Chapter 52 Why Insist on Climbing
Ling Fan stood proud and supreme, his gaze piercing as he watched Vermilion Bird on the screen, whose eyes slightly narrowed and whose expression remained eerily calm.
Everyone in the hall was shocked and pale, facing the naked disdain and provocation toward the dignity of the Long Family.
Feng Wende had already become dazed, his thoughts completely disordered.
Feng Wenzhi was petrified, and Feng Xiao lay prostrate on the ground in shock. Dare to threaten the Long Family and abduct Vermilion Bird's woman?
Feng Wenshan was struck as if by lightning, standing rigidly to one side, unable to think!
Feng Shuya, sensing the distinct male scent between breaths, was profoundly shaken, her blood boiling, unable to contain herself for a moment, she closed her sparkling eyes, tiptoed, and sealed Ling Fan's lips with hers.
Taken aback by this sudden turn of events, Ling Fan felt the warm, fragrant taste in his mouth and responded instinctively, as Feng Shuya's tender body trembled slightly, her hands pulling Ling Fan even closer.
Watching the scene on the big screen, Vermilion Bird's temples throbbed slightly, and a moment later, the screen blinked out, the image disappearing.
In a villa in the Imperial Capital, Vermilion Bird stood with his hands behind his back in front of the turned off monitor, and said in a deep voice, "Someone, come!"
In the Feng Family villa hall, Feng Shuya's face flushed with embarrassment as she separated from Ling Fan's lips, her head lowered shyly against his chest, feeling an unprecedented sense of security.
Ling Fan glanced at the screen turned to static, turned his head to Feng Wende, "From today on, there will be no Feng Family in Binzhou!"
Qi He stood to the side, hesitating to speak, secretly sighing in his heart.
The people of the Feng Family looked as if they had fallen into the abyss of Hell, their faces ashen.
Feng Wende turned to look at the people of the Feng Family, visibly aged in an instant, and then in the shocked gaze of the crowd, he knelt before Feng Shuya.
"Xiao Ya, the Feng Family owes you a lot. From today, the position of the Family Head will be yours to inherit. I beg you, for the sake of family, to ask Young Master Ling to spare the Feng Family!" Feng Wende said hoarsely.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
He was well aware that the only hope for the Feng Family today rested solely on Feng Shuya, and now only Feng Xiao's lineage remained; they could not afford to lose it.
Feng Shuya remained silent. Except for her parents, she had no connection to others. Who had considered her when the clan offered her up to please Vermilion Bird?
Thus, for the people of the Feng Family, to help was a favor; not to help was her right. The so-called position of Family Head, she did not covet.
Feng Wenshan, after a long hesitation and visibly struggling, finally spoke for the first time!
"Xiao Ya!" Feng Wenshan called tentatively.
Feng Shuya pondered, she could not ignore her father's words, but she also did not want Ling Fan to change anything because of her.
"Today, for Shu Ya's sake, it ends here. If there's disloyalty, not even the dogs and chickens will be spared!" Ling Fan said indifferently.
Feng Wende knelt on the ground, his body trembling slightly, "Thank you, Young Master Ling, for your immense generosity!"
Feng Shuya bit her red lips, her heart filled with immense gratitude. Ling Fan had acted this way to keep her from being placed in a difficult situation; otherwise, no one would leave a threat uneradicated, risking future troubles.
Ling Fan looked at Feng Shuya, "Now that you are the Head of Feng Family, you handle the remaining matters, the Long Family is my concern!"
The past enmity was solely Feng Xuehai's fault, already punished; he was not a man fond of killing, and as long as the Feng Family did not court death, it wouldn't hurt to give them a chance.
After advising Feng Shuya, Ling Fan floated back home.
"You have left Feng Family..." Xiao Chubing looked at the blood-stained Ling Fan, her heart somewhat alarmed.
Ling Fan returned home and briefly instructed Vermilion Bird, also asking her to arrange for someone to secretly protect Feng Shuya for the next few days to guard against any tricks Vermilion Bird might try.
"I had a deep-seated grudge against Feng Xuehai, and I have sent him to Huangquan to atone," said Ling Fan as he hurriedly entered the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower first!" He didn't want to frighten Xiao Chubing with his gruesome, bloodstained appearance.
When he came out again, he had changed out of his blood-soaked clothes. "I didn't frighten you just now, did I?"
Xiao Chubing looked at the familiar figure in front of her and shook her head. "No, it's just that it's my first time seeing you like this. It's a bit hard to adapt, but I'll get used to it gradually!"
On the bed, Ling Fan tenderly spoke, embracing Xiao Chubing, "My world is full of strife and bloodshed. Can you accept it?"
Xiao Chubing gently rested her cheek against Ling Fan's chest. "No matter what your world is like, you must promise me that you will never leave me!"
A boundless gentleness filled Ling Fan's eyes. "I'm just afraid that one day you will become bored, weary, and tired, because my world lacks simplicity and truth, at least not for now..."
Xiao Chubing raised her hand to interrupt Ling Fan, her eyes firm. "As long as you never leave, I will stay with you in life and in death!"
Ling Fan remained silent, simply tightening his embrace around Xiao Chubing. After the incident at the Feng Family, the two did nothing but quietly snuggle together and drifted into dreams.
The next morning, bright and early,
At the entrance to Xiao Chubing's villa, Xiao Zhengping stood outside, hesitating. He had been standing there for two hours already.
Xiao Family had learned about last night's incident at the Feng Family. Although the Feng Family had locked down the information, the Xiao Family had gleaned some clues due to their relationship with the Li Family.
The Xiao Family regretted their actions from a few days ago. Eventually, Xiao Zheng decided to let Xiao Zhengping personally visit to make the utmost effort to make amends.
But standing outside the villa, Xiao Zhengping knew better than anyone how much they had scorned Ling Fan in the past, and even if his heart was made of iron, it had already been wounded beyond repair.
What troubled him most was that in just a few days, Ling Fan had suddenly become a figure that the two great clans of Binzhou looked up to. Even now, it felt like a dream to him, utterly surreal.
"Creak..."
The villa's gate opened, and the two figures of Xiao Chubing walked out.
The sight of Xiao Zhengping instantly surprised them both; they hadn't expected him to appear here.
"What are you doing here?" Xiao Chubing frowned. The Xiao Family was nowhere to be seen when in need but always appeared to add glory to their own name.
Xiao Zhengping took a deep breath, becoming somewhat constrained upon seeing Ling Fan, and forced a smile, "Xiao Bing, there were some things Dad did wrong before. Dad is here today to apologize!"
Ling Fan stood by without interjecting, understanding and accepting whatever decision Xiao Chubing made.
Xiao Chubing pondered, "There's no need for apologies. Being weak is the original sin. If I were strong enough, the Xiao Family would not have treated me the way they did before, much like your apology today."
Xiao Zhengping's old face blushed, as what Xiao Chubing said was true. The Xiao Family's behavior had certainly been influential, and at this moment, even he could not find a better rebuttal.
"Xiao Bing, no matter what, we are father and daughter. You bear the Xiao Family's bloodline. Whatever the family owes you, we will definitely make it up.
Today, I am here not just on my own behalf but representing the entire Xiao Family!" Xiao Zhengping said sincerely.
Xiao Chubing, with a complex look on her face, responded, "Don't you think it's already too late for all this?"
"No, as long as you give me, give the Xiao Family a chance, the family will never let you down again!" Seeing Xiao Chubing's softening stance, Xiao Zhengping immediately pledged.
Xiao Chubing pondered for a moment and then spoke indifferently under Xiao Zhengping's eager gaze, "If there is any sentiment left between us, then it was the last straw that broke the camel's back when you forced the marriage. The bond is broken, the affection is exhausted!
Furthermore, I am not your biological daughter, nor do I have any blood relation to the Xiao Family. You never treated me as your daughter before, so why force this relationship now?"
Upon hearing the final statement, Xiao Zhengping's face instantly became stiff, and even Ling Fan who was beside him was shocked!