24: Chapter 24 Invitation to Come Out of Seclusion

Ding-dong!

With an excited heart, Song Manli knocked on her front door.

"Who is it?"

An aged voice came from inside.

Creak!

The old wooden door opened, and Song Manli's grandfather, Song Beichao, appeared.

The old man had white hair and a face full of wrinkles, but despite his age, he stood tall with his head held high.

The demeanor of the former top official of Yunduan City was still present.

"Manli?"

Song Beichao's eyes immediately lit up, his voice filled with longing.

"Why are you back?"

"Grandpa!"

Seeing her family, Song Manli returned to her original lively and cute self.

She walked through the door.

Zhao Feiyu looked around.

He noticed that the apartment, less than a hundred square meters, was kept spotlessly clean. The balcony was filled with potted flowers, giving it a unique charm.

"Where are my parents?"

Song Manli plopped down on the sofa, swinging her legs as she asked.

"You didn't even introduce your guest. Is this how I taught you?"

The old man scolded gently.

Song Manli playfully stuck out her tongue. "This is my... classmate, Zhao Feiyu. He's been to our house before!"

"Zhao Feiyu?"

The old man thought for a moment and remembered immediately.

"The boyfriend you dated for three years in high school? Why are you two seeing each other again?"

Song Manli had reached the age for marriage.

Her family wasn't opposed to such things.

"It must be fate!"

Song Manli and Zhao Feiyu glanced at each other and smiled slightly.

"By the way, where did my parents go?"

"After you left for Jiangbei City, the family took over a restaurant recently. They've gone there to work!"

Hearing this, Song Manli couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

Her father had been such a prominent figure back then.

Now, he was actually running a tiny restaurant to make ends meet.

...

The old man straightened his clothes, sat down, and asked, "Young man, what kind of work do you do?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Feiyu immediately sat up straight.

Facing the old man's questioning, Zhao Feiyu couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

"I don't have a steady job yet. I'm planning to invest and start my own business!"

"Oh? Do you have any ideas?"

Song Beichao still greatly appreciated young people with such initiative.

Because Song Manli's father had once been a man of ideals and ambition.

"I don't really have any solid ideas yet. I'm like a headless fly with no place to start. I'm lacking a leader to guide the way!"

Zhao Feiyu spoke with a hidden meaning.

The old man raised an eyebrow, seemingly catching the subtext.

Just then.

The sound of a door opening rang out.

The group looked back to see Song Manli's parents walking in from outside.

"Oh boy, we finally took it over. It really took an immense amount of effort!"

"Dad, Yunfeng successfully negotiated for that small restaurant. They asked for thirty-two thousand, but Yunfeng haggled them down to twenty-eight thousand!"

"Eh? We have a guest?"

"Manli?"

...

The two were delighted upon entering.

"Mom! Where did you go?"

Song Manli walked over coquettishly and hugged her mother, Zhang Meizhi.

"By the way, where's my sister?"

Song Manli had an older sister who was a middle school teacher.

She had been married, but word was she divorced after the family went bankrupt.

She was still single now.

"Your sister is at school. Anyway, why are you back?"

"And this is?"

Song Manli introduced him somewhat shyly. "Dad, Mom, let me introduce you. This is my classmate, Zhao Feiyu. You've met him before!"

Hearing this...

...the two of them immediately frowned.

Back then, they had agreed to go to the same university.

But Song Manli's parents had forced her to go to Tianhai University.

Then the family ran into trouble.

The two of them had no further contact.

Song Manli hadn't told them about the breakup either.

This led Song Yunfeng to believe that Zhao Feiyu had heard about their family's situation and initiated the breakup.

"Since you've already broken up, why are you still in contact after all these years?"

Song Yunfeng snorted coldly and sat down directly.

Zhao Feiyu looked at Song Manli in confusion, not understanding why her father had such an attitude.

He didn't think he had done anything wrong.

"Uncle, I..."

Song Yunfeng waved his hand, cutting Zhao Feiyu off.

"I didn't approve of your relationship back then. Even though our family has fallen on hard times now, I still don't agree to you two dating!"

"Uncle, have you misunderstood something?"

"Misunderstood? What could I misunderstand? What is there to misunderstand about a realistic and heartless person like you?"

Song Yunfeng scolded sharply.

"Didn't you break up with Manli as soon as you heard our family went bankrupt back then? You haven't been in contact for all these years, so why the sudden connection?"

Hearing this...

...Zhao Feiyu suddenly realized. He quickly shot Song Manli a look, prompting her to explain.

"Dad, you really misunderstood Feiyu. When we broke up back then, Feiyu truly didn't know anything. I was the one who initiated it because I didn't want to drag him down. We only met again at a class reunion a couple of days ago!"

Song Manli explained hurriedly.

"Regardless, as a man, does he not even have this much responsibility?"

"Alright, stop arguing!"

Just then, Zhang Meizhi stepped forward to interrupt their conversation.

"Manli, come to the kitchen and help me clean the vegetables. Let the men talk for a bit!"

"Oh!"

Song Manli walked toward the kitchen uneasily, fearing her father would make things difficult for Zhao Feiyu again.

"Uncle, I brought some wine for you and Grandpa. How about we have a drink in a bit?"

The most direct way to talk to men was through cigarettes and alcohol.

As he spoke, Zhao Feiyu took out an old jar weighing about five catties. A red paper with the character "Kang" was pasted on it.

"Kang Family Winery?"

The old man, Song Beichao, recognized the wine at a glance.

"Grandpa is truly knowledgeable. It seems you're also a connoisseur of fine wine!"

Zhao Feiyu placed it on the coffee table.

"That's right, this is indeed wine from the Kang Family Winery!"

"As far as I know, this wine isn't for sale to the public. How did you get your hands on it?"

Song Yunfeng's interest was piqued as well.

With his sharp eyes, he could tell from this wine alone that Zhao Feiyu was somewhat extraordinary.

"A friend gave it to me. I brought it for Uncle and Grandpa to taste!"

Seeing their expressions, Zhao Feiyu knew he had made the right choice.

Although the winery didn't sell it to the public, those who owned the wine certainly did.

In this world, there's nothing that money can't buy.

Zhao Feiyu had originally planned to get something like Feitian Moutai.

But considering the Song family was once a prominent clan, even something like Feitian would be considered vulgar.

It seemed he had chosen the right gift after all.

"What do you do now?"

Song Yunfeng's attitude softened slightly.

Hearing this, Zhao Feiyu glanced at the old man and smiled. "I'm preparing to invest and start a business, but I don't have a clear direction yet!"

"It seems you and Manli came back with a specific purpose in mind!"

Song Yunfeng's eyes were incredibly sharp; he saw through Zhao Feiyu's intentions instantly.

Since things had come to this...

...Zhao Feiyu stopped hiding and spoke frankly. "To be honest, Uncle, I really knew nothing about your family's situation back then. I didn't know Manli dropped out because of it. Had I known, I would never have stood by. At the very least, I wouldn't have let Manli drop out or let the Song family fall!"

"Heh!"

Song Yunfeng gave a sudden sneer.

"What big talk!"

Seeing this, Zhao Feiyu didn't mind.

He just smiled faintly.

He was an expert at posturing.

"I only saw Manli again at the class reunion a couple of days ago and heard about what happened back then. I truly feel very guilty about it!"

Zhao Feiyu spoke with sincere conviction.

"To make up for my feelings for Manli back then, I've decided to have her return to Tianhai University to repeat her studies until she finishes her degree."

"And my visit to you and Grandpa today also has a personal purpose."

"And that is..."

"I want you to come out of retirement, Uncle, and stand once again at the peak of Yunduan City—and even the peak of the entire Dragon Nation!"