Ding Fan swept his Divine Sense backward, tracking the person behind him, a woman, but to his surprise, he knew her.

It was Ru Ling, the girl he had saved on the long-distance coach when he was heading to Immortal Peak Primeval Forest. At that time, Ru Ling's companion, Jin Luoshan, had turned tail, watching as Ru Ling was about to be taken away. Ding Fan had stepped in to save her. Had he not intervened, Ru Ling might well have been violated by now.

Since the person following him was Ru Ling, there was no need for Ding Fan to hide. Finding a concealed spot, he stood still and waited for Ru Ling to come.

"Brother Fan, it really is you—I thought I was seeing things…" When Ru Ling saw Ding Fan, she couldn't suppress the joy in her heart.

After being rescued, Ru Ling had been trying to find Ding Fan. If it weren't for him, her fate would have been terribly bleak. No matter how much she inquired, she found no news about him; she later even heard that Ding Fan's house had caught fire. She was free today and wanted to visit, not expecting to actually find Ding Fan.

"Do you have something you need from me?" Ding Fan asked, not showing much warmth, speaking indifferently.

Ru Ling was taken aback. Although she wasn't as beautiful as Lin Qingqing, she was still someone pursued by many in a crowd. It was rare for her to be treated so coolly.

And upon hearing Ding Fan's question, she was also stunned. Why was she looking for Ding Fan? It was only now that Ru Ling realized she'd never thought about what specific reason she had.

"Thank you... thank you for rescuing me…"

Ru Ling hesitated for a moment before speaking.

When she said this, she felt somewhat uncomfortable in her heart. Was she looking for Ding Fan just to say thanks? She felt that wasn't all; there was an emptiness inside her. Could it be because Ding Fan's tone was too detached?

Naturally, Ding Fan knew what Ru Ling was referring to—the incident on the bus where he had stepped in to help.

"I couldn't just stand by and do nothing; it was merely something I did on a whim. You needn't dwell on it," Ding Fan said, his tone still even.

Ding Fan was not merely being polite; had it not been for Ru Ling's plea for help in that critical moment, he would've certainly not gotten involved.

Now with his cultivation not being high, he had no need to risk his life for someone he didn't know.

"Do you have any other matters?" Ding Fan asked, seeing that Ru Ling was silent now.

Ru Ling shook her head slightly. Every girl has an image of a hero in her heart, and since Ding Fan had saved her, Ru Ling often felt fortunate, as if a scene of a hero saving a damsel would happen to her too.

But what she didn't expect was Ding Fan's indifferent attitude toward her.

Ding Fan glanced at Ru Ling, then turned to leave. But just as he was about to turn away, Ru Ling seemed to remember something.

"Oh, Brother Fan, Sister Rui has been looking for you, and she seems to have an urgent matter."

Xu Rui? Ding Fan recalled the spoiled and unruly Xu Rui. He didn't understand why Xu Rui would be seeking him out.

"What does she want with me?"

"I'm not sure what it's about. Brother Fan, Sister Rui seemed very anxious. If you have time, you should go see her," Ru Ling suggested.

"Hmm," Ding Fan nodded, then spoke no further and continued straight on into the alleyway.

Ru Ling watched quietly until Ding Fan vanished at the end of the lane, showing no intention of leaving herself…

…

Ding Fan didn't go to see Xu Rui; instead, he took a bus straight back to Dongcheng.

Wang Luohao was a direct descendant of the Wang Family, and although Ding Fan had dealt with killing Wang Luohao neatly, his reappearance would inevitably lead others to associate him with Wang Luohao's death. Now with his own power being minimal, Ding Fan could only proceed with utmost caution.

As for Xu Rui saying there was an urgent matter, Ding Fan didn't care much. With Xu Rui's fiery temperament in Dancheng, she had always been one to bully others, not the other way around. If Ding Fan truly went to see Xu Rui now, during this critical period, anyone too closely associated with him might be in danger.

If not for this reason, Ding Fan would not have come to Dancheng without seeing Lin Qingqing.

When Ding Fan returned to Dongcheng, it was already night. As he had not yet found a place to stay, he could only temporarily reside at the Ning Family Medicine Shop.

Today was Ning Luoxi's first day at work at Qin's Group, so at this time she hadn't returned yet, and Ding Fan checked Ning Zhanshan's pulse for a moment. The lesions in Ning Zhanshan's body had all been removed, and his physical condition was very good.

After a simple dinner, Ding Fan returned to his room and started cultivating with the Spiritstone Essence. The crises surrounding Ding Fan were simply too numerous, she had to increase her strength in the shortest time possible, only then could she survive.

A night of sitting meditation and breathing exercises made Ding Fan feel that the meridians in his body had expanded once again, which greatly improved his mood. Most importantly, he wouldn't have to worry about Spiritual Energy for a while. He now not only had Spiritstone Essence but also three Small Restorative Pills, which should be enough for his use for some time.

When Ding Fan opened his eyes, it was already morning. As he left his room, Ning Luoxi had already gone to work early, and Ning Zhanshan had also started tidying up the Medicine Shop. Seeing everyone around him busy with their work, Ding Fan felt that he should probably start doing something too.

At this moment, Ding Fan remembered, hadn't he promised to work at Qin Manshu's company?

Although going to work at Qin Manshu's company was just to pass the days, the least he could do was to show up. If he didn't even report for duty and only showed up when it was time to receive his salary, it would be better to just ask Qin Manshu for some money directly.

Having made up his mind, Ding Fan prepared to set off.

After taking a ride, when Ding Fan arrived at Qin's Group, it was already around nine thirty in the morning, while Qin's Group's work hours started at eight. Going by the official working hours, Ding Fan was indeed late.

Upon entering the Qin's Group Company building, Ding Fan told the reception staff that he was there to report for duty, which immediately earned him a series of disdainful glances. More than an hour and a half had passed since the start of the working day, yet he was only arriving now.

The reception staff didn't let Ding Fan in; instead, they called someone from the HR department to inquire about his situation.

With nothing better to do, Ding Fan sat on the reception couch, looking leisurely and content.

"What are you doing? Can't you even handle moving stuff? You're just useless!" Just then, from the direction of the hall, came a burst of scolding.

Ding Fan was somewhat curious and looked towards the source of the shouting. However, when he saw clearly what was happening, his expression darkened.

At that moment, Ning Luoxi was kneeling on the ground, picking up a wooden box, while standing beside Ning Luoxi was a middle-aged woman with spectacles, looking disagreeable.

The box was almost as tall as half a person and filled with numerous books. They were now scattered all over the floor. Seeing this, Ding Fan understood—Ning Luoxi must have been unable to support the weight while moving the box, causing it to spill everywhere.

The box, packed with books, must have weighed at least seventy or eighty pounds. For Ning Luoxi, a fragile young girl, this weight was simply too demanding.

At this time, Ning Luoxi didn't dare to speak. Her forehead was covered with sweat as she hurriedly picked up the books from the ground.

"Manager Li, what happened?" A security guard approached at that moment. "Do you need help?"

Seeing the books scattered all over, the security guard was ready to kneel and help pick them up.

"Xiao Wang, this is none of your business." Manager Li's tone was not low. The security guard, who was about to kneel, awkwardly stood back up.

Manager Li gave the security guard a dismissive glance, then turned her fierce gaze back to Ning Luoxi. "Ning Luoxi, you're quite something, always having men stand up for you. But let me tell you, in the material department, if you think you can get away with your sultry tricks, I will not let you off easily."

Ning Luoxi bit her lip and kept her head down, saying not a word.

To enter Qin's Group Company was a great opportunity, and Ning Luoxi didn't want to give it up over a small matter.

Manager Li didn't show any intention of stopping her rant. "Knows nothing, and yet has the audacity to flaunt her seductive looks, I really wonder how you managed to get into Qin's Group."

"What's going on, Sister Li?" At that moment, a woman around twenty-four or twenty-five years old walked over.

Manager Li snorted and pointed at Ning Luoxi, who was still gathering the scattered items. "She's incompetent in her job, can't even handle moving something without making a mess—useless, really. I have no idea what the HR department is doing. Perhaps they just handed her over to my department because of her seductive looks... Hmph!"

"Sister Li, you're upset about this?" The woman chuckled lightly. "These recent female university graduates are quite capable, you know. They may look innocent, but behind the scenes, they're quite shady. Haven't you heard? In a real estate company, a female university graduate got promoted to project manager as soon as she started.

I heard that girl used to be a lady of the night, with top-notch skills in bed…"

Manager Li pointed at Ning Luoxi. "I think this piece of trash is no different. She knows nothing and yet she managed to get into the company. She must have had an affair with some manager."

Ning Luoxi's face turned beet red, she looked up at Manager Li. Her eyes were filled with anger.

Saying she lacked work experience was one thing, but accusing her of being shameless and engaging in sleazy activities - how could she tolerate that?

"What? Hit a nerve?" Manager Li pointed at Ning Luoxi's nose. "Let me tell you, don't think you can act wildly in front of me just because you look a bit seductive. If you don't want to hang around the materials department, you can leave at any time. You vixen, you useless piece of trash!" …