Chapter 145: Brother Lin, why are you here?

"Impossible! How could Xiao Feng possibly ignore me..."

Xu Pangzi sat up, her body trembling with a dazed, forced strength. "Give me your phone. I'll speak to him."

"What's the use of talking to anyone? He's already blocked me!"

Glancing at her phone, Zhou Meng said angrily, "Xu Pangzi, pack your things and get out of my apartment right now! And take all your belongings with you!"

"Xiao Meng, how can you be like this? I'm completely penniless right now, and my passport and visa are still in those people's hands. What am I supposed to do? Aren't we best friends?"

"How do you even have the nerve to mention friendship? I let you stay here even though you owe me over fifty thousand, and now I'm the bad guy?"

"You..."

"Get out right now, or don't blame me for calling the police!"

Emerging from Zhou Meng's apartment building, dragging her suitcase behind her, Xu Pangzi squatted down blankly in the stairwell corner. Her family's numbers wouldn't go through, her last hope had abandoned her, and now she had even been driven out by her best friend...

She couldn't understand why things had turned out this way.

Watching the trending news all over the internet about Lin Feng's high-profile return to his wealthy family, she fell into absolute despair!

With Lin Feng's current status, he could easily rescue her from this living hell with just a wave of his hand, yet he refused to spend a single penny on her.

Back then, Xu Jie had merely slandered him. Since Lin Feng had the evidence, why hadn't he just brought it out earlier instead of waiting until this exact moment, pushing them to the brink of survival?

Lin Feng, you are truly merciless...

...

As expected, the ultimate goal was money.

Knowing full well what was going on, Lin Feng closed QQ. These days, even childhood sweethearts would lie and cheat, let alone classmates from university.

As for Xu Pangzi being scammed, that had nothing to do with him.

It was the path she had chosen for herself.

After all this time, Lin Feng hadn't learned much, but he had mastered one rule.

Respect others' destinies, and abandon the compulsion to play the savior.

I can help you, but you must first show me your value. Otherwise, why on earth should I help?

Pies don't fall from the sky!

People are truly strange sometimes; they even deceive themselves, yet foolishly expect others not to...

...

He curled his lip, opened a short-video app, and curled up under the covers to scroll through it.

Entertainment time always passes in the blink of an eye, and the entire afternoon slipped away.

Hearing footsteps outside the door, Lin Feng glanced at the time: exactly 6:00 PM.

He put down his phone, stretched lazily, and walked out of bed to the floor-to-ceiling windows to admire the sunset outside.

The Chu family estate was indeed massive. Not far away sat a huge fountain topped by a giant statue, while several gardeners tended to the surrounding flower beds.

Looking out from the villa, one could overlook half of the grand estate's scenery.

After staring for a few minutes, just as Lin Feng was about to turn away, he caught sight of two cars driving in from the outside, and his brows instantly furrowed.

He watched intently as the two cars crept closer and came to a halt right in front of the villa. The two figures who stepped out made a chill run straight down his spine.

It was Chu Lingshuang and Chu Yunran.

In an instant, he understood the real intention behind the Chu parents' invitation to dinner!

The Chu parents were anxious to have him engaged to Chu Lingshuang, and now they had even summoned both daughters back. He had to go downstairs and clear things up immediately, or else he would be completely doomed!

His heart skipped a beat. Lin Feng hurriedly changed his clothes and hurried downstairs.

Right at the entryway, he caught sight of Chu Lingshuang and Chu Yunran walking through the door.

"Oh, Brother Lin, why are you here?!"

The moment she spotted Lin Feng, Chu Yunran's eyes curved into bright crescents of joy as she stepped forward, asking with innocent curiosity.

Chu Lingshuang, however, lifted her gaze slightly, appearing somewhat surprised as well. But that trace of shock vanished almost instantly. After handing her handbag to a servant at the door, she walked haughtily toward the sofa.

Seating herself gracefully, she raised her eyelids, picked up a teacup from the tray offered by a servant, and took a gentle sip.

In her every movement, aristocratic elegance and a hint of wild dominance intertwined.

Her gaze swept past Lin Feng, and the unintended chill in her eyes sent another shiver down his back!

Seeing that Lin Feng didn't acknowledge her, Chu Yunran tilted her head, her line of sight tracing the intersection between Lin Feng and Chu Lingshuang's gazes.

A knowing smile immediately bloomed on her face, and she purposely called out in a sweet, coquettish voice, "Brother Lin?"

"Hmm?"

His train of thought interrupted, Lin Feng blinked and instinctively turned his head.

"Why are you here, Brother Lin? Shouldn't you have gone back to the Lin family by now?" Chu Yunran blinked, looking up at him with wide, curious eyes.

"I..."

Glancing at Chu Lingshuang, who wore a haughty expression while occasionally eyeing him up, Lin Feng took a deep breath. "Mr. Chu and Mrs. Chen invited me."

"Mom and Dad invited you without even telling me!"

Chu Yunran gasped in realization. "Sis, the surprise Mom mentioned couldn't possibly be Brother Lin, could it?"

Chu Lingshuang remained silent, her cold and piercing gaze fixed on the two of them, a hint of ambiguous emotion lurking deep within her eyes.

"That's not right though. Even if it's a surprise, it should be for you, Sis. Why would she call it a surprise for me..."

Chu Yunran muttered to herself, but before she could react further, she saw the elevator doors in the hallway slide open, and Chen Wanqing walked out with a beaming smile.

"Darlings, Mom has missed you to death!"

Chen Wanqing stepped forward smilingly, moving to give Chu Yunran a hug, but the next second, catching sight of Lin Feng standing off to the side, her expression abruptly hardened!

"Xiao Feng, why did you come out?"

And dressed so casually... With such a wonderful opportunity to make an impression, he should have dressed up properly at least!

Seeing Chen Wanqing's sudden change in expression, Chu Yunran's heart skipped a beat with an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

She instinctively swallowed and asked cautiously, "Mom, what was the surprise you said you prepared for me?"

Chen Wanqing gave a coy laugh, patted Chu Yunran's head, and said, "You'll find out later!"

With that, she turned to Chu Lingshuang, looking somewhat aggrieved. "Shuangshuang, you haven't seen Mom in so long, and you won't even give Mom a hug..."

Seemingly accustomed to this routine, Chu Lingshuang maintained a detached expression. She cast a cool, indifferent glance at her mother, sipped her tea quietly, and her clear, pitch-black eyes reflected the flickering lights while remaining utterly frozen within.

Noticing this, a flicker of disappointment crossed Chen Wanqing's face. She laughed dryly and said, "Your father will be back soon. We can talk during the dinner later."

Then, turning to Lin Feng, she said, "Xiao Feng, come on. Auntie will go pick out an outfit for you. Now that you're a young master of a wealthy family, you can't go around dressed like this..."

Without giving Lin Feng a chance to object, she walked straight toward the elevator, gesturing for him to follow.

Ahead of him stood Chu Yunran, harboring a belly full of questions; beside him stood Chu Lingshuang, watching him like a predator eyeing its prey.

Trapped in this impossible situation, Lin Feng took a deep breath, braced himself, and followed Chen Wanqing into the elevator...