Chapter 126: The Arena of Carnage

"Hello! Guess who I am?" As soon as Zhou Ran answered the phone, a girl's voice came through.

"Who are you? A telemarketer?" Zhou Ran nearly laughed out loud upon hearing the voice, though he managed to suppress it as he replied.

"Oh, no, no, keep guessing!" The girl on the other end seemed slightly annoyed and embarrassed that Zhou Ran hadn't recognized her immediately.

"Then let me guess... are you a middle-aged auntie? Am I right?" Zhou Ran was having a great time teasing her.

"Ugh, you're the middle-aged auntie! You're really so dense, you can't even guess who I am? Hmph!" The girl seemed speechless because Zhou Ran had failed to identify her twice in a row.

"Hahahaha, of course I know who you are, my sister Feng!" Seeing her reaction, Zhou Ran couldn't hold back anymore and revealed her identity. The person on the other end was Zhang Xiaofeng, whom Zhou Ran hadn't seen for a while.

In truth, Zhou Ran had recognized her voice the moment he picked up. Besides, he had long since saved her number; there were only a handful of people who could reach him, and he could count them on his fingers.

"Hmph, that's more like it. I knew my little brother Ran wouldn't forget me," Zhang Xiaofeng said, satisfied. She had two reasons for calling: first, she missed him after their time apart and wanted to chat; second, she had a surprise for him. Instead of telling him directly, she simply gave him a flight number and hung up.

Zhou Ran was a bit bewildered after receiving the flight number. He checked it and saw the flight had landed ten minutes ago. He roughly understood what she meant, but he couldn't quite grasp why she had come so suddenly. Regardless, he had to go to the airport to pick her up; any questions he had would naturally be resolved once he saw her.

However, he first had to check with Zhang Yuan, as he had been using her car as his primary means of transport lately. When Zhang Yuan heard he was going to pick up Zhang Xiaofeng, she didn't think much of it at first. Since they were both in the entertainment industry, they shared common social circles, so she readily agreed. But just as she was about to speak, she changed her mind—she would go with him.

"Oh, you want to come too?" Zhou Ran was slightly surprised but didn't overthink it; he thought it would be a good opportunity for them to meet and get to know each other.

Zhang Yuan immediately felt a tinge of regret, realizing her impulsive offer might have been unnecessary. Yet, she was also curious to see this legendary Zhang Xiaofeng who could be so intimate with Zhou Ran over the phone. Although she had heard the name, they had never actually met.

As Zhou Ran drove Zhang Yuan to the airport, he felt an odd atmosphere and a strange fluttering in his chest, as if something unpleasant were about to happen, though he couldn't explain why.

Zhang Xiaofeng had expected to see only Zhou Ran, so when she saw him arrive with Zhang Yuan, her expression shifted momentarily, though she quickly masked it, acting as if nothing were wrong.

Beside Zhou Ran, Zhang Yuan sensed trouble the moment Zhang Xiaofeng looked at him. She couldn't pinpoint why, but a woman's intuition told her that the relationship between the two was far from ordinary—there was clearly some underlying affection.

As they met for the first time, Zhang Yuan and Zhang Xiaofeng exchanged glances that felt like a thousand rounds of combat. Zhang Xiaofeng immediately viewed Zhang Yuan as a competitor. It turns out that while women might lose their heads in love, they are as sharp as foxes in every other regard, their minds racing at lightning speed.

For Zhang Yuan, she simply felt uncomfortable with the way Zhang Xiaofeng looked at Zhou Ran, as if a toy she liked had suddenly been snatched away. It was an unpleasant sensation.

Meanwhile, Zhou Ran remained completely oblivious, treating both of them like normal acquaintances. He didn't sense the war brewing around him and even prepared to introduce them. Truly, a dense man is one of the most terrifying creatures on earth.

"Come on, let me introduce you two." As Zhou Ran tried to facilitate the introduction, both women applied subtle pressure, maintaining a facade of harmony with forced, tight-lipped smiles. In that moment, they both became world-class actresses, successfully fooling Zhou Ran completely. He even suggested they all go grab a meal together to catch up with Zhang Xiaofeng, completely unaware of the "shura field" unfolding right before his eyes.