Chapter 5

With a loud bang, Zhou Shengda's office immediately fell silent. Both Yang Feng and Zhou Shengda stared in shock at the computer monitor, CPU, and the office desk that had been split in two, lying on the ground.

Zhou Shengda's eyes almost bulged out of his head, while Yang Feng raised his right hand and examined it from all angles, as if it were the first time he had ever seen his own palm clearly.

After a long while, Zhou Shengda, his face pale, stammered and pointed at Yang Feng, shouting, "You, Yang Feng... You... You dare to damage company property!"

Yang Feng's reaction was not slow. After the shock, he immediately declared that he would not take the blame. Although Zhou Shengda's desk was not of the highest quality, it was still worth a couple of thousand yuan. He quickly defended himself, "What damage? I wasn't the only one who hit the desk, you did too! Maybe the desk was of poor quality and was about to fall apart anyway. Why don't you call everyone in to judge who is at fault?"

The argument ended with both of them staring at each other, unable to reach a conclusion. After all, the idea of someone splitting a solid desk with a single slap was too fantastical. It's not like he was some martial arts master from a hidden village.

The result of arguing with his boss and breaking his desk was... an hour later, Yang Feng walked out of the Dalitong Logistics Company's gate, carrying a cardboard box.

Yang Feng was fired, and that was that. But the only silver lining was that Zhou Shengda not only paid him his full salary for the previous month but also gave him two months' salary as compensation. Zhou Shengda had considered finding a reason to withhold Yang Feng's salary, but in the end, he paid him as required. After all, when he came to his senses, Zhou Shengda was also quite frightened. He knew better than anyone whether the desk, which had been in use for several years, was of poor quality.

That desk was a solid wood desk he had personally selected, and it was very sturdy. The sight of Yang Feng splitting the desk with a single slap was too terrifying. If he really pushed Yang Feng to the limit and the latter retaliated, his small frame would not be any sturdier than the desk. It would be foolish to save the company money at the cost of his own injury.

As Yang Feng was about to wait for the bus, he heard a voice calling him before he even reached the intersection.

"Yang Feng... wait a moment..."

Yang Feng turned around and saw Xu Jie, dressed in a simple business suit, running towards him from the company gate. When she reached him, she immediately reached out and pinched his arm hard.

"You little rascal, why didn't you tell me you were fired? I could have pleaded on your behalf!"

"Ouch... it hurts!" Yang Feng laughed bitterly and quickly begged for mercy, "Xu Jie, you know my temper. The last thing I want to do is beg someone. Besides, Zhou Shengda has had it in for me for a long time. Even if you pleaded, it wouldn't have made much difference. Besides, it's good to have a change. The world is so big, I can take this opportunity to travel around."

"Travel around... you'll probably just wander around your Qingxiu neighborhood. I've known you for so many years, do you think I don't know you?"

Xu Jie, frustrated with him, poked his forehead with her slender finger. Since Yang Feng joined the company three years ago, she had been very concerned about the then nineteen-year-old boy. She often liked to "bully" him, perhaps because he reminded her of her late younger brother. As soon as she heard that Yang Feng was fired, she rushed out of her office.

Yang Feng grabbed Xu Jie's finger poking his forehead and laughed bitterly, "Xu Jie, stop poking. If you poke me any more, I'll turn stupid, and you'll have to take care of me for the rest of my life."

"Useless, how can a woman support a man? It should be the other way around... tsk tsk tsk... you little rascal, how dare you take advantage of me!" Realizing she had let this much younger guy take advantage of her, she was so embarrassed that she reached out to pinch his ear.

Yang Feng dodged and grabbed her hand, laughing bitterly, "Xu Jie, this is the company gate. You need to watch your image."

Xu Jie turned her head and saw that several people on the street were looking at them curiously. Realizing this, she noticed that he was still holding her right hand. Her fair face turned red, and she gritted her teeth, "Let go of my hand."

"Uh... okay."

Yang Feng looked down and realized how close they were. A faint fragrance of mature womanhood wafted over. Blushing, he quickly let go of Xu Jie's hand and took a few steps back, creating some distance. An awkward silence settled between them.

After a few moments of hesitation, Yang Feng finally said, "Xu Jie, if there's nothing else, I'll go home first. I'll treat you to a meal when I have the chance."

Although Xu Jie's face was still flushed, she couldn't help but laugh, "Sure, your salary barely covers your expenses, and now you've lost your job. You should save your money until you find a new one. If you have any difficulties in the coming days, call me. I can't help with big things, but I can help with small ones."

"Thank you, Xu Jie. But don't worry. For someone as handsome as me, finding a new job will be easy!" Yang Feng puffed out his chest.

"Ha!" Xu Jie was amused. She looked at Yang Feng closely, her eyes showing a hint of surprise, "You know, I've noticed that your skin has become much whiter in the past few days. You really do look quite handsome."

"Of course, who am I? The first handsome man at Dalitong Company!"

Yang Feng put on a self-assured look, making Xu Jie laugh uncontrollably.

"Well... I'll go back now. It's cold outside, don't catch a cold."

"Okay, go back. Call me if you have any problems!"

After a few more words, they waved goodbye to each other.

Forty minutes later, Yang Feng pushed open the door of his rented apartment, threw the cardboard box on the ground, and plopped down in a chair. Although it was still cold, Yang Feng felt a small flame burning in his heart. Today's events made him realize that in this money-driven society, a penniless, powerless person living at the bottom of society could only be at the mercy of others.

Thinking about what had happened, Yang Feng felt both anger towards Zhou Shengda and his nephew and gratitude towards Xu Jie. Having lived alone since junior high school and struggled in society for several years, Yang Feng knew very well who was sincere and who was not. He was truly grateful to this beautiful and kind woman, and he also sensed that their relationship was growing closer. However, Yang Feng was very clear about his own situation and was trying to avoid such a development. Now that he had left the company, he would probably have few opportunities to see her in the future.

Thinking about this, Yang Feng felt a bit disheartened. Having drifted alone in this city for so long, he cherished his friendship with Xu Jie, but he knew that this friendship would likely fade and eventually disappear over time.

However, Yang Feng was not the type to wallow in self-pity. He quickly adjusted his mood and began to consider his future.

With the improvement in living standards, the rent in Nanjing had also started to rise. For example, the one-bedroom apartment Yang Feng rented, which was less than twenty square meters, cost him four hundred yuan per month, plus utilities, which already took up a third of his salary. With his daily expenses, he spent at least a thousand yuan a month. If he didn't find a new job soon, the money in his bank account would not last long.

Thinking about his low educational level, Yang Feng felt a headache. In an era where bachelor's degrees were as common as dogs and master's degrees were everywhere, even the cleaning lady had an associate's degree. Finding a stable and satisfactory job was no easy task. For someone with only a high school education like Yang Feng, the options were limited: either go south to the Pearl River Delta to work in a factory or do manual labor. Unless you had connections, good job opportunities would be out of reach.

Feeling frustrated, Yang Feng slammed his fist on the table beside him.

"Bang..."

A dull sound was followed by a series of cracking noises. The table, which Yang Feng used for meals, collapsed and fell to the ground, raising a cloud of dust that enveloped him.

"Cough... cough... cough..."

After a while, a coughing sound broke the silence. Yang Feng looked at the table he had broken and then at his fist, completely stunned. He didn't use much force, so how did the table break again? Wait... why did he say "again"? Right, Zhou Shengda's desk also broke like that today. Could it be that he had become a martial arts master after returning from the past?

Thinking about the word "return," Yang Feng fell silent. The days he spent in the Ming Dynasty were still fresh in his mind, especially the two days when he could only eat coarse vegetables and corn cakes that would only be fed to pigs in modern times. The memory made his stomach churn.

"The Ming Dynasty is too dangerous. There are no police to protect you, and you are an illegal resident without a travel permit. If you go back, you might not even survive."

"But no, it's a virgin land waiting to be developed. A travel permit is nothing; in modern times, you can easily get an ID card if you have money. In the Ming Dynasty, it would be even easier. If you can get some good goods from there and bring them back to the present, you could become rich quickly!"

Sitting in the chair, Yang Feng was torn, lost in deep thought...