C1 Shen Family's Useless Soninlaw

In the emergency ward of Klido People’s Hospital, Su Fei gradually regained consciousness. Before he could even attempt to open his eyes, an excruciating pain nearly caused him to pass out again.

The overwhelming agony threw Su Fei’s thoughts into disarray. His last clear memory was of accompanying his mother-in-law, Chen Xiyun, to the grocery store. But as they left the market, he was blindsided by a severe blow to the head, plunging him into darkness.

Su Fei struggled to open his eyes, but his eyelids wouldn’t cooperate.

He tried to call out for help, only to find his mouth unresponsive.

"Could it be that Chen Xiyun has really done me in this time? Am I on the brink of becoming comatose?" A wave of despair washed over Su Fei.

Su Fei’s father, Su Chen, and Shen Bingyan’s father, Shen Yun, had been best friends since childhood. They both ventured to Klido after university, where Su Chen entered politics and Shen Yun pursued business. Over the years, they rose to prominence, becoming influential figures in Klido’s political and business circles.

On the eve of Su Chen’s expected promotion, a tragic accident claimed the lives of both of Su Fei’s parents. Their adversaries were merciless, sparing no thought for Su Fei’s safety.

To protect Su Fei, Shen Yun defied objections and took him in as a son-in-law, marrying off his daughter, Shen Bingyan—one of Klido’s renowned "Three Pearls"—to the penniless Su Fei. This alliance quelled the vendetta against Su Fei.

But the peace was short-lived. Only six months into the marriage, Shen Yun perished in a car accident. Despite Shen Bingyan’s valiant efforts, she managed to preserve the Shen family’s legacy only by liquidating most of their assets, stripping them of their former status as one of Klido’s elite families.

Chen Xiyun, Su Fei’s mother-in-law, blamed him for all their misfortunes.

Lost in his troubled thoughts, Su Fei suddenly felt a tug at his left eyelid. A sliver of light pierced through the darkness, and he was abruptly confronted by a harsh glare.

Su Fei's body tensed reflexively, resembling a startled hedgehog curling into a ball.

"Don't be scared, you're in the hospital."

A soothing female voice reached Su Fei's ears, helping him to unwind.

It wasn't Chen Xiyun's voice.

Struggling to open his stinging eyes, Su Fei saw a nurse with a light blue mask, holding a flashlight. Her large, sparkling eyes were captivating.

"Hold still, I'm going to examine you."

Her voice was exceptionally tender as she gently lifted Su Fei's eyelids, using the flashlight to meticulously check his pupil reflexes.

Their cheeks were less than ten centimeters apart. Even with her mask on, the nurse's breath occasionally brushed Su Fei's face, making his heart race.

Since marrying into the Shen family, Su Fei had never been intimate with Shen Bingyan. This was his first time being so close to a woman.

"Congratulations, everything looks fine," the nurse said with a smile, her eyes curving into crescents. "Let me help you sit up."

Her slender hands slipped under Su Fei's arms. Feeling the warmth through his clothes, Su Fei's head swam with confusion.

He was in a modestly sized ward, with the snow-white wall just a meter away from his right hand. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a serene glow.

"What happened to me?"

As the nurse prepared to wheel the medical cart away, she caught Su Fei's question and glanced back at him with a smile in her luminous eyes. "A stone flew out of nowhere and knocked you out. Look, it's that one on your bedside table."

Su Fei glanced at the dark, palm-sized pebble and quickly lost interest.

However, the nurse's warm smile left him feeling unexpectedly cherished. Under the gaze of her large eyes, Su Fei blurted out,

"Are you... an angel?"

"Ah? I'm certainly no angel," the nurse laughed, her twinkling eyes growing even more animated.

As Su Fei basked in the rare gentle tone, a sudden angry bellow yanked him back to reality. His body jerked involuntarily, and he cast an alarmed look toward the ward door.

"Why isn't this finished yet? What are you nurses even doing? Don't tell me you're trying to pass off an intern on me. Watch it, or I'll file a complaint!"

The ward door was violently kicked open from the outside, slamming against the wall with a loud bang. The young nurse jumped in fright.

A woman decked out in glittering jewels strutted into the ward with an air of arrogance, her high heels clicking on the floor. She carried a black patent leather handbag with a trendy metal trim.

Despite being in her forties, Chen Xiyun was exceptionally well-preserved, appearing to be a woman in her thirties, still radiating charm. Unfortunately, her narrow, thin lips marred her features, giving her otherwise attractive face an expression of bitterness and defiance.

"This useless man wakes up and doesn't even have the decency to inform me, making me wait outside on purpose!" Chen Xiyun's icy stare swept over Su Fei with undisguised contempt. She tossed her handbag onto the foot of Su Fei's bed and spoke to the nurse without a hint of courtesy, "Since he's awake, get him discharged quickly. Don't just stand there like a telephone pole. Are you deaf to what I'm saying?"

The young nurse hadn't anticipated Chen Xiyun's fiery temper. Annoyance flashed in her wide eyes, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of sympathy for Su Fei. Stealing a glance at him, she tried to patiently explain, "The patient was injured by a falling object from a height. He's awake now, but there could be lasting effects. It would be best—"

"Best? I said discharge him!" Chen Xiyun cut her off aggressively, hands on hips and pointing at the nurse's nose, her gaze cutting like a blade. "Spare me your little schemes! You'd love for him to stay here longer, wouldn't you? How else would you nurses make your bonuses!"

"Do people these days have no conscience at all? It's shocking how someone so young can be so heartless! Sure, I have money, but I refuse to waste it on this good-for-nothing!"

"No, I just..." The young nurse, a recent graduate, was at a loss for words under Chen Xiyun's relentless accusations. She wanted to defend herself, but faced with Chen Xiyun's domineering glare, she struggled to find the right words, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Ha! Still playing the sympathy card with me? Aftereffects? Is that just another way for you to scam more money?"

"I wish that piece of trash had been crushed by that rock, sparing us the burden of a child with no father!"

Chen Xiyun's tirade was ostensibly directed at the nurse, but her piercing gaze was fixed on Su Fei. She was deliberately making sure he heard every word.

Su Fei's face was a mask of discomfort, his fists clenched tightly beneath the blanket, his nails digging into his skin. Yet he bit his tongue, refraining from uttering a single retort.

The nurse, overwhelmed by the verbal onslaught, let tears cascade down her face as she fled the room, sobbing.

"And don't forget to process this waste of space's discharge! Always daydreaming, no wonder he's nothing more than a hopeless nurse," Chen Xiyun continued her tirade even after the nurse had left, her voice echoing through the hospital corridors.

Having finished with the nurse, Chen Xiyun turned her fury on Su Fei, yanking the blanket off him. "What are you waiting for, you good-for-nothing? Do you want me to call someone to wheel you straight to the morgue?"

Su Fei, too intimidated to speak, braced himself to rise from the bed. Still groggy from waking, his movements were sluggish, and Chen Xiyun took the opportunity to strike his face with her handbag, knocking him from the bed to the floor.

The sharp metal trim of the purse left a gash on Su Fei's face, the pain so intense it took his breath away.

But Su Fei had no time to dwell on the pain. Instinctively, he curled up, shielding his head, and pleaded, "Mom, I'm sorry, please don't hit me. I'll get up right now."

"Then move it!" Chen Xiyun glared at Su Fei, hands on her hips, her voice thick with contempt. "You fatherless cur, you wouldn't know how to get up if you weren't beaten! Born with a spineless streak!"

Chen Xiyun viciously stomped on Su Fei's thighs with her high heels, huffed coldly, and spun around to leave the hospital room without giving Su Fei a second glance.

As the sound of her heels receded, Su Fei knew he couldn't waste another moment. Struggling to his feet, he snatched up the plastic bag filled with food from the bedside table, intent on chasing after Chen Xiyun. That's when the dark, lustrous cobblestone on the nightstand caught his eye once more.

Maybe I should take it with me.

In a seemingly possessed motion, Su Fei reached for the stone.

The instant Su Fei's fingers closed around it, his world went black, and he passed out!

Upon regaining consciousness, Su Fei found himself in a pitch-dark space. An emaciated elder sat cross-legged before him, scrutinizing Su Fei with a furrowed brow.

Panic-stricken, Su Fei tried to flee but found himself immobilized in the strange void.

"Who are you?" Su Fei's voice quivered, barely holding back tears.

"What bad luck. I finally escape with a shard of my soul, only to encounter such a pathetic creature?" The elder grimaced, his eyes brimming with undisguised disdain for Su Fei.

Gradually, Su Fei regained some composure and noticed the elder's form beginning to fade, his body dissolving into specks of light, as if being erased by time itself.

"Forget it. My True Spirit has perished, and my remaining soul will soon follow. Why bother with such thoughts?"

The elder spoke to himself, then reached out and touched Su Fei's forehead. "You, boy, I will bestow upon you all my knowledge today. Your fate hereafter is yours to forge!"

Before Su Fei could grasp what was happening, a tidal wave of memories crashed into his mind, bringing on a headache so intense that he lost consciousness once more.

In his dazed state, the tumultuous memories settled, and the verses of the Cosmic Evolution Spell began to echo in his mind, ceaselessly chanting:

"The universe and all within it cycle endlessly, without beginning or end. The path of the Great Dao lies within the human heart..."

Su Fei opened his eyes once more to find himself still seated on the hospital ward's floor, his mind foggy as if the recent events were nothing but a dream. Glancing up at the wall clock, he noted that only two seconds had passed.

"Where the hell have you been? Why aren't you out here yet!" Chen Xiyun's furious shout echoed down the hallway. Startled, Su Fei sprang to his feet, snatched up the plastic bag of vegetables beside him, and dashed toward the source of the voice.

But after taking his first step, Su Fei sensed something was amiss. Initially, he had woken up feeling utterly drained, barely able to stand steadily. Now, however, he felt energized, as if he had boundless strength coursing through his body. What was happening?

This wasn't the time to ponder such questions. If he didn't catch up with Chen Xiyun soon, he risked another scolding—or worse. Silently, Su Fei trailed behind her, maintaining a meek facade, yet internally, he was astounded by the transformation in his mind.

A torrent of memories transformed into inscriptions swirling within Su Fei's mind, coalescing into a tumultuous ocean. The vast expanse of inscriptions shimmered ceaselessly, like innumerable stars twinkling in the night sky. Attempting to sort through them was futile; delving too deep brought on waves of dizziness.

The Cosmic Evolution Spell continued its relentless chant in Su Fei's mind. Though the words were indecipherable, with each repetition, he felt an enigmatic energy converging upon him. Invisible and intangible, yet Su Fei was certain his senses were not deceiving him.

The experiences he'd had were indeed real! The elderly man had truly transferred his memories to him!

Unable to resist, Su Fei reached into his pocket and pulled out the once peculiar black pebble, now devoid of any strangeness.

The sound of a door opening snapped Su Fei back to reality, and he realized he had arrived home. As he gathered his bearings, gentle footsteps descended from upstairs. Looking up, he saw the graceful silhouette of his wife, Shen Bingyan, the Ice Mountain Beauty, known as one of Klido's three great pearls, gracefully making her way down the staircase.

If one could capture beauty in a painting, Shen Bingyan would be that rare, timeless masterpiece.

Su Fei, so captivated, forgot to even change his shoes, standing there utterly entranced.