Chapter 9: Damn it, is she really so unworthy of him?!

The living room returned to silence. Lin Feng glared furiously at Chu Lingshuang, who merely cast him a cool, indifferent glance before sitting down at the head of the dining table, paying no mind to her dampened skirt hem.

Wang Ma and the servants moved with swift efficiency, and in just a few minutes, an array of exquisite dishes was set upon the table.

The aroma filled the air, tantalizing Lin Feng’s senses.

It had to be admitted—the Chu family’s meals were truly exceptional. Even though his body was still weak and uncomfortable, the inviting scent of the food awakened his hunger.

Once everything was in place, Wang Ma hurried to pour a cup of tea for Chu Lingshuang. She caught the slight wave of Chu Lingshuang’s hand, nodded in understanding, and after casting a worried glance at Lin Feng, ushered the remaining servants out.

Soon, only Chu Lingshuang and Lin Feng remained in the vast hall.

She seemed utterly unafraid that he might try something now.

No doubt, there were likely plenty of hidden eyes watching from the shadows.

Lin Feng gave up the idea of taking Chu Lingshuang hostage. Not only was he still injured, but from his observations over the past few days, Chu Lingshuang had some skill herself. Such an opportunity would come but once; if he failed to overpower her, he would likely suffer even more, perhaps even lose his life.

He might have resigned himself to his fate, but he had no intention of seeking death.

He had not truly experienced life; he would not give it up so easily.

The hall was quiet. Chu Lingshuang sipped her tea unhurriedly, her cold gaze occasionally appraising Lin Feng, as if he were an amusing prey.

That look made Lin Feng bristle with irritation. Abruptly, he stood and sat down at the seat diagonally across from her, picking up his knife and fork with a defiant air.

His actions caught Chu Lingshuang somewhat off guard. She watched thoughtfully as Lin Feng sliced a piece of meat and put it in his mouth, her tone playful, “I thought you’d be staging a hunger strike in protest.”

“How could I!” he retorted, chewing the tender, flavorful meat. Each swallow tugged painfully at the wound in his throat, and every pang reminded him that one day, he’d take revenge on this tormenting demon before him.

“I have no desire to die.” The words were almost ground out between clenched teeth.

“Oh?” Chu Lingshuang’s eyes deepened, a hint of curiosity coloring her gaze. “You truly are different from most.”

“What do you mean?” Lin Feng asked, frowning.

Chu Lingshuang slowly picked up a cherry, placed it in her mouth, chewed and swallowed before speaking lightly, “After such an upheaval, you haven’t given in to despair—you still stubbornly want to live.”

“What do you mean, stubbornly?” Lin Feng was stung and angered by her words, retorting, “I am a person, I have my own thoughts. Why shouldn’t I want to live?”

Chu Lingshuang said nothing more, only studied him with a scrutinizing gaze.

The atmosphere quickly settled into stillness. Lin Feng paused, and in that calm, a sudden realization struck him. “You investigated me?”

The moment their eyes met—hers so penetrating—he found his own question almost absurd.

Given what had happened between them, and with him now her captive, how could someone from a prominent family like Chu Lingshuang not have thoroughly looked into his background?

He said nothing further, focusing only on the food before him.

Perhaps startled by his sudden silence, Chu Lingshuang’s eyes flickered with curiosity. “They slandered you so viciously—have you never thought of revenge?”

Slander?

Lin Feng’s hand stilled, and memories of the Xu family surged in his mind.

“Father, the investigation is complete—it was Lin Feng who tampered with Xiao Jie’s brakes!” His eldest sister, Xu Zhiqing, had pointed at him with rage and disgust.

Xu Tangde’s face was a mask of fury, eyes round with wrath. “Lin Feng, our Xu family raised you for so many years, and you would kill our own son for money!”

“Lin Feng, do you even have a conscience? If Xiao Jie hadn’t been driving slowly, my son—my only precious son—would be dead!” Wang Shan had clutched Xu Jie’s hand on the hospital bed, weeping bitterly, her cries filled with accusation...

At that time, Lin Feng had stood at the door of the hospital room, looking at them in disbelief.

Upon learning the ‘truth,’ Xu Tangde insisted on calling the police, but was stopped by Xu Jie himself.

Xu Jie, frail and weak, had pleaded with Xu Tangde and the others. He said, “Brother just made a mistake in the heat of the moment.”

He said, “I’ve been away from home so long, and coming back suddenly took away the love you gave him. It’s my fault.”

He said, “Don’t call the police—for the Xu family’s reputation, and for my brother’s future. I can endure a little suffering; he’ll come around eventually...”

With Xu Jie’s repeated entreaties, Xu Tangde finally relented, suppressing the incident. Lin Feng was ordered to leave the family, sever all ties, and never again use the Xu family’s name for anything.

Each time Lin Feng recalled it, he found it laughable.

Xu Jie had spoken that way only because he knew the truth couldn’t stand up to scrutiny. If the police got involved, the facts would come out, and he would lose the chance to frame Lin Feng.

Lin Feng could have called the police himself, but by then, his heart was utterly cold.

It wasn’t just Xu Jie’s many schemes after returning home—what hurt most was that, after all those years, he had not earned even a sliver of trust from them.

From beginning to end, whether foster parents or his three sisters, their eyes had always held nothing but disdain and aversion.

Even if the police proved his innocence, they would not believe it. After all, he truly was not their blood.

“Revenge?” Lin Feng gave a bitter smile. “I don’t waste my energy on meaningless things.”

Chu Lingshuang was genuinely surprised by his answer.

She hadn’t expected him to be so detached, but...

Growing up in someone else’s home, that kind of life was not easy.

For reasons she could not name, seeing the calm, distant look in Lin Feng’s eyes gave Chu Lingshuang an inexplicable pang in her heart.

He sat there before her—a living, breathing man—yet he seemed so ethereal, so unbound, that she felt as if he might vanish before her eyes at any moment.

She found that sensation intolerable.

Since childhood, there was nothing she had ever wanted that she could not obtain.

Power, status, money—countless people groveled before her, desperate for her favor.

All except Lin Feng.

In his eyes, she had never existed. Or perhaps, he had never once truly seen her.

This complete lack of control was enough to drive her mad.

Chu Lingshuang’s gaze grew unconsciously heated. Suppressing the urge to devour him whole, she asked, “Do you want to leave here?”

In an instant, hope flared in Lin Feng’s eyes. He nodded eagerly, “Yes! If you let me go, I’ll write off the fact that you hurt me!”

There it was again.

At any mention of leaving, the lifeless look in his eyes lit up with dazzling brilliance.

Damn it—was she really so unworthy in his eyes?

Realizing her emotions were being manipulated by Lin Feng, Chu Lingshuang narrowed her eyes, her lips curling with a hint of bloodthirsty amusement. “I was only teasing you. Did you really believe me?”