Ling Feng had stepped into the Cheng residence just ahead of Shen Yuzhi. Standing at the entrance, he looked at Shen Yuzhi with a meaningful expression. It was a look of indescribable triumph, as if he were savoring the victory of having snatched away something Shen Yuzhi had long coveted.
Shen Yuzhi, however, merely smiled dismissively. He bypassed Ling Feng and walked toward the Cheng family’s grand hall.
Cheng An and Lin Xingxue were waiting at the doorway to greet them. When Cheng An saw Ling Feng enter, he instinctively shrank back in fear. Ling Feng did not let him off the hook; he immediately released a wave of oppressive pheromones that made Cheng An’s legs buckle, nearly causing him to collapse in front of everyone.
Yet, Ling Feng showed no signs of sympathy. He simply smiled and followed Shen Yuzhi into the hall. Shen Yuzhi watched the scene silently, realizing that the relationship between Ling Feng and Cheng An was not worth mentioning.
“Shen Yuzhi, what are you doing here? Do you really think an outsider like you should be interfering in our family business?”
Ling Feng sat down in the main seat, his expression growing impatient. The smile from moments ago vanished, replaced by a ruthless intensity, as if his earlier behavior had been a performance for an audience.
“I came because I have matters to discuss. Besides, this house still bears the Shen name, so why should I not be here?”
Hearing Shen Yuzhi’s nonchalant tone, Ling Feng remained unbothered, keeping his gaze locked firmly on Shen Yuzhi without blinking. He sneered, “I suppose you are here for Qin Huai.”
Ling Feng’s directness caused Cheng Shangjian to gasp. He watched the two men closely, terrified that a single wrong word might lead them to drag the entire Cheng family down with them. To his surprise, Shen Yuzhi merely chuckled and gave a small nod.
Shen Yuzhi glanced at Lin Xingxue and Cheng Shangjian with a look that suggested, “Do you two not know this already?”
Frightened, Lin Xingxue and Cheng Shangjian did not dare to respond. They lowered their heads, waiting for their superiors to speak.
“Of course. If I come to his house and do not look for him, who else would I look for? Surely not you. You do not carry the Cheng name.”
Shen Yuzhi’s blunt remark made Ling Feng frown. Watching Shen Yuzhi’s demeanor made his teeth itch with irritation.
“Shen Yuzhi, are you confused? He has long since ceased to be part of the Cheng family. Did he not cut ties with Cheng Shangjian a while ago? Are you unaware of that? Why are you still defending Qin Huai?”
Shen Yuzhi offered no opinion on Ling Feng’s statement, though Cheng Shangjian nodded along like a man frantically trying to agree.
“Is that so? I never heard about him cutting ties with the Cheng family. Why did you not bother to inform me?”
Under Shen Yuzhi’s sharp gaze, Cheng Shangjian immediately froze, keeping his head down in silence. This only made Ling Feng glare at Shen Yuzhi with renewed malice.
“Just leave, Shen Yuzhi. This is not the place for you to talk. Do not think that you can pretend to be a young master of the Cheng family here. The Cheng family in this house is not your family.”
Ever since gaining control of the Cheng family’s economic lifelines, Ling Feng had become increasingly arrogant, especially in front of the Cheng family members themselves. Shen Yuzhi, however, was unimpressed. The Cheng family possessed no assets of his own, and as for Ling Feng, Shen Yuzhi had no intention of making his life easy.
When Shen Yuzhi showed no sign of leaving, Ling Feng grew impatient. He stood up, knitting his brows as if he intended to force Shen Yuzhi out by violence.
He was intercepted by Shen Yuzhi’s bodyguards. Both sides stood ready, tensions escalating to the point of a brawl, which terrified Cheng Shangjian. He rushed forward to play the peacemaker.
“Gentlemen, please, let us be calm. Sit down, have some tea, and let us stop arguing about who the Cheng family belongs to. There is room for both of you here. Why must we be so tense? Let us have a meal together later.”
Looking at the cowering Cheng Shangjian, Shen Yuzhi let out a scoff. He tapped his fingers against the back of his chair and took out his phone to scroll through some information. When he looked up again, he found Ling Feng staring daggers at him.
“I will say it again, Shen Yuzhi. You have no right to sit here. Qin Huai is not a member of the Cheng family, and your presence here is merely to see how harmonious our family is, is it not? Or have you changed your mind? Perhaps you do not want to marry Qin Huai anymore, and instead, you have taken a liking to my wife?”
Shen Yuzhi was momentarily taken aback by Ling Feng referring to Cheng An as his wife, but seeing Cheng An’s blushing face, he could not help but curve his lips into a smile.
It was truly laughable. Ling Feng would pick up any piece of trash he found; that was truly characteristic of him.
Seeing the mockery in Shen Yuzhi’s eyes, Ling Feng knew he was in a hostile position. If they continued to spar here, he would not gain the upper hand. He decided to shut his mouth, replaced his expression with his signature artificial smile, and looked at everyone present.
The speed of his mood swing left everyone, except Shen Yuzhi, trembling. As rivals of so many years, Shen Yuzhi understood Ling Feng’s nature perfectly. This was not Ling Feng letting things go; it was merely him postponing his retaliation. Shen Yuzhi, however, was not afraid. In terms of family background and financial power, the two were now equals.
The one thing Ling Feng lacked was Qin Huai. Failing to marry him and having his wedding hijacked by Shen Yuzhi had left Ling Feng deeply unsatisfied. Watching Shen Yuzhi looking so triumphant now made Ling Feng feel humiliated.
Even though he had married into the Cheng family, he had ended up with a fool like Cheng An, a useless Omega. The thought only made him angrier. He turned his head and shot a glare at Cheng An, who trembled so violently he could hardly stand.
“Do not tell me that you, a great young master, are still pining for Qin Huai, who you failed to marry? Is he really that excellent, that attractive to you?”
Shen Yuzhi effortlessly picked at Ling Feng’s scar, causing him to flare up.
Ling Feng slammed his hand onto the table and pointed at Shen Yuzhi’s nose. “Do not sit there and act smug, Shen! You know better than anyone what happened that night! Do you want to make headlines? Should I pay to put you on the trending topics?”
Seeing Ling Feng so enraged, Shen Yuzhi felt quite pleased. He tapped the armrests of his chair and stood up, smiling leisurely at everyone present.
Before he could say another word, a familiar figure appeared at the entrance: Qin Huai.
The hall, previously silent, erupted with tension. Everyone stared at Qin Huai in shock, while Shen Yuzhi sat back down, as if he had expected this all along.
Shen Yuzhi watched the room with a calm indifference, while Lin Xingxue and Cheng Shangjian, who had fought with Qin Huai just days prior, became visibly agitated, pointing at Qin Huai and screaming.
“You beast! How do you have the face to return to the Cheng family? Look at the occasion! Do you think you can just barge in whenever you please? Who do you think you are? Get out!”
Qin Huai shrugged off the insults with indifference. He walked toward the hall with an easy gait and sat down right next to Shen Yuzhi.
Ling Feng shifted his gaze from Shen Yuzhi to Qin Huai, glancing back and forth between them with a cold snort.
Qin Huai felt a sense of anxiety deep down. Under the circumstances, he knew he should not be sitting next to Shen Yuzhi, but since Shen Yuzhi had not spoken, the cold indifference only made Qin Huai’s heart ache. He lowered his eyes, swallowed hard, and forced a bitter look away, refusing to let these people see his vulnerability.
“I heard Ling-shao say outside that I am not a member of the Cheng family. I do not know where you heard such rumors, but that is fear-mongering. If I, Qin Huai, am not a member of the Cheng family, are you? How laughable. I am the eldest son of the Cheng family.”
The mention of the “eldest son” caused the expressions of Cheng Shangjian and Lin Xingxue to shift. It was clear that the slip of the tongue Lin Xingxue had made earlier had been heard by Qin Huai, and he must now know the truth about his mother.
“I have already learned the full truth about my mother’s situation. As for you two, how can you still have the audacity to call me an illegitimate child? It is truly ridiculous. If I am an illegitimate child, then what exactly is Cheng An?”
Hearing Qin Huai insult her precious son, Lin Xingxue flew into a rage and started toward him, only to be blocked by Shen Yuzhi’s bodyguards.
“I will investigate this matter to clear the Cheng family’s name. Everyone can rest assured.”
Shen Yuzhi said the words casually, yet they caused Cheng Shangjian and Lin Xingxue to freeze. It appeared Shen Yuzhi was truly standing by Qin Huai’s side. Beside him, Ling Feng’s veins were bulging with rage.
Shen Yuzhi was determined to oppose him at every turn, and this time, the two of them were truly going to fight to the end.