Chapter 40 Liu Rumeng smiled gently…

Liu Rumeng smiled gently, confidently saying, "Of course I won't let you down."

His gaze deepened. To get Wu Xiuyi, who wouldn't act without expecting anything in return, to put in the effort, some necessary conditions and sacrifices were necessary losses.

Judging from the old man's attitude, it seems that the group is going to be handed over to Liu Duanhe, and then he will have no part in it at all. Under normal circumstances, without any natural disasters or man-made calamities, he will hardly outlive his children.

Their father-son relationship was so-so. Liu Duanhe looked gentle and warm, but in reality, he was a cold-hearted and hard-hearted person. He wouldn't treat his father well on the surface. He would provide for his father financially, but he would definitely not give him any real power.

How could someone who had been raised in luxury and adored since adulthood accept the prospect of becoming a wealthy idler and no longer being able to touch power?

Liu Duanhe put his phone in his pocket and walked out expressionlessly.

The endless stream of cars transported him like a canned product on an assembly line into the villa district in the city center, where his parents lived. He had lived there until he was fifteen. Later, after his grandfather discovered their neglect and suppression of him, he took him to the old house.

To Liu Yi's disappointment, Liu Duanhe was already in high school at that time, and his personality was basically set.

Fortunately, his car license plate number was registered; otherwise, he would have been turned away at the door when he went to eat with his parents, and his family would have become a laughing stock.

Before getting out of the car, Liu Duanhe slowly adjusted his collar and cuffs before striding into the door.

The two didn't act too extravagantly. They didn't get up even when they vaguely heard the door open. Instead, their expressions became warm and gentle, making them look like a loving couple and a kind father and mother.

With a smile, she said, "Come and sit down, it's been a long time since our family has sat down for a proper chat."

She gave Liu Rumeng a reproachful look, "Your father is a very busy man. He's always out there working on the family business, thinking about how to give you a better business."

As she set up the stage to deliver the message, Wu Xiuyi subconsciously tried to sow discord between him and others, only to remember to steer the conversation back halfway through.

Liu Duanhe watched coldly, finding it laughable. This kind of rhetoric could only fool elementary school children. Did they really think he would be moved or deceived?

He lowered his eyes to hide the indifference in them, and chuckled, "Yes, family members need to communicate too. Dad, you're getting older, so please take good care of yourself. We children don't have high expectations for our parents; we just hope that you and Mom can live long and healthy lives."

His tone was earnest and moving, utterly sincere; it would have been too fake to feign a sob.

Such words would not be out of place even between parents and children in a normal relationship, but unfortunately Wu Xiuyi and Liu Rumeng did not think they were kind words. At this moment, they were unusually on the same page, and they both suspected that Liu Duanhe meant that he wanted them to retire early and go into hiding, and that he was implying that they were not as young and strong as him.

Although Liu Rumeng was unhappy, she didn't say it or show her emotions. She was very good at suppressing her emotions. "It's good that you have the intention. We are still healthy. Of course, we should support the family and help you withstand the pressure so that you can do what you want to do."

His helpless and gentle demeanor was a model of a loving father. Liu Duanhe smiled, ignoring his probing, and dodged the question by saying, "Mom and Dad are indeed still young."

The couple worked together seamlessly, from showing concern for his health to discussing his recent work projects. It wasn't until they heard about his grandfather's illness that they finally revealed their true intentions. Liu Duanhe was unmoved by their soft or hard approaches, so he pretended not to hear and gave perfunctory replies, only saying "okay, all is well." When asked about the details, he just smiled and remained silent.

It wasn't until the food was served and they went to the dining room that their back-and-forth probing finally took a break. Liu Duanhe responded with ease, but couldn't help feeling bored and annoyed.

I've gotten used to playing along, so why do I suddenly feel disgusted and want to leave immediately?

Liu Duanhe thought he probably couldn't delay any longer and needed to go to Dr. Song for a follow-up visit as soon as possible.

He finished his dinner quietly, though he hadn't eaten much. He put down his chopsticks and said apologetically, "Mom and Dad, I'm sorry, I still had some work to finish before I came, so I won't be staying at home."

They naturally wouldn't pretend to be nice one minute and then turn on him the next. They were all very understanding and would even scold him for being too focused on work and for not giving himself more personal time.

Liu Duanhe nodded with a smile. He was reluctant to drive the car in the garage, but fortunately, he had sent a message to the driver before the meal while checking his phone.

Once he was in the car, he sighed. Dealing with them was more exhausting than Liu Duanhe had imagined. He just hoped that everything would settle down soon so he wouldn't have to deal with endless probing and underhanded tactics.

It seems he's not as cold-hearted as he thought. Liu Duanhe laughed self-deprecatingly and took it out of his pocket.

He unlocked his phone and replied to Secretary Wei's message. His fingertips unconsciously tapped into the chat window with Feng Xingyun, his eyes, with their upturned corners, becoming deep and intense.

The message was still stuck on his comment, "Okay."

Perhaps he was just too lonely, or perhaps after being pulled out of a state of extreme rationality, he felt a sense of aimless emptiness, or perhaps the neon lights outside the car window were too noisy, making him seem like a lonely passerby in the world, amplifying his emotions.

Fine snowflakes fell, weaving a curtain that concealed many thoughts and fluctuating emotions. The snow, white as crushed salt and fluffy, landed on his fingertips that stretched out the window and silently melted into snow water.

Liu Duanhe's fingertip, which was holding the phone, inadvertently tapped Feng Xingyun's profile picture. A line of small text appeared at the bottom of the chat box.

You patted "Feng Xingyun".

He didn't back down, but waited for the other person's reaction, his pale red lips slightly pursed.

Feng Xingyun was obviously not asleep at this time. The notification that popped up at the top of his head was very eye-catching, and he saw it at first glance.

After much deliberation, I finally asked, "Are you in a bad mood?"

"Perhaps you can tell me."

Liu Duanhe would have to be crazy to tell him about his power struggle with his family. His lips parted, revealing a wet, vibrant color.

He kept quiet, wondering why he had gone to find Feng Xingyun. He was acting like a madman, completely out of his mind. But this fleeting emotion quickly vanished.

What could he say, and what could he possibly say? He was the one who wanted to end this, and to take the initiative now would be utterly inappropriate. He would truly be the kind of person Feng Xingyun described as someone who was being used as a backup plan, and he didn't want that.

Liu Duanhe thought for a moment and then sent a reply.

Feng Xingyun stared intently at the latest news, a strange impulse welling up within him.

[The Great Demon King: Sorry, my phone was in my pocket and I accidentally touched it.]

Liu Duanhe intended to end the topic that shouldn't have started gracefully by making an unexpected move.

His calm demeanor brought out his aggression. Feng Xingyun's lips curled slightly as he typed, a half-smile playing on his lips.

Feng Xingyun: But I don't believe it.

His mother was sitting across from him and was quite surprised to see him playing on his phone while eating, and even laughing, which was quite unusual for her.

He nudged Feng Xingyun's father next to him with his elbow, and the unexpected blow nearly made him choke on his food.

Unable to suppress a few muffled coughs, Zhang Yuxiang quickly poured him a glass of water and whispered, "Look at this brat, laughing at his phone. Either he's suddenly gone crazy, or something's up."

Old Feng's appearance is about three-tenths similar to Feng Xingyun's, only he is more robust. He was an athlete back then, and he looked over after hearing this.

Sure enough, Feng Xingyun was laughing like a peacock shaking its feathers, and he looked a bit crazy.

He immediately felt annoyed and kicked him under the table, saying, "What are you up to, kid? You look like you're up to no good."

Feng Xingyun glanced at his father, who was having another episode, and his words fell along with his mother's fist.

"Mom, tell Dad to stop, he's giving me trouble again."

Zhang Yuxiang punched his arm hard, her hand aching from the sharp muscles. She whispered in his ear, scolding him, "What are you doing? Don't alert them. We should carefully observe Xingyun and boldly verify."

Feng Hou silently looked back at his wife, "Xiangxiang, are you sure? We're going on vacation to Europe together next week."

Zhang Yuxiang seemed thoughtful. "Then why don't we bring him along this time?"

Feng Hou immediately refused, "No, didn't I already bring him along last time? He was still unhappy, always wearing a sour face, like someone owed him something. We agreed on one time for the three of us and one time for just the two of us, so I'm not bringing him this time."

Zhang Yuxiang glanced at him from head to toe, "Guess who he inherited his grumpy face from?"

He silently turned his head away and lowered his head to eat.

Zhang Yuxiang couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, I'm not taking him. I just said it casually, and he might not even want to go. My intuition tells me there's an 80% chance he's up to something."

Feng Hou and the other man sat together, facing the speechless Feng Xingyun, several meters away. They weren't worried that Feng Xingyun would hear them, and judging from Feng Xingyun's focused concentration on typing on his phone, he probably didn't have the patience to listen to a single word.

The two then sat face to face, whispering to each other, and stopped eating. Eventually, they were excitedly discussing where to go for food and entertainment.

Feng Xingyun had already forgotten about eating, his mind completely focused on the screen on his phone. Fortunately, he was already half full, so he could put down his chopsticks now.

Liu Duanhe's message came quickly; he didn't want to get entangled with him, and simply said...

[The Great Demon King: Have you thought of an answer for me? There's still time; I need to clear some time beforehand to handle this.]

Feng Xingyun knew that Liu Duanhe was very busy, but it turned out that there was no longer any accommodation from him when his memory was confused, and that meetings actually required appointments.

A faint, dark fire seemed to rise in his heart, a mixture of loss and gloom.

Not long after Liu Duanhe sent that message, he felt it was too abrupt. Then he remembered that he wanted to cut off all contact.

It's strange to be so conflicted now that we've come this far; he doesn't know what's wrong with him.

Is it guilt?

When did he become such an indecisive and hesitant person?

Liu Duanhe closed his eyes, his long, thick eyelashes casting a shadow.

Feng Xingyun: Okay, then let's meet the day after tomorrow. You choose the location.