Family and Malice

The handover at the supermarket went very smoothly.

Aunt He, carefree as ever, praised the young man for being punctual before driving off in her black car.

Chen Feng changed into the red employee vest and once again stood behind the checkout counter.

Because of the two-shift rotation, Aunt Zhang was taking the evening shift today, working alongside him.

As for Li Hongxia, under Chen Feng's surprised gaze, she slipped into a yellow delivery driver's jacket, mounted an electric scooter with an insulated box, put on her helmet, and hurried away.

"Sister Xia, she..." Chen Feng asked instinctively.

"Ah, off to deliver food."

Shaking her head, Aunt Zhang explained, "Hongxia's husband died of illness a couple years back. Her daughter's in her second year of high school and just signed up for a bunch of extra classes."

"For the kid's sake, she's really pushing herself."

There was a hint of sympathy in her tone, and Chen Feng understood.

"By the way, Xiao Feng, which university did you go to?"

With few customers in the supermarket at the moment, Aunt Zhang was rearranging items on the shelves and felt like chatting.

"South River Business College."

Chen Feng answered truthfully, tidying up the checkout counter as he talked.

That was the ordinary undergraduate university the original body had barely scraped into. He'd studied hotel management back then, but it never came to anything.

"Oh? That place."

"My son teaches at South River University of Finance and Economics nearby. Looks like we have some connection."

Aunt Zhang enjoyed striking up conversations—at least, that's how Chen Feng saw it.

He nodded lightly, responding half-heartedly.

Time passed, gradually reaching six in the evening.

During that stretch, quite a few customers came in to buy things, and his phone buzzed several times.

Only after getting through a small rush did he have a moment to spare, unlocking his phone to check the messages.

Three in total.

[Eternal Class 9—Class Monitor (Wang Hanwen): @everyone, classmates, you should all be graduated by now, right? How about we get together sometime?]

The first message—Chen Feng glanced at it once, then muted the group chat.

This was the original body's high school class group.

Maybe there were friends he'd gotten along with before, but after four years of university, most had stopped keeping in touch.

Besides, he wasn't the original body, so he had no desire to engage with these people further.

[Red Country Communications: Your account balance is insufficient to cover next month's deduction. To avoid service suspension and arrears, please top up promptly.]

The second message—Red Country Communications was one of only two telecom companies in the country.

Chen Feng skimmed it, planning to top up fifty yuan later.

[Chen Yun: Xiao Feng, the Sanshou class at the Martial Arts Hall should be ending soon. Do you still want to renew?]

[If you want to renew, I'll transfer the money to you. Smile jpg.]

The last message was from Chen Yun.

Chen Feng's eyes flickered briefly, and he finally tapped the nine-key keyboard to reply.

"No need."

He had a job now. If he really wanted to renew, he could pay for it himself.

Besides, if he could become a Core Disciple, the Martial Arts Hall's courses would be free.

[Chen Yun: Okay.]

[Oh, and today I talked to my advisor. I asked him to help find you a job, and he said no problem.]

[Are you free this weekend? I think we should treat him to a meal to thank him. What do you think?]

The message appeared again, and Chen Feng raised an eyebrow.

He Did Not Expect Chen Yun to be so proactive.

He had to admit, she was really good to the original body. Chen Feng remembered that when he first transmigrated here, because of a fever, Chen Yun had even taken several days off to come back and take care of him, never leaving his side.

But...

Glancing at the supermarket, and thinking about how he still had to balance his boxing practice, Chen Feng considered it. At least for a Short Period of Time, the job wasn't so urgent anymore.

As for the future, once his Sanshou progress improved, he could go for a combat ranking certificate, apply to be a Martial Arts Hall coach, or even enter boxing matches.

Making a living would be more than enough.

With that in mind, he weighed his words and sent a message: "I've already found a job. No need to trouble Teacher Li anymore."

He remembered that Chen Yun's advisor was named Teacher Li, a refined middle-aged man whom the original body had met twice and found decent enough.

Beep-beep!

Soon, his phone vibrated—it was Chen Yun calling.

After two seconds of silence, and since there weren't many customers at the moment, Chen Feng finally chose to answer.

"Xiao Feng, when did you find a job? Can you tell me what it is?"

The voice on the other end was gentle, exactly as he remembered Chen Yun's voice.

Chen Feng thought for a moment, didn't hide anything, and quickly explained how he'd come to be a cashier.

He also deliberately mentioned that he'd shown talent in boxing, caught the coach's attention, and wanted to seriously pursue that path in the future, not wanting to be distracted by other work.

"Talent in boxing? I knew you could do it."

There was no suspicion, no reproach for not telling her about the job sooner.

Chen Yun on the other end not only laughed happily but also encouraged him:

"If you want to keep training in boxing, then go for it. Your sister supports you, but promise me you won't get hurt, okay?"

"Okay." Chen Feng nodded, holding the phone between his ear and shoulder as he scanned a bottle of water for a customer.

"Since that coach appreciates you so much, you should thank him properly."

"I'll transfer you another thousand in a bit. Buy him a gift, and keep the rest for yourself to get some nutritious food."

Chen Yun spoke gently. For some reason, even though he was just a transmigrator whose soul had long since replaced the original, Chen Feng still felt a deep warmth and closeness.

"No need to transfer. I have a job now, so I've got money for now."

"But what about Teacher Li? He won't blame you, will he?"

Chen Feng thought of Chen Yun's advisor.

After all, Chen Yun had asked him for help, and he might have already started pulling strings.

Now that Chen Feng was refusing, if things weren't handled well, he worried it might create a rift between them and make things difficult for Chen Yun.

"Don't worry, I'll handle it."

Chen Yun said with a gentle laugh, then went on to talk about her own life at school.

She and her advisor were currently researching a special metal project. If it succeeded, she had a good chance of staying at the research institute, maybe even getting a better position.

Most of the time, she did the talking, and Chen Feng just listened quietly.

People came and went outside the supermarket. Through the glass window, the sky was growing dark, neon lights flickering everywhere.

Finally, someone called out to Chen Yun on her end. She gave a few more reminders and hung up.

Buzz!

[Chen Yun transferred 1,000 yuan to you!]

[Chen Yun: Take it, okay? Remember to buy a gift for your coach! Smiley jpg.]

"Honestly."

With a helpless smile, Chen Feng knew that if he didn't accept, she wouldn't let it go.

He silently accepted the transfer, put down his phone, and looked out at the bustling traffic on the street, letting out a slow breath.

Having a family member like this... wasn't so bad.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Chen Feng smiled, realizing he had already adapted to this world.

Tap-tap!

Then, footsteps sounded as another customer entered.

Chen Feng pulled his thoughts back and looked along the flow.

Two men in baseball caps and masks, wearing black jackets even in the middle of summer, their faces hidden.

Their eyes met, and Chen Feng raised an eyebrow.

Because he clearly sensed a strong wave of malice.