Chapter 22: Fuming with Rage

Seeing Cheng Xiangyu preparing to follow him, Lin Feng said, "Your leg is injured and you have limited mobility. Why are you coming along?"

Cheng Xiangyu held up a tree branch and said, "It's fine. I can use this branch as a crutch, and your medicine is quite effective—I already feel much better."

Lin Feng replied, "Fine, suit yourself."

With that, he walked ahead without any intention of helping her. Cheng Xiangyu sighed to herself, realizing that this man truly lacked any sense of tenderness toward women. However, she did not ask him to come back and support her. Instead, she followed behind, using the branch as a makeshift crutch.

The branch was barely a substitute for a crutch, and the terrain in the jungle was particularly difficult to navigate.

"Ah!"

Before long, she tripped and fell to the ground, letting out a cry of pain. Lin Feng heard her and initially wanted to ignore it. But then he remembered that Cheng Xiangyu no longer displayed the spoiled temper of a wealthy heiress; she had become obedient and still had some utility.

He turned back, helped her up, and grumbled, "I really don't know why you insisted on following me!"

By now, Cheng Xiangyu had begun to understand Lin Feng’s temperament. Hearing his words, she didn't feel offended, but instead apologized repeatedly. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to help, but I ended up being a burden. Thank you for helping me up."

True to form, Lin Feng’s complaints ceased upon hearing this, replaced by a note of concern: "Did you hurt yourself?"

Cheng Xiangyu waved her hand with a smile. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Actually, I still want to go see. Could you support me and we can go together?"

Looking at her expectant expression, Lin Feng found it hard to refuse. He nodded and agreed, "Alright."

He then supported her as they walked toward the pond. To provide better support, he reached out and held her by the waist. For a moment, Cheng Xiangyu froze, feeling subconsciously uneasy, but she said nothing in the end, her face turning bright red with shyness.

Eventually, Lin Feng helped her reach the edge of the pond. Seeing the patch of houttuynia, Cheng Xiangyu realized it was just as Lin Feng had said—trampled into the muddy soil and ruined beyond recovery. Her brows knitted together in distress. She wondered how she could possibly persuade Lin Feng to let the others join them after such a display of recklessness by Wang Xingyu.

Seeing the destroyed plants again, Lin Feng felt even more irritated. He looked at He Tiantian and Wang Xingyu in the pond and noticed that a large gap had been dug into the downstream side, allowing a massive amount of water to drain away.

Not only that, but the water remaining in the pond had been churned into a murky mess. Furious, he roared, "Why is there such a large gap in the pond? Is it not enough that you destroyed my food? Did you have to ruin my freshwater supply as well?"

Cheng Xiangyu looked over and saw that it was indeed as Lin Feng had described. She furrowed her brows deeply, filled with anxiety and worry, thinking that with things having turned out this way, even if she had a hundred tongues, she could never convince Lin Feng now.

He Tiantian quickly offered an explanation: "Lin Feng, you’ve misunderstood. We didn’t intend to ruin your water; we just saw fish in there and wanted to catch them."

Wang Xingyu hurriedly chimed in, "That’s right, we were just trying to catch fish. Please, hurry and pull us out!"

Cheng Xiangyu breathed a sigh of relief. "So you were just trying to catch fish!"

Lin Feng snorted, "Nonsense. Do you think I don't know whether there are fish in this pond? Besides, you saw me drawing water from here to drink. Even if there were fish, you don't jump into a drinking water source to catch them, just as you wouldn't fish in a well."

"You clearly destroyed this freshwater resource on purpose so I wouldn't have anything to drink."

"This is water you could have drunk too! Why would you sabotage it?"

"And don't dream of me pulling you out!"

"Let’s go, Cheng Xiangyu. We’re leaving!"

With that, he prepared to lead her away. Cheng Xiangyu, however, pushed his hand away. "You go if you want, but I cannot stand by and watch people die. Even with my injured leg, I will find a way to save them."

Lin Feng was speechless, thinking that she could barely look after herself, yet she wanted to play the savior? More importantly, he didn't believe Cheng Xiangyu was truly acting out of kindness, but rather trying to curry favor with Wang Xingyu due to his status. This wealthy heiress, much like He Tiantian, was just another snob.

"Fine, save them if you want. I won't be involved." Lin Feng left her with those words and walked away.

Seeing him actually walk off, Cheng Xiangyu grew anxious and whispered to He Tiantian and Wang Xingyu, "What are you two waiting for? Why don't you apologize to Lin Feng and humble yourselves? Do you really expect me to be able to pull you out?"

He Tiantian immediately called out, "Lin Feng, don't go! I was wrong. Please, come save me!"

Wang Xingyu also scrambled to say, "Brother Lin, Brother Feng, I was wrong. I shouldn't have destroyed the houttuynia or the pond. Please, come save me!"

Lin Feng, however, did not even look back as he continued walking.

Seeing this, the two in the pond complained, "Cheng Xiangyu, what good did it do to tell us to apologize?"

Cheng Xiangyu explained, "Lin Feng doesn't just want an apology. He wants you to agree to follow his lead and obey his instructions. He doesn't want to support freeloaders; he expects you to help with the work."

Wang Xingyu’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you joking? Expect me to take orders from him? Who does he think he is? Does he think he’s worthy of commanding me?"

He Tiantian shook her head repeatedly, echoing his sentiment: "I can't do that either."

Cheng Xiangyu rolled her eyes in frustration. "Do you want to be rescued or not? If not, stay in that pond and wait to die."

With that, she turned to leave, leaning on her branch.

Only then did Wang Xingyu panic. He shouted, "Lin Feng! If you save me, you will be my big brother from now on! I’ll listen to everything you say. Whatever you tell me to do, I’ll do it!"

He Tiantian quickly followed suit, "Me too, Lin Feng! I'll do whatever you say!"

Lin Feng stopped in his tracks. If these people were willing to listen and work properly, they could still be of some use. However, he remained furious over their destruction of his food and water, so he kept moving forward.

Seeing that Lin Feng was wavering, Cheng Xiangyu urged, "Lin Feng, just save them! Think about it—Wang Xingyu is the son of the City Lord. If you save him, you're sure to receive rewards later. And take He Tiantian; she’s the best friend of your girlfriend. Can you really bear to watch something happen to her?"

Wang Xingyu added quickly, "That's right, Lin Feng! If anything happens to He Tiantian, your girlfriend will definitely be upset."

He Tiantian added, "Lin Feng, you’re on your own, and it won't be easy to find Qin Meng. If you have us to help, it will be a different story."

These words finally swayed Lin Feng. He stopped and walked back to the edge of the pond. "Are you telling the truth? If I pull you out, you’ll treat me as your big brother and obey my every command? You’ll do whatever I tell you to do?"

He Tiantian and Wang Xingyu agreed instantly, "Yes, yes, we will listen to you!"

In reality, however, Wang Xingyu felt nothing of the sort. He remained indignant, wondering why he, a noble son of the City Lord, should have to take orders from an ordinary person like Lin Feng.