Chapter 7


    Still dragging Chu Feng with overwhelming joy, Liu Minn hollered to the wine-guzzling Zhou Lie


    inside the house, “Come out and see who came back!”


    Chu Feng touched his nose; after ten years, his adoptive mother was still so fierce.


    “Damn woman, are you done? You never let me drink on a normal day, and you get all up in my


    business even on the day our daughter’s getting engaged?” A man’s rough voice bellowed from


    inside the house. “I’m drinking today even if God himself descends from the heavens…” Then, a


    lean but muscr and dark-skinned man walked out, grumbling furiously with a pipe in his hand.


    His tigerlike eyes were blown wide open, clearly expressing his indignance.


    “Dad.” Chu Feng called out. When Zhou Lie looked up and saw Chu Feng’s face, his body seemed


    to jolt suddenly and with a smack, his pipe fell to the ground.


    As if in disbelief, Zhou Lie pinched his thigh once, then strode to Chu Feng. He seemed like he had


    a thousand words to say, but in the end all he said was, “You’re back?” Even then, his voice


    wavered.


    “I’m back.” Chu Feng replied.


    Zhou’s hands balled into fists and he lightly punched Chu Feng’s chest, his tiger eyes tearing up.


    “You’re stronger. Taller too. Your military years were well-spent.”


    Liu Minn protested, “Nonsense, Feng has gotten so thin. Look, our boy must have gone through


    so much.”


    Zhou Lie merelyughed and instinctively put his muscr arms around Chu Feng’s shoulders, only


    to realise that the twerp he’d raised was now a full head taller than he was—he was a man now!


    “Come, have a few drinks with your old man.”


    “Sure.” Chu Feng walked inside with Zhou Lie. Fatherly love was like a mountain, strong but silent;


    no words were needed to express it, because a single act, a single bowl of strong wine, was


    enough.


    With Chu Feng’s arrival, the guests who’d originally been talking among themselves instantly


    grouped together, gossiping about him one by one.


    “That’s Zhou’s adopted son, right? Didn’t he leave to join the army ten years ago? Why’s he back


    now?”


    “Why else? He must have been kicked from his squad. Look at the poor clothes he’s wearing.


    Useless man.”


    “Your childhood defines who you be, after all. I told you that boy would never amount to much.


    I heard he and Ying Ying were childhood friends, and that Zhou had previously tried to get them


    together. Thank goodness Ying Ying didn’t marry him. Otherwise, he’d just be ruining her future.”


    “Oh ho, Ying Ying’s fiance is the heir of a big family, and a young and handsome man to boot. Look


    at this penniless boy, he’s not even fit to carry their shoes.”


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    “Exactly. Only the Zhou couple treats him like the apple of their eyes but otherwise, who cares about


    him?”


    Everyone was gossiping away, turning the once-lively and joyous atmosphere of the engagement


    banquet into something strange and uncanny.


    After having risked his life on the field for years, Chu Feng had seen enough of humanity to not care


    for such nder. The hot-tempered and straightforward Liu Minn, however, immediately called


    out the bad-mouthing gossipers and dered that if she heard any tongues wagging again, she’d


    drench them all in the water she used to clean her feet!


    Zhou Lie also harrumphed and took Chu Feng’s hand before deliberately yelling, “Come, boy! Let’s


    sit at the main table with your father, and drink ourselves silly!”


    “Dad!” As the star of the show, Zhou Ying was flushing crimson as she frowned with disapproval;


    the main table was full of rich and powerful guests, so why was he dragging Chu Feng over, if not to


    embarrass her on purpose?


    Begrudgingly, she sat down and made conversation with the guests, but still ignored Chu Feng as if


    he was nothing but air.


    “Ah, herees the groom.”


    “Congrattions. May your marriagest for a hundred years.”


    “What a capable and handsome man, the perfect groom for a perfect bride.”


    Just then, a chorus of greetings arose from the crowd and the gentlemanly groom-to-be Sun


    Mingxuan, wearing a suit and leather shoes, emerged with Zhou Ying around his arm as he toasted


    the guests one by one and thanked them for the well wishes. They could not have been more


    morous, especially Zhou Ying for having secured such a rich and handsome fiance. Her friends


    and family were both envious and jealous,menting that theycked the good fortune to have the


    same thing happen to themselves.


    “Allow me to introduce you. This is my fiance, Sun Mingxuan.” Zhou Ying came to Chu Feng, her


    tiny face exuding the arrogance of a proud white swan. “And this is Chu Feng, my father’s adoptive


    son.”


    Chu Feng felt a little dejected; that same girl who was inseparable with him was now so distant. She


    wouldn’t even call him her brother.


    “Oh?” Sun Mingxuan’s interest was piqued as he looked Chu Feng up and down. He’d heard


    rumours that this man was childhood friends with Zhou Ying, and Zhou Lie had always favoured the


    guy more than him. What gave this man the right to be his romantic rival? “I’ve heard Ying Ying


    mention you since long ago. I’m so d you managed to attend our engagement banquet.”


    Sun Mingxuan’s smile was warm and weing but strangely enough, his eyes were filled with


    condescension. “I’m Sun Mingxuan, the heir and current vice-president of the Sun Group. My


    annual sry is just around a million, but soon I’ll be able to inherit thepany from my father.


    Ying Ying will be so happy after she marries me.” He put an arm around her waist, like a victor


    asserting his dominance. “I heard you joined the army? Did you manage to get a colonel''s rank?


    Oh, I guess not, because you wouldn''t have retired otherwise. In this day and age, a man like you


    with neither educational or vocational skills may find it hard to have a future at all...”


    Zhou Lie put his winess down with an audible thud and said with disapproval, “No one would


    mistake you for a mute even if you’d kept your mouth shut.” A small-medium enterprise with a


    measly twenty-million worth, and he was calling it ‘Sun Group’? It was clear that he was blowing


    his own trumpet, a mere exaggeration of his wealth just to put Chu Feng in his ce. Zhou Lie’s


    sharp eyes saw through Sun Mingxuan’s malicious ploy immediately. “Chu Feng is my son.


    Whoever he bes, you have no right to judge.”


    “Father, I’m just showing some consideration for Chu Feng. Don’t get so worked up.” Sun Mingxuan


    laughed off the criticism nonchntly, then condescendingly nced at Chu Feng. “We’re about to


    be family, Chu Feng. I’m sure you won’t mind a few words between us, right?”


    With that, Chu Feng took off his earphones and blinked, asking, “Sorry, you were saying?”


    A corner of Sun Mingxuan’s mouth twitched. This man…


    Zhou Ying was incensed. “Chu Feng, you’re being rude. Mingxuan only said those things because


    he cares about you, and you didn’t listen to any of it?”


    “Sorry, an upational habit,” Chu Feng stretched, saying calmly. “I’ve never taken interest in


    irrelevant, useless talk. It just wastes my time.”


    “You—” Sun Mingxuan’s entire face was red with rage. He’d pulled off such a perfect demonstration


    of his coolness, yet this bastard was ignoring it? What the heck?!