Chapter 54

In an instant, Xu Yuanguo's face turned pale, though others couldn't tell due to his strange makeup.

His entire body trembled, and his legs felt weak beyond his control.

Fortunately, Xu Yuanguo managed to steady himself by grabbing onto a nearby table, preventing himself from fainting in front of so many people. A sense of helplessness enveloped him completely, as if Death itself had descended beside him.

No matter how much money he had made, no one could escape the cycle of life and death. Xu Yuanguo knew this well, but he hadn't expected that day to come so soon.

He looked at Shen Yujing; the young man before him was handsome and looked at him with sincere eyes, showing no signs of deception.

He too had once been young, just like this Shen boy, and had experienced such beautiful youth.

However, unlike Shen Yujing, he hadn't been born into privilege or had such a noble background. He had spent half his life fighting and struggling to achieve everything he had today, only to be diagnosed with a terminal illness when he was just one step away from the finish line.

Perhaps this was fate's cruel joke.

Thinking about this, the sorrow in Xu Yuanguo's eyes deepened.

Xu Yuanguo looked at Shen Yujing as if seeing his own lost youth through him.

He felt regret, unwillingness, and had so many unfulfilled acts of revenge.

But alas... alas!

Xu Yuanguo stared intently at Shen Yujing, his mind racing chaotically, not even hearing people calling his name nearby.

To the wealthy ladies present, Xu Yuanguo's current state appeared completely deranged.

Everyone's minds involuntarily recalled what one of the ladies had said earlier—

"They say if strange things happen to someone who's about to die from illness, you must pretend not to see it. Otherwise, the person who points it out will have their own lifespan used to extend the dying person's life!"

But Shen Yujing hadn't pretended not to see it; he had directly pointed out Xu Yuanguo's strangeness.

So...

Now that Xu Yuanguo had his sights set on Shen Yujing, Shen Yujing's lifespan would be taken to extend Xu Yuanguo's life!

Xu Yuanguo knew nothing of these thoughts; he just wanted to confirm one more time, to make one last struggle.

He turned to the other wealthy ladies standing nearby and asked, "Is there anything on my face that shouldn't be there?"

These people, already believing in the "seeing strange things will cost you your life" theory, immediately shook their heads in unison—

"No, no! There's nothing at all!"

"Mr. Xu looks very healthy!"

"Don't listen to what children say, how could that be possible?"

Shen's Mother could no longer remain seated. She stood up and positioned herself behind Shen Yujing, looking at Xu Yuanguo with an agitated voice: "If you want to take someone's life force, take mine, not my son's!"

Shen Yujing: "...?"

Xu Yuanguo: "?"

Xu Yuanguo's gaze fell on Shen's Mother – what was this crazy woman saying now?

Suddenly, an even more incredible thought occurred to Xu Yuanguo.

He remembered hearing from his elders when he was young that when someone was about to die, ghosts would possess people around them, using their mouths to tell the dying person that their time was running out, reminding them to quickly fulfill any unfulfilled wishes and leave without regrets.

And Shen's wife was known in their circles for being religious and frequently visiting temples, so her reaction was different from others.

So perhaps now, a ghost had possessed Shen Yujing, and Shen's Mother could see it, which was why she was scolding it to leave her son alone. The others couldn't see anything, which was why they said he looked normal.

Completely unaware that in Shen's Mother's eyes he was the ghost, Xu Yuanguo felt his palms grow cold with this thought, breaking out in cold sweat.

Under Shen's Mother's vigilant gaze, Xu Yuanguo also wanted to distance himself from "the ghost possessing Shen Yujing," and turned to leave with unsteady steps, looking lost and dazed.

Even with his last breath, he had to find Mr. Smith...

Watching Xu Yuanguo's retreating figure, Shen's Mother finally let out a long breath, turned back and patted her son's face, "Baby, don't be afraid, mommy's here. No one can bully you, not even ghosts."

The completely confused baby·Shen Yujing: "...?"

Though he didn't understand, Shen Yujing, who was used to his mother acting like a drama queen for a couple of days each month, expressionlessly removed her hand.

Just as Shen Yujing was about to seriously correct his mother's choice of words, a surprised female voice sounded from behind him—

"Oh my god, he's still a baby!"

Followed by a flat male voice's perfunctory agreement: "Oh my god."

Another slightly hoarse male voice pronounced word by word: "Stay away from mama's boys."

Shen Yujing: "?"

Shen Yujing angrily turned around, intending to teach these ignorant people a lesson.

However, when he clearly saw the three people before him, Shen Yujing was so startled that he stumbled back two steps before regaining his balance.

Shen's Mother reached out to steady her son, saying somewhat reproachfully, "Baby, what's wrong with you, can't you even stand steady?"

"Don't call me such strange names!" Shen Yujing broke free from his mother's hand, then rubbed his eyes to confirm that standing before him were—

Xu Che, Song Yi, and Hang Feng.

Except for the one in the middle, the other two looked quite disagreeable, especially the one on the left.

Shen Yujing couldn't hide his surprise, temporarily even forgetting about his mother calling him baby in public, and asked, "How come you're all together?"

Besides Xu Che being here making sense, the other two were completely unexpected!

Xu Che looked at Shen Yujing, then pointed at Hang Feng, "My brother."

Shen Yujing's eyes widened as he looked at Xu Che, then at Hang Feng, his face clearly showing four words—

Are you kidding me?

Shen Yujing looked at his mother and finally asked the mystery that had puzzled him for years, "So all this time Hang Feng's surname is also Xu? Then why am I allowed to fight Xu Che but not Hang Feng?"

They're all from the same family, why the different treatment?

Shen Yujing and Xu Che had been fighting for so many years without family intervention, but he had been warned not to bully Hang Feng – why was that?

Shen Yujing couldn't figure it out, while Shen's Mother's face showed a rare expression of embarrassment, as if thinking "why does this child say everything out loud?"

The wealthy ladies around them mostly knew that the Xu family had another son, reportedly born to Xu Yuanguo's mistress, but except for Shen's Mother, most were seeing Hang Feng for the first time.

When it came to such gossip about the hosts, sensible people naturally kept their distance to avoid hearing something they shouldn't and bringing trouble upon themselves.

Of course, with their departure, the rumor that "Mr. Xu is seriously ill and needs dark magic to extend his life, and anyone who dares to point out his peculiarity today will have their lifespan stolen" spread throughout the Xu household instantly.

Whether it was the old ladies sitting at the village entrance or these wealthy ladies, rich or poor, everyone loved gossip.

At this moment, Shen's Mother also found it inappropriate to answer this question in front of Hang Feng and Xu Che, so she changed the subject: "Xiao Jing, are these all your classmates and friends?"

Song Yi finally looked at Shen's Mother – a woman in her forties who maintained herself so well she looked just over thirty, elegant in a light-colored formal dress paired with pearl accessories that made her look luxurious without being excessive, clearly someone who lived a life of privilege.

Shen Yujing nodded, "Yes, but why won't you let me fight..."

But Hang Feng calmly interrupted Shen Yujing's words, saying: "No, we're all in Class A, Shen Yujing is in Class B."

Shen Yujing: "?"

Song Yi couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Shen's Mother looked at her son with some resignation and said, "I didn't expect much from him anyway. Xiao Feng, Xiao Che, long time no see."

Xu Che and Hang Feng naturally both politely greeted Shen's Mother.

Shen's Mother's gaze fell on Song Yi, asking with a smile: "How come there's such a pretty girl here? What's your name?"

Being complimented by a great beauty like Shen's Mother, Song Yi suddenly felt a bit shy, and followed Hang Feng and Xu Che in saying "Hello, Auntie," then told her name.

Shen's Mother smiled at Song Yi and said, "Why call me Auntie? You're so pretty, just call me sister."

Song Yi: "?"

Although she didn't understand the logic behind Shen's Mother's words, any chance to take advantage of Shen Yujing was worth taking.

So Song Yi immediately changed her tone, smiling with crescent eyes, "Hello, sister."

Shen Yujing: "..."

How did classmates suddenly end up with a generational gap between them?

Meanwhile, Shen's Mother took quite a liking to this pretty young girl with her sweet words. She wanted to say more but was suddenly pushed aside by her son.

Shen Yujing frowned and said, "Mom, why don't you go have tea and snacks with the other ladies? What are you doing hanging around here?"

What Shen Yujing said made sense, so Shen's Mother decided not to disturb the children's interaction anymore. She smiled and said, "I'll leave then. If Shen Yujing bullies anyone, come find me right away."

After saying this, she left, ignoring Shen Yujing's darkened face.

Shen Yujing's gaze shifted between Xu Che and Hang Feng again, still asking in disbelief, "Are you two really brothers?"

"No/Yes."

Two voices rang out simultaneously with different answers.

Shen Yujing looked at Xu Che and asked, "Which is it? Are you just one-sidedly clinging to him?"

At this moment, Hang Feng silently walked past Shen Yujing and left, clearly not wanting to answer this question or even stay there any longer.

Watching Hang Feng's retreating figure, Xu Che rubbed his brow, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally explained to Shen Yujing, "Same father, different mothers."

"Holy crap," Shen Yujing exclaimed in shock, squeezing out three words, "What a scumbag."

"Enough, that's not important," Xu Che obviously didn't want to continue discussing this topic with Shen Yujing and instead asked, "Why are you here?"

"I don't even know," Shen Yujing looked more confused as he spoke, "My mom was being all mysterious before, never talking about Hang Feng's background, but today she suddenly brought me here."

Since he had never heard about it before, Shen Yujing was completely unprepared.

Xu Che looked down at his wrist watch and said, "Because my father is planning to publicly acknowledge Hang Feng's identity today."

"Wh...what?" Song Yi's eyes widened as she looked at Xu Che in disbelief, "What did you say? Acknowledge his identity?"

Xu Che nodded.

Song Yi was stunned. Wait, what kind of plot development was this?

She clearly remembered that in the original story, Xu Yuanguo never acknowledged Hang Feng as his son until his death, and never revealed his existence to anyone.

This was a crucial reason that led to Hang Feng's final mental breakdown and descent into extremism.

But now, Xu Yuanguo was actually going to acknowledge this son? This plot wasn't right at all. Did she get a fake script?

The seemingly retired system came out at this moment to defend itself.

[Please don't slander us.]

[Each script represents a truly existing development, but due to the butterfly effect, plot deviations are normal. The host should first reflect on what she did rather than doubt others.]

Song Yi was very puzzled and asked in her heart, "What does this have to do with me? I just met his father for the first time today."

Song Yi couldn't figure it out, but the system just brushed her off again with the words "butterfly effect."

But regardless, this was a positive development.

If Xu Yuanguo acknowledged Hang Feng as his son, then Hang Feng's inner hatred wouldn't be pushed to extremes, and he might not do those twisted things.

Yes, logically speaking, this was actually a good development.

Suddenly, a servant ran over and looked at Xu Che, "Young Master, the Madam is looking for you."

Xu Che looked at Song Yi apologetically, "Excuse me."

Shen Yujing took a sip of orange juice and muttered, "I'm still here, what about me?"

Song Yi waved her hand, "It's fine, it's fine."

After all, Xu Che had no obligation to entertain her, the one who brought her here was...

Huh? Wait.

Where's Hang Feng?!

Song Yi expressed deep criticism towards Hang Feng's behavior of seeking her out when he needed something and then disappearing afterward.

Then she and Shen Yujing proceeded to eat their way through all the cakes and snacks in the garden.

Until another servant came to remind them that today's banquet was about to begin and asked them to go to the main hall.

As soon as Song Yi entered, she couldn't help but exclaim "Oh ho!"

Shen Yujing asked her, "What's wrong?"

Song Yi's gaze turned to the center of the crowd, where Xu Yuanguo was giving a speech on stage, and she asked incredulously, "Why hasn't he washed his face yet? With so many people watching, hasn't anyone reminded him?"

Shen Yujing was also puzzled, "I reminded him, but he didn't believe me. What's strange is that when I told him there was the character for 'death' on his face, everyone else argued with me, saying there was nothing there."

So Song Yi grabbed a passing servant who was serving red wine, pointed at Xu Yuanguo on stage, and asked, "What character is written on your Mr. Xu's face?"

The servant looked at Song Yi as if facing a great enemy, "Miss, what are you talking about? Our Mr. Xu's face is perfectly clean, there's nothing there!"

After saying this, the servant fled.

Song Yi: "?"

Shen Yujing slowly spoke, "Have you considered one possibility?"

Song Yi looked at him and asked, "What?"

Shen Yujing said seriously, "Maybe it's not them who have a problem, but our eyes."

Song Yi: "..."

She felt that these people should be able to see the character on Xu Yuanguo's face, and she didn't think there was anything wrong with her eyes.

The only possibility was that something had gone wrong in between.

But Xu Yuanguo seemed completely unaware, still standing on stage talking about his upcoming investment and development plans.

Xu Yuanguo appeared to be in excellent spirits, as if he had encountered something wonderful.

Song Yi grabbed another piece of cake and asked Shen Yujing beside her, "Why does he look so happy?"

Shen Yujing answered randomly, "Maybe he thinks he's handsome."

Soon, Song Yi got her answer.

Because Xu Yuanguo announced from the stage that he had secured a cooperation deal with the Smith Family from Country M.

Song Yi frowned. That Mr. Smith must be the important client they mentioned earlier.

So even with such a frightening ugly face, Xu Yuanguo still successfully secured the cooperation.

He stood on stage looking extremely pleased, completely unaffected.

Therefore, Song Yi's mission here had naturally failed.

Seeing Song Yi's worried expression, Shen Yujing asked, "You don't look very happy."

Song Yi didn't deny it, but looked up at the stage and asked thoughtfully, "Why can such a scumbag live so smoothly, having both family and career?"

How unfair.

This was supposed to be a Mary Sue novel world, couldn't it be simpler with good being rewarded and evil being punished?

Song Yi's gaze fell on a corner, and she immediately called out, "Hang Feng!"

Song Yi quickly walked over, and Shen Yujing hesitated before following her, "Hey, wait for me!"

The three gathered together.

Song Yi said, "So you're here. I thought you had left."

But Hang Feng stood there silently, eyes downcast.

The man on stage was still talking endlessly, announcing his chosen plot of land for development and construction.

Song Yi patted Hang Feng's shoulder, trying to call out, "Brother Hang? Brother Hang?"

Since Hang Feng was the youngest among them, even a few days younger than Song Yi, she suddenly had the idea to call him this.

Hang Feng looked up, his narrow eyes slightly reddened, clearly suppressing some emotion.

Song Yi was startled and quickly glanced at Shen Yujing, then pointed at Hang Feng, gesturing for him to go comfort him.

Shen Yujing found it very strange - he wasn't close to Hang Feng, what could he say?

Song Yi maintained a smile on her face while grabbing Shen Yujing's arm and forcefully pulling him over.

Shen Yujing had no choice but to reluctantly start comforting.

"Are you okay?"

"Are you okay?"

"Are you okay?"

Song Yi: "..."

What clumsy comfort tactics, not even bothering to change the words, might as well have "perfunctory" written on his forehead.

So Song Yi asked, "Can you say something else?"

Shen Yujing changed his words and asked, "How are you feeling?"

Hang Feng didn't answer Shen Yujing's question. Instead, he looked up at Xu Yuanguo with an intense glare and replied through gritted teeth, "My mother's grave is on the land he wants to develop."

"Damn it," Song Yi said.

"Hell," Shen Yujing said.

Both of them felt the surge of anger simultaneously.

What kind of person would do this? No, this wasn't even human behavior.

They're already so wealthy, yet they'd still stoop so low for a bit more money?

Song Yi and Shen Yujing's gazes toward Hang Feng changed simultaneously, filled with genuine pity.

They exchanged another glance, reaching a silent understanding.

Then Shen Yujing patted Hang Feng's shoulder, "Stop listening, brother."

Song Yi patted Hang Feng's other shoulder, "Let's go get something to eat."

Hang Feng looked up, his gaze falling on them with a hint of bewilderment.

Shen Yujing said, "In times like these, you should have a drink, shouldn't you?"

Song Yi hesitated for a moment before saying, "Listening to more will only make you feel worse."

After a few seconds of silence, Hang Feng finally nodded.

Indeed, he just wanted to leave this place, to escape from this suffocating environment that brought him so much pain.

His decision to return had been a mistake from the start.

Before leaving, Song Yi turned off her phone screen and put it in her pocket. The last WeChat conversation page showed—

[XC, Song You Leave, Lonely Wolf]

[XC]: Please take him away first, I'll handle things here.

[Song You Leave]: Mission accomplished.

[Lonely Wolf]: This favor isn't free, you'll owe me one.

...

At the restaurant.

Shen Yujing placed several bottles of beer on the table, saying, "Since you two are underage, going to a bar wouldn't be convenient. This will have to do. We've got not just beer, but food and meat too."

Hang Feng remained silent, opening a bottle of beer and taking a long drink.

Song Yi took out her phone and opened WeChat.

[XC, Song You Leave, Lonely Wolf]

[Song You Leave]: Come over soon, he'll probably be drunk.

[XC]: Okay.

Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing, "This won't do. You should drink with him."

Otherwise, Hang Feng might pass out before Xu Che arrives.

Shen Yujing: "?"

Song Yi snatched the beer bottle from Hang Feng's hand, placed glasses in front of both Shen Yujing and Hang Feng, and said, "Just drinking is boring, why don't we play a game? Rock, paper, scissors - loser takes a drink."

Hang Feng frowned; it had been a long time since he'd heard such a childish suggestion.

But Shen Yujing raised his hand enthusiastically, "Bring it on! I accept your challenge!"

Hang Feng: "..."

Who wants to accept such a challenge?

First round of rock, paper, scissors.

Shen Yujing lost and took a drink without hesitation. "Again!"

Second round.

Song Yi lost and finished her glass.

Third round.

Shen Yujing lost again. He smiled at Song Yi, "No worries, I can handle my alcohol. He's feeling down, so we should let him win a few rounds, right? Trust me, I've got everything under control."

...

A bowl of rice sat on the table with three pairs of chopsticks stuck in it.

Shen Yujing was thoroughly drunk, his face red all the way to his ears.

He put his arms around Song Yi and Hang Feng's shoulders, holding them on either side, and shouted while looking up, "Today! Is... is the day we become sworn brothers! I am... Guan Bei!"

Song Yi struggled to support Shen Yujing while ducking her head out from under his arm. Playing along to keep him off guard, she shouted, "I am Zhang Yu!"

Shen Yujing turned to Hang Feng, pointing at him with his free hand, "Sp... speak up!"

Hang Feng opened his mouth slowly, "I am... Liu Fei...?"

"Excellent!"

Shen Yujing was very satisfied and pointed toward the entrance.

To Song Yi and Hang Feng's shock, the usually unruly young master showed no concern for his dignity and dropped to his knees, shouting, "We three brothers may not have been born on the same day, but we shall die on the same day!"

Hang Feng's face showed complete rejection; he thought Shen Yujing had lost his mind.

But the alcohol was getting to her too, and suddenly Song Yi thought this was a perfect opportunity.

Dying on the same day? The main characters couldn't all die.

If this oath came true, she would be completely safe.

When the second "thud" sounded, Hang Feng's eyes widened.

He looked at Shen Yujing kneeling on his left, then at Song Yi kneeling on his right, doubting both himself and the entire world.

Was the world crazy, or was he?

Suddenly, two hands reached out from either side, grabbing his legs and pulling him down.

There's no reasoning with drunk people, and Hang Feng was forced to kneel as well.

His knees hurt, and his heart felt numb.

He wanted to break free but couldn't.

Never mind, Hang Feng consoled himself.

They're just two drunks acting silly. Tomorrow morning they'll forget all about this, and nobody will know what happened here...

"Creak—"

The door opened.

Xu Che had clearly rushed over, one hand on the doorframe as he caught his breath.

Then his eyes met with Hang Feng's, who was kneeling on the floor.

Oh, not just Hang Feng, but also Shen Yujing and Song Yi.

All three were kneeling, when suddenly a hand pressed down on Hang Feng's head, and all three bowed toward Xu Che in unison.

Shen Yujing shouted: "Master! I am Sun Wukong!"

Song Yi: "Master! I am Sha Wujing!"

Zhu Bajie/Hang Feng: "..."

Tang Seng/Xu Che: "..."