[It's getting cold, snow has already fallen in the northeast, everyone please stay warm!]

"Look at the state you're in now, actually sitting on the roadside; you're nearly at the point of begging, Young Master Ding. Your appearance, it's simply heartbreaking to see."

Zhang Meijiao claimed to be heartbroken, yet her face showed not the slightest concern; on the contrary, her words seemed to carry a trace of schadenfreude.

"Do you have any business with me? If not, you can leave," Ding Fan said indifferently.

While he was waiting for the bus, Zhang Meijiao was buzzing in his ear like a fly, which made him very uncomfortable.

"Meijiao, who is this person, and why are you talking to him?" At this moment, another somewhat impatient voice came from the car.

The car was a convertible, and from Ding Fan's angle, he could clearly see the face of the man who spoke.

He was a man of at least fifty, but his attire was strikingly modern; his hair was slick and shiny, braided, and he sported a beard. Around his neck hung a thick gold chain.

"Director Zhang, you might not know this person. You should have heard of the prodigal son of the Ding Family, though," Zhang Meijiao said while shamelessly snuggling up to the man old enough to be her father. "That's him over there, isn't it?"

The man known as Director Zhang glanced at Ding Fan with impatience. "So what if he is. A mourning dog isn't worth looking at."

Zhang Meijiao giggled. "Director Zhang, you don't know — back then, he really took good care of me. Director, didn't you just say that your props team needed a watchman for the warehouse? Why not let him take the job?"

Director Zhang was impatient. "Such trivial matters, just do as you please; I don't have time to deal with these strays."

After hearing Director Zhang's words, Zhang Meijiao pressed her body closer, and in front of Ding Fan, she gently kissed Director Zhang's face. "I knew you cared about me the most."

Ding Fan felt nauseous. He got up from the ground; after having had enough rest, he decided to leave directly.

"Eldest Young Master Ding, I, Zhang Meijiao, am someone who repays kindness. Seeing you in such a pitiful state, I can't just ignore you. Director Zhang pities you, so he's letting you watch the props warehouse. You'll get three meals a day, and at the end of the month, you can even earn three hundred yuan.

How about it, am I not treating you well enough?" Zhang Meijiao said with a smiling face to Ding Fan.

Ding Fan's eyebrows furrowed.

Zhang Meijiao continued. "Eldest Young Master Ding, since Director Zhang is helping you, you can't just take it without giving anything in return, right? I see you have nothing on you, so how about this — kneel down and kowtow."

Ding Fan's expression became solemn. Previously, he just thought Zhang Meijiao was a woman, and he didn't want to stoop to her level, but she kept pushing him, now even demanding that he kneel and kowtow to them.

"What's wrong? Young Master Ding, are you angry? However, you better think it through — I am helping you here. You're not the young master of the Ding Family anymore. Kneeling won't cost you an ounce of flesh, and it will secure your food and shelter from now on."

"Scram!" Ding Fan said coldly to Zhang Meijiao.

Three hundred yuan a month, plus three meals a day, was practically like alms for beggars, and now they wanted him to kneel before them. This wasn't help, it was clearly kicking him while he was down, wanting to mock his downfall.

Zhang Meijiao's expression became stern as well. "What's that? Eldest Young Master throwing a tantrum? Take a look in the mirror and see what you've become. A filthy beggar still trying to act tough in my presence."

Zhang Meijiao pulled a stack of hundred-yuan bills from her bag. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance. If you kneel before me and kowtow, I'll give you a hundred for each. Rest assured, even if you kowtow a thousand times, I can afford it."

In Zhang Meijiao's opinion, Ding Fan reeked of gasoline, pale-faced... With the Ding Family's fall from grace, Ding Fan must be desperately in need of money. A hundred yuan for a kowtow was a temptation difficult for anyone to refuse, especially for Ding Fan; she was certain he would comply.

Zhang Meijiao recalled how she had groveled before Ding Fan, serving him like a dog, and it irritated her terribly. Now, she wanted to watch Ding Fan kneel before her as a way to comfort her somewhat twisted pride.

However, contrary to her expectations, Ding Fan didn't even glance at the money in her hand, which took her by surprise. Could it be that this mourning dog wasn't short of money?

"Before, you were just a disgusting bug. Do you think you've become a phoenix on a branch because you found a backer? Whoever fancies someone like you must be going senile."

"Boy, what did you say!" Director Zhang's face turned ugly, and his voice rose.

"Director Zhang, why bother with someone like a mourning dog? He is simply envious. You're an internationally acclaimed director, and what is he? Just a roadside beggar. He's jealous of the fact that you have a beautiful woman like me by your side, whereas he can only cuddle with a rock to sleep..."

After hearing what Zhang Meijiao said, Ding Fan felt disgusted to death.

Beautiful? If Zhou Ruoran regained her looks, Zhang Meijiao wouldn't even come close to one-tenth of her beauty; and besides, even now without her restored face, Zhou Ruoran was still a million times more beautiful than Zhang Meijiao in Ding Fan's heart.

Ding Fan had no time to waste on such a person and turned to leave without paying any more attention.

"Thinking of leaving?" Zhang Meijiao saw Ding Fan turning to leave, and she directly opened the car door and jumped out.

Zhang Meijiao rushed behind Ding Fan and unexpectedly lifted her leg to kick towards his lower back.

Although Ding Fan was weak at the moment, if he were to be kicked by a woman, he might as well smash his head against a block of tofu.

Zhang Meijiao launched a surprise attack from behind, confident that her kick would surely topple Ding Fan, but what she never expected was that just as her foot was about to connect with him, Ding Fan suddenly dodged, avoiding her kick entirely.

Zhang Meijiao's foot missed its target, and she immediately lost her balance. Wearing high heels, she tumbled to the ground, scraping her right cheek and scattering her hair in a disheveled state as she sat on the ground.

"Wow... Assault! Director Zhang, that mourning dog has hit your woman, what are you sitting there for? Aren't you going to quickly take care of this mourning dog?" Zhang Meijiao rolled on the ground, throwing a tantrum.

"Kid, you dared to touch my woman, it seems you truly don't want to live," Director Zhang said as he got out of the car and charged towards Ding Fan.

Director Zhang, priding himself on his imposing stature, thought that with his bulk he could simply crush the slender Ding Fan. He swung his fists and rushed at Ding Fan.

Seeing Director Zhang charging at him, Ding Fan frowned.

Zhang Meijiao had attempted a baseless sneak attack from behind, and he hadn't even touched a finger on her; then this director came forward to fight him. Was he appearing too good-natured?

"Scram!"

Ding Fan was getting angry. He launched a kick straight out.

Ding Fan's kick wasn't particularly strong, but it did hit the reflex point on Director Zhang's right leg. If the timing and placement were precise, that kick could leave the person unable to stand for a year. Without timely treatment, a lifetime in a wheelchair could be the result.

Thump!

Ding Fan seized the opportunity and delivered a decisive kick.

Striking Director Zhang's reflex point was a trivial matter for Ding Fan, far easier than identifying and hitting vital spots.

So when Ding Fan's foot connected, the seemingly robust Director Zhang immediately howled in pain, clutching his right leg as he fell to the ground.

"Kid, don't you dare leave; if I don't kill you today, my surname isn't Zhang!"

Director Zhang, enduring the pain, pulled out his cellphone and decisively dialed the police.

A flicker of murderous intent crossed Ding Fan's eyes.

Ding Fan was aware of his current situation, his cultivation being low, and having offended some people he shouldn't have. If he got arrested for fighting the director, he'd probably be in trouble.

Ding Fan looked around, and for a moment, he contemplated murder. He had already planned to kill both the director and Zhang Meijiao and then hide in the mountains. After all, for a cultivator like him, living in the mountains wasn't a problem. In fact, it might be safer than his current situation.

However, as he looked up, a Range Rover approached from a distance. There were no other cars on the road aside from the Range Rover, and Ding Fan silently calculated, waiting for the vehicle to pass.

Ding Fan resolved to eliminate these two people; not out of cruelty, but necessity, given his low level of cultivation. Any hesitation could cost him his survival.

"Mourning dog, even Director Zhang dares to hit you, even if the Emperor himself came, he couldn't save you today," Zhang Meijiao said through clenched teeth, full of rage.

Ding Fan remained silent, his gaze fixed on the approaching Range Rover as he clenched his fists, the murderous intent in his eyes growing heavier. He was just waiting for the Range Rover to drive away...

Screech!

Just as Ding Fan hoped the Range Rover would quickly pass by, instead of driving past, it came to a stop right next to the red sports car.

A sense of foreboding filled Ding Fan as he quickly calculated his next move. If he delayed, things would definitely turn to his disadvantage. He considered whether to give up on killing Director Zhang and Zhang Meijiao and escape first.

But as Ding Fan weighed his options, two attractive figures stepped out of the Range Rover.