Chapter 036 【First Meeting with Xu Qiang】

After handing the money to Xu Qiang's mother, Gu Feng left the room and arrived at the apartment entrance.

The old man playing the erhu at the door saw Gu Feng but didn't greet him, simply lost in his music.

By now, the sky had gradually darkened. The distant horizon was dyed a deep crimson by the sunset's afterglow, resembling fiery clouds in the distance.

After waiting at the door for about ten minutes, Gu Feng saw Xu Qiang.

Xu Qiang was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and a pair of dirty, worn-out jeans. He carried a takeout container in his hand, his face somewhat pale. As he walked, he kept frowning, dragging his left leg slightly.

Compared to the Xu Qiang in the photo, the real Xu Qiang appeared more mature, especially those indifferent eyes, which made him seem unlike a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old teenager.

"Old man." Xu Qiang glanced at Gu Feng at the door, then greeted the old man playing the erhu.

The old man smiled slightly and said, "Qiang Zai is back. Oh, this guy's looking for you." The old man pointed at Gu Feng as he spoke.

Xu Qiang had noticed Gu Feng sizing him up earlier. Hearing the old man's words now, he stopped and gave Gu Feng an unfriendly look, his tone cold. "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

Gu Feng didn't answer immediately. Instead, his gaze lingered on Xu Qiang's leg. There was a deep, bone-deep knife scar on Xu Qiang's leg, and the blood had stained the pants around the wound. The flesh inside was clearly visible. Moreover, just as Xu Qiang turned, Gu Feng noticed two more wounds on his back, also from knife slashes.

"I'm your new homeroom teacher," Gu Feng said, frowning. "What happened to you?"

"Did you tell my mom about what happened at school?" Hearing the word "teacher," Xu Qiang's eyes went wide, his expression showing a mix of agitation and fear.

Gu Feng seemed to guess something and shook his head. "No."

"Oh." Hearing Gu Feng's answer, Xu Qiang visibly relaxed. Then he looked at Gu Feng and asked, "Why are you looking for me?"

"Take the food upstairs first, then come down. I'll take you to the hospital to get your wounds bandaged," Gu Feng replied, avoiding the question.

Xu Qiang's expression changed, turning cold. "My business is none of your concern."

"Your wounds need immediate treatment. Otherwise, they'll get infected and fester over time. By then, it'll be hard to bandage them," Gu Feng said seriously.

Xu Qiang's steps faltered for a moment, but he didn't turn around.

"If you don't want your mom to find out about what's happening at school, you'd better do as I say," Gu Feng said coldly, seeing that Xu Qiang was ignoring him.

Xu Qiang abruptly turned around, his dark pupils narrowing as he hissed through gritted teeth, "If you dare tell her, I'll kill you!" With that, he walked into the apartment without looking back.

The faint murderous glint in Xu Qiang's eyes surprised Gu Feng. Gu Feng had witnessed real killing intent before, but he never expected a seventeen-year-old kid to possess even a trace of it. Just now, Xu Qiang had seemed like a wolf—a bloodthirsty wolf!

Gu Feng's expression changed several times before he finally couldn't help but ask the old man at the door, "Uncle, do you know what Xu Qiang is doing now?"

"Organized crime," the old man uttered these three words with his eyes closed, his expression unchanged.

Organized crime?

The old man's answer took Gu Feng aback. After that, he didn't ask further. Instead, he stood there frowning, waiting for Xu Qiang to come out.

After a few minutes, Xu Qiang dragged his injured leg out of the apartment. When he saw Gu Feng still standing at the door, his expression shifted, and his previously indifferent eyes also became unreadable.

"I'll pay you back your money at the school in a few days. You can go now," Xu Qiang said as he walked up to Gu Feng.

Gu Feng frowned, staring at this stubborn boy. After a moment's thought, he said, "First, come with me to the nearby hospital. We'll talk after that."

With that, Gu Feng put his arm around Xu Qiang's shoulder. Xu Qiang instinctively struggled but found Gu Feng's hand clamped tightly around his arm like a vise, impossible to break free.

"Let go of me!" Xu Qiang gritted his teeth.

Suddenly, Gu Feng's expression changed, revealing his customary stern expression. "Shut up!"

Xu Qiang's eyes turned cold. He raised his hand as if to strike Gu Feng, but remembering what Gu Feng had said to his mother earlier, he lowered his hand again, allowing Gu Feng to hold his arm.

Earlier, when he returned home, he saw his mother smiling like a child. He had never seen his mother smile like that in all his life. Later, he learned the reason from his mother.

He understood that his mother's happiness was all because of Gu Feng's lie. Although he didn't know why Gu Feng had lied for him, deep down, he was extremely grateful to Gu Feng.

Because he didn't want his mother to know about his current situation.

By now, the sky had completely darkened. Miao Street was even livelier than at dusk. Under the neon lights, vendors flashed their practiced smiles, constantly calling out to passersby. On the street, some children held candied haws on sticks, their faces filled with happy smiles.

Gu Feng had a habit: whenever he went somewhere, he would get a lay of the land. Even though this was his first time on Miao Street, he was already very familiar with its layout. To Xu Qiang's surprise, Gu Feng led him to a private clinic.

"Doctor, please bandage his wounds," Gu Feng said to the only doctor inside as soon as they entered.

"Qiang Zai, got slashed again?" The doctor seemed very familiar with Xu Qiang, greeting him warmly upon seeing him.

Xu Qiang glared fiercely at the doctor and said nothing.

"Take off your clothes. I'll clean your wounds first," the doctor said, seeing Xu Qiang's silence. His smile faded and he stopped joking.

Hearing the doctor's words, Xu Qiang gave Gu Feng a strange look. After hesitating for a moment, he still took off his shirt.

The moment Xu Qiang removed his shirt, even Gu Feng, with his exceptional mental fortitude, was stunned.

Xu Qiang's body wasn't strong. On the contrary, due to some malnutrition, he was skinny. That wasn't why Gu Feng was stunned. Gu Feng was stunned because Xu Qiang's thin body was covered with all kinds of knife scars. Some scars had been stitched, looking like centipedes. Others seemed newer, without stitches, faintly revealing the white, tender flesh inside.

Seeing those countless scars, Gu Feng's heart clenched. He instinctively asked, "Who did this?"

"Who else? Bo Zai and his crew from the Dong Xing Gang, of course," the doctor replied without looking up as he took out tools to clean Xu Qiang's wounds.

"Shut up!" Xu Qiang's expression changed upon hearing the doctor's words, and he snapped.

The doctor seemed somewhat afraid of Xu Qiang. Hearing Xu Qiang's shout, he fell silent and set about bandaging the wounds.

Xu Qiang allowed the doctor to clean his wounds with alcohol. He didn't make a sound of pain, not even frowning.

Gu Feng watched as Xu Qiang broke out in a cold sweat from the pain, his own brows tightly knit together. At that moment, no one knew what was going through his mind.