Chapter 2: Childhood Sweethearts

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The front door was being pounded on loudly.

"Who... who is it?" Lin Feng was startled. His almost frenzied state immediately subsided, but the joy from deep within him couldn't be suppressed, and he opened the door with a silly smile.

Frowning and glaring! As soon as the door opened, the face of an extremely angry middle-aged woman appeared before Lin Feng. The unnatural twitching of the muscles on her face clearly showed the rage she was feeling.

Aunt Huang. — Cold sweat broke out on Lin Feng's forehead, and he drew a sharp breath. She was a notorious troublemaker in the neighborhood, not only fierce but also prone to causing trouble. She was one of the few formidable women in the neighborhood and lived right below Lin Feng.

Before his rebirth, ever since his father became paralyzed, the noise from the wheelchair had caused many disputes between the two families. Of course, Lin Feng had lost every single time. One reason was that Lin Feng couldn't argue with the fierce Aunt Huang, and the other was that Aunt Huang had lost her husband early and had to raise her child alone, making life difficult for her. This was why most people in the neighborhood tolerated her.

She was a woman to be feared, and it was best not to offend her. — This was the consensus of everyone in the neighborhood.

"Aunt... Aunt Huang, may I ask what... what is it?" The joy in Lin Feng's heart instantly vanished. Looking at the woman before him, who resembled a demon, Lin Feng felt uneasy, unsure where he had offended this "great deity." Although Aunt Huang was ten years younger than before his rebirth, her temper was still as fiery.

"Brat, what are you doing up there, disturbing my peace? If you make noise again, I'll slap you to death!" Mrs. Huang's mouth fired off like a machine gun, and her fleshy fists hammered on Lin Feng's iron door, making a loud noise. Her voice could be heard even outside the neighborhood.

"Yes... yes..." Lin Feng knew he must have accidentally disturbed the fierce woman downstairs due to his excitement. He didn't dare to argue and quickly apologized.

"Hmph, my daughter Shuqi is in her final year of high school and will be preparing for college next year. If you dare to make noise and disturb Shuqi's studies again, just wait and see what I'll do to you!" After a round of curses and warnings, Mrs. Huang descended the stairs with a murderous look.

What a close call! — Lin Feng quickly closed the door. Aunt Huang was truly terrifying, living up to her reputation as the "neighborhood tyrant."

However, after Aunt Huang's outburst, Lin Feng also remembered the little girl who used to follow him around with her ponytail. Thinking about it, Huang Shuqi was now 16 years old, just entering her final year of high school, and would face the most important exam of her life next year — the college entrance exam.

In his memory, Huang Shuqi had gone to a good university. After she was admitted, Aunt Huang had thrown a grand banquet, inviting everyone in the neighborhood who had any connection. Lin Feng was naturally included, as the two families had been neighbors for over a decade.

Actually, the relationship between the two families had always been good. Since Huang Shuqi's family was a single-parent household and Aunt Huang had to work, she often couldn't take care of Shuqi, so Shuqi frequently played at Lin Feng's house until Aunt Huang came home. The two had always been close, and Aunt Huang felt at ease letting Shuqi play at Lin Feng's house, which also lightened her burden.

However, after Lin Feng failed the college entrance exam in 1998, Aunt Huang's attitude towards him seemed to have changed 180 degrees, and she no longer allowed Shuqi to visit Lin Feng. One day, Lin Feng passed by Aunt Huang's house and learned the reason. It turned out that Aunt Huang believed that Lin Feng, who hadn't gone to college, was no good and that if Shuqi continued to associate with him, she might be influenced negatively. After learning the reason, Lin Feng never went to see Shuqi again, and the two gradually grew distant.

A few minutes later.

"Knock, knock, knock!" A light knocking sound came from the door.

"Who is it?" Lin Feng frowned. Who could be here again?

"It's me, Shuqi, Big Brother Xiaofeng." A deliberately lowered voice came from outside the door.

Shuqi? — Lin Feng was slightly stunned. He hadn't seen her for ten years. He wondered what the little girl looked like now and if she was still as chubby as before. Before his rebirth, Lin Feng occasionally thought about Huang Shuqi and often imagined what she would look like as an adult, whether she would be as fierce as Aunt Huang.

Moved by the thought, Lin Feng quickly opened the door.

As soon as the door opened, Lin Feng felt a bright light. In his memory, the round, chubby face that looked so inviting to pinch had become much slimmer, with a delicate, oval shape. She was now as tall as Lin Feng's nose, a stark contrast to the shoulder-high, chubby Shuqi he remembered. The current Huang Shuqi had grown into a beautiful young woman.

Elegant and graceful, with a small, cherry-like mouth, she was charming and adorable. — This was Lin Feng's only evaluation of Huang Shuqi. Instinctively, he wanted to reach out and touch her forehead as he used to, but he remembered that Shuqi was no longer the little girl she once was, and such an action would be inappropriate.

He smiled wistfully and put his hand down.

"Big Brother Xiaofeng..." Shuqi pursed her lips, shook her cute little head from side to side, and suddenly giggled, pointing at Lin Feng's lips, "Stubble!"

Lin Feng was taken aback and instinctively touched his face, feeling a thin layer of stubble. Before he could react, a delicate finger suddenly reached out and lightly tapped his stubble several times.

"It's so prickly!" Shuqi quickly withdrew her finger, frowning and blowing on her red lips.

Lin Feng's face twisted awkwardly. Didn't this little girl know that was flirting? But seeing Shuqi's innocent, cute frown, it was clear she didn't realize how inappropriate her actions were. For a moment, as Shuqi's finger touched his stubble, Lin Feng felt a strange stirring in his body.

Shuqi, unaware of the many thoughts racing through Lin Feng's mind, blew on her finger again and pouted, extending her smooth finger once more, as if she wanted to tap his stubble again.

"No..." Lin Feng was startled and took a few steps back, looking embarrassed. — This little girl, did she not know the difference between men and women? Although they had grown up together, Lin Feng had always treated Shuqi like a younger sister, and her actions were too intimate.

Moreover, the current Shuqi was no longer the chubby girl she used to be. Her innocent smile, intimate actions, the scent of a young woman, and her well-developed body made Lin Feng feel a man's natural excitement, and the devil in his heart began to stir.

"Hmph!" Shuqi pouted, her right hand still in the position of reaching out, seemingly unhappy that she couldn't touch Lin Feng's new stubble again.

Sweat! — Lin Feng didn't understand why this little girl was so interested in his new stubble.

"Right, Shuqi, why are you here? Didn't Aunt Huang say anything? You're in your final year of high school, you should focus on your studies and prepare for the college entrance exam next year." Lin Feng quickly redirected Shuqi's attention from his new stubble.

"Oh, right." Shuqi lightly tapped her forehead, stuck out her tongue, and playfully hit Lin Feng, "It's all because of Big Brother Xiaofeng, you almost made me forget why I came."

Lin Feng inwardly called her a demon. Every move she made exuded a woman's charm, and the lingering innocence made Huang Shuqi even more alluring.

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End of Chapter 2