C1 True Dragons will One Day Soar into the Sky!

"Mengyu, how could Guo Chao be in your house?" Chu Fann's voice shook. His face was ashen as he pointed at the man next to him.

He couldn't bring himself to believe what he was seeing. He had personally delivered food to her, even prepared a surprise. But when he opened her door, there was another man inside, and not just any man—Guo Chao, a known troublemaker from his school.

Guo Chao was smirking at him with a taunting look, as if Chu Fann were nothing more than a joke.

Chen Mengyu showed no embarrassment, only disdain as she glared at Chu Fann and berated him.

"You're pathetic, what are you yelling about? Got a little courage now, have you? I haven't even begun to settle things with you, and you're already making noise?"

"Who told you to deliver food? I warned you to stop doing such a humiliating job, and yet here you are, still at it."

"Don't you have any sense of shame?!"

"Since when is being a delivery man something to be ashamed of?!"

Chu Fann's fists were clenched, his teeth gritted. He couldn't fathom why Chen Mengyu scorned the job of a delivery man so much. He was earning his money honestly, not through theft or violence.

Then she slapped him.

Chu Fann's face stung with the heat of the slap.

"You worthless thing, you dare to talk back!" Chen Mengyu was livid.

"Look at you both, men. Mr. Guo earns fifty thousand a month at his young age. And you? Up at dawn like a dog, slaving away for less than five thousand."

"And you still claim delivering food isn't degrading?" Chen Mengyu's voice was shrill as she insulted him. It seemed her tirade wasn't enough to satisfy her anger. She snatched the take-out box from Chu Fann's hands, flung it open, and hurled the contents at his face.

Scalding soup and vegetables splashed over Chu Fann, drenching him.

"Now, do you feel humiliated?" Chen Mengyu bellowed.

Chu Fann stood in the doorway, a wry smile on his face.

He didn't bother to wipe away the soup and vegetables dripping down his face; he just let the hot liquid cascade from his head to his feet.

He never anticipated that after marrying into the Chen family for three years, it would culminate in such a devastating end.

As Chen Mengyu's betrothed, he had never wronged her in any way. He worked hard for his earnings and never took a dime from the Chen family.

Yet, the Chen clan consistently treated him like a dog, relegating him to handle all the household chores. Within the Chen household, his standing was even lower than that of a servant.

And now, she was crushing the last vestige of his dignity as a man.

Chu Fann's disillusionment with Chen Mengyu was absolute. His final glimmer of hope had burst like a bubble.

Tightening his fists, Chu Fann steeled himself to walk away.

Just then, a glamorous middle-aged woman emerged from the room, clad in a yellow robe with her red hair styled in large, wavy curls. She bore a striking resemblance to Chen Mengyu, about sixty to seventy percent, but she exuded a mature charm that Mengyu lacked.

She glanced briefly at Chu Fann before showering Chen Mengyu with an indulgent look.

"Enough, Mengyu, settle down. Why bother talking to him?"

"Mom, it's not about wanting to talk to him; he's just so humiliating," Chen Mengyu said, glaring resentfully at Chu Fann.

"Since he joined our family, not once in three years have I felt a sense of pride."

"My classmates ridicule me to my face every day, saying I've chosen a pathetic delivery guy for a fiancé."

The woman sighed deeply. "Mengyu, do you think it doesn't pain me to see you like this?"

"Your grandmother arranged this engagement three years ago, and I'm bound by tradition to honor it."

"Bullshit tradition!" Chen Mengyu burst out.

"To me, that man who entered our family three years ago is nothing but a con artist. Claiming to be some venerable healer—absurd!"

The woman nodded in agreement. "Your grandmother was indeed muddled on that issue. But at the time, she had no choice. That old doctor had saved her life, and when he made his request, she felt obligated to comply."

"But why do I have to be the one to suffer for it?" Chen Mengyu fumed with indignation.

"Back then, you were the only one in the Chen family close to his age," the elegant woman explained with a sigh. Three years prior, when the venerable healer had brought Chu Fann to the Chen household, Chen Mengyu was the sole member of marriageable age. Consequently, the matriarch promised her hand to Chu Fann, setting a three-year engagement period before they could wed.

"Come on, no need to be upset," she soothed, patting Chen Mengyu's shoulder gently.

"Tomorrow's your grandmother's 70th birthday. It's best to focus on finding the perfect gift to celebrate her milestone."

"If you manage to endear yourself to your grandmother, she'll send him packing from the Chen family once the three years are up. She won't force you to go through with the marriage.

"Then, you'll be free to openly be with Guo Chao."

Her eyes flickered towards Guo Chao, her gaze brimming with undisguised approval.

In her eyes, only a man as exceptional as Guo Chao deserved to be her son-in-law.

"Mom, I don't want to wait for the three years to end to kick him out of the Chen family. I want him gone tomorrow," Chen Mengyu stated, her lips twisting in distaste. She couldn't bear the thought of spending another second with Chu Fann; she yearned to be with Guo Chao immediately.

"Mengyu, there's only a month left until the three-year term is up. Can't you wait even that long?" the woman asked, her voice tinged with resignation.

"I can't wait! Not even one more day!" Chen Mengyu declared, her jaw set in determination.

"Alright, if you can't wait another day, then at your grandmother's birthday feast tomorrow, I'll intercede on your behalf and ask her to expel him from the Chen family ahead of schedule," Guo Chao said, affectionately squeezing Chen Mengyu's cheek. As the heir to the Guo family, his word carried weight, and he was confident that Mengyu's grandmother would acquiesce.

"Thank you, Mr. Guo. You always treat me the best," she said, her smile sweet as she wrapped her arms around Guo Chao.

Chu Fann watched the exchange, his heart aching. Within the Chen family, not a single soul regarded him as one of their own.

"What are you staring at? Go quit your job already! You've really upset Mengyu!" She caught Chu Fann's gaze lingering on Chen Mengyu. The beautiful woman's anger flared instantly.

Chu Fann clenched his jaw. Without uttering a word, he turned and walked away from the Chen family's elegantly appointed house.

"What a disgrace," she muttered.

Even as he reached the bottom of the stairs, the woman's scathing words still reached his ears.

Chu Fann gave a self-deprecating chuckle. How had it all become his fault?

He sighed and retreated to his modest room next door. After a shower and a change of clothes, he resolved to resign from his job. Chu Fann was well aware that as long as he remained employed by the Chen family, his days would be far from pleasant.

But just as Chu Fann was about to step out, he collided with a girl.

"Mengyao?"

The girl before him, Chen Mengyao, was Chen Mengyu's younger sister, and she radiated innocence and charm. Of everyone in the Chen family, she showed Chu Fann the most kindness.

"Mr. Chu Fann, perfect timing. I was looking for you," Chen Mengyao said, glancing around surreptitiously before slipping a wad of cash into his hand.

"Grandma's 70th birthday is tomorrow, and it's a big deal for the Chen family. If you pick out a thoughtful gift for her, it could really improve your standing with us. Even my sister might start seeing you in a new light, and things could get easier for you," she said with a mischievous grin.

Chu Fann bit his lip, his eyes warming with emotion. Mengyao had always been the kindest to him. Two years his junior, she was a sophomore in college and typically had very little spending money. He knew this cash must have come from her scrimping and saving, and now she was handing it to him...

"Don't turn it down. Please, just take it before my sister catches us," Chen Mengyao urged, anxiety lacing her voice.

"I've already seen it!" came a frosty voice from behind.

Chen Mengyao's face stiffened. Her eyes darted about as she forced a sheepish smile. "Sister, this is money I owed to Mr. Chu Fann. I finally saved up enough to pay him back today..."

"You lent him money? He can't even support himself, and you think he's got cash to lend? Do you really think you can fool me that easily?" Chen Mengyu scoffed.

"Sister, I'm not lying to you..." Chen Mengyao was desperate to explain, but Chen Mengyu wouldn't hear it. She strode up to Chu Fann, snatched the few thousand yuan from his hand, and berated him.

"What are you, worthless? Taking my sister's money? Have you no pride left? If I were you, I'd rather be dead! Doesn't living like this humiliate you?"

"Sis, you..."

"Shut up! Go to your room; I'll deal with you later tonight!" Chen Mengyu snapped.

Chen Mengyao cast a regretful glance at Chu Fann and scurried away, head down.

Chu Fann held no grudge against her. Mengyao had been his rock these past three years; she didn't need to take his side. He was well aware that he wasn't exactly the Chen family's favorite. His presence had brought Mengyao nothing but unearned hardship, yet she never once complained. Sometimes, Chu Fann thought to himself that Mengyao was the one who should be his fiancée—she was that kind-hearted.

"Mengyu, we should head out. It's getting late, and we need to pick out a gift for your grandma at the Antique Market," Guo Chao said, glancing at his Longines watch before pressing the BMW key fob.

"Got it, let's hit the road!" Mengyu's face lit up with a smile as she turned and hopped into the car with Guo Chao.

"I'm taking your fiancée out for some fun. You better get moving and earn some money with your deliveries, or you'll be going hungry tonight," Guo Chao said, his gaze landing on Chu Fann. His smile was tinged with mockery, and then they drove off, leaving Chu Fann in their dust.

The raw sting of such blatant humiliation clenched Chu Fann's fists until his nails bit into his palms.

It all boiled down to money. Now that he was penniless, it seemed he was fair game for contempt. He was filled with self-loathing, and resentment towards his family festered. Three years had nearly slipped by, and Chu Fann couldn't fathom why his family had instituted such a test three years prior.

Did they only want to expose him to the harsh realities of the world? If so, Chu Fann conceded that his family had succeeded. He had pierced the veil of what's known as human nature, and the ugliness he found was too much to bear.

Lost in thought, the ring of his worn-out cell phone in his pocket jolted him back to the present. Instinctively, Chu Fann pulled out the device. Recognizing the number on the screen, his eyes narrowed sharply.

"The family assessment has concluded, young master," came the aged voice on the other end of the line.

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