Volume One, Chapter 15: The Transformation of Zhang Xiaoman

“Let him go, and I’ll go with you—anything you want!”

At that moment, Zhang Xiaoman suddenly stepped in front of the burly man, her face resolute as she spoke.

The women around were stunned by her words.

Ye Feng, wracked with pain, felt his heart twitch violently upon hearing them.

Though she had disappointed him greatly, those words still struck a nerve deep within him.

Staring at Zhang Xiaoman’s back, he was suddenly reminded of that summer day when he first confessed his feelings to her.

Zhang Xiaoman had rejected him—this was the ninth time.

Despite the repeated refusals, he had not lost hope.

It wasn’t until the tenth confession that she finally accepted him.

Thinking back, he couldn’t help but find it somewhat laughable.

“I don’t need your help. Just leave quickly. I don’t want to see you anymore!”

Gritting his teeth, Ye Feng slowly stood up and pushed Zhang Xiaoman aside.

Now that things had come to this, he no longer wanted to hesitate.

If she really did this, he might never be able to forget her for the rest of his life.

She had already betrayed him—the vivid memories of their intense battles together came flooding back.

And that was only what he had witnessed; who knew how many times had gone unseen?

If he could accept this, he would be nothing but a fool, a complete idiot.

Since he had made up his mind to sever ties, there was no need to leave any lingering doubts.

“Hey, pretty girl, if you stay here with me, I’ll let this kid go.”

The burly man, who had been ready to strike, immediately stopped, greedily eyeing Zhang Xiaoman as he spoke.

At that moment, he longed to throw her down and unleash a wild frenzy.

She was so young—he had never been with someone like her before.

“Ye Feng, the rain has stopped. You should leave now! This used to be my territory. I’m not going anywhere.”

Zhang Xiaoman said expressionlessly.

Her words caused a pang of pain to flare in Ye Feng’s chest.

“Did you hear that, punk? For the sake of this pretty girl, I’m letting you go this once. Get lost!”

The burly man, excited by Zhang Xiaoman’s decision to stay, hurriedly shouted at Ye Feng.

He couldn’t wait for them to leave so he could do whatever he pleased.

“I told you, I don’t need your help!”

Ye Feng snarled coldly through clenched teeth.

“If you can stand it, then stay here. Big brother, I’ll stay with you, but you can’t hurt him!”

Zhang Xiaoman slowly approached the burly man and spoke, placing her hand on his shoulder as she did.

“Don’t worry, I’m a man of my word. Kid, since you won’t leave, stand aside and watch how the master handles things. Learn from an old pro.”

The moment Zhang Xiaoman’s hand touched his shoulder, the burly man became elated.

He pulled her into his arms, sneering with arrogance.

This scene caused Ye Feng’s inner pain to twist violently.

It felt as if a hand was clutching his heart, suffocating him completely.

The pain in his abdomen faded in comparison.

The agony in his heart was overwhelming.

Lin Yao and the others remained silent, understanding how much Ye Feng was suffering.

Physical pain combined with emotional torment was a burden few could bear.

“You’re not helping me; you’re torturing me!”

Ye Feng’s voice trembled as he spoke.

She had already betrayed him—so why did his heart ache so deeply at this sight?

“We’re no longer connected. What’s the point of talking about torture? Just leave!”

Hearing the word “torture,” Zhang Xiaoman’s delicate body visibly shivered.

But then her tone turned icy cold.

Before she finished speaking, the burly man suddenly let out a sharp, agonized scream, shattering the tense atmosphere.

Zhang Xiaoman swiftly pushed him away, a scene that shocked everyone present.

Unbeknownst to all, she had somehow taken the dagger from his hand.

More importantly, the dagger was now plunged deep into his chest.

Judging by the depth, it had pierced his heart.

Everyone gasped in disbelief.

Zhang Xiaoman’s intention was not to sleep with him, but to seize the opportunity to kill him.

Could a mere student really do such a thing?

Though her face was pale and her body trembled violently, the determination in her eyes showed no regret.

Not a trace of fear could be seen in her gaze despite the gravity of her act.

Ye Feng saw everything clearly.

Though it wasn’t something he couldn’t accept, this scene chilled him to the bone.

Could it be that Wang Qiang’s death had triggered this change in her?

Was money truly that powerful?

Or was he simply no match for Wang Qiang?

For a moment, especially witnessing this scene, he wasn’t afraid—he was shocked.

Zhang Xiaoman’s transformation made her seem like a stranger to him.

“Take good care of yourself. I hope we can all get out of here safely in the end.”

Zhang Xiaoman said this as she stumbled out of the cave.

Her lonely, fragile silhouette stirred a sudden pang of tenderness within him.

“Howl~”

At that moment, a wolf’s howl echoed, snapping everyone back to reality.

“Ye Feng, how are you feeling? This place isn’t safe; we need to leave quickly.”

Chen Jing immediately spoke.

The woman and the young man exchanged a glance and silently slipped away.

Now, only a few of them remained, along with the barely breathing burly man.

“I’m afraid I can’t go very far. Don’t worry about me—just leave quickly!”

Hearing the wolves howling louder, Ye Feng gritted his teeth and urged the women to move.

“We’re not leaving you behind. We go together, or we die together!”

Lin Yao declared boldly.

No one dared to argue.

They all knew how many times Ye Feng had saved them.

Now that he was in trouble, they couldn’t abandon him.

“Climb onto the rock! Wolves can’t climb up there.”

Chen Jing looked up and quickly instructed.

“I’ll go first and use a rope to pull you all up!”

With that, Chen Jing headed outside.

The rock inside the cave was about five meters high, with only smaller stones around a meter tall nearby—still far from the top.

But Chen Jing, already having a plan, was calm as she approached a large tree beside the rock.

Under everyone’s astonished eyes, Chen Jing wrapped her arms around the tree, which was just thick enough for her to embrace.

Then, she squeezed her legs tightly around the trunk, exerting strength in all four limbs, and began climbing upwards.

This scene caused Ye Feng, pale and wide-eyed, to stare in disbelief.

At that moment, he suddenly wished he were a tree.

Being held so tightly, feeling such close contact and friction—how fortunate the tree must feel!