Chapter 24

◎ Everything Seems Perfect ◎

At the Liu family’s Fanyuan, Madam Feng had been crying on the sofa for over an hour, with Liu Xueyi accompanying her aunt. No matter how she tried to comfort her, it was no use.

Madam Feng cried, “No matter what, I’m your daughter. It was very clear back then that we’d never have any dealings again. Why is it happening now? You’re willing to let your wife be a star who would take her clothes off for money and your grandson to wear a green hat for money, and now you want that?”

Liu Xiangnian felt his brain almost cramp when he heard his daughter say such things. His chest tightened with a dull pain as he turned to accuse his old wife, who was silently crying, “This is the good daughter you raised? She’s embarrassing me in front of everyone, and now she says such things?”

Madam Liu could only silently shed tears, feeling more and more wronged.

Feng Xueming, who had a headache, saw his grandfather throwing a tantrum. He could only try to mediate. “Mom, you haven’t even met Fan Qi’s husband, but he’s very impressive. And Fan Qi herself is excellent. You saw her standing next to Jin Xiaohui, and she looked completely different. Don’t just say such things about people.”

His son’s words made Madam Feng so angry she could hardly contain herself. Didn’t he know that the woman was either his cousin or cousin’s wife? Did he know what would happen when his grandfather found the grandson? Why couldn’t he say these things in front of his father?

“Are you out of your mind? Have you been drugged or something? Why are you always defending that vixen?” Madam Feng’s anger flared up.

Feng Xueming just felt like he was talking to a brick wall. He couldn’t understand why his father didn’t want to speak to his mother.

At that moment, a car pulled up at the gate of the garden. The servant opened the door, and a man walked in to Liu Xiangnian. “Boss.”

Liu Xiangnian looked at his old wife and said, “When I come back down, can your daughter please stop crying? I’ve got a headache.”

Madam Liu was stunned. What did he mean by your daughter?

“Come with me,” Liu Xiangnian told the man.

The two of them went upstairs and entered the study. Liu Xiangnian, looking exhausted, sat in a chair as the man spoke, “Boss, we’ve investigated. His name is Chen Zhiqian, born April 17, 1964. He majored in electronic engineering at F University, studied for half a year at Hong Kong University’s graduate program, but dropped out.”

“Why? Couldn’t he keep up with his studies?”

“It’s not that. He came to Hong Kong City not long ago and started his own small business. Later, he registered a company selling Japanese gaming consoles. This year, he started manufacturing his own gaming consoles, and has already made a prototype. He’s looking for a factory to do the processing for him, but his order volume is too low, so it’s been hard to scale up.”

Liu Xiangnian originally thought that this child had purposely made his wife wear the necklace so that he could see it. They had been together for a year, and he had already caused so many issues. Regardless of whether the company was successful or not, at his age, just trying to start a business was impressive.

“And on top of that, he’s very handsome. I heard that many girls at school like him. But he keeps telling people that he has a girlfriend, though no one has seen what she looks like.”

“That matches up. Before, Fan Qi didn’t reveal their relationship because she was going to act. Is there anything else?”

“No, that’s it. As for Fan Qi, you’ve already heard about her quarrel with Miss Xu last time.”

“It seems insufficient. She’s clearly better than expected. The fact that Liao Jiqing took her to a wine party and introduced her to his big clients proves that she’s not just an actress,” Liu Xiangnian said.

The person was puzzled. He had thoroughly investigated, and as far as he could tell, Fan Qi was just someone who looked good, with nothing particularly special. But her recent behavior was indeed quite different. “Alright, I’ll continue the investigation.”

Liu Xiangnian stood up. “You can go now.”

“Alright.”

It had been many years, and the study was where he often spent time alone, where he could quietly stay for an entire afternoon. Liu Xiangnian walked to the window and looked outside. The phoenix tree in the yard had grown tall, its red blossoms now covering the tree. Under the light, the fallen petals lay scattered on the ground.

He remembered the beauty in a qipao wearing that necklace, supporting the newly planted phoenix tree. “Xiangnian, when we get old, this tree should have grown tall, right? By then, we can drink tea under its shade, with our grandchildren around us.”

The phoenix tree had grown as she wished, and he had grown old as well. But how did someone as strong as her die? Thinking of this, Liu Xiangnian covered his face with his hand and silently began to cry.

He had never dared to go to the mainland to find her, fearing she would still stubbornly refuse to reconcile, but he never imagined she was already gone.

“Wanyin… Wanyin…” Liu Xiangnian mumbled. Even though she was no longer here, the child had come, right? In the future, with the Shi family and Zhiqian, they could sit under the phoenix tree together and drink tea, fulfilling her wish.

He was going to find the child and bring him to Fanyuan.

Liu Xiangnian was lost in his thoughts when he realized someone had been knocking on the door for a long time. Only when Feng Xueming opened the door did he snap out of it. “Grandpa!”

Liu Xiangnian turned his face toward the window and said, “Wait outside for a moment.”

Feng Xueming closed the door. Liu Xiangnian wiped his tears and composed himself. “Come in.”

Feng Xueming walked in. “Grandpa.”

“Sit.”

Hearing his grandpa’s hoarse voice and seeing his reddened eyes, Feng Xueming sat down. Liu Xiangnian said, “Xueming, the matters of the previous generation are too complicated. I don’t want to say much about it. Zhiqian is your cousin. You’ve been raised by me since childhood. Zhiqian has always been away, but now that he’s back, you should help him settle in.”

“Grandpa, I want to leave Tianhe as soon as possible and focus on the new brand I’ve created. Everyone thought I was the heir, but if both my cousin and I are in Tianhe, people will inevitably compare us. I’ve been raised by you since childhood, but Zhiqian grew up in the mainland, without much exposure to business management. Even with the Liu family’s talent, it will take time for him to get the hang of it. He needs guidance. Comparing the two of us, there will definitely be differences, and people might see my cousin as lacking the ability to shoulder such responsibility, leading to feelings of inferiority. It will be hard for him to build a relationship with you. It’s better for me to step back so you can focus on nurturing him and building a bond with him, which will give him a sense of belonging.”

Liu Xiangnian was very pleased with his grandson’s understanding. “Xueming, don’t say that. Like you said, you grew up by my side. You’ve always been the heir in my mind. As for Zhiqian, from what Fan Qi says, it’s clear that your uncle’s family has suffered a lot in the mainland. I really want to compensate them, but for Tianhe’s long-term future, I’m considering who is most capable of filling the position.”

“Grandpa, let’s put this aside for now. Let’s focus on letting my uncle and Zhiqian settle into the family so you can enjoy peace and happiness. You know, mom was pampered by you growing up, and she can be a bit overbearing, but I’ll talk to her about it. Also, I need to discuss something with you. With the changes in our family, it’s no longer appropriate to continue my engagement with Xu Miao’er. What do you think?”

Feng Xueming shared his thoughts with Liu Xiangnian. After today’s scene, he had come to realize that marrying someone like Xu Miao’er would be unbearable. He couldn’t even stand being around her for long. Moreover, Fan Qi had said to Liao Yazhe in the car that if Chen Zhiqian returned to the Liu family, she would divorce him.

Liu Xiangnian knew that Feng Xueming didn’t like Xu Miao’er and saw an opportunity to end the engagement. However, today’s behavior of his daughter also disappointed him. If Wanyin had been here to teach the children, she certainly wouldn’t have acted in such a thoughtless way.

Thinking of this, Liu Xiangnian was struck by the image of Fan Qi—her boldness, stubbornness, and refusal to back down. He finally made a decision. “You decide for yourself.”

“Okay.”

Feng Xueming left the room. His mother had finally stopped crying. He took her to the car, where Mrs. Feng kept asking, “What did your grandpa say? Did he say how he would arrange things after he acknowledges the child?”

“Mom, this is up to Grandpa. You should try to persuade Grandma not to say too much. Even though Grandma is called Mrs. Liu, Grandpa never officially recognized her; she was brought into the family as a concubine according to the old Qing laws. Before, when Uncle got into trouble, Grandpa chose me to be groomed for this role, but now that his eldest son is still around, and there’s a grandson, why should I inherit?”

“She’s only been married to your grandpa for a few years, but Grandma has been with him all his life. Don’t you think forty years of love is worth more than just three or four years together?” Mrs. Feng sharply retorted.

“If she were still around, Grandpa would probably have already grown tired of her. Back then, Grandpa easily won the beautiful Chen Wanyin, but he didn’t cherish her. Didn’t he immediately get together with Grandma? But when Wanyin left, he couldn’t forget her. When she left Hong Kong City, she was at her most beautiful.” Feng Xueming smiled helplessly. “There’s no trace of her in Fanyuan, but the entire garden won’t allow a single brick to be moved. The club’s design style is so similar to Fanyuan. When I created WO, I was inspired by Fanyuan. After looking through her limited records, I have to admit, she was a very elegant, noble, and charming lady.”

“Are you standing on her side too?” Mrs. Feng trembled with anger.

Feng Xueming looked at his mother and said, “Respect the facts. How could the living ever win against the dead?”

“Does that mean we can only let that kid come back and do nothing?”

“Mom, whatever you do will only make Grandpa dislike us more. Some things, you and Grandma should not even think about. Grandpa’s hands are stained with blood, and I won’t be able to help you when the time comes,” Feng Xueming warned his mother.

Although Grandpa had already cleaned up his image over the years and became a legitimate businessman, Feng Xueming still knew the extent of his ruthlessness.

After sending his mother home, Feng Xueming drove to his father’s other residence, about two kilometers away. It was already late at night, but since this matter involved the inheritance of Tianhe, it was not too late to address it.

As expected, as soon as he rang the doorbell, the door immediately opened. Feng Xueming drove in, got out of the car, and walked into the living room, where his father and his second wife were sitting in their pajamas.

The second wife had a graceful figure and well-shaped brows and eyes. While she wasn’t the most stunningly beautiful woman, she was quite pleasing to the eye. In terms of appearance, his mother had likely been more beautiful in her youth. However, beauty was never a guarantee in marriage. The second wife had borne his father one son and two daughters, which was the proof of her enduring favor.

The second wife greeted him, “The eldest son is here.”

“Aunt, you’re still up?” Feng Xueming greeted her.

Mr. Feng said to the second wife, “You should rest first, I’ll talk to Xueming for a bit.”

“Okay,” she said, and left the room.

Father and son sat down in the living room, lit cigarettes, and smoked together. Mr. Feng quietly listened as Feng Xueming finished speaking, “So, are you planning to let go of this matter?”

“In your heart, who would you choose between me and Xuejie?”

“You’re asking that question too soon, aren’t you?” Mr. Feng was caught off guard by his son’s directness.

Undoubtedly, the eldest son was outstanding, but the second son was born to a woman Mr. Feng loved. Previously, the eldest son was supposed to inherit the Yue family’s business, and since the Liu family was wealthy, Mr. Feng had intended to pass on the Feng family’s business to his second son. Now that the eldest son had lost the position of inheriting the Liu family’s wealth, logically, it made sense to hand the family business to the eldest son, but emotionally, he did not want to disadvantage the son of the woman he loved.

Feng Xueming said solemnly, “Dad, I have no intention of taking over the Feng family’s business. I just want you to understand Grandpa’s position. Moreover, compared to inheriting the Feng family business, Chen Zhiqian is the legitimate grandson of Grandpa’s first wife. I can’t keep holding on to Tianhe’s inheritance. I appreciate Grandpa’s guidance since childhood, and I have connections through the Liu and Feng families. I just want to focus on making WO successful. I’ve discussed with Grandpa, and without the title of Tianhe heir, I am no longer a suitable match for Xu Miao’er, and I don’t want to hold her back. I hope to break off the engagement and would like your support.”

Mr. Feng hadn’t expected his usually calm son to raise the issue of breaking off his engagement with Xu Miao’er. He saw the potential advantages of marrying her. “You don’t have to rush to break off your engagement with Xu Miao’er. Grandpa won’t really hand such a large family business to some kid from the mainland. Marrying Xu Miao’er would give you many conveniences.”

His approach towards Grandpa was to retreat strategically. He was confident that with his background, Grandpa, feeling indebted and guilty towards the Chen family’s eldest daughter, would be emotionally biased towards the younger generation. Once Grandpa saw the comparison between the grandson raised in a business environment and the one raised in a closed-off environment, his rationality would lead him to make the right decision.

Feng Xueming glanced at the second floor. “While you’re enjoying your conveniences, your two women behind you—one wasted her life, and the other is living in frustration.”

Mr. Feng flicked the ash off his cigarette. “I respect your decision. Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to explain things clearly to your Xu family.”

“Thank you, Dad.” Feng Xueming thought for a moment and then asked, “Dad, what if Grandpa finds his son and grandson, and this grandson is very outstanding?”

These words made Mr. Feng pause in his steps. When they reached the door, he said, “Xueming, in my eyes, you and Xuejie are the same. As a father, I hope both of my sons are well. You’ve always been taken care of by your Grandpa, while Xuejie has had nothing. It’s only natural that I favor him more. If the Liu family has no future with you, then you two brothers will have to join hands and take care of the family business.”

Feng Xueming smiled to himself as he drove away. His father was incredibly biased, yet still hoped for peace between his wives and for brotherly harmony?

Arriving at his own residence’s parking lot, Feng Xueming lit a cigarette and thought to himself. Grandpa only longs for what he cannot have. Isn’t that the same for him? From the first meeting, wanting to have some fun, to falling in love the next time they met. And now? He hoped that Fan Qi would keep her word, that if Chen Zhiqian was recognized by the Liu family, she would divorce him.