"Because I received such shocking news... to be honest, if I hadn't smoked to cope, I think I would have collapsed from the shock long ago."

Feng Yang glanced at the cigarette in his hand, his eyes flickering slightly. He then looked up at his father again and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I'm not addicted to cigarettes. I just smoke one occasionally when I can't figure something out."

"Yeah, those things were really hard to get through..."

Upon hearing that Feng Yang was on the verge of collapse, Feng Tianming paused, suppressed his urge to scold him, and patted Feng Yang's head, feeling a pang of heartache.

yes……

The child suddenly realized that he was able to survive because his grandfather had given his own life to extend his own.

This is something that shatters one's worldview...

I doubt anyone would find it hard to accept if they came.

No wonder Feng Yang smokes. Feng Tianming put himself in Feng Yang's shoes and thought about it. If he were in Feng Yang's shoes...

Let alone smoking, I would think twice before doing anything even more outrageous.

Even someone as meticulous as myself would think this way, let alone a child like Feng Yang.

"Smoke less, or quit if you can. It's no good."

Feng Tianming withdrew his hand and stopped trying to persuade him.

"Yes, I will."

Seeing that his father wasn't causing him any trouble, Feng Yang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Then, with practiced ease, he put a cigarette in his mouth, lit it, and took a deep, satisfying drag.

"By the way, Dad, why did you suddenly say that Chu is a master?"

Feng Yang was amused, his eyes narrowed, and then he remembered the topic they had been discussing and asked again.

"Because... the old man lived in Qinghe Village for a long time, but who else besides our own family would know about this?"

“You know, we come from Yuzhou and don’t have any relatives in Jiang City. Our only elder is still in Qinghe Village on the outskirts of Jiang City. Apart from him, there is no one else. It’s easy for other people to know that your grandfather exists, but it’s very difficult to find out where your grandfather came from.”

"But Xiao Chu knows that, apart from what the expert calculated... I can't think of any other possibility."

Feng Tianming lit the cigarette his son had given him, held it between his fingers, and turned to look out the window. Downstairs, Chu Yuying and Xia Che were facing each other, talking about something.

He didn't speak again, but took another drag of his cigarette, his eyes flickering between light and shadow, lost in thought.

If, at this moment, Feng Tianming had shifted some of his attention away from Chu Yuying and focused it on Feng Yang...

It's obvious that Feng Yang's smoking posture is extremely skilled, and he couldn't possibly be a novice who has just learned to smoke.

In fact, it would take at least ten or even twenty years of smoking experience to be as adept at it as he is.

But Feng Tianming was still in shock, his mind filled with how amazing Chu Banxian was and the excitement of being able to talk to his deceased father.

His mind was not on anything else.

Feng Tianming, of course, did not notice Feng Yang's unusual behavior.

After the two finished their cigarettes, Feng's mother packed her things. The three of them took their belongings, locked the door, and met up with Chu Yuying and the other person downstairs. Feng Tianming had a car, so they didn't need to take a taxi separately. The group headed towards Qinghe Village.

...

Qinghe Village, on the outskirts of Jiang City.

On the way, none of them spoke, and the car remained silent the entire time.

Chu Yuying kept her head down playing on her tablet, while Xia Che rested his chin on his hand, watching the buildings rushing past outside the car window, lost in thought.

As the vehicle came to a stop, Feng Tianming let out a deep breath and said calmly, "We've arrived."

"Xiao Chu, where are we going next? To our relative's house?"

Feng Tianming turned to look at Chu Yuying in the back seat and asked.

He was a little nervous.

The closer he got to Qinghe Village, the more nervous he became.

Now that the moment has arrived, Feng Tianming was horrified to find that his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to jump out of his throat.

"No... that's not the place with the most vibrant life. Come with me, I've already found a place."

Chu Yuying put away the tablet and handed it to Xia Che. As his assistant, Xia Che took the tablet and put it into his briefcase.

Having gotten used to the role of an assistant, Xia Che even felt that being Chu Yuying's assistant wasn't so bad.

As the group stepped off the car, a clear stream came into view. As the stream flowed gently, villages lined up one after another in front of them, and the pleasant smell of cooking smoke drifted from afar.

The village is named Qinghe Village because of a clear stream.

Located on the outskirts of Jiang City, the area is free from factory pollution, which is why it has been able to preserve such a crystal-clear stream, as well as a clear blue sky and refreshing air.

"The environment here is quite nice. I might consider living here in the future, for example... retiring."

Xia Che, carrying his briefcase, stood beside Chu Yuying, quite satisfied with the scenery.

"If you had been born here, you probably wouldn't look so much like a young master. You even speak with a bourgeois air."

Chu Yuying stuck out her tongue and made a face at Xia Che.

That's true, though.

Only wealthy people who have no worries about food and clothing would think that the countryside is a good place to live for a long time. If the villagers of Qinghe Village were given the opportunity to choose their own living environment, I'm afraid only a minority would choose to stay in Qinghe Village.

Otherwise, why would everyone be heading to Jiang City?

"Come on, have you ever seen such a sloppy young master?"

Xia Che glared at Chu Yuying with annoyance. At this moment, Feng Yang's family was walking ahead and they didn't hear what they were saying. This was probably the real reason why Chu Yuying dropped her pretense.

"But have you prepared all those things?"

Xia Che looked at it. He remembered that Chu Yuying had once told him that the venue had been set up. All she needed to do was lure Feng Yang's family to Qinghe Village, and she was confident that she could make them completely believe that she was possessed.

"Hmm, really, even if you already know it's fake, in a little while... you won't be able to help but believe that there really might be ghosts and gods in this world."

When the topic turned to business, Chu Yuying's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.

Xia Che could tell that she was trying hard to create an atmosphere, but the smile on the other person's face, which she thought was very profound, was actually completely ruined by those cute tiger teeth...

"Wow, that's awesome."

Xia Che feigned surprise, then turned and followed Feng Yang's family.

Are you just giving me the runaround?

Chu Yuying was so angry that she cried out, but she was afraid of being seen and ruining the image of a superior person she had created, so she could only follow behind Xia Che in a huff, pinching him every now and then.