C1 Ten Billion Worth of Property

"Do you expect me to go back to the Chen Family?"

At the entrance of a restaurant on the bustling Pedestrian Street in Cangzhou City, Chen Feng stood in his signature yellow delivery uniform, his expression icy and detached.

"Yes, the patriarch has made it clear—if you agree to return, the Chen Family's trillion-yuan fortune will be yours to command," said an elderly man in a gray robe, addressing Chen Feng with a deferential tone.

"Trillion-yuan fortune?" Chen Feng let out a sardonic chuckle, followed by a wistful sigh. "The Chen Family sure is flush with cash, aren't they, Chen Zhong?"

Detecting the scorn in Chen Feng's voice, Chen Zhong, the old man, inquired with a sense of resignation, "Young Master, are you still haunted by what happened three years ago?"

Chen Feng's silence spoke volumes, prompting Chen Zhong to offer a rueful smile. "Young Master, the patriarch did wrong back then, I won't deny it. But he has paid dearly for his actions since. Why not give him another chance?"

"Another chance?" A mocking smile curled on Chen Feng's lips. Why should he offer Chen Zhennan a second chance when his own mother was denied even a first?

Chen Feng would never forget the sight of his mother dying before his eyes three years earlier.

The Chen Family had wealth beyond measure, yet Chen Zhennan had been unwilling to spare a mere million to save his mother's life. Even as Chen Feng groveled before him, begging like a dog, Chen Zhennan remained unmoved, watching coldly as his mother passed away.

Now, Chen Zhennan wanted a second chance?

With a shake of his head, Chen Feng's expression was laced with indescribable scorn.

"Do you really think I'm content to be a delivery man for the rest of my life?" Chen Zhong sighed, seeing Chen Feng's unwavering determination. Since leaving the Chen Family, Chen Feng had married into the Xia Family as a live-in son-in-law. His status had plummeted, and he faced constant derision and exclusion from the Xia Family—a stark contrast to his former life with the Chens.

"Delivering food beats delivering my life," Chen Feng said with a subdued smile.

Chen Zhong's face shifted uneasily. "Young Master, what do you mean by that?"

"It's nothing," Chen Feng shook his head. "You can go back, Chen Zhong. Tell Chen Zhennan and the Chen Family that I'll return one day, but not for the trillion yuan inheritance."

Stunned, Chen Zhong watched Chen Feng's retreating figure, his expression a mix of emotions.

As Chen Feng journeyed on, his thoughts were in turmoil.

From birth, he had lived with the Chen Family, but as a bastard child, he was never accepted. Even the family's servants felt free to insult and mistreat him.

Chen Feng had resigned himself to a life of insignificance within the Chen Family, until his mother's illness three years prior opened his eyes: they wouldn't even allow him the dignity of being a maggot.

On the night his mother's condition worsened, Chen Feng begged the family for help, kneeling like a dog. But they offered no aid, their faces cold and indifferent.

His mother died, and with her, Chen Feng's illusions. To the Chen Family, he and his mother were less than insects.

That day, Chen Feng left the Chen Family.

That day, he vowed to return with the strength to bring them all to their knees in repentance at his mother's grave.

But youthful bravado aside, the very next day in Cangzhou, Chen Feng was nearly killed by assailants. Had Xia Weiguo not intervened, he would have been just another lifeless body.

It was blatantly obvious that the men hunting him down were connected to the Chen Family.

In the shadow of the colossal Chen Family, Chen Feng was as insignificant as an ant.

His life finally found some semblance of peace after marrying into the Xia Family. Despite being the butt of jokes, he at least felt human.

But just as he yearned for tranquility, the Chen Family reappeared, relentless as ever.

Shockingly, they now proposed that he inherit their trillion-yuan fortune.

Yet, with over a hundred legitimate heirs in the Chen Family's third generation, the likelihood of an illegitimate son like him being chosen was next to none. Clearly, this was a conspiracy.

Once regarded as worthless, he was now inexplicably valued in the trillions—a scheme far too suspicious to be genuine.

"Chen Feng!" Lost in his thoughts, Chen Feng was startled by the voice of a striking woman in a white dress. Her exquisite features and slender, statuesque figure exuded elegance, captivating onlookers with her stunning presence.

She was none other than his wife, Xia Mengyao.

"Mengyao, what is it?"

Seeing Xia Mengyao, Chen Feng's face lit up with a warm smile. No matter the circumstances, her mere presence had a mysteriously uplifting effect on his spirits.

However, Xia Mengyao's demeanor was cool and detached. She gave Chen Feng a brief look before speaking in a detached tone, "Come with me to the Ancestral Shrine. The Ancestral Worship Ceremony is about to start."

"To the Ancestral Shrine?" Chen Feng's mouth hung open as the realization hit him. Xia Mengyao had mentioned the Xia Family's Ancestral Worship Ceremony just the day before, a solemn occasion where all members were expected to honor their forebears at the shrine.

Yet here he was...

Chen Feng glanced down at his bright yellow delivery uniform, feeling a wave of embarrassment. He had just finished a delivery and, thanks to a delay caused by Chen Zhong, hadn't had a chance to change.

Attending such a significant event in these eye-catching clothes was out of the question.

"Mengyao, could you wait for me to go home and change?" he asked sheepishly.

Xia Mengyao's face clouded with irritation. "Why didn't you prepare earlier? I told you about the ceremony yesterday, didn't I?"

"I forgot..." Chen Feng mumbled, his head drooping like a child who had been scolded.

"Never mind, don't bother changing. It's not like anyone will notice you. Let's just head over; Grandpa and the others are already waiting," Xia Mengyao said, her impatience tinged with growing dissatisfaction. It was inconceivable to her that Chen Feng could forget something so crucial.

"Alright," Chen Feng acquiesced, though he had more to say. But with Xia Mengyao already striding away, he simply followed.

The Xia Family was a household of renown in Cangzhou City, tracing its lineage back to Xia Pengchun, a Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty. Over two millennia had passed since the family's establishment, witnessing countless seasons come and go.

Despite the Xia Family's decline in recent years, losing the luster of its golden age, their name still commanded respect in Cangzhou.

The triennial Ancestral Worship Ceremony remained one of the Xia Family's most significant traditions.

Upon reaching the Ancestral Shrine, Chen Feng saw that many had already gathered, awaiting the ceremony's commencement.

Xia Mengyao inhaled deeply and strode toward the Ancestral Shrine, with Chen Feng trailing behind. As he approached the entrance, a large hand abruptly blocked his path.

"Hold on! Chen Feng, what business do you have going in there?" The young man barring his way was Xia Hao, one of Xia Mengyao's cousins. He stood with his arms crossed and a mocking smirk on his face.

"I'm here to honor the ancestors," Chen Feng replied, puzzled by Xia Hao's challenge. It was customary for all members of the Xia Family to attend the Ancestral Worship Ceremony, and as a live-in son-in-law, he was now part of the family.

"Honor the ancestors?" Xia Hao scoffed. "Which ancestors are you here to honor? The ones enshrined here belong to my Xia Family. What connection do you have with them?"

Xia Hao's scornful tone implied that he viewed Chen Feng as nothing more than an outsider, unworthy of setting foot in the Xia Family's Ancestral Shrine.

"What are you implying, Xia Hao?" Xia Mengyao's pretty face turned icy.

With a dismissive glance at Xia Mengyao, Xia Hao retorted flippantly, "I'm simply stating that outsiders and dogs aren't permitted inside the Xia Family Ancestral Shrine."

If his earlier remarks were veiled jabs, this statement was an outright insult.

Chen Feng, however, seemed indifferent. He had endured far worse humiliations in the past.

Xia Mengyao, on the other hand, was visibly incensed. After all, Chen Feng was her husband in the eyes of the law.

"Chen Feng is my husband. By what right do you call him an outsider?"

"Your husband?" Xia Hao burst into laughter as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world. "Xia Mengyao, can you honestly say you consider this loser your husband? You've been married for three years and haven't even shared a bed once."

Married for three years without sharing a bed?

As these words echoed through the Ancestral Shrine, smirks crept onto the faces of many Xia Family members present. Their looks of derision pierced Chen Feng like arrows. They couldn't fathom how someone could be so spineless as to not have shared a bed even once with a beauty like Xia Mengyao over three years. Was there something seriously wrong with this good-for-nothing?

Xia Mengyao's face visibly shifted. It was true; she had been married to Chen Feng for three years, and they hadn't so much as shared a bed or even held hands. She had assumed that only a few within the family were privy to their lack of intimacy, but now it was clear that her secret was out for all the Xias to see.

"Mengyao, go ahead inside. I just remembered, I've got one more delivery to make," Chen Feng said with a strained smile. He was prepared to endure the Xia family's sneers, but he couldn't bear the thought of Mengyao suffering any fallout because of him.

Watching Chen Feng's attempt to shrug off the situation, a pang of unexpected pain hit Mengyao. Despite three years of marriage, she had never truly seen Chen Feng as her husband. Yet, he had been nothing but kind to her, braving all weather to pick her up from work and meeting her temper with nothing but a warm smile.

In her presence, he seemed unflappable, never angry, always accommodating her, taking care of her... With time, such constant devotion was bound to kindle affection.

Tears began to well in Mengyao's eyes as she wondered silently, "Why are you so good to me?"

Chen Feng inhaled deeply and turned to leave, knowing that staying would only serve to deepen his embarrassment.

But as he pivoted to walk away, a firm and decisive voice rang out from behind him, "If he goes in, I go in too!"

At that moment, Chen Feng felt a gentle grip envelop his hand..