Chapter Ninety-Nine: Not Worth Mentioning

When Xiao Cheng returned to the villa, his entire demeanor seemed to collapse; the aura that had sustained him was suddenly gone, and his face was as pale as paper, as if all vitality had been drained from him.

He had been mentally and physically exhausted of late. The previous night, he had faced off against the masked Wang Qiyi; though it appeared he’d gained the upper hand, he had actually suffered significant injuries. After a night’s rest, he had only partially recovered. In the morning, he fought Chu Feiyu and suffered damage to his meridians, and in the afternoon, expended much of his strength sparring with his sister-in-law. Just now, in his renewed confrontation with Chu Feiyu, anger had driven him to use forceful methods, heedless of his own well-being, and Chu Feiyu’s energy once again wounded him.

After all, his cultivation was still shallow, only at the eighth stage of Foundation Establishment. The only reason he could manage as much as he did was his innate divine sense, but injury was inevitable. Old wounds had not healed before new ones were added. Once he had settled the matter of the Chu siblings, his nerves relaxed and a wave of weakness swept through him; his insides roiled in turmoil.

He closed the door behind him and was suddenly gripped by a tightness in his chest, a bout of dizziness washing over him, causing him to stagger. Xiao Cheng understood that it was not just damage to his meridians—his divine sense had been severely overdrawn, resulting in the dizziness he felt.

Last night, his battle with Wang Qiyi had been a contest of pure spiritual power, exhausting him greatly. The morning’s encounter with Chu Feiyu, the afternoon’s mental duel with Hong Jiuling, and the latest clash with Chu Feiyu all demanded constant exertion of his divine sense, now depleted utterly.

Fang Yujia happened to be at the doorway, and as she watched Xiao Cheng walk in, she noticed his pallor. She meant to ask what was wrong, but when she saw him stumble, she hurried over to support his arm.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Fang Yujia looked at him with concern, an emotion she rarely showed in the past.

But as she spoke, she suddenly realized—her brother-in-law had been shot just ten days ago... Had Xiao Cheng fought Chu Feiyu while still wounded? A pang of sorrow rose in her heart. Ten days ago he had survived a gunshot, and now he battled Chu Feiyu while still injured. All this was for her sake. She was not made of stone; to say she felt unmoved would be a lie.

“It’s nothing, just a bit of anemia,” Xiao Cheng replied with a reassuring smile, straightening up and shaking off the dizziness. But the tightness in his chest only worsened. Not wanting his sister-in-law to see him so frail, he excused himself: “I’ll go take a shower first.”

Fang Yujia looked at Xiao Cheng, his bright white teeth flashing in a smile so dazzling she found it almost harsh, unable to meet his gaze. If he had admitted to being in pain, she might have felt better, but instead he endured in silence, pretending nothing was wrong, which pierced her heart even more.

But since Xiao Cheng did not wish to speak, she would not force him. She respected and understood him; perhaps this was the transformation from boyhood to manhood.

A true man is always proud, leaving a strong back for his family, bearing all burdens silently, retreating into the darkness to nurse his wounds alone, never letting loved ones worry or see his weakness. Only when he has recovered does he reappear, radiant and unassailable, standing beside his family and shielding them beneath a clear, boundless sky.

Such behavior might seem childish or even laughable, but to Fang Yujia it was not; it touched the very core of humanity.

Watching Xiao Cheng’s back as he entered the bathroom, she realized he had grown taller than before. Yes, her brother-in-law had grown up.

Xiao Cheng, meanwhile, noticed nothing of Fang Yujia’s expression, nor did he realize that, despite her usual obsession with cleanliness, his sister-in-law had not hurried to wash her hands after helping him.

He entered the bathroom, shut the door, and as soon as he turned on the water, a surge of blood rushed to his chest and he vomited a mouthful, feeling somewhat relieved at last.

Frowning, he acknowledged that his body was indeed in poor shape; he would need several days to recover. Under normal circumstances, this would not be a problem, but today the old man had issued a command to capture him at any cost—even to the point of breaking his limbs. The security service would eventually track him down.

Of course, he could leave Shanghai and go elsewhere to bide his time. But with his sister-in-law facing a forced marriage, what might happen if he left? Chu Jinghui was ruthless and would stop at nothing to achieve his aims. Xiao Cheng could not leave. Besides, why should he be the one to go? The Xiao family was his home, too.

The hot water washed away his fatigue, clearing his thoughts. He carefully reviewed recent events, discerning his path.

His main priority now was to improve his strength as quickly as possible. As for Wang Qiyi, that contemptible clown, he could be ignored for the time being—Xiao Cheng had already seen through his facade. Wang Qiyi lurked in the shadows, but Xiao Cheng was content to wait and see, to fish with a long line. He was curious to see Wang Qiyi’s true identity and purpose within the Xiao family.

Aside from increasing his strength, he needed to stabilize the situation with the Fang and Chu families, slowing down the forced marriage plot. The old matriarch had given her assurance, but he could not rely too much on her—she was aged, after all, and these matters were his own responsibility.

If he could buy some time, he could raise his cultivation. Only with sufficient power could he resolve these matters; the Chu clan was a hidden family, perhaps even stronger than his own. Without strength, he had no voice, no qualification even to speak, much less to change the course of events.

Ultimately, it all came down to strength.

He had once thought to kill anyone who dared propose, but had not expected Chu Jinghui to be involved. Unless forced to the last resort, he would not want to kill him—his own family was already on the edge of disaster, and a feud with the Chu clan would only make things worse.

Life always comes with entanglements; these cannot be avoided.

After his shower, Xiao Cheng, as usual, donned beach shorts and stepped out of the bathroom.

He was immediately greeted by the alluring scent of food. Looking toward the dining room, he saw the round table laden with a rich variety of dishes—ten in all.

In the past, the two of them never had more than four dishes and a soup. Xiao Cheng found it odd—why was his sister-in-law acting so out of character today, not only dressing up unusually but also preparing such a feast?

As he gazed at the table, Xiao Cheng carried the jade box, the Qingfeng sword, and other items back to his room.

Fang Yujia, in the midst of setting the table, smiled with a sense of accomplishment. Yet when she caught sight of the large pink scar across Xiao Cheng’s back, her heart trembled—clearly, a remnant of that gunshot wound.

When Xiao Cheng reemerged, he now wore a T-shirt. Fang Yujia had already served the rice and was waiting for him.

He sat down, eyeing her suspiciously. With no festival or birthday to celebrate, why had she gone to such lengths, dressing so beautifully and preparing so much food? But he didn’t dwell on it—his sister-in-law would never harm him, and there was no point in just staring at so many delicacies. Without hesitation, he began to eat heartily.

Seeing her brother-in-law eat to his content, Fang Yujia felt a deep happiness; it had been so long since she’d felt such warmth. Suddenly, a line from a television commercial sprang to mind: “A sister-in-law’s greatest joy is watching her brother-in-law eat heartily.” The thought amused her, and she shook her head, reaching under her chair to retrieve two deep red boxes, each emblazoned with four golden characters: “Founding Prosperity.”

Xiao Cheng’s eyes lit up at the sight. He recognized the boxes—they contained Guizhou Maotai, a rare and precious vintage, the “Founding Prosperity” edition. Such treasures were unobtainable for any price, and she had brought out two at once. His mouth watered; it had been a long time since he’d tasted such fine wine.

“Let’s have a drink tonight. There are two boxes here—if that’s not enough, I have two more,” Fang Yujia said with a gentle smile, taking out a deep red bottle.

Xiao Cheng couldn’t help but wonder—his sister-in-law had always abstained from alcohol, yet tonight she proposed drinking, and in such a grand fashion, as if they would not stop until they were drunk. He finally couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked, “Yu’er, what’s special about today?”

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[Rolling on the floor, begging for votes and collections—this chapter was written with great passion! It feels wonderful!]