Chapter 28

Ye Qingfeng and Anbi walked together toward the Light Reflection Square; whenever he passed any cat, it would rush over and circle around him—clearly the effect of the Animal Charm Body he had drawn last night.

Ye Qingfeng wasn’t particularly bothered by this; though every step required caution, lest he accidentally step on one of the little cats.

Anbi, rarely showing interest, occasionally pulled Ye Qingfeng to stop and crouched down to play with the cats.

Occasionally, some shy strangers would sneak glances at Ye Qingfeng, and a few bold ones even came over to strike up conversation.

Eventually, Ye Qingfeng grew so annoyed he voluntarily turned off the Animal Charm Body’s effect.

The animals gathered at his feet scattered instantly; after that, neither of them spoke a word, slowly making their way to the park.

At this hour, those with regular jobs had already gone to work, and lunchtime was still far off—there wouldn’t be nearly as many people as on holidays.

“Is the park empty?”

Ye Qingfeng frowned at the deserted park; he remembered parks always had at least a few people, no matter the time.

“Old people come for morning exercises, children come to play at night,” Anbi said flatly, looking at Ye Qingfeng. “Unlike us idlers, who show up at the park in the morning.”

“Even though what Anbi says is true...” Ye Qingfeng winced at her serious expression, “but... never mind...”

Tired... don’t wanna talk anymore...

“So why did you bring me to the park?” Anbi glanced around, voice calm. “To train on these machines?”

“Exactly!” Ye Qingfeng glanced at Anbi in surprise, hands on hips, chest out, head high. “We’re here to train!”

“...Let’s go back.” Anbi’s expressionless face showed rare exasperation; she turned and walked away without hesitation.

“Wait! Wait a minute!”

Ye Qingfeng grabbed Anbi’s wrist, blurting out in panic, “I want you to spar with me! That’s right!”

“You want me to spar with you?” Anbi slowly turned her head, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.

Though she didn’t understand, Ye Qingfeng had said it himself.

“Alright.”

The moment Anbi spoke, a straight punch shot out like lightning, striking Ye Qingfeng squarely on the face.

“What?!” Ye Qingfeng staggered backward several steps, clutching his swollen cheek, staring at Anbi in disbelief. “You...?”

Anbi clearly had no intention of talking; she lunged forward again in one swift step.

“I’m fighting you now! You’re totally disrespecting me!”

The sun had quietly risen to its zenith; Ye Qingfeng lay sprawled on the ground, face battered and bruised.

Anbi said as she walked away, “Sparring done.”

She was now out of Ye Qingfeng’s line of sight.

“Ow ow ow.” Ye Qingfeng struggled to his feet, lifting his shirt to see his body covered in red and purple bruises, face twisted in pain. “Wait—I can’t beat a Hollow with bare hands, I accept that!”

“But why does Anbi treat me like I’m a training dummy?!” he complained bitterly. “This close-combat skill feels fake!”

『System! What’s the point of this close-combat skill I drew?』

【Ding! The reward you received is genuine. If you have issues, look to yourself.】

『Who’s slacking off? Qingzhi, come out now!』

Hearing the System’s reply, Ye Qingfeng felt like he was having a heart attack. What do you mean “look to yourself”? Is this my fault? Anbi hits him like he’s frozen—he can’t even counter!

【What? Are you that bored? Did you complete your target? Did your progress meet the standard? You...】

Damn it! Now she doesn’t even pretend anymore! This isn’t even a System anymore! Who’s the boss here?!

『Stop!』 Ye Qingfeng clutched his chest, stumbling backward two steps. 『I’m returning this close-combat skill—it’s fake!』

【Cabbage—! Just train more, okay?】

Hearing Qingzhi’s mocking tone, Ye Qingfeng’s fists clenched instantly.

『I’ve got a System! Why can’t it just make me invincible? What’s the point?!』

【Should I leave then?】

『Cough cough! We can still negotiate, right~』

【I’ll be blunt—except for the Phaethon siblings, you can’t beat anyone.】

“What?” Ye Qingfeng stared in disbelief. “Then what’s the point of this close-combat skill?”

【Is it possible you’re not weak—maybe they’re just too strong?】

“...Wait, they’re all that strong?!” Ye Qingfeng still refused to believe it, rubbing his chin for a long while. 『Last time! That green-haired girl from the Public Security Bureau—I still couldn’t beat her?』

【...Three-seven.】

“I’m seven, she’s three?”

【She takes three minutes. You’re dead in seven.】

Silence... both sides fell quiet.

『Do you think you’re funny? You just have to crush my self-esteem?』

Ye Qingfeng stared blankly at the blue sky, suddenly feeling like crying for no reason.

【Is it possible that unless you’re a one-punch hero, why even bother with close combat?】

“That makes sense!” Ye Qingfeng’s eyes lit up instantly. “I should fight Hollows—not go barehanded against them!”

“Hahahaha, stand down!”

【...I give up... Can’t believe I’m stuck with someone like this... Whatever.】

After realizing this, Ye Qingfeng immediately messaged Nico to ask about the gun purchase progress. After waiting a long time with no reply, he slowly stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes.

“I’m hungry. Let’s find somewhere for lunch.”

Ye Qingfeng whistled as he left the park, remembering Anbi’s earlier departure; he pulled out his phone and messaged her, asking if she wanted to join him for lunch.

As expected, he got no reply for a long time—like a stone dropped into the ocean.

He was starting to suspect Nico and Anbi had conspired together—why wouldn’t either of them reply?

At that moment, Anbi sat glued to the big screen, clutching a bucket of popcorn; Nico lay sprawled on her bed, a glistening strand of saliva dangling from her lips, mumbling, “All these Ding Nis are mine—don’t you dare take them!”

Forget it—food matters more. Let’s see what good restaurants are around here.

He finally entered a ramen shop, ordered an ultra-luxurious bowl of ramen, sat down, and waited quietly, pulling out his phone to message Zhu Yuan.

Seeing her reply almost instantly, he felt an inexplicable sweetness in his chest.

Zhu Yuan is the only one who treats me well... not like those two at home!

True, he sometimes got tricked by Nico, and just now got beaten by Anbi—but he already regarded the Rabbit Hideout as his home.