When Sang Lu suddenly caught sight of Feng Yi, she almost didn’t recognize him.
The once high-spirited young master now sat slumped on the floor, his eyes vacant, his clothes crumpled.
A few untouched dishes sat on the table nearby.
The moment Sang Lu glanced his way, he turned his head away, his face practically screaming, "I refuse to eat."
Sang Lu: "..."
Even in such a pitiful state, he still clung to his pride.
What on earth was he being so stubborn about?
Sang Lu stared at Feng Yi.
His lips were pressed into a tight line, as if ready to wage war against some unseen force.
Coldly, he declared:
"Sister-in-law, your words won’t change my mind..."
"I’d rather starve to death than take a single bite today."
Sang Lu rolled her eyes and walked over to the servants nearby.
As soon as she moved, Feng Yi’s gaze flickered toward her. He heard her speak in a tone just loud enough for him to catch:
"Take the food away. If he doesn’t want to eat, don’t force him. A few days without food won’t kill him. Worst case, there’s always the garden—plenty of plants to chew on."
The servants froze: ...
Unsure whether the young madam was joking.
Feng Yi’s eyebrows twitched involuntarily: "???"
Is this even human speech?
After a pause, he scoffed softly.
Hah, reverse psychology.
He felt a surge of disdain.
But his eyes still lingered on Sang Lu.
He watched as she approached Uncle Yue, whispered something, then calmly walked back toward him.
Sang Lu sighed faintly, exasperated, and finally spoke:
"Alright, out with it. What’s your deal this time?"
At her words, Feng Yi turned his head even further away.
His stance was clear.
He wouldn’t speak.
"Sure you don’t want to talk?" Sang Lu crossed her arms, looking down at him. "Your brother’s on his way. Once he gets here, even if you change your mind, he won’t have the patience to listen."
The moment she finished speaking,
Feng Yi—stubborn to the core—stiffened, then slowly turned his head back.
His eyes still burned with defiance as he shot back:
"Say what? What do you want me to say?"
Sang Lu: "Last week, you caused a scene at Qiao Xi’s apartment. Now you’re pulling a hunger strike. What exactly are you trying to achieve? Spit it out."
She truly didn’t understand.
What was the point of all these dramatic outbursts?
From what she knew, when he’d made a scene at Qiao Xi’s door, the things he’d said hadn’t made any sense to her.
Which meant Feng Bai’s keepsake probably wasn’t from Qiao Xi in the first place.
Though she hadn’t interacted much with Qiao Xi, the girl’s reactions during their few meetings didn’t strike her as the type to string two brothers along.
Sang Lu’s conclusion: There was a high chance Feng Yi was just deluding himself.
First, he’d convinced himself he was in love. Then, he’d convinced himself he’d been played.
She studied Feng Yi’s unyielding expression and grew even more certain—he was exactly the type to be blinded by his own arrogance.
Feng Yi pressed his tongue against his cheek, let out a derisive laugh, and raised his voice:
"My demand? My demand is fairness! Why am I the only one being punished while Feng Bai gets off scot-free? Fine, we fell for the same girl—I admit it! But it should be a fair fight—"
"Shh—"
Sang Lu frowned, cutting off his outburst:
"Keep your voice down. Is this really something to shout about?"
Feng Yi paused: "..."
Sang Lu could barely stand it.
His words sounded like something ripped from a cheesy soap opera, making her cringe hard enough to dig her toes into the ground.
She had to stop him.
After a moment, she turned back to Feng Yi:
"You want to know why you’re being disciplined and not Feng Bai? Because compared to him, you’re miles behind. He’s younger, but his maturity leaves you in the dust."
Feng Yi gritted his teeth:
"What do you know? Don’t think being my sister-in-law gives you the right to judge me."
"Even a passing ant would say the same thing," Sang Lu replied flatly.
Feng Yi scowled.
Sang Lu: "You resent Feng Bai, don’t you? Then take a look at what you’re doing versus what he’s doing."
"While you’re throwing tantrums and drunkenly harassing people, he’s building his career."
"If not for the Feng family name keeping you fed and sheltered, how many beatings do you think your attitude would earn you in the real world?"
Feng Yi’s eyes flickered. His expression froze.
As if he was actually considering her words.
Finally, he lifted his gaze weakly:
"Am I really that worthless? So unworthy of being loved?"
Sang Lu offered him an awkward but polite smile.
Feng Yi: "..."
The air hung heavy for a few seconds.
Seeing how utterly pitiful he looked, Sang Lu softened her tone:
"You’re missing the point. Forget whether others like you—can you even stand the person you are right now? Skipping grad school to party and race cars with your deadbeat friends, relying on family money to clean up every mess you make… Do you even like yourself?"
Feng Yi cracked.
His clenched fists loosened.
Slumping against the wall, he let out a bitter laugh:
"Yeah. You’re right, Sister-in-law. If I can’t stand myself, how can I expect Qiao Xi to like me? The more I act out, the more she’ll look down on me."
Sang Lu’s eyes gleamed.
Progress.
She might’ve actually gotten through to him.
She pressed on:
"Then get up and clean up your own mess. If you want to be loved, you’ve got to have qualities worth loving first."
Feng Yi stared blankly at her, dazed.
It felt surreal.
Even though Sang Lu was only a few years older, the gap in wisdom and life experience between them felt vast.
In that moment, he was completely convinced.
He couldn’t keep living like this.
Couldn’t keep wasting his life.
Just then—
A commotion rose from the courtyard.
Following Sang Lu’s earlier instructions, Uncle Yue had arranged for a grill to be set up outside.
Soon, a servant came in to announce:
"Young Madam, the grill is ready."
Sang Lu headed for the door, casting a glance at Feng Yi:
"I, for one, can’t stand being hungry. I eat when it’s time to eat. I’m going to grill some meat. Up to you whether you join me."
With that, she walked out.
Only then did Feng Yi realize what she’d whispered to Uncle Yue earlier.
A classic reverse psychology move.
To get him to eat.
Even though he’d already been swayed, his pride remained intact.
He followed her outside—not to eat, but because one of her earlier remarks had stuck in his mind. He needed to ask.
Sang Lu sat by the grill,
placing skewers on the rack.
When she looked up, Feng Yi had indeed followed.
She smirked inwardly—"Mission accomplished"—but noticed he didn’t sit. Instead, he hovered awkwardly beside her, hesitating before finally blurting out:
"Sister-in-law, earlier you said… to have qualities worth loving. What kind of qualities are those? What do you like about Brother?"
His tone was still prickly, but earnest.
Like he genuinely wanted advice from the only woman in the family about something he didn’t understand.
Sang Lu faltered. "Your brother?"
She wasn’t sure how to answer.
Feng Yan had many admirable traits.
But she didn’t know if any of them could be tied to the word "like."
Before her, Feng Yi's eyes were uncharacteristically soft and sincere—it was clear how much courage it had taken for him to ask this question.
She couldn’t possibly brush it off with a casual answer.
After a moment of silence, she spoke earnestly:
"Your elder brother is steady and reliable, emotionally stable, and handles everything with composure."
"He’s also incredibly disciplined, hardworking, and stays up late working every day."
Sang Lu listed the qualities she saw in Feng Yan, unintentionally going on longer than she’d planned.
She paused, deciding it was best to stop there.
She didn’t want to overwhelm Feng Yi, lest he feel so far behind Feng Yan’s virtues that he might just give up altogether.
Sang Lu trailed off: "Of course, there are other things too, but no need to go into them."
"Please, go on," Feng Yi urged, his curiosity even more intense than before.
He wanted to understand what qualities women found admirable.
Surprised by his eagerness, Sang Lu added briefly:
"Well, things like being handsome, having a great figure, nice hands, and a pleasant voice—those trivial merits aren’t worth mentioning, right?"
"True enough."
Feng Yi nodded, agreeing with her.
As he did, his gaze flickered to the side—and suddenly, he noticed a figure standing in the courtyard.
The next second, he leaped back half a meter in shock, exclaiming:
"Brother!?"
