113: Chapter 113 Backstabbing

"Pfft—"

The half-mouthful of juice Chen Nianyao had just taken sprayed right out. As luck would have it, it landed entirely on the several-thousand-yuan shirt Chen Haoyu had just bought, which he was wearing right across from her.

Chen Haoyu shuddered in fright, dropping the chicken leg in his hand. However, he reacted extremely quickly; not daring to even wipe himself, he instead handed over a tissue with a face full of concern. "Oh, my dear auntie! Drink slowly! Is this juice burning your mouth? I'll have the manufacturer stop production and rectify things later!"

Chen Nianyao couldn't be bothered with this sycophant of a cousin. She messily wiped her mouth, her usually bright, watery eyes now wide as copper bells as she stared fixedly at Chen Muyang, who was unhurriedly eating meat beside her.

"Brother! What nonsense are you talking about!" Chen Nianyao grew anxious, her voice rising an octave as her foot under the table kicked hard toward Chen Muyang's shin. "That was... that's just me being popular! What do you mean 'well-received'? Don't spread rumors!"

"Rumors?"

Chen Muyang tilted his body slightly, precisely avoiding his sister's "lethal kick." He casually stuffed the last piece of braised pork into his mouth, his tone as flat as if he were reporting a quarterly financial statement.

"Last Wednesday, the basketball captain from the Department of Economics and Management gave you a box of heart-shaped chocolates. You accepted them."

"Friday, that bespectacled vice president of the Student Union saved a seat for you in the library and tucked a pink letter into your hand."

"Oh right, and yesterday before we left." Chen Muyang pulled out a tissue to wipe his hands and lifted his eyelids, his gaze full of mockery. "I saw your limited-edition bag looking quite stuffed. It couldn't be that you had no place to put the love letters you received along the way, so you specifically brought them back as souvenirs?"

Word for word, it was incredibly clear.

This wasn't a chat; this was practically courtroom evidence!

The air at the dining table suddenly froze.

"Smack!"

With a crisp sound, the chopsticks in Chen Fan's hand slammed heavily onto the mahogany tabletop.

The tycoon father, who just a moment ago had been full of kindness and peeling shrimp for his wife, now had an expression more solemn than when he had faced those greedy relatives earlier.

It was the kind of crisis one feels when a prize jade cabbage, carefully nurtured for twenty years, is suddenly about to be rooted up by some random wild boar.

"Pink envelopes? Heart-shaped chocolates?" Chen Fan narrowed his eyes, his gaze scanning back and forth between his son and daughter before finally fixing on Chen Nianyao's panicked little face. "Yaoyao, is what your brother said true?"

Su Wanqing was also stunned, the shrimp meat in her hand falling into her bowl. "Yaoyao, didn't you say you were busy at school studying for certifications?"

"I... I was..." Chen Nianyao's face turned red with anxiety. Looking at her father's "ready to eat someone" stance, she cursed Chen Muyang's eighteen generations of ancestors in her heart... No, wait, those were her own family. She cursed Chen Muyang's next life up and down.

"Those were courtesy chocolates! Everyone got them!" Chen Nianyao tried to argue, though her voice grew smaller and smaller. "The envelope... the envelope contained study materials!"

"Do study materials need hearts drawn on them?" Chen Muyang delivered the final, fatal blow.

Chen Fan took a deep breath and turned to look at the bodyguard captain waiting off to the side.

"Go investigate."

Chen Fan's voice was cold enough to chip ice, chillier than the mountain night wind.

"Find out who this Yunzhou University basketball captain is, and that vice president whatever-his-name-is. See what their families do, if their character is upright, and if they have any bad habits. Most importantly..."

Chen Fan ground his back teeth. "Check if they have any of those flaws I dislike—for example, being too ugly, or dreaming too big."

The bodyguard captain's lip twitched slightly as he bit the bullet and replied, "Yes, Boss. Um... do we need to mobilize the group's intelligence network?"

"Use it! Not only use it, but dig up everything down to their roots!"

Chen Nianyao was completely in despair.

She knew her father too well. If he really went to investigate, even if those boys had only shown her a tiny bit of kindness, their ancestors' medical reports for the last three generations would probably be sitting on her father's desk by tomorrow.

How was she supposed to survive at school after this?

"Dad! No need to investigate!" Chen Nianyao grabbed Chen Fan's arm and used her ultimate move—acting spoiled. "I threw all those away! Really! I didn't even look at them! In my heart, no man in the whole world is more handsome than Dad, richer than Dad, or loves me more than Dad! How could I possibly be interested in those little kids?"

That bit of flattery was delivered loud and clear.

The frost on Chen Fan's face visibly thawed a bit.

"Really?"

"Truer than pearls!" Chen Nianyao raised three fingers to swear, then glared fiercely at Chen Muyang. "It's all Brother talking nonsense! He's just jealous that people are chasing me. With that ice-block face of his, nobody except people who want to talk business would dare get close to him!"

Chen Muyang shrugged, looking indifferent. "I don't need to rely on my face to eat; my brain is enough."

Su Guohua watched from the side with amusement, taking a sip of his wine. "Alright, Fan Zi. The kids are grown. Having pursuers just shows our Yaoyao is excellent. You can't keep your daughter tied to your belt loop forever, can you?"

"That won't do." Chen Fan huffed and picked up his chopsticks again, placing the largest rib on Chen Nianyao's plate. "Tying her up forever isn't necessary, but before she can stand on her own, anyone who wants to get close has to get past me first. Haoyu!"

Chen Haoyu, who had been burying his head in his food trying to lower his presence, suddenly looked up. "Here! Second Uncle, your orders!"

"While we're in the old home these few days, keep an eye out for me." Chen Fan pointed at Chen Nianyao. "If any blind punks from these ten miles and eight villages dare to hang around Yaoyao, I don't care who they are—throw them straight into the river."

"You got it!" Chen Haoyu slapped his thigh, his eyes flashing with excitement. "Second Uncle, don't you worry! I'm an expert at this! Forget about punks—even if a male fly tries to fly over, I'll rip its wings off!"

Chen Nianyao looked at this "Protect the Cabbage Alliance" formed at the table and just wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

This meal was impossible to eat.

Dinner ended hurriedly.

Chen Fan's family was arranged in the newly renovated west wing of the old residence. Although it couldn't compare to the luxury of Longwan No. 1, it was clean and tidy.

The night was deep and quiet.

A rustling sound came from the bathroom of the west wing.

Chen Nianyao, wearing her pajamas, was squatting by the toilet holding a lighter. Beside her was a stainless steel basin.

Flames danced as exquisite stationery curled and blackened in the fire, finally turning to ash.

"Stupid Chen Muyang! Rotten Chen Muyang!"

As Chen Nianyao burned them, she muttered through gritted teeth, "How dare you backstab me! Just you wait! Once we're back in Jiangcheng, I'll post photos of you wearing a dress as a kid on your company's intranet! Let's see you be a 'dominant CEO' then!"

These were indeed the love letters she had received along the way. She had originally wanted to keep them as trophies to satisfy her vanity, but now they had all become hot potatoes.

The firelight reflected on her huffy little face, making her look both aggrieved and hilarious.

"Knock, knock, knock."

There was a sudden knock on the bathroom door.

Chen Nianyao's hand shook in fright, nearly dropping the lighter into the basin.

"Who is it?!"

"Since you're burning them, open the window to let the smell out." Chen Muyang's punchable, lazy voice came from outside. "If Dad smells the burning and thinks you've lost the will to live and are self-immolating, he'll call the fire department. Then your little secrets really won't be hidden anymore."

Chen Nianyao was so angry she grabbed the roll of toilet paper beside her and threw it hard against the door.

"Get lost!!!"

A low chuckle came from outside, followed by the sound of footsteps fading away.

That night, the lights of the Chen family's old residence stayed on for a long time before finally going out.

And at this very moment, on the concrete road that was the only way into the village, several large trucks with out-of-town plates were unloading through the night.

Dozens of workers with high-powered flashlights were laying something out along the roadside.

A bright red carpet stretched from the village entrance all the way to the gate of the Chen family's old residence, several kilometers long.

The trees on both sides of the road were hung with red lanterns and colorful ribbons.

If one didn't know better, they would think someone was getting married or that a head of state was being welcomed.

Chen Jianguo stood by the road directing the workers, his voice already hoarse from shouting.

"Everyone, be quick! It must be laid out before dawn!" Chen Jianguo glanced at his watch, his face full of excitement. "Tomorrow, Fan Zi's parents... that is, my second brother and sister-in-law, will be coming out. If this display is too small, it'll be a slap in the face to our entire village!"

He turned his head to look at the small county town in the distance, its silhouette blurred in the night, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

Tomorrow.

When the sun rose, the entire Chen Family Village, and even the entire Yunzhou, would know one thing.

That poor kid Chen Fan, who they once looked down upon and who was forced to leave for a distant land...

...has returned, bringing with him overwhelming wealth.

(End of today's update~ Please request updates~ Please give tips~ Please like)