Chapter 170: Lover Qian Yifei
"Auntie Wang, it’s getting late, and I still have quite a distance to cover to get back to the city. Unless there’s something else, I’ll be heading back now. When I have the chance, I’ll definitely bring my wife to visit you," Lin Zifeng said with a smile, bidding farewell; the first half of his sentence seemed cordial, but the latter half left a bitter taste in Widow Wang’s heart.
When Lin Zifeng left, she didn’t see him out, but instead sat quietly alone in her house, her mind teeming with thoughts and a sense of unwillingness.
He had promised to have dinner with Li Lin tonight, but ended up causing a lot of trouble instead. Lin Zifeng found the situation headache-inducing, it was just that everyone lived in the same town, and after not seeing each other for five years, it was inevitable to exchange a few words when they met.
Seeing that it was still early, only half-past five in the afternoon, he decided to first visit his cousin whom he hadn’t seen in five years. Since he had already run into his uncle on the way, and now that he had returned, it would be somewhat awkward not to visit, though he wondered if his cousin, whom he always looked down upon, would now give him the cold shoulder.
As Lin Zifeng had expected, following the route from his memory, he finally managed to find Lin Yousheng’s home after a lot of stumbling around.
His uncle’s house was bustling at the moment, with all medium-branded cars parked at the entrance and an array of fireworks and sparklers lined up in the play area.
In the twilight of August, which was not yet dark, a group of local bosses and family friends were gathered around the tables, cracking sunflower seeds and chatting, while the kitchen was abuzz with the fierce sizzle of cooking.
Lin Zifeng greeted everyone with a beaming smile, but no one recognized him, perhaps all the guests invited today had forgotten about Lin Zifeng, the person who wasn’t supposed to be there.
"Zifeng! You’re here, come, come, have a cup of tea before dinner starts. Take a seat inside, I’ll go and find your cousin for you. He’ll definitely be thrilled to see you," Lin Yousheng greeted him warmly as soon as he caught sight of Lin Zifeng, busy tending to things outside.
"Uncle, I just bought some stuff at the supermarket and wasn’t sure what to get; I hope this tea is to your taste," Lin Zifeng said, not wanting to show up empty-handed after so many years, which could be awkward in the countryside, where traditional mindsets still lingered. So, on his way there, he bought some tea from the supermarket, hoping it would help him strike up a conversation with his influential cousin.
The friends and relatives turned their attention to Lin Zifeng, murmuring amongst themselves, puzzled by Lin Yousheng’s warm interaction with Lin Zifeng, with someone unable to resist asking, "Uncle Lin, who is this young man?"
A man dressed in a sharp black suit, wearing glasses for myopia, and holding a handful of sunflower seeds walked over.
He sized up Lin Zifeng’s attire and then looked at him disdainfully, continuing to eat his seeds and spitting out the shells in front of Lin Zifeng as he asked.
"Ha ha, he’s my nephew, Yu Long’s cousin. He just got back today," Lin Yousheng introduced him excitedly.
But the man clearly looked down on Lin Zifeng, judging him by his security guard uniform, thinking contemptuously that this poor security guard must have returned to play the family card hoping to land a job at Lin Yulong’s building material company.
"Oh! So you’re Yu Long’s cousin? No wonder I haven’t seen you before," said the man with a cursory greeting before walking away with a cold look.
Watching his pretentious manner, Lin Zifeng couldn’t be bothered to care.
In these times, it’s all about money and influence; without them, no one cares about you.
Moreover, Lin Zifeng was dressed as a security guard today, which really didn’t evoke much interest in conversation.
Soon, Lin Zifeng’s so-called cousin came out of his room. Hearing that Lin Zifeng had returned, the guy could barely muster a happy expression on his face. He greeted Lin Zifeng perfunctorily and simply ignored him, acting as if he had never seen him before.
Despite that, Lin Zifeng stepped forward, took out a cigarette, and offered it to him. His cousin couldn’t even be bothered to accept it, his face full of indifference, not bothering to ask about Lin Zifeng’s current situation, let alone inquire about what Lin Zifeng had been up to during the past five years.
In the end, Lin Yulong just gave Lin Zifeng a slight greeting and then paid him no further attention, instead chatting and laughing with the friends and relatives gathered there. Even when someone asked who Lin Zifeng was to him, he just smiled faintly and kept mum about their relationship.
Lin Zifeng, who received such a cold treatment, remained calm and composed. If it had been the Lin Zifeng of the past, he might have walked away on the spot, or he might not have even come at all. But now, things were different.
After all, he still held family ties and relationships close to his heart.
Regrettably, people’s hearts were cold. Even Lin Yousheng, who had just received Lin Zifeng, seeing that his son was ignoring Lin Zifeng, didn’t dare to say much. He quickly scurried off to help in the kitchen, also avoiding any further interaction with Lin Zifeng.
Lin Zifeng was actually pleased to be left alone, simply standing in a corner in silence.
Looking at the table full of sumptuous dishes, as everyone anxiously stood at the doorway as if awaiting some VIP, Lin Zifeng didn’t care. He sat at the table, wolfing down the food, making sure his stomach was filled first.
Lin Yulong was quite well-known in the town, and amidst entertaining guests with conversations and laughter, he gave out one cigarette after another. However, every time he passed by Lin Zifeng, he never offered one to him, acting as if he didn’t exist. Seeing Lin Zifeng eating like he was reborn as a starved ghost, Lin Yuyou felt infuriated. Everyone else hadn’t started eating yet, and you dare to put yourself first?
But he held back due to concerns about losing face and simply shot Lin Zifeng a meaningful glance before ignoring him.
Just then, an attractive woman carrying dishes approached.
Seeing Lin Zifeng devouring the food at the table, she looked puzzled.
After a glance, she was immediately surprised and astonished.
The woman was obviously shocked.
"Hello, sister-in-law."
Lin Zifeng greeted her with a beaming smile.
"Zifeng, when did you come back?"
The woman, named Qian Yifei, was Lin Zifeng’s high school classmate, from Pengxing Village in Lotus District, Shi Pai Town, Zhonghai City. It was rumored the two had a fling in the past, but later she married Lin Zifeng’s cousin and thus became his sister-in-law. She was known to be virtuous, honest, and gentle in temperament.
She was also notably attractive, with bright eyes, white teeth, a wise forehead, a delicate nose, rosy cheeks, and elegant arched eyebrows, her figure slender and well-formed. As a former high school beauty queen with an embarrassing history with Lin Zifeng, their meeting was quite unexpected, especially for Qian Yifei. She had thought that Lin Zifeng, having disappeared for five years, would never return. Yet here he was, unexpectedly standing right in front of her, as if from a past dream.
Lin Zifeng, however, was as composed as ever. After all, what was in the past had passed. The fact that his former lover was now his sister-in-law was somewhat laughable.
Fortunately, at the time, the two hadn’t truly dated; it was more of an ambiguous relationship.