Chapter 154: Xiaofeng, this is your savior!

Stepping out of the room, Lin Feng found only Chu Tianli seated in the downstairs dining room.

Lin Feng paused slightly, took his seat in the chair pulled out by a servant, and looked toward Chu Tianli while waiting for breakfast to be served.

Overnight, Chu Tianli seemed radiant with energy. Gone was the exhaustion he had shown while chatting with Lin Feng the previous night; his face now appeared completely refreshed.

"Where are Madam Chen and the others?"

Lin Feng asked while picking up his fork.

"They went to get dressed," Chu Tianli explained, his gaze falling upon Lin Feng with a slight smile curving the corners of his lips. "Today is the banquet for your return to the family. Lin De has invited members of the Four Great Families, including us."

"Oh."

Lin Feng acknowledged the remark without saying anything further.

The top-tier families of the capital never invited outsiders to their banquets. It seemed there was a battle awaiting them today.

Lin Feng casually ate a bit of toast to tide himself over, while Wang Shu was already waiting outside the villa.

After bidding a temporary farewell to Chu Tianli, Lin Feng got into the car.

He arrived at the Lin family estate ten minutes before the banquet began.

By this time, the Lin estate was already a scene of bustling activity. Outside the manor, a hundred reporters crowded together, aiming various camera lenses at the property. Inside, dozens of luxury cars were parked in front of the villa, and dozens of servants hurried about, creating a grand spectacle.

Just as it had been during his very first return to the Lin family, when Lin Feng's car drove down the narrow lane leading to the estate, reporters swarmed forward like a tide, training their cameras squarely on him.

Arriving at the villa, Lin Feng stepped out of the car and saw Lin De personally seated near the main entrance. Standing beside him was Lin Yi's family, followed further back by the heads and heirs of other prominent families waiting for the banquet to commence.

Seeing Lin Feng get out, Jason immediately stepped forward to support the elderly master of the house as he went out to welcome him.

This kind of treatment was truly unprecedented!

"Xiao Feng, my boy, come right in! We've been waiting just for you. You're the guest of honor today!"

Lin De stepped forward with a smile, his movements appearing somewhat trembling and frail.

In full view of everyone, Lin Feng could not afford to be lacking in proper etiquette. He jogged forward and caught Lin De by the arm to steady him. "Grandfather, your health isn't good, why did you come all the way out here?"

"How could I not? I was just too excited to see my good grandson!"

Lin De smiled broadly and patted Lin Feng's hand.

Supported by Lin Feng, the group entered the villa.

The spacious villa hall was already filled with guests, all exquisitely dressed and exuding an air of lofty untouchability.

"Everyone!"

Standing firm in the doorway, Lin De suddenly straightened his back and looked out at the gathering with high spirits. "Today marks the day my grandson, Lin Feng, officially returns to the Lin family. The reason I've invited all of you here is something many of you probably already guessed.

"First, this is to let everyone become acquainted with him. From this day forward, Lin Feng is the undisputed grandson of the Lin family..."

Everyone present belonged to prominent families, and naturally, they all understood the underlying meaning of these words.

All eyes converged on Lin Feng—scrutinizing, spectating, suspicious, and contemptuous glances intermingled and clashed.

Lin Feng, however, maintained a calm expression. He had no prior ties with these people; he had none now, and he would have none in the future.

Of course, as for what might happen hereafter, one could never be certain.

Directly opposite him, Lin Haiheng wore his anger almost openly on his face. He stared fixedly at Lin Feng, even gritting his teeth in resentment.

Meanwhile, Lin Yi, who sat beside him, wore an unreadable expression, yet his gaze toward Lin Feng was far from friendly.

Lin De cleared his throat and continued, "And second..."

"Grandfather Lin is truly impatient, aren't you? The rest of us haven't even arrived yet, and you've already started the proceedings?!"

Before Lin De could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a clear, crisp female voice from the entrance!

The voice was exceptionally familiar. Without even turning his head, Lin Feng knew it belonged to Chu Yunran.

As soon as her voice rang out, the gazes of everyone present snapped uniformly toward the grand entrance.

Chu Tianli appeared at the doorway with a smile, his arm linked with Chen Wanqing, who was dressed in a magnificent, luxurious qipao. Following closely behind them were the two daughters of the Chu family:

Chu Yunran and Chu Shuang.

Chu Shuang wore a pristine white evening gown, stepping forward with noble and elegant grace. Her expression was icy, yet her gaze swept searchingly over Lin Feng, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.

Chu Yunran, on the other hand, wore a pink princess dress, combining a sense of nobility with a playful air.

"The Chu family is here too?!"

Wu Tian海 was the first who could no longer sit still. He stood up abruptly, letting out a rather astonished exclamation.

Wei Chengfeng raised an eyebrow. Beneath his surprise, there was a distinct flavor of someone waiting to enjoy a good show.

No one had known beforehand that the Chu family would attend, especially since the Chu clan never meddled in vulgar affairs—let alone scandalous news like a long-lost child returning, which had already taken the entire internet by storm.

Yet not only had they come, but the entire family had turned out in full force.

This spectacle left everyone inwardly startled!

Just a month ago, the young Chu Shuang had single-handedly brought about the downfall of the Gu family. Though she wore no deliberately intimidating expression, the aura of stern lethality surrounding her made everyone present shudder involuntarily.

Moreover, Chu Tianli standing before them carried a formidable presence, having spent his life fighting battles on the actual front lines.

Upon their entry, the oppressive atmosphere in the room instantly froze solid.

Lin De said with a hint of awkwardness, "Not at all, we were just getting started!"

He signaled with a glance to Jason, who immediately understood and pulled out chairs for the Chu family at the very center of the hall, positions that had been prepared in advance.

Holding Lin Feng's hand and standing firm at the focal point of the main stage, Lin De smiled broadly and said, "Welcome, everyone. As you all know, I, Lin De, have lived a tragic life; a mistake in my early years led to the untimely death of my son. Now that my grandson has returned, from this day forth, he shall also be the undisputed heir to the Lin family!"

"Undisputed... what a bold thing to say..."

Wu Tianhai muttered a complaint under his breath. Although his voice was not loud, everyone in the hall heard it clearly.

Though the crowd privately agreed with the sentiment, a sidelong glance at Chu Tianli's gloomy expression caused everyone to quickly seal their lips.

Hearing this, Lin Feng's mouth twitched slightly. By saying this, Lin De was undoubtedly placing him right on the edge of a blade. He didn't even need to look to guess the expressions currently worn by Lin Haiheng and Lin Yi...

Lin De smiled and continued, "Secondly, there is also a piece of joyous news I wish to share with everyone."

He glanced sideways at Jason, who immediately caught the hint and headed toward the backstage area.

Lin De's voice rang out once more.

"Before my grandson Xiao Feng was lost, he fell severely ill. Fortunately, he was rescued by a young woman. Now that Xiao Feng has returned, I have also found that young woman—"

As he spoke, the backstage doors swung open, and a young girl dressed in a purple gown walked onto the stage with an excited expression and a bright smile.

Although Lin Feng had known about this matter beforehand, he was still somewhat startled at this moment.

It wasn't because of how breathtakingly beautiful the girl was; rather... before he was lost?

Didn't he get lost when he was a year and a half old?

This girl looked like she wasn't even thirty years old yet!

That being the case, the only logical explanation was that Lin De was lying.

"Xiao Feng, this is your savior, Su Ziyan, the young lady of the Su family."

Lin De's voice echoed beside him. Lin Feng snapped back to reality, fixing his gaze on Su Ziyan as she walked toward him step by step with an excited expression.

At the same exact moment, an icy, bone-chilling gaze from down in the audience locked directly onto him, as if it intended to tear him apart alive in the very next second...