C2 A Strange Car Accident

The Xia Family members were visibly stunned. Xia Mengyao wasn't delirious with fever, was she? Did her stance imply that if Chen Feng wasn't permitted to enter, she would also refuse to step into the Ancestral Shrine?

"Xia Mengyao, are you really going to turn your back on the Xia Family for an outsider?" Xia Hao's voice was tinged with a dark undertone. He had never anticipated that Xia Mengyao would make such a defiant statement for Chen Feng's sake. The Ancestral Worship Ceremony was a cornerstone event for the Xia Family. Attendance was mandatory for every family member, no exceptions—it was a sacred rule!

To abstain from the ceremony was to commit an act of unfilial piety in the eyes of the Xia lineage.

Should Xia Mengyao actually forgo entering the Ancestral Shrine today, given the temperament of Patriarch Xia Yunsheng, it was likely she would face expulsion from the Xia Family!

To say the situation was grave would be putting it mildly.

"Mengyao, please go inside," Chen Feng urged, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. "Your cousin is right. This shrine belongs to your ancestors, the Xia Family. As someone bearing the Chen name, it's not my place to enter."

Chen Feng was acutely aware that either Xia Mengyao or Xia Hao needed to yield, or both would suffer the consequences.

But there was no question that Xia Mengyao's punishment would be far more severe. Chen Feng couldn't bear the thought of her being cast out of the Xia Family because of him. In this moment, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and concede.

No matter the personal humiliation... No matter how others might view him... Chen Feng was prepared to sacrifice his own pride for Xia Mengyao's sake.

"Chen Feng..." Xia Mengyao's voice was a whisper, her eyes brimming with tears. She fully grasped why Chen Feng was capitulating, and it only deepened her sense of unease. The guilt of making him compromise weighed heavily on her.

"Alright, I'm off to make the food deliveries. I'll try to get back early tonight," Chen Feng said, trying to keep his tone light. With those words, he turned and left without a backward glance.

Despite Xia Hao's harsh humiliation, Chen Feng's mood was oddly serene, even tinged with a hint of secret pleasure. Xia Mengyao had just declared she would only enter the ancestral shrine if he could too.

For the first time in three years, Mengyao had taken his side, choosing him with unwavering certainty. With her words, all the indignities Chen Feng had endured suddenly seemed worthwhile.

Once the deliveries were done, Chen Feng returned home to cook dinner. His culinary skills had improved significantly since he was taken in by Xia Weiguo three years ago, earning the older man's approval.

Xia Weiguo often said that a man who could cook was a good man. With his cooking, Chen Feng had made a favorable impression on Mengyao, and with Xia Weiguo playing matchmaker, he soon became the Xia Family's live-in son-in-law.

However, married life brought its share of conflicts to the surface. Xia Weiguo's influence in the family waned as their business fortunes declined, and Chen Feng, lacking business acumen, couldn't provide the needed support. His only option was to make ends meet by delivering takeout.

As the family's financial situation worsened, his mother-in-law, Jiang Lan, grew increasingly discontent with him, often berating him as worthless and unworthy of Mengyao. Without Chen Feng, she believed Mengyao's beauty would have easily secured her a marriage into wealth.

Chen Feng had no comeback. As an illegitimate child with neither wealth nor formal education, he couldn't hold a candle to Mengyao, a stunning university graduate and the celebrated beauty of her school for four years.

The only thing Chen Feng could offer Xia Mengyao was his heartfelt sincerity.

Yet, in a world where might often prevails, genuine sincerity is frequently deemed the least valuable commodity.

After setting the freshly prepared meal on the table, Chen Feng felt a nagging sense of unease. By this time, Xia Weiguo and his wife were usually home. What could be causing their delay today?

Suddenly, his phone rang.

"Chen Feng, my dad's been hit by a car..."

Chen Feng's face drained of color as he heard Xia Mengyao's voice on the line, delivering news he could scarcely believe.

'My father-in-law in a car accident?'

"Mengyao, stay calm, I'm heading to the hospital right now," Chen Feng quickly reassured her before ending the call and racing to the hospital on his electric bike.

Upon his arrival, he found Xia Mengyao weeping quietly on a bench, while Lin Lan, his mother-in-law, paced anxiously outside the emergency room.

"Mengyao, what happened?" Chen Feng asked, rushing to Xia Mengyao's side.

Before she could respond, Lin Lan approached and delivered a sharp slap across Chen Feng's cheek.

The sting on his face was immediate.

"How dare you ask what happened?!" Lin Lan fumed. "You good-for-nothing, where were you this afternoon? Why didn't you pick up Lao Xia from work?"

Chen Feng was momentarily stunned. It was his usual duty to drive Xia Weiguo, who had difficulty driving due to a past leg injury, home from work.

But today, after Xia Weiguo attended the Ancestral Worship Ceremony at the Xia Family Ancestral Shrine, he hadn't called Chen Feng.

Assuming Xia Weiguo wasn't returning home, Chen Feng had neglected to pick him up.

"Mom, I'm so sorry," Chen Feng said, filled with remorse. Though he wasn't directly responsible for the accident, he felt a deep sense of obligation to have been more attentive to Xia Weiguo's whereabouts.

"Is 'sorry' supposed to fix everything? You're a complete failure! Three years in the Xia family and you've done nothing!" Lin Lan's voice broke as she lashed out hysterically. "If anything happens to Old Xia this time, you're divorcing my daughter and getting out of the Xia family, understand?"

Her shrill voice drew a crowd of onlookers.

But Chen Feng had no time for embarrassment. Xia Weiguo was more than his father-in-law; he was his lifesaver. Chen Feng couldn't allow any harm to come to him.

"Who's related to the patient?" A doctor approached, looking for the family.

"Us, we are!" Lin Lan and Xia Mengyao rushed forward.

"The patient has severe internal bleeding and needs surgery immediately," the doctor announced gravely.

The news nearly knocked Lin Lan off her feet, her vision blurring, while Xia Mengyao turned as white as a sheet.

"Doctor, please proceed with the surgery at any cost," Chen Feng urged, his voice steady.

"Sign here first, then go settle the surgery bill," the doctor instructed, handing over a waiver which Chen Feng quickly signed.

But when Chen Feng saw the surgery cost, his heart skipped a beat.

Five million yuan!

It was an unfathomable amount for a single surgery.

Something didn't add up. Xia Weiguo couldn't possibly afford five million yuan, let alone fifty thousand.

Hoping for a mistake, Chen Feng headed to the payment desk, only to have the amount confirmed.

Five million yuan.

As a delivery man earning a mere 6000 yuan a month, Chen Feng was in over his head. And with Xia Weiguo's critical condition, there was no time to seek alternatives.

Where could he possibly gather five million yuan?

Who would be willing to lend him such an astronomical sum?

Chen Feng's frustration was mounting by the minute. He had never before realized just how crucial money could be.

"Young master..." Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed from behind.

Chen Feng spun around to see Chen Zhong smiling at him.

In an instant, Chen Feng connected the dots.

"It was you, wasn't it?!" he exclaimed, his fists clenched in fury. If he couldn't see Chen Zhong's hand in this now, he'd be a fool.

The unexpected car crash, the exorbitant five million yuan surgery fee...

Every move had been carefully orchestrated.

All to force his return to the Chen Family!

Chen Zhong simply shook his head, still smiling. "Young Master, whatever do you mean? I'm not following..."

*Thump!*

Chen Feng didn't let him finish. He delivered a powerful punch to Chen Zhong's face, blood gushing from the man's nose..