"Boss, this woman is a total knockout. I've never seen anyone so beautiful!"
"No shit. She's the woman Brother Scar specifically asked for. Of course she's gorgeous."
"Knock her out and let's go!"
In a dim alley, a few men muttered to each other as they threw a sack over a woman and ran for the exit.
"Gentlemen, I've taken a liking to this beauty myself. How about you let me have her?"
A voice suddenly rang out. A moment later, a figure emerged at the mouth of the alley, blocking their path.
"Let you have her? Who the fuck are you? Get lost!" Hearing the man's words, one of the kidnappers with red hair stepped forward, cursing as he brandished his club and swung it at the stranger.
The red-haired man thought one swing would be enough to scare the guy off. But to his surprise, not only did the stranger not run, he calmly lit a cigarette.
"Motherfucker, you're asking for it! Don't blame me for what happens next!" the red-haired man roared. Without a second thought for whether the blow would be fatal, he brought the club crashing down toward the stranger's head.
But before the club could connect, a powerful force slammed into his stomach. He flew backward, tumbling uncontrollably across the ground several times before coming to a stop. Clutching his stomach, he began to scream in agony.
"Fuck, we've got a tough one! Get him!"
Seeing his man taken down with a single kick, the leader of the group didn't hesitate. With a shout, he and the others charged.
In their minds, no matter how strong this guy was, he couldn't possibly be a match for all of them, especially since they were armed.
But a mere minute later, as they all lay on the ground wailing in agony, they realized how wrong they were. Terribly, terribly wrong. They had grossly underestimated his power.
"And you guys think you have what it takes to kidnap someone?" The man glanced at the thugs on the ground, shaking his head as if the whole affair was beneath him. Then, under their resentful and helpless gazes, he hoisted the bound woman onto his shoulder and vanished from sight.
"Boss, what do we do?"
"What else can we do? We go back and tell Brother Scar what happened!"
...
Back in his rented apartment, Zhou Fan untied the sack. He frowned as he looked at the bound woman. 'It's her!'
The beautiful chairwoman of Fenghua International, Chu Yan—a powerful woman who frequently appeared online and was hailed as a goddess by countless men.
Staring at Chu Yan on the bed, a red glint flashed in Zhou Fan's eyes. Instantly, her clothes began to turn transparent, followed by her luxurious, pale purple underwear.
"Fuck, just as I thought. She's been drugged."
A moment later, Zhou Fan cursed under his breath. He carried her to the bathroom, filled the tub with cold water, and unceremoniously dumped her in.
Grabbing a beer from the fridge, Zhou Fan sat on the sofa and took a huge gulp. He let out a beery burp and muttered to himself, "I wonder how those two bastards who framed me are doing. If they found out I was still alive, they'd be shocked... then they'd probably send assassins after me immediately, right?"
"Ye Fei, Zhao Ya... you two lowlifes better stay alive. Just wait until I get my strength back. I'm going to twist your heads off with my own two hands!"
A year ago, Zhou Fan had received news that a supreme treasure had emerged in the Land of the Far North. He went in secret, only to be betrayed by the two people closest to him, who leaked his location to his enemies.
Thus, just after obtaining the supreme treasure, the Bodhi Heart, he found himself surrounded. He fought to the death but was ultimately overwhelmed and fell into a ten-thousand-meter-deep ice chasm. Desperate, he swallowed the Bodhi Heart to preserve his life. However, its power was so immense and violent that he nearly died right there, ten thousand meters beneath the ice.
Fortunately, deep within that chasm, he found another treasure just as potent as the Bodhi Heart: a single drop of Nether River Dead Water.
The collision of these two great treasures within his body was what allowed him to make it back to Huaxia alive.
Zhou Fan took a moment to assess his body, which had only recovered about ten percent of its power. He sighed, got up, and walked to the bathroom, where he found Chu Yan shivering violently from the cold.
"Cold... so cold!" Her lips, pale from the chill, parted slightly as Chu Yan whispered. Perhaps sensing someone approaching, she slowly opened her eyes, a look of confusion and fear flickering within them.
"Please, let me go... I... I'll give you money!" Looking at the tall man leaning against the doorframe—a wicked smile on his lips, a beer in one hand—Chu Yan struggled to sit up in the tub. She pointed to her purse, which had been tossed to the side, desperate for him to let her go.
"Nobody gives a damn about your money." Zhou Fan shook his head, then leaned down. Ignoring Chu Yan's struggles, he scooped her up, carried her to the bed, and, without the slightest hint of gentleness, tossed her onto it.
"No! Don't! Please, let me go! I'm still a virgin... I'll come back as a ghost and haunt you!" Although she was dizzy from being thrown, Chu Yan still thrashed wildly, screaming herself hoarse.
SLAP!
Suddenly, a crisp slapping sound rang out. Chu Yan froze. She looked up, her face a mask of utter disbelief.
'He... he actually hit me? And he slapped my butt!'
"Shut up. Say one more word, and I really will fuck you," Zhou Fan said, his face etched with impatience. He grabbed a dress shirt and a pair of shorts, tossing them to her. "Put these on."
With that, Zhou Fan turned, closed the bedroom door, and walked out to the living room.
'Damn it, women are such a pain.'
After changing, Chu Yan sat alone on the bed. The effects of the drug had mostly dissipated, and her head was starting to clear. She took another look around the room, replayed Zhou Fan's words in her mind, and finally understood: he had rescued her.
But...
'Couldn't he have just explained things nicely? Why did he have to slap my butt?'
"Thank you!"
Hearing Chu Yan's voice, Zhou Fan turned his head. Even with all he'd seen and experienced, he found himself momentarily stunned.
Chu Yan's damp hair was casually draped over her shoulders. She wore his oversized white shirt, the top two buttons undone, revealing a large expanse of pale skin and her enchanting collarbones. Under the light, her straight, smooth, and fair legs seemed to gleam.
Her bare feet left a trail of small, wet footprints on the floor. Seeing her standing there, looking so utterly enchanting, Zhou Fan finally understood why someone would go to the trouble of kidnapping her.
'Good lord, she's a siren.'
"Now that your head is clear, call your family or a friend to come pick you up." Zhou Fan's expression returned to normal. He wasn't exactly a gentleman, but there was a line he wouldn't cross.
"My family... never mind. And my only friend isn't in Nanjiang City right now. Could I... stay here for the night? I'm a little afraid to go out alone."
Seeing the fleeting change in his expression, a triumphant glimmer appeared in Chu Yan's eyes. 'And here I thought he was just a block of wood,' she mused. 'Turns out he's just good at hiding it.'