"I'm warning you, don't push me! If you push me too far, I'll jump off the building! You don't want anyone to die, do you?"
Peng Fei certainly didn't want anyone to die.
But looking at Si Yuan's timid appearance, he wouldn't dare jump even if given eight lifetimes.
Besides, it was only the second floor. Jumping down would at most result in a broken arm or leg, not death.
He remained silent and kept moving forward, soon reaching Xiang Si Yuan.
Xiang Si Yuan desperately pushed him, but Peng Fei was as strong as an ox, and he couldn't budge him.
Whenever Peng Fei went to nail a wooden strip, Xiang Si Yuan would interfere.
But Peng Fei showed no mercy, raising his hammer and smashing it towards Xiang Si Yuan's hand.
The force was immense. Xiang Si Yuan's right thumb was about to fracture.
"Are you a damn lunatic! I'm truly impressed by you! I can't get through to someone like you! Tomorrow I'll definitely complain to my mom. If my hand fractures or something happens, you can just wait to die!"
Peng Fei successfully locked him in the room and then went to nail the last one.
After finishing, he circled around to the back and nailed the windows shut too.
Everyone was like birds in a cage, trapped within it.
No one had expected that after just a few days out for fun, they would encounter someone so serious, causing them to howl in anger inside their rooms.
Xiang Si Yuan, in particular, kicked, threw things, and smashed around. The small room became chaotic.
But Peng Fei acted as if he heard nothing. He cleaned up the yard, and as it was time for dinner, he went to prepare the meal.
He steamed a pot of rice and stir-fried one meat dish and two vegetable dishes. Then, he knocked on each door.
"Anyone who wants to come out for dinner, just say so. I'm only giving you ten minutes. Supplies are limited; those who don't come out will go hungry."
The first door received no response, nor did the second. The third person poked their head out, saw that no one else was reacting, and retreated back inside.
The two little ones who didn't have rooms to themselves were huddled on the sofa. Seeing this situation, they were afraid Peng Fei would deal with them and quickly went upstairs to inquire for him.
Xiang Si Yuan, a tough nut, would rather starve than eat the food Peng Fei prepared.
The other one, being sensible, came down.
Only four people ate dinner.
After the meal, Peng Fei looked at the three of them encouragingly.
"Every day from now on will be like this. If you don't want to starve, keep behaving yourselves. As long as you do as I say, you can still go online, still call home, nothing will be delayed. But if you act foolishly like them..."
The little ones shivered in fear.
After clearing the dishes, Peng Fei saw the two little ones still huddled on the sofa watching him and said,
"Tonight, you two will stay in one room, and I'll be in the next. I know you two are quite well-behaved, so I won't hit you. Don't be afraid."
"It's too early to sleep now, you definitely won't be able to. Come out with me for some exercise."
The two little ones dared not resist. They exchanged a glance and chose to follow him out.
The villa's courtyard was vast, with the lawn alone covering over 500 square meters.
Peng Fei instructed the two of them to do 50 sit-ups, 50 squats, and 100 frog jumps.
Although the two little ones didn't do them perfectly and were panting heavily from exhaustion, they grit their teeth and persevered.
He handed them his phone: "This is your reward. You can call home. Five minutes each."
The two felt as if they had received a pardon and rushed to talk to their mothers.
On the phone, they tearfully recounted Peng Fei's actions.
They expected their mothers to feel sorry for them, but upon hearing how capable Peng Fei was, their mothers were delighted.
"Listen to Coach Peng well. Mom will come to see you in a few days. Mom is doing all this for your own good. My child, you'll understand when you grow up."
Seeing that their mothers had authorized their actions, the two little ones became even more submissive.
Dragging their tired legs, they returned to their rooms to wash up and went to sleep obediently.
They were utterly exhausted and quickly fell asleep. The others, who had abruptly cut off their electronic devices, couldn't sleep at all.
From time to time, the sounds of banging on walls, things being thrown, and clattering could be heard from various rooms.
Peng Fei pretended not to hear, took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and climbed over the back wall to get out.
It wasn't that he particularly wanted to go out. It was just that he had entered in a hurry and hadn't had a chance to observe the surroundings.
He had to survey the terrain while they weren't paying attention and before they could escape.
He wanted to see if there was any danger or any weak points.
He circled the courtyard wall and found no issues. He was relieved, certain that with their abilities, they wouldn't be able to climb over.
Just as he was about to climb back in, he suddenly heard two meows from the lawn a few meters away.
The villa's lawn had ground lights, spaced a few meters apart, emitting a faint yellow glow.
A small cat was crouching by a light. Its fur was illuminated to a pearly white, and its pair of emerald green eyes blinked adorably.
Peng Fei was inexplicably drawn to it and walked towards it.
The kitten, perhaps hungry or for some other reason, was unusually docile. It didn't run away upon seeing a stranger.
Peng Fei squatted down in front of it and played with it. The cat even rubbed against his palm.
It felt as if they were old friends. After playing for a while, Peng Fei figured the cat must have an owner and there was no need to linger. He gently held the cat further into the bushes, preparing to leave.
On the quiet and secluded stone path, a figure suddenly drifted by.
The figure had short, ear-length hair, wore a black coat that reached her calves, black ankle boots, and had her hands in her pockets, wrapped in a dark blue scarf.
Lost in thought, she moved like a ghost, walking slowly and staring at the stone path beneath her feet.
Peng Fei merely sensed someone's presence and glanced over instinctively.
But as soon as he looked, his gaze was fixed.
Although the light wasn't very bright, and she was wearing dark clothing, making her appear somewhat hazy, he recognized Zhan Jing Chun at a glance.
He was too familiar with her profile, her posture, the way she walked, the way she spaced out.
It was the first time Peng Fei had fallen in love with someone, loved her with all his heart and soul, his mind filled with thoughts of her 24 hours a day. He would never mistake her.
Time seemed to stretch infinitely, like a slow-motion scene in a movie.
Seeing the person he had longed for so unexpectedly and joyfully.
He was so excited, so flustered. Although he didn't know what to say, his first instinct was to rush over.
Just then, another person appeared behind Zhan Jing Chun.
It was her nanny, Aunt Zhang, who had come out with a down jacket to catch up with her.
"Chun Chun, the weather is getting colder. You're wearing too little. You'll catch a chill if you go out so late. Put this on, I'll walk with you."
Zhan Jing Chun stopped and turned around.
The two of them were standing directly under a streetlamp. Peng Fei saw her face clearly.
It was her.
It had been a long time, and she had become even more beautiful.
Those slender eyebrows, the delicate nose, the small mouth, the exquisite, angelic features, and a gentle, kind smile he had never seen before.
Every frame was heartbreakingly beautiful.
Zhan Jing Chun didn't want to make it difficult for the person following her. She obediently put on the clothes and smiled at Aunt Zhang.
"I'm not going far. I'm just walking a bit to help with digestion. You don't need to accompany me; you can go back."