Chapter 9, Chapter 9 "Sister"
"Lively? What's lively?" Lan Li suddenly asked.
Liu Zhuang was speechless: "Attorney Lan, what brings you here too?"
"Do you think I wanted to come? It's just that my dad didn't want to come, so I, as his daughter, had to do it in his place," Lan Li sighed.
Although she had been laid off, her father was still working hard, so even though she had resigned and returned home, she still occasionally had to do things for him.
"What were you talking about just now?" Lan Li pressed.
They had arrived outside the Feng family's banquet hall, only three meters away from the four members of the Feng family who were entertaining guests.
Liu Zhuang glanced at them and lowered his voice: "I'll explain later."
Lan Li clicked her tongue, and the next second she walked enthusiastically toward Feng He's family: "Mr. Feng, it's been a long time."
"Long time no see, Miss Lan, you've become even more beautiful," Feng He said with a smile. "How has your father been lately?"
Lan Li: "Thanks to you, I am in good health. He is abroad and cannot come back, so I can only attend on his behalf. Please don't mind, Mr. Feng."
"Not at all, Miss Lan's presence would be an honor to my humble abode."
Lan Li then looked at Zheng Feifei beside him: "Mrs. Feng, you are getting younger and younger. I must ask you for your beauty tips when I have the chance."
"Miss Lan really knows how to make people happy..."
Lan Li chatted with them more and more enthusiastically, to the uninitiated the impression that they were long-lost family members.
Liu Zhuang yawned and glanced casually behind Feng He and his wife. He saw that one of them was standing there with his head down, looking like a wronged wife, while the other was giving him flirtatious looks.
...Winking?
Liu Zhuang paused, then followed the other person's gaze to look at Yun Jin.
Yun Jin remained calm and aloof, seemingly oblivious to everyone else.
Liu Zhuang looked back, and Feng Che, realizing he had been discovered, obediently called him Brother Liu.
"What are you calling me, 'brother'? Call me 'uncle'!" Liu Zhuang said rudely.
Feng Che chuckled foolishly without replying, while Feng Wan, standing beside him, stroked her increasingly round belly and glanced up at Yun Jin.
Yun Jin was wearing a beautiful dress, a black watch that she had recently taken a liking to, and a coat that matched the dress perfectly.
Feng Wan recognized the coat; Hua Cheng had bought it last year when he was on a business trip to Italy.
Lan Li finally finished talking, and Feng He's gaze fell on Liu Zhuang and Yun Jin.
He chatted briefly with Liu Zhuang, but when he spoke to Yun Jin, he suddenly hesitated and stopped.
"Yunjin...sigh...Yunjin..."
Liu Zhuang promptly mocked, "Old Feng, what guilty thing have you done that's so hard to talk about?"
Normally, Feng He would have laughed and scolded him, but this time he just shook his head with a complicated expression.
Zheng Feifei, standing beside her, also looked bitter, her eyes filled with apology as she gazed at Yun Jin.
The two didn't say much, leaving the audience in suspense, before going to entertain other guests.
Liu Zhuang sneered and walked into the hall with Yun Jin, but they were blocked by Feng Che after only a few steps.
"Brother Liu." Feng Che clasped his hands together and smiled ingratiatingly.
Although this kid is young, he's very good at handling things and speaks very politely. No matter how the adults get along, it doesn't affect his attitude at all. Although Liu Zhuang sometimes finds Feng He and his wife annoying, he has a good feeling about their son.
Seeing his pleading expression, Liu Zhuang looked at Yun Jin and, after receiving her signal, immediately made room.
Only Feng Che and Yun Jin remained in the foyer. Feng Che's expression instantly turned pitiful: "Sister, why haven't you been replying to my messages lately?"
"Why do you add a tilde to the end of every message?" Yun Jin asked rhetorically.
Feng Che paused: "You don't like it?"
Adding tildes makes text look more lively and cute; his friend taught him this trick.
"I don't like it," Yun Jin answered decisively.
Feng Che took a step toward her, and the distance between them suddenly closed, exceeding the normal social distance.
Yun Jin looked up at him and caught a glimpse of danger in his eyes.
Feng Che suddenly smiled, his eyes crinkling, his expression sunny and harmless: "Then I won't use tildes anymore, will you reply to me, sister?"
Yun Jin pretended to be thinking.
Feng Che hadn't expected her to consider such a small matter, and he became anxious: "Sister!"
Yun Jin was amused by his reaction: "It depends on my mood."
Seeing her teasing expression, Feng Che felt a surge of warmth on his face and said nonchalantly, "What do you mean, 'depends on my mood'? It sounds like empty promises."
As he spoke, his chin was slightly raised, revealing a hint of arrogance from a rich young master, but his eyes kept drifting towards Yun Jin, observing her reaction at all times.
Innocent, pure, and beautiful.
Yun Jin raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at him with a leisurely air.
Feng Che looked up at the sky, trying to appear calm, but his ears were getting redder and redder.
In the banquet hall, Liu Zhuang was too lazy to socialize with people, so he simply hid in an inconspicuous corner.
Despite their excellent concealment, Lan Li still managed to find them.
"What's all the fuss about?" she asked, her face full of gossip.
Liu Zhuang: "...Are you very free?"
"I've been quite free since I resigned," Lan Li said, pretending not to notice his disdain. "So what's going on today? Is it the Feng family's doing?"
Liu Zhuang gave a soft snort.
Lan Li understood, and downed half a glass of champagne in one gulp: "No wonder Miss Feng suddenly showed up."
Although the grudges between the Feng family happened several years ago, they are not a secret in this circle.
When Feng He divorced Feng Wan's mother, Feng Che, who was being raised outside the family, was already nine years old.
The affair was extremely ugly back then. Feng He was ruthless enough to force his ex-wife to choose between his assets and the underage Feng Wan. His ex-wife had no choice but to leave with nothing but Feng Wan. She died of depression less than two years later.
After her mother died, Feng Wan lived alone abroad until two years ago when Feng He brought her back and sent her to Hua Cheng's side as an assistant.
Whether it was Feng Wan's unwillingness or Feng He and Zheng Feifei's unwillingness, Feng Wan had never appeared in public as a member of the Feng family since returning to China; today was the first time.
This is so unusual; something big must have happened.
"What's all the excitement about?" Lan Li asked eagerly.
Liu Zhuang glanced at her, about to answer, when Yun Jin and Feng He came in together.
"Didn't you want to know?" Liu Zhuang stood up. "Follow me."
Lan Li immediately followed.
When Feng He saw Liu Zhuang, he raised his hand and greeted him, "It's already eleven o'clock, shall we take our seats?"
“Okay,” Liu Zhuang readily agreed.
The Feng family's banquet hall was very large, with more than a dozen tables set up in the main hall alone. The tables were arranged according to the family's status and relationship to the family, and each table had a name card.
Besides these, there is also a table in the well-soundproofed side room, which was specially prepared for the Yun brocade.
Feng He led the way with a smile, but after a few steps he suddenly felt something was wrong. He turned around and found Lan Li silently following behind.
After their eyes met, Lan Li grinned foolishly.
Feng He frowned: "Miss Lan, your seat is..."
“Let’s go together,” Liu Zhuang interrupted, “It’s just a matter of adding a chair.”
Lan Li immediately gave him a thumbs up, but Yun Jin silently turned his face away, pretending not to see it.
Since Liu Zhuang had already said so, Feng He couldn't refuse. Lan Li successfully slipped into the side hall and sat directly to Liu Zhuang's left.
After Yun Jin entered, she sat down to Liu Zhuang's right, leaving an empty seat between them for Hua Cheng.
Other guests arrived one after another. Lan Li glanced at them and realized they were all important relatives of the Feng family.
Feng He arranged the seats, and Hua Cheng arrived late. Just as he was about to sit down between Liu Zhuang and Yun Jin, Feng He pulled him back.
"You should prepare yourself mentally today," Feng He whispered a reminder.
Hua Cheng glanced at him and smiled, "Mr. Feng, maybe we shouldn't."
Just as Feng He was about to speak, he was called away. Before leaving, he exchanged a glance with Hua Cheng. After noticing Hua Cheng's attitude, he decided to do as he pleased.
Now that the equity issue has been settled, and Feng Wan is due to give birth in three months, Huacheng must give an explanation today.
Feng He left with a smile, leaving behind a large table of people in the side hall.
In this kind of situation, socializing is necessary. Yun Jin and Liu Zhuang have already dealt with one round, and now it's Hua Cheng's turn.
People kept coming to say hello, and Hua Cheng, maintaining the demeanor of a successful entrepreneur, greeted them one by one before turning to Yun Jin beside him and asking, "Are you hungry?"
Yun Jin: "Hungry."
Hua Cheng solemnly extended his fist.
Yun Jin felt bored, but still patted him on the shoulder. Hua Cheng smiled and spread his hands, revealing a piece of milk candy.
Liu Zhuang couldn't bear to look and turned his face to the other side, only to meet Lan Li's expectant eyes.
He said, "...Let's eat first."
Then, for the entire lunch break, Lanli didn't see any of the expected excitement.
The meal lasted until 1 p.m. before it finally ended. Everyone else in the side hall left without saying a word, and soon only Yun Jin and her three companions remained.
Lan Li stretched and was about to ask Liu Zhuang where the commotion was when Feng He suddenly rushed back, accompanied by Zheng Feifei and Feng Wan.
"It's starting," Liu Zhuang said.
Lan Li immediately perked up.
The door to the side hall closed again, and three members of the Feng family stood at the doorway, making the atmosphere inexplicably heavy.
Feng He looked at Hua Cheng: "Aren't you going to say anything?"
Hua Cheng was still drinking his soup when he heard this; he just glanced at him but didn't say anything.
“Okay, then I’ll speak.” Feng He knew men’s weaknesses too well and had already guessed that he would be a coward.
But it doesn't matter, as long as he doesn't stop me.
Feng He: "Yun Jin, it's my fault for not raising our daughter well. Wan Wan has let you down, and our whole family has let you down. I sincerely apologize to you here."
Lan Li sensed something was wrong when he was talking to Hua Cheng, and now, hearing him apologize to Yun Jin, her eyes suddenly sharpened: "What does President Feng mean?"
Feng He turned to look at Feng Wan and sighed, "I know our Feng family is in the wrong in this matter, but things have already developed to this point. I can't watch my own daughter be without a name or status, and I can't watch my own grandson be without a father. So I can only shamelessly beg for your understanding."
This was said euphemistically, but the meaning was quite clear.
Lan Li slammed her hand on the table and was about to stand up, but Liu Zhuang pressed her back down.
Feng He continued, "Yun Jin, I apologize to you again. You can ask for any compensation you want. As long as we can afford it, we will do everything we can to give it to you. We will never let you suffer a loss."
“That’s right, I will never let you suffer.” Zheng Feifei finished speaking and began to wipe away her tears. “Actually, your Uncle Feng is also feeling bad, after all, we’ve been friends for so many years…”
Liu Zhuang chuckled and nudged Lan Li beside him: "With their back-and-forth banter, you can't help but think they're a couple."
Lan Li's face was cold; she only wanted to tear Hua Cheng to pieces.
Perhaps it was her fierce gaze that made Hua Cheng put down his spoon: "President Feng, save yourself some face."
"If you care so much about your reputation, why did you do such a thing in the first place?" Zheng Feifei suddenly pressed.
Hua Cheng sighed, "Madam Feng, please calm down."
Zheng Feifei was taken aback and looked to Feng He for help.
Feng He frowned deeply: "Hua Cheng, things have come to this point, is there still any need to pretend everything is alright?"
“There’s no embellishment, everything has been peaceful,” Hua Cheng leaned back in his chair, helplessly. “President Feng, please don’t continue this topic.”
Feng He was displeased and was about to ask him what he meant when Yun Jin spoke up: "Aren't you tired of standing all the time?"
Her sentence didn't even have a subject. Feng He and Zheng Feifei exchanged a glance, cautiously trying to figure out who she was talking to.
Before they could figure it out, Feng Wan stepped forward and said, "It's...it's alright."
"Sit down and rest," Yun Jin said, softening her voice.
Feng Wan nodded cautiously and walked towards Yun Jin under everyone's gaze.
Fearing that Yun Jin might do something harmful to her and the child, Feng He instinctively tried to stop her. Feng Wan calmly avoided his hand, walked past Hua Cheng, and finally sat down next to Yun Jin.
"President Yun," she greeted him, her head bowed.
Yun Jin smiled faintly: "This is a private occasion, not work time."
Feng Wan paused for a moment, then looked at her with longing—
"elder sister."
A note from the author:
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Feng Wan: It's not only Feng Che who calls someone "sister" with a tilde, nor is it only Feng Che who sends messages to his sister, and not every female supporting character has to love the male lead.
I'm updating early today, and I'll be giving away 50 red envelopes! See you tomorrow night!
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