The Hidden Evil: Villainous Cultivator

e Feng watched them go, he turned back to Bai Shuang , who was standing there, wide-eyed and stunned.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Ye Feng nodded "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... don't get involved with people like him."

She gave him a small smile, though it was clear she was still processing what had just happened. "That was... impressive. You didn't even flinch."

Ye Feng glanced down, his face unreadable.

She didn't say anything more as they sat down, but the air between them felt a little different now. There was a new respect in her eyes. And maybe, just maybe, something else as well. Something that to figure out.

As Ye Feng and Bai Shuang settled into their seats at the table, the cafeteria's usual hum of chatter seemed to fade away. The tension between them, though less than before, still hung in the air like a cloud. Bai Shuang was quiet for a moment, watching Ye Feng, her mind racing over what had just happened.

"Ye Feng…" she started, her voice softer than usual.

"Yeah?" he replied, not meeting her eyes as he started to eat his lunch.

"You, uh, handled that pretty well," she said, fiddling with her water bottle.

Ye Feng gave her a side glance, his expression a little more relaxed now. "I wasn't trying to make a scene, if that's what you're implying."

She raised her eyebrows, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Oh, no, you definitely made a scene, alright." She leaned in a little, her voice teasing. "I think Su Meng's ego is bruised now. Do you know how long it'll take for him to get over that?"

Ye Feng let out a small sigh, leaning back in his chair. "I don't care if he's upset and if he looks for any trouble i will welcome him with open hands"

She nodded thoughtfully, then added with a playful glint in her eye, "Well, I was kind of impressed with how you handled him. Like, you're so calm about everything. No hesitation. I was ready to jump in, but you didn't need anyone else. You just took charge."

Ye Feng looked up at her, a faint flicker of amusement crossing his face. "I wasn't looking for a performance review".

She bit her lip, suppressing another smile. "I don't know… maybe I should start thinking of you as some kind of undercover cool guy."

Ye Feng though for a moment , 'you are close but i am from the opposite camp of undercover guys".

There was a slight smirk on his face now. "I'm not cool," he said, and then added , "And I'm definitely not an undercover anything."

"Sure, sure," She replied, trying to hide her grin. "Keep telling yourself that. But you're making it hard for me to believe you. I mean, you just shut down Su Meng, no problem. That's not something anyone can pull off."

Ye Feng shook his head, "I don't know why you're so fascinated by it. It was a fight. It wasn't some grand moment."

There was a pause, for the first time since they sat down, Ye Feng glanced at her and her face was open, earnest in a way he hadn't expected. It made him uneasy. He wasn't used to being praised, and certainly not like this. But there was something about her honesty that made him feel not to completely ignore her.

They both sat in silence for a moment, the normal noise of the cafeteria seeming to return, but there was a different energy between them now. Ye Feng was still trying to process what had happened, both with Su Meng and the way Bai Shuang was looking at him. It wasn't just the usual playful teasing anymore. Something about her tone, her openness, felt different.

Bai Shuang broke the silence with a lighthearted tone, trying to steer the conversation away from the tension. "You know," she said, grinning again, "I bet you could take on more than just Su Meng. Maybe you should start a club for, like, reformed bullies or something. You'd be the president."

Ye Feng snorted at her suggestion. "Yeah, I'll get right on that," he muttered sarcastically. "You could be the vice president."

"I think I'm more of a 'secretary' type," She replied, laughing. "I'll write down all your 'rules' for handling jerks."

James raised an eyebrow. "Rules, huh? ".

"Well, yeah," she said, nodding seriously, "but that needs to be documented for future reference. You're practically a case study now."

He shook his head, a rare smile pulling at his lips. "You're good"

She leaned back in her seat, her eyes glinting with mischief. "And you're so serious all the time. You've got this thing about you—like you don't care what people think, but you still end up doing the right thing."

Ye Feng met her gaze, his eyes narrowing slightly as if processing her words. "I don't care what people think," he muttered, "but I don't need to make a big deal out of it, either."

She studied him for a moment, her smile softening. "Maybe that's what makes you interesting," she said quietly. "You're like a puzzle and i want to solve it".

James looked away, suddenly uncomfortable under her gaze. "I'm not a puzzle."

"Yeah, sure," she teased, nudging him with her elbow. "But you're a pretty good mystery."

Before he could respond, her phone buzzed on the table, distracting her. She glanced at the screen, then looked up at Ye Feng with a mischievous smile. "i have to take a call, so we will continue in future".

She hesitated, looking at him with a glint of something softer in her eyes. "Thanks again, James. You really did help out. A lot."

Ye Feng nodded, not saying anything more, as he watched her leave.

 It left him thinking as he sat back in his chair, trying to sort through the thoughts inside his mind, he knew that this little incident today is not over and soon he will be dealing with more trouble.