As soon as the words were spoken,
Sang Lu watched as Sister Chen's face cycled through three distinct expressions in quick succession.
A hushed inquiry—"Ah, so the higher-ups are here for an inspection"—followed by a nod of understanding—"Got it, leave it to me."
With a knowing smirk, Sister Chen said,
"Don’t worry, Sang Sang, I won’t tell the staff you’re here to inspect. Feel free to stay as long as you like."
Though Sister Chen’s interpretation wasn’t quite what Sang Lu had meant, it worked out perfectly.
Sang Lu didn’t want a crowd of employees fussing over her anyway.
She just wanted to wander quietly, scouting for the perfect shooting locations and camera angles.
Before long,
she was settled into the luxurious private villa Sister Chen had arranged for her.
Dropping her backpack,
she didn’t even pause to enjoy the villa’s private hot spring before heading back out.
She skipped the resort’s shuttle service and borrowed a bicycle from Sister Chen instead.
Traveling light,
she could stop and explore whenever she pleased.
The Qilan Hot Spring Resort was vast, with stunning natural landscapes and a strict guest limit to ensure top-notch service.
Strolling along the fresh, fragrant pathways, Sang Lu felt her whole body relax.
After a while, she plopped down on a patch of grass to bask in the sun.
In the distance, a handful of guests passed by sporadically,
each minding their own business, savoring the tranquility.
Weekend, sunshine, open fields, blue skies.
Bliss~
Just as she was marveling at how wonderful the lives of the wealthy must be, the roar of a motorcycle shattered the peace.
Who on earth had such poor manners?
Revving a heavy bike in a public space—how obnoxious.
Frowning, she turned to look.
And froze.
Wasn’t that… Feng Yi?
What was Feng Yi doing here?
Then, a whole convoy of motorcycles zoomed past.
Each bike carried a young man dressed like a spoiled rich kid—clearly Feng Yi’s friends.
With so many bikes, the noise was no longer just a roar.
It sounded like a hundred blenders grinding simultaneously in her ears.
"Vroom—" "Vroom—"
Amid the relentless "vrooming,"
the motorcycle gang disappeared down the road.
Sang Lu’s head throbbed from the noise.
But in that instant, she also recalled a fragment from her dream.
—Feng Yi and his friends had gone out joyriding and accidentally stumbled upon Feng Bai and Qiao Xi together. The brothers ended up in a violent brawl, both injured. Feng Bai took a punch that damaged his hearing, forcing him to abandon his beloved music career, while Feng Yi only scraped his knuckles. That marked the beginning of their irreconcilable feud.
Sang Lu: "!!!"
How could that possibly count as "both injured"?
This was clearly a one-sided beatdown for Feng Bai!
His pale, sun-deprived physique was no match for Feng Yi’s hotheaded aggression.
And wait—
Had things escalated to "violent brawls" already?
Thinking back to the incident months ago when Feng Yi crashed into Qiao Xi’s cello, the plot was moving way too fast…
Sang Lu’s expression tightened.
Right, she’d forgotten the main point—where was Feng Bai?
He should be here too, along with Qiao Xi.
Why had Feng Bai and Qiao Xi suddenly met in person? Why had Feng Yi and Feng Bai come to blows? Sang Lu had no idea.
Scratching her head, she sighed in frustration.
Should she intervene?
Should she?
Two tiny voices warred in her mind.
The angelic one, radiating saintly compassion—
"Poor Feng Bai, wuwuwu~ Even if he lacks creative talent, destroying his musical dreams like this is too cruel. Go save him!"
The little demon inside her head whispered with a sinister chuckle—
"None of your damn business. Just because they call you 'sister-in-law' a few times, you think you’re hot stuff? Pretend you didn’t see it, focus on yourself, okay? Good."
Sang Lu felt like she was about to lose her mind from the incessant noise in her head.
But then, something even more infuriating happened.
A surprised voice called out from a distance:
"Sang Lu! Sang Lu, is that really you? Oh my, what a coincidence!"
Following the sound, Sang Lu’s vision darkened.
It was her annoying cousin Zhuang Xiao—and her mother.
Behind them, Third Uncle’s family of four, Second Aunt’s family of five…
The one who had called her was none other than the most gossipy of them all: Third Aunt.
By the time Sang Lu rolled her eyes, the whole group had already crowded around her.
"Oh, Lu Lu, we’ve been to your house several times. Your mom always said you were too busy with work to come back. Who knew we’d run into you here?"
"By the way, Lu Lu, is it true your husband is the big-shot CEO of Feng Corporation?"
"Lu Lu, did you come alone? Is President Feng with you?"
The questions came rapid-fire, one after another.
The underlying meaning was obvious—they wanted to use Sang Lu to cozy up to Feng Yan for their own gain.
Right now, though, Sang Lu had no patience for this.
Her mind was entirely occupied with the brewing conflict between Feng Yi and Feng Bai.
Amid the clamor, she frowned and pulled out her phone.
---
Feng Corporation.
Top-floor CEO’s office.
Fang Assistant was briefing Feng Yan on next week’s schedule.
As he spoke, his eyes kept darting toward the cold, composed man behind the solid wood desk, trying to read his expression.
Just as he finished outlining tomorrow’s agenda, he noticed Feng Yan shift slightly.
Fang Assistant immediately looked up.
Oh. The boss was just taking a sip of water.
He continued his report.
Less than thirty seconds later, Feng Yan stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window—where he took another sip.
Huh. Maybe he was just stretching after sitting through that video conference.
Okay, back to the schedule.
But the moment Fang Assistant lowered his gaze, Feng Yan returned to his desk.
Leaning casually against the leather chair, he took yet another sip.
Fang Assistant: ???
Weird.
Was the boss unusually thirsty today?
A faint suspicion crept into his mind.
When Feng Yan raised his cup for the fourth time, Fang Assistant’s eyes suddenly sharpened.
Wait—was that a new mug?
A sleek black glacier-patterned glazed mug.
What happened to the usual one?
A question mark floated above Fang Assistant’s head.
Just then, Feng Yan’s phone buzzed—rapid, insistent pings.
He watched as the CEO picked it up, his handsome brows knitting together at first…
Then, inexplicably, smoothing out as he read the screen.
Fang Assistant: ?
Unreadable.
On Feng Yan’s phone:
[Sang Lu: SOS! Emergency!]
[Sang Lu: Are you busy right now? Can you come to Qilan?]
[Sang Lu: I’m staying overnight but just realized I forgot my clothes…]
