng thought back on every little detail about her, he was shocked to realize he had never seen the vigor that a young person should have in her eyes.

Her gaze was always steady, more so than what one would expect from a girl her age, steady as if it carried her guard, and within that guard, the pride she strived to maintain for herself.

Suddenly, a phrase she had said before flashed through his mind, "Huo Feng, I must tell you realistically, I don’t have the money to buy you a present."

"Ah..."

Huo Feng frowned, suddenly feeling a pain in his chest, and feeling like such a bastard!

She really had no money, truly no money!

Yet he had still extorted presents from her, and even eaten the steak she treated him to...

This bloody steak, he actually had the heart to eat it... He was utterly despicable!

Suddenly, Huo Feng felt absolutely terrible, to the point of bursting!

Huo Feng patted his chest, feeling like a lump of air stuck in his throat that even deep breaths could not alleviate.

He sat on the couch, his expression blank for a long time...

After a very long time, Huo Feng couldn’t resist calling the number belonging to Pu Sangzhi’s mother.

Normally, the phone was with Chen Huifen, and moreover, Pu Sangzhi had a strict routine of sleeping at 10 pm every night.

Logically speaking, Huo Feng’s call should have gone unanswered.

But just by coincidence, on this night, Pu Sangzhi decided to finish knitting a scarf before sleeping. So she was still struggling with the scarf at this time...

And when Huo Feng called, Pu Sangzhi was with Chen Huifen, sitting right there in the room where Chen Huifen worked, with the phone resting on top of the sewing machine...

So, the call connected!

Pu Sangzhi recognized Huo Feng’s number at a glance, and she hurriedly set down her knitting needles to pick up the phone.

"Hello?"

When Pu Sangzhi answered Huo Feng’s call, she subconsciously stood up and walked out of the room, not wanting Chen Huifen to overhear.

And Chen Huifen, seeing straight through that it was a call from Huo Feng, did not expose Pu Sangzhi’s intention.

"You answered..."

Huo Feng felt a bit awkward, and for a moment, not knowing what to say despite usually being very articulate.

Instead, Pu Sangzhi teased him, "What do you mean? Didn’t you want me to answer?"

"No, no..."

Huo Feng said, "It’s good that you answered, I really wanted to hear your voice."

Pu Sangzhi walked back to her room, closed the door behind her, and asked, "What do you want to talk about, calling so late at night?"

Huo Feng pursed his lips, hesitating for a while before finally speaking, "Sangzhi, in the future, let me take care of you."

Pu Sangzhi chuckled lightly, "Declined."

Huo Feng persisted, "Then let me pay for your tuition."

Pu Sangzhi responded, "I refuse."

Huo Feng: "Then I... I want to buy something from you, do you have any discarded items for sale?"

Pu Sangzhi didn’t quite understand his intent, "Huo Feng, what are you really trying to do?"

At this point, Huo Feng stopped beating around the bush, saying directly, "I want to give you money, I want to provide for you, I can’t stand to see you struggle so much, it really hurts me!"

Pu Sangzhi was taken aback...

After a long while, she came to her senses and said, "Are you... Are you sick?"

Huo Feng sighed, "Sigh, I must be crazy. I’m going to say something you don’t want to hear, but right now I want to marry you, be the only man in your family, be the one who supports your family, and protect you. Also, I really want to take care of you, sincerely..."

Pu Sangzhi was grossed out, "Hey... Stop talking nonsense."

Huo Feng: "Am I too weak? Is that why you don’t think highly of me?"

Those words, Huo Feng said them with a hint of grievance in his voice, sounding so subdued that she could detect the loss and disappointment in it.

Pu Sangzhi was slightly taken aback.