Chapter 147: Pale

Xu Fei walked up to Zhang Min.

"He is the one! Grab him for me!"

Without a second thought, Zhang Min gestured to the men beside her. They swarmed forward, surrounding Xu Fei.

"What are you doing?"

An Laosan emerged from the room at that moment. Seeing that Xu Fei was in a predicament, he hurried over, intending to intervene.

"Third Brother, we know each other."

Seeing Xu Fei say this, An Laosan looked at Zhang Min with a puzzled expression and asked, "What is this about? Can’t you talk this over properly?"

Zhang Min glared at An Laosan. "What business is this of yours? He lured my daughter away—how do you expect me to talk this over?"

Upon hearing this, An Laosan immediately understood. This must be the parent of the girl who had come here to deliver a message a few days ago. He looked at Xu Fei with concern.

"It’s fine, Third Brother. I’ll explain it to her."

As Xu Fei spoke, Zhang Min stepped forward and pointed at his nose. "Explain what? Haven’t you caused my daughter enough misery? She’s at home right now, refusing to step outside. You go and talk some sense into her, and if you can't, I’ll fight you to the death!"

With that, Zhang Min commanded the men, "Take him away."

"Hey, you guys..." An Laosan started to step forward, but two of the men blocked his path.

"Third Brother, I’ll be back soon." Seeing Xu Fei say this, An Laosan had no choice but to stand aside.

"You had better be polite to my brother, or I won't let this go."

Zhang Min glanced at An Laosan with disdain. "Look at the state of you. Move aside and stop getting in my way!" She shoved him aside as she spoke. The men grabbed Xu Fei and led him toward the staircase.

...

The Lin residence.

Xu Fei was pushed onto the living room sofa. Lin Chuanzhi sat opposite him, his face dark and gloomy. The cigar held between his trembling fingers quivered.

"Xu Fei, you go. As long as you get Lin Fang to agree to our demands, we won't hold this against you—in fact, we’ll be grateful. But if you fail to persuade her, then the entire responsibility will fall on you!"

Zhang Min’s words were utterly unreasonable.

"Xu Fei, you’ve seen it for yourself. She is our only daughter. I don't expect her to achieve anything grand; I just want her to stay by our side, have a stable job, and marry a decent man, so..." Lin Chuanzhi brought the cigar to his lips, took a gentle drag, and exhaled a cloud of grey smoke. "If you succeed in persuading her, I, Lin Chuanzhi, promise you a handsome reward."

Xu Fei did not care for rewards. If the two people before him knew Lin Fang’s true feelings for him, he wondered if they would still be making such demands. Never mind.

Xu Fei didn't want to dwell on it. Perhaps, from the perspective of Lin Fang’s parents, dispelling her feelings for him was a viable solution. Thinking this, Xu Fei felt a bit uneasy. After all, this was not his true intention, but for Lin Fang’s sake, and for his own, he had no choice. Sometimes, a man must do what he must.

Xu Fei walked to the door. Knock, knock... After the knocking, there was the sound of things being smashed inside.

"I don't want to listen! Leave! I just want to be alone for a while—is that so hard?" Lin Fang sounded furious.

Xu Fei lowered his voice and leaned against the door. "It’s me, Xu Fei."

The room fell silent instantly. A moment later, the door actually opened. Lin Fang’s beautiful face was beaming.

"Why are you here?" She happily grabbed Xu Fei’s arm.

"Let’s go inside and talk." Xu Fei gestured toward the room.

"Yes, yes." Lin Fang pulled him inside with a smile. "Sit."

Xu Fei was pushed onto the bed, while she leaned against the vanity in front of him. She propped her arms behind her on the dresser, her head tilted slightly, a look of pure satisfaction in her smile.

"I really didn't expect you to come. By the way, did they call you here?" Lin Fang suddenly realized this. After all, Zhang Min’s attitude toward Xu Fei was still fresh in her mind. Knowing her mother, how could she possibly allow Xu Fei to step foot into the house, let alone her own bedroom?

"Yes," Xu Fei nodded. He didn't want to tell her about the coercion. He looked elsewhere in the room and said casually, "They told me about your situation. Why are you locking yourself in here like this?"

Lin Fang thought for a moment. "Rebellion. I want them to know that I have no room for compromise on this matter."

"And then?"

"School. I will never agree to their terms, not in this lifetime."

"Actually, when I spoke with your father, I mentioned your thoughts, but..." Xu Fei stood up and walked to the window. He looked at the small garden basking in the sunlight outside and said, "Do you know? Your life is different from mine."

"How is it different? We’re all just ordinary people, aren't we?"

Xu Fei shook his head. "You still don't understand. You can have everything others dream of without having to struggle. That is the difference."

Lin Fang nodded. "Exactly. That’s why I want to live a different kind of life."

"Is this really what you want?" Xu Fei turned to look at her.

"Of course." Lin Fang’s stubbornness made her look both ridiculous and adorable.

"Give me three days. I’ll let you experience this 'different' life you want. After that, we can talk about this again. How about it?"

Lin Fang was already completely submissive to whatever Xu Fei said. "Okay, that sounds interesting."

Xu Fei looked at the excited Lin Fang. He already knew how to talk to this girl. Perhaps any words would seem pale and ineffective before her; only facts could explain everything.

He took Lin Fang’s hand, and the two walked out of the room together. When Zhang Min saw Lin Fang walking out while holding Xu Fei’s hand, her expression dropped to freezing point instantly.

"You two...?"

Xu Fei smiled at her. "Give Lin Fang three days. I’ll take her to experience the life she wants to lead."

Zhang Min was an experienced woman; she understood Xu Fei’s intentions. But Lin Fang was her daughter, after all. "How can that be? You two..."

Just as she was about to protest, Lin Chuanzhi stepped forward and pulled on Zhang Min’s arm. "Wife, let them go."

"You?"

Lin Chuanzhi looked at Xu Fei. "Three days. After three days, bring Lin Fang back."

"It’s a deal." Xu Fei said, looking at Lin Fang. Lin Fang nodded in agreement.