Chapter 52: Brotherly Feud
My biggest temptation to you was that I pretended to be drunk and looked at you with my arms open, just expecting that you would hug me like before.
The clamor of the ballroom was blocked off behind the heavy doors. The corridor backstage was relatively quiet, with only the faint sound of music in the distance and the occasional hurried footsteps of waiters.
The lights were dim, and the air was filled with the smell of detergent and a hint of champagne.
Liao Feng came out of the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face, but the aftereffects of the alcohol still made his head a little dizzy, and his steps were a little weaker than usual.
He rubbed his eyebrows, trying to dispel the dizziness. When he looked up, he saw a figure leaning against the cold wall at the end of the corridor - it was Ruan Xingfeng.
He had also drunk quite a bit, and his fair cheeks were stained with a noticeable blush. His eyes were blurry, having lost their usual clarity and alertness, and he looked a little fragile. His suit jacket was nowhere to be found, and his tie hung loosely around his neck. He was looking at him with his arms outstretched.
Liao Feng paused.
Alcohol blurred the boundaries of reason and weakened the cold defenses built day and night.
In his dizzy vision, that figure seemed to overlap with a familiar shadow deep in his memory that made his heart tighten.
She was the figure who would curl up on the sofa and wait for him to fall asleep, the figure who would endure the grievances but couldn't help but have red eyes, the figure... who once belonged to him completely.
Defense, calculation, hurt, estrangement... were briefly evaporated by alcohol at this moment.
An almost instinctive impulse overwhelmed all conscious warnings.
Liao Feng walked over almost by his own will.
Ruan Xingfeng felt him approaching, and his heart beat even more violently, as if jumping out of his chest again. But before he could move or even say a word, Liao Feng had already stretched out his arm.
Not pushing away, not rejecting.
Instead, he embraced him in his arms with an unquestionable, even somewhat clumsy strength.
Ruan Xingfeng was completely frozen, his mind going blank.
The whole world seemed to be silent in an instant, and the only sounds left were the sound of Liao Feng's rapid heartbeat in his chest, and the scent of him, a mixture of a faint smell of alcohol and a familiar cold perfume. This scent was like a net, wrapping him tightly.
This hug... was too sudden, too real, and too... warm.
It was exactly the same scene he had imagined countless times but forced himself not to expect.
Liao Feng's chin rubbed against the top of his head unconsciously, and his arms were tightly clasped together, as if to confirm his presence, and as if to use him to support his dizzy body. His breath was warm and brushed against Ruan Xingfeng's earlobe.
"... dizzy..." Liao Feng's voice was low and unclear, and he mumbled vaguely, as if he was explaining the reason for his abnormal behavior, but also like it was just unconscious mumbling.
Just this one sentence, like a key, instantly broke down all of Ruan Xingfeng's pretended strength and preset psychological defenses.
He didn't push me away, he hugged me, he was even... showing weakness to me?
A huge, indescribable sorrow and ecstasy swept over him like a tsunami, causing every limb to tremble, his eyes to suddenly feel hot, and his vision to quickly become blurred.
His stiff body softened little by little, and the hands hanging at his sides were raised hesitantly and tremblingly. Finally, as if he had used up all his strength, he carefully hugged Liao Feng's waist back and buried his face deeper into that warm chest.
Even if this was just an illusion caused by alcohol, even if everything would return to its original state when I woke up tomorrow, at least at this moment...
He seemed to have embraced his whole world again.
There seemed to be footsteps coming from the end of the corridor.
But the two people hugging each other, one was drunk and acting on instinct, the other was immersed in illusion and didn't want to wake up, no one noticed.
This brief, stolen warmth flowed quietly in the dim backstage corridor, as fragile as a breakable dream.
The person who came was the one they least wanted to see at the moment - Liao Chen.
He appeared silently at the other end of the corridor like a cold shadow, dressed in a solemn black suit and wearing a black mask with the brim of his hat pulled down so low that it almost covered the upper half of his face.
But the pair of eyes that were revealed were like poisoned daggers, dark and full of resentment, fixed firmly on the two people hugging each other. The malice in those eyes was so intense that it almost made the warm air around them drop to freezing point in an instant.
Liao Feng was immersed in the dizziness brought by alcohol and the warmth of the embrace, but was suddenly awakened by this cold and tangible gaze. He almost instinctively raised his head and looked in the direction he felt.
When his gaze met the pair of eyes hidden under the brim of the hat, Liao Feng was struck by lightning and froze instantly!
All the haziness and warmth brought by the alcohol disappeared in an instant, leaving only a bone-chilling coldness that suddenly rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, making his scalp numb.
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
He must have been so drunk that he was having the most absurd and horrible hallucinations!
That figure...those eyes...
Even though so many years have passed, even though the other person has covered most of his face, even though he is just the memory of a seven-year-old child... he will never make a mistake!
Is that... Liao Chen?
Was it the younger brother who pushed him into the water that year, accidentally fell into the water himself, and never managed to climb out?
Liao Feng's pupils suddenly contracted to the extreme, and the blood drained from his face, making him even paler than when he was drunk just now.
His breathing suddenly stopped, as if someone had strangled his throat. His heart was beating wildly, but it was not because of a heartbeat, but because of extreme shock and fear.
The arm he was holding around Ruan Xingfeng seemed to be burned, and he suddenly loosened his grip. He even subconsciously pushed Ruan Xingfeng back half a step, as if trying to pull himself away from this sudden nightmare scene.
"You..." Liao Feng's throat tightened, his voice dry and hoarse, almost inaudible, filled with disbelief and horror, "...Who... is it?"
His eyes were fixed on the black-clad figure, and every cell in his body was screaming in denial, but his mind cruelly told him that it was not an illusion.
"Brother, how could you not recognize me? I'm your younger brother, Liao Chen." After a long moment, Liao Chen slowly removed his mask, revealing a face that bore a passing resemblance to Liao Feng, yet one steeped in years of resentment, its face tinged with a sinister pallor. He smiled, but that smile lacked the joy of a long-awaited reunion; it held only a venomous coldness and mockery.
This smile made Liao Feng's body uncontrollably feel a physiological chill. Ruan Xingfeng immediately broke free from Liao Feng's arms and subconsciously stood half a step in front of Liao Feng. He stared at Liao Chen with vigilant eyes as if facing a great enemy, and all the muscles in his body were tense.
Liao Feng felt Ruan Xing's subconscious protective gesture, and his eyes moved slightly. He did not push Ruan Xingfeng away. Instead, he reached out and gently touched Ruan Xingfeng's hair in an almost soothing manner with absolute control, signaling him to be patient.
Then, he raised his eyes and looked back at Liao Chen. The initial shock and fear stemming from his childhood trauma had been suppressed, replaced by the coldness and majesty of the CEO of Chuangyu.
His appearance made Liao Feng feel incredible, but not enough to scare him.
"You're not dead?" Liao Feng's voice was as cold as ice, without any trace of brotherhood, only scrutiny and disgust. "Forget it, I'm not interested in knowing how you survived. You dare to appear in front of me, are you looking for death?"
His words were blunt and threatening, with a condescending and oppressive air.
Liao Chen seemed to be unconcerned with his murderous look, and instead felt pleasure in angering the other party.
He smiled slightly, and his eyes swept meaningfully over Liao Feng's hand that had just stroked Ruan Xingfeng's hair, his tone frivolous and vicious:
"Brother, you're still as clueless as ever. Aren't you afraid of the same fate as last time?" He paused deliberately, his gaze piercing Ruan Xingfeng like a poisonous needle. "You were almost killed by your beloved Xiaolu?"
These words were like the sharpest dagger, piercing through both of them at the same time with incredible precision!
Ruan Xingfeng's face turned pale in an instant, and his body shook almost imperceptibly. The protective desire that had just risen in his heart was shattered, leaving only embarrassment and pain. This was the fact that he had been trying to avoid but could not refute.
Liao Feng's eyes suddenly became extremely sharp, and the air pressure around him instantly dropped to freezing point. Liao Chen successfully opened the deepest and bloodiest scar again.
The air in the corridor seemed frozen, filled with the silent smell of gunpowder. A storm of fratricide, a mixture of old and new hatreds, was about to erupt in this dim backstage.
Liao Chen's poisonous words were still echoing in the air, trying to continue to hurt Liao Feng with Ruan Xingfeng's betrayal.
However, this time, Liao Feng was not moved by him. He simply looked at Liao Chen with an extremely cold look, even with a hint of pity and extreme disgust, as if he were looking at some dirty garbage.
"Liao Chen," Liao Feng's voice was eerily calm, yet more penetrating than any roar, "You really are exactly like your disgusting parents."
The fake smile on Liao Chen's face froze instantly.
Liao Feng took a step forward, his gaze like a concrete icicle, piercing him fiercely. "What? Do you think that just because that thief occupied my father's body for over a decade, you're worthy of calling me 'brother'? Do you really think you're a member of the Liao family?"
His words carried a cruel truth that stripped away all pretense: "Wake up. You're nothing but the bastard child of a thief who crawled out of some gutter and a bitch who willingly degraded herself."
Every word was like a heavy slap in Liao Chen's face, bloodily dissecting the deepest shame of his life that he was most reluctant to admit!
"Don't think you can act wildly here just because you have the last name 'Liao.'" Liao Feng's tone was filled with contempt. "You and your family are parasites, rats stealing other people's lives. I will settle our accounts with you one by one, slowly and thoroughly!"
His words were not only insults, but also revealed the bloody truth!
When Liao Feng was six years old, his father, who truly loved him and his mother, had his body completely replaced by a strange soul.
That man brought another woman into the house, and also brought his so-called "brother" Liao Chen! His gentle mother was driven insane by this, and throughout his childhood and adolescence, he lived under the cold violence and occasional beatings and humiliation of that "father", and lived in the painful mutterings and tears of his mother!
He once really thought that his father had changed and no longer loved them. It was not until a few years ago that he found his biological father's hidden diary and some old items that had not been destroyed by the thief in the abandoned basement of the old house that he realized the truth -
His father never changed his mind! He never had a mistress! And he never had any illegitimate children!
The man who beat him, insulted his mother, and seized the family property was not his father at all! His father didn't stop loving them, he was just... replaced by a despicable thief, and he might have even met with an accident long ago!
The hatred for "father" that lasted for more than ten years collapsed in an instant, turning into deep-rooted hatred and endless sorrow for the thief's family.
Liao Chen was caught off guard by this sudden, gut-wrenching revelation. The fake smile on his face shattered completely, leaving only twisted shock and a furious rage of being hurt! His biggest secret, his most shameful life story, had actually been known to Liao Feng long ago!
Ruan Xingfeng was also completely stunned. He stood aside, listening to all this in disbelief.
Only then did he understand that the feud between Liao Feng and Liao Chen was not just a simple brotherly feud, but a deep-seated hatred involving the possession and the theft of lives! His past misunderstandings of Liao Feng, instigated by Liao Chen, now seemed so ridiculous and pale!
The atmosphere in the corridor became extremely solemn, and the murderous intent and hatred almost solidified into substance.
Liao Feng's cold declaration foreshadows that the hatred that has lasted for more than ten years is finally coming to an end.
"Even if...even if it is like this, so what!" Liao Chen was hurt to the core by Liao Feng's words. His face turned pale, but he still forced himself to take a step back.
Trying to fight back with the most vicious and abominable words, he shrieked, "My mother isn't a bitch! Your mother is! Wasn't she gang-raped to death?! A bitch who didn't deserve a good death!"
This sentence was like the most vicious curse, instantly igniting all the suppressed hatred and violence in Liao Feng's heart!
The air around Liao Feng seemed to freeze, its temperature plummeting. The last trace of warmth in his eyes vanished completely, replaced by an almost insane, destructive murderous intent.
Ruan Xingfeng could even hear the crackling sound of Liao Feng's knuckles, which was particularly terrifying in the silent corridor.
"Heh." Liao Feng chuckled softly. There was no warmth in that laugh, only a chilling chill as hell. "Liao Chen, all you have left is your ability to use the dead to vent your anger."
He approached step by step, each step like stepping on Liao Chen's heart: "Do you really think that your mother, who took the money and fled abroad, can really be safe and enjoy her old age?"
Liao Chen's pupils suddenly shrank and a trace of panic flashed across his face.
"I'm telling you," Liao Feng's voice was low and slow, yet it carried a chilling precision and cruelty. "Everything my mother suffered, I will exact back from your mother, bit by bit, without missing a beat! She will pay the most painful price for the choice she made back then! I will make her regret coming into this world!"
This wasn't enough. Liao Feng's gaze was like an ice-cold scalpel, dissecting Liao Chen's last psychological defenses. "Also, a son pays for his father's debts. It's only natural. Everything your damned 'father' did to me and my mother, all the pain and torture he inflicted on us..."
Liao Feng paused, his tone almost cruel and calm: "...Since he was lucky enough to die with my father, then this debt will be repaid by you, his only 'offspring'!"
"I will be on you," Liao Feng said, enunciating each word as if he were delivering a verdict. "I will get back everything he owes us, including the principal and interest!"
Liao Chen was completely devastated by these words! His greatest weakness—his mother—had been precisely grasped by Liao Feng, who issued the most terrifying threat! The truth that his father and Liao Feng's father had perished together had completely deprived him of his last bit of support and confidence.
His face was as pale as paper and his body began to tremble uncontrollably. The arrogance he had just shown was gone, leaving only great fear and panic.
Only then did he truly realize that the brother in front of him was no longer the boy he had been in his childhood who could be easily pushed into the glacier.
He is an avenger who has returned from hell, carrying a deep blood feud, and has enough power to carry out revenge!
In the corridor, Liao Feng's cold verdict was like the final judgment, sounding the death knell for Liao Chen and all the relationships behind him.
Ruan Xingfeng felt dizzy listening to their words. Liao Feng's feelings were much darker than he had imagined. He thought that being wrongly imprisoned was Liao Feng's darkest past.
But having witnessed his mother's death and suffered beatings from his father while growing up, it's no wonder he couldn't smile. No wonder he always had a cold face. The only time he smiled was at their wedding, but that wedding was not completed due to Ruan Xingfeng's calculations.
Ruan Xingfeng held Liao Feng's hand, feeling extremely distressed, but also pleased that he could now help Liao Feng. He didn't have to support Liao Feng behind the scenes, but fight side by side with him and accompany him to solve all obstacles.
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