"Alright, since you're not running, let's get back to the matter of compensation." Lin Feng's tone shifted, the smile vanishing from his face.
Gu Qingqian's expression turned panicked again.
With a girl that pretty and a luxury car getting scratched, it didn't take long for a crowd of passing students to gather.
A few of the guys, spotting Gu Qingqian's good looks, were ready to play the hero — flexing, itching to "save the beauty," like they were about to fight injustice on her behalf.
"You're a big guy picking on a little girl — what's wrong with you!?"
Suddenly, a tall guy in a basketball tank top stepped forward, pointing righteous indignation at Lin Feng.
The other guys chimed in right away.
"Yeah! Look at her, she's about to cry!"
"Driving a ride like that, and you're worried about a few grand in repairs?"
"You guys know each other?" Lin Feng glanced at the ringleader, then at Gu Qingqian.
Gu Qingqian looked at the guy, then timidly shook her head.
"Then don't butt in, alright?" Lin Feng's tone turned cold, clearly irritated.
He hated these self‑righteous "guardians of justice" — no sense of right or wrong, just automatically taking the side of any pretty girl.
Who the hell do you think you're impressing!?
If I wanted to play nice, I'd do it myself — don't need your amateur performance!
Seeing Gu Qingqian's head lowered, hands twisting together in a pitiful pose, the guy's protector instinct exploded.
He stepped forward, puffed out his chest, and sized Lin Feng up. "I'm Zhou Xu, a sophomore, Physical Education major. What school are you from, man?"
Lin Feng frowned and shot back without courtesy, "What's it to you? Go stand somewhere cooler!"
Zhou Xu's face darkened at the brush‑off, but he forced himself to keep going.
"If you can afford a Yangwang U8, your family's loaded. To you, a few grand might just be a month or half a month's allowance. But for us regular students, that's a year or even years of living expenses! Over this kind of money, you're gonna pressure a little girl? Seriously?"
Lin Feng was actually amused by this highway‑robbery logic.
"So you're saying because I've got money, I deserve to get my car scratched? And because you're broke, you're in the right?"
He sneered and took a step closer.
"Enough nonsense! Let's call it twenty grand. You pay for it for her; I won't make things hard. Since you wanna be the good guy, go all the way — now, right now, write her an IOU. Otherwise, I'm calling the cops. Your choice."
The moment "IOU" and "pay twenty grand" came out, Zhou Xu's face turned green.
"W‑why should I pay for her!? I didn't scratch it!" He puffed up, but his bluster lacked real force.
"You didn't scratch it, so why the hell are you yapping here?" Lin Feng pressed in, eyes sharp with pressure. "You thought I was bullying her? Thought I should be 'generous'? Fine — I'll give you the chance to be generous. Be the good guy. What, you can't handle it?"
"Y‑you…!" Zhou Xu had planned to moralize at Lin Feng and score points with the girl, but now he was stuck. Backed into a corner, his eyes darted away, unable to hold Lin Feng's gaze.
Twenty grand!
That was more than two semesters of his living expenses combined!
Make him cough up that much for a girl he'd just met? Unless his brain got kicked by a donkey!
"Huh!? What? Is my mom in the hospital? Okay, okay, I'm coming, right now!"
Suddenly, Zhou Xu grabbed his phone, shouted, shoved through the crowd, and bolted without looking back.
"F**k, trash! You wanna play hero and make me foot the bill!?" Lin Feng spat in disgust.
[Ding! Detected Host condemning hypocritical behavior of righteous folks!! Reward: Spirit Stones x200!]
The guys who'd backed Zhou Xu fell silent, scared that the twenty‑grand burden might land on them.
Some people in the crowd started siding with Lin Feng.
"This dude's not in the wrong — if your car gets scratched, you ask for compensation, normal as hell!"
"Exactly! Hate those sanctimonious types — when someone needs help, they don't help themselves, they just climb on a moral high horse and tell others to do it!"
"Seriously, that's nearly two million bucks' ride, two doors scratched, might need bodywork — asking for twenty grand's already pretty reasonable!"
"Alright, let's talk in the car."
Worried the crowd would keep growing, Lin Feng opened the car door and motioned for Gu Qingqian to get in.
She hesitated, then obediently climbed in.
With no more drama to watch, the crowd gradually dispersed.
Thud — the door shut, cutting off all the outside noise.
The excellent soundproofing wrapped them in a silence that made hearts race.
The air smelled of fresh leather, mixed with the milky candy scent of the girl's youthful body.
Gu Qingqian sat rigid in the passenger seat, hands clutching her skirt hem, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Head lowered, she stole glances at Lin Feng from the corner of her eye, heart pounding.
Lin Feng didn't start the car right away. He leaned back, one hand on the wheel, gaze fixed on Gu Qingqian's pale, tense little face.
From her trembling eyelashes to her tightly pressed pink lips — he had the urge to tease her, just a little.
"How do you plan to pay the twenty grand?" Lin Feng broke the silence. His voice was low, but it made Gu Qingqian flinch.
"I… I…" She looked up, big watery eyes full of helplessness and pleading. "I… I don't have that much right now… Can I… pay you in installments?"
"Installments?" Lin Feng smirked. "How much a month? Five hundred? A thousand? At that rate, I'll be waiting till the Year of the Monkey for my money."
"I… I can get a part‑time job! I…"
"Enough." Lin Feng cut her off, impatient. "I'm not wasting that much time on you."
The moment those words hit, Gu Qingqian's heart sank.
Her eyes reddened, tears welling up, threatening to spill.
It's over… He's definitely calling the police…
If I get arrested, I'll be expelled, and Mom and Dad will be heartbroken and furious…
The more she thought about it, the more scared she got — like her life was ending right then and there.