He had previously hinted at marriage to Lan Lan, but Lan Lan's attitude towards the matter had always been clear: she did not want to marry, did not want children, and had never even planned for such a future in her life. He could keep her by his side with a contract, maintaining their current relationship, but he could not force her to marry or have children. Now that they had finally found harmony, he did not want to disrupt this peace.
However, Liang Yufeng's silence had already led Jiang Wan to an answer. "Lan Lan doesn't want to marry you, does she?"
"She has some self-awareness," Xu Zhengxi said. "Even if she wanted to marry, the Xu family wouldn't agree to her entering the household. Moreover, she just wants to extort money from you."
Xu Zhengxi recalled Lan Lan's arrogant attitude in front of him and became even more disdainful. Liang Yufeng was reliable in other matters, but when it came to judging women, his taste was extremely poor.
"Fengfeng, since you broke up back then, it means you weren't compatible. Don't fixate on someone who doesn't like you," Jiang Wan told him. "You're already thirty, you should have a family."
At the very least, the person by his side should be a woman who liked him, not someone forced by some power.
"She doesn't dislike me," Liang Yufeng finally managed to say after a long pause.
Lan Lan had personally said she liked him, liked his face and physique, which counted as liking him, right?
However, these words lacked conviction, especially to Xu Zhengxi, who knew certain things. "She likes you? Then what about her and Zhou Yue?"
"...What Zhou Yue?" Jiang Wan looked at Xu Zhengxi, her eyes wide open, holding her breath.
Xu Zhouyue was Xu Zhengxi's eldest son. From his words, it seemed Lan Lan had also had dealings with Xu Zhouyue?
"She was involved with Zhou Yue for a while, and it even made the news," Xu Zhengxi said. "That's why I say this woman is malicious and can never be with you."
"Shut up," Liang Yufeng roared at Xu Zhengxi. The father and son were at daggers drawn.
Jiang Wan, unable to accept this, became dazed. After a long period of stunned silence, her emotions suddenly became agitated. "You all lied to me, even you lied to me!"
She pointed at Liang Yufeng with her finger, her eyes already red, her voice trembling. This was the precursor to an outburst. Liang Yufeng stepped forward and grabbed her arm. "Mom, I won't lie to you. Go rest first and calm down."
How could Jiang Wan calm down? She smashed a glass, and the shards hit Liang Yufeng's face, scratching the skin on his left cheek, causing blood to well up.
"Did you bring the tranquilizer?" Liang Yufeng asked Xu Zhengxi.
Xu Zhengxi shook his head. He was startled by Jiang Wan's outburst. He had brought her out secretly and hadn't prepared any medication. When Jiang Wan wasn't having an episode, she seemed so normal that Xu Zhengxi had thought she had recovered.
"Call 120!" Liang Yufeng said.
Fortunately, there was a hospital nearby, and the ambulance arrived quickly. Jiang Wan was taken to the hospital, given a tranquilizer, and then admitted to a ward. Liang Yufeng's facial wound had already clotted, but the scar on his handsome face was very conspicuous.
Liang Yufeng had no intention of tending to his wound. He squatted by the hospital bed, looking at the unconscious Jiang Wan, the veins in his forearm bulging.
Before long, Xu Zhengxi returned after paying the fees. Liang Yufeng stood up and met his gaze, asking coldly, "Are you satisfied?"
If Xu Zhengxi hadn't brought her here, Jiang Wan wouldn't have had to endure all this.
Xu Zhengxi, however, did not feel he had done anything wrong. "That's a question I should be asking you. If you hadn't insisted on being with that materialistic woman, things wouldn't have turned out this way."
Xu Zhengxi could always find excuses for himself. Liang Yufeng looked at his sanctimonious appearance and suddenly lost the desire to communicate with him.
Xu Zhengxi then said to him, "Now that your mother has recognized what kind of person she is, she will stay in Nanjiang until you get married through a blind date."
The implication was clear: Xu Zhengxi was threatening him with Jiang Wan. If he didn't go through with the arranged marriage, he wouldn't let Jiang Wan return to Runcheng.
Now that Jiang Wan knew about the past, she would unconditionally side with Xu Zhengxi. She was already disappointed in Lan Lan.
Liang Yufeng had known Xu Zhengxi was despicable before, but he hadn't expected him to be so utterly base. "Threatening me with her, you are truly vile."
"I don't care what you say about me. Great men are not bound by trivialities. As your father, I cannot just stand by and watch you waste your time on such a woman. One day, you will understand my good intentions," Xu Zhengxi said with righteous indignation, as if he were truly considering his son's well-being.
He truly did not see himself as wrong. Liang Yufeng was the heir he had cultivated. Every move he made represented the image of the Xu family. A woman like Lan Lan was fine for him to play around with, but if she were to enter the Xu family, wouldn't it be a laughingstock?
"Your good intentions?" Liang Yufeng sneered, cutting to the chase. "What you value is merely the added value I bring to you. In your heart, I am just a tool to bring honor to the Xu family."
Talking to him about family affection or fatherly love was an insult to those words.
"The daughter of the Zhang family is still single. I will arrange a meeting time for you," Xu Zhengxi said, ignoring his question and proceeding to arrange his blind date schedule.
Liang Yufeng's face darkened. "I will not meet her. If you're interested, you go marry her. Don't you like cheating the most?"
Xu Zhengxi's expression immediately turned ugly. He was concerned about his reputation. Even if he had made mistakes, he didn't want them brought up. No one around dared to make a fuss about his infidelity.
"Liang Yufeng!" Xu Zhengxi threatened him. "Don't forget who gave you everything you have today. I can send you up, and I can pull you down. Do you think I really have no way to deal with you?"
Xu Zhengxi was so angered by Liang Yufeng that he started coughing, his face turning red. Liang Yufeng, however, acted as if nothing had happened. "Do as you please."
This attitude further infuriated Xu Zhengxi. "Fine, let's see if she'll still be with you without this status!"
It was Friday. After work, Lan Lan habitually went to Liang Yufeng's place. She had worked overtime today and returned a bit late. She had expected to have dinner made by Liang Yufeng when she got home, but the villa was dark. She turned on the living room light, and only Mai Xuanfeng ran over, rubbing against her legs and meowing.
Mai Xuanfeng was hungry. Lan Lan went to feed her dog food and stroked her head, muttering to herself, "Why isn't Liang Yufeng back yet? I'm starving."
Mai Xuanfeng buried her head in her dog food, letting Lan Lan stroke her head as she talked to herself. Lan Lan watched Mai Xuanfeng eat, the crunching sound making her stomach growl even more. So, she called Liang Yufeng, but he didn't answer after two attempts.
Lan Lan guessed he might be busy with something urgent and sent him a WeChat message: [I'll order takeout first.]
Lan Lan ordered a salad. After dinner, she played with Mai Xuanfeng in the living room for a while. It was almost ten o'clock, and there was still no sign of Liang Yufeng.