C1 Billionaire Family Property

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

Standing at the entrance of a restaurant on the bustling pedestrian street in Efoford, Chen Feng was clad in a yellow delivery uniform, his demeanor detached and frosty.

"Indeed, the master has stated that if you agree to return to the Chen family, you will have full control over the family's ten billion in assets," the elderly man in a gray suit across from Chen Feng replied with deference.

"Ten billion in assets?" Chen Feng let out a sardonic chuckle, followed by a wistful sigh. "The Chen family really is loaded."

Detecting the sarcasm in Chen Feng's tone, the old man in the suit inquired with a sense of resignation, "Young Master, are you still hung up on the incident from three years ago?"

Chen Feng remained silent, prompting Chen Zhong to offer a rueful smile. "Young Master, the mistake made three years ago was indeed the master's fault. However, he has paid a substantial price for it since then. Why won't you consider giving the master another chance?"

"A chance?" A sneer tugged at the corner of Chen Feng's mouth. He was expected to give Chen Zhennan a chance, yet had Chen Zhennan ever offered one to his mother?

The memory of his mother dying before his eyes three years ago was etched in Chen Feng's mind.

With ten billion in assets, Chen Zhennan had refused to spare a mere million to save his mother's life. No matter how much Chen Feng groveled at his feet, begging like a dog, Chen Zhennan remained unmoved, coldly watching his mother succumb to her illness.

And now, Chen Zhennan wanted a chance?

Chen Feng shook his head, his expression laced with biting mockery.

"Do you really think I'm content to be a delivery man for life?" Chen Zhong asked, exhaling a heavy sigh when he saw Chen Feng's unyielding stance. He was well aware that since leaving the Chen family, Chen Feng's life had been far from ideal. As a live-in son-in-law to the Xia family, he faced not only a demotion in status but also the disdain of the Xia family members—a stark contrast to his former life with the Chen family.

"Being a delivery man is still better than meeting an early grave," Chen Feng replied calmly.

Chen Zhong's face shifted uneasily as he pressed, "Young Master, what exactly are you implying?"

"It's meaningless," Chen Feng said, shaking his head. "Chen Zhong, you can go back. Tell Chen Zhennan that I'll return to the Chen family eventually, but not for the trillion yuan in assets!"

Chen Zhong stood there, taken aback, watching Chen Feng's retreating figure with a suddenly complex expression.

Throughout his journey, Chen Feng was wrestling with a tumult of emotions. From the moment of his birth, he had lived with the Chen family. Yet, as an illegitimate child, he was never welcomed. Even the family's servants felt entitled to call him names and treat him with disdain.

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 to a harsher reality: the Chen family wouldn't even allow him that lowly status. On the night his mother's condition worsened, he begged the family on his knees like a dog to save her life, but they offered no assistance, their faces void of empathy. Ultimately, his mother succumbed to her illness.

Overwhelmed by sorrow, Chen Feng realized that in the eyes of the Chen family, his life and his mother's were worth less than insects. That was the day he left the Chen family. That was the day Chen Feng vowed to one day return with undeniable strength and force every member of the Chen family to kneel at his mother's grave in contrition.

However, those were the dreams of a young and impetuous man. The day after he left the Chen family and arrived in Efoford, he was pursued by assassins. If not for Xia Weiguo's intervention, he would have been dead. Clearly, the Chen family was implicated in the attempt on his life.

In the shadow of the formidable Chen family, Chen Feng felt as insignificant as an ant. It was only after becoming the live-in son-in-law of the Xia family that his life began to find some semblance of peace. Despite being the subject of widespread ridicule, he at least retained his dignity as a person.

But as the saying goes, the tree may crave stillness, yet the wind will not subside. Once again, the Chen family had reached out to disrupt his life.

Moreover, they wanted him to return to the Chen family and inherit a fortune worth tens of billions.

Yet, with over a hundred male descendants in the third generation of the Chen family, it seemed impossible that a live-in son-in-law would be the one to inherit the Chen family's wealth.

Undoubtedly, this was a plot.

Once, he was as lowly as a dog, but today, his worth was in the tens of billions.

The scheme seemed far too contrived!

"Chen Feng!" While Chen Feng was deep in thought, furrowing his brow, a stunning woman in a white dress appeared before him. With her delicate features, tall and slender figure, and graceful demeanor, she was a vision that could dazzle anyone just by standing there.

The woman was none other than Chen Feng's wife, Xia Mengyao.

"Mengyao, what's the matter?"

Upon seeing Xia Mengyao, Chen Feng's face lit up with joy. Regardless of the circumstances, her presence always had a mysteriously uplifting effect on his mood.

However, Xia Mengyao's expression was rather cool. She glanced at Chen Feng and said indifferently, "Come with me to the ancestral shrine. The ceremony to honor our ancestors is about to start."

"To the ancestral shrine?" Chen Feng said, suddenly recalling that Xia Mengyao had mentioned the Xia family's ancestral worship ceremony the day before. All members of the Xia family were expected to attend and pay homage to their forebears.

But then...

Chen Feng looked down at the bright yellow delivery uniform he was wearing and felt a twinge of embarrassment. He had just finished a delivery and, after being held up by Chen Zhong, hadn't had a chance to change.

Attending such a solemn event in such an eye-catching outfit was out of the question.

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

Xia Mengyao's face showed a flicker of annoyance. "What have you been up to? I reminded you yesterday that today we have the ancestral worship."

"I forgot," Chen Feng admitted, hanging his head like a child who had erred.

"Never mind, don't bother changing. No one will pay attention to you anyway. Let's just go; Grandfather and the others are waiting," Xia Mengyao said, her impatience evident. Her dissatisfaction with Chen Feng grew—he had forgotten such an important event.

"Alright." Chen Feng wanted to add more, but Xia Mengyao had already turned and walked away, leaving him no choice but to catch up.

The Xia family was a renowned noble lineage in Efoford, tracing back to their ancestor Xia Pengchun, who served as the Prime Minister during the Han Dynasty. Spanning over two millennia since its foundation, the Xia family had weathered many seasons.

Despite their recent decline and loss of former glory, the Xia family still commanded respect in Efoford, and no one dared to underestimate them. The triennial Ancestral Worship Ceremony remained one of the family's most significant events.

Upon reaching the ancestral shrine with Xia Mengyao, Chen Feng noticed it was already filled with people. Xia Mengyao inhaled deeply and strode toward the shrine, with Chen Feng following. However, as he approached the entrance, a large hand blocked his path.

"Wait! Chen Feng, what are you doing here?" The young man halting Chen Feng was Xia Hao, Xia Mengyao's cousin. Xia Hao stood with his arms crossed, a mocking smile on his face.

"Ancestral worship," replied Chen Feng, puzzled. As the ceremony was a family affair and he had become a live-in son-in-law to the Xia family, he naturally considered himself part of the family.

"Ancestral worship?" Xia Hao scoffed. "Which ancestors are you here to worship? The ones enshrined here belong to my Xia family. What relation do they have to you?"

His insinuation was clear: Chen Feng was an outsider, unworthy of entering the Xia family's ancestral shrine.

"Xia Hao, what are you implying?" Xia Mengyao's expression chilled.

With a dismissive glance at Xia Mengyao, Xia Hao quipped, "Nothing much. Just that outsiders and dogs aren't permitted in the Xia family's ancestral shrine."

While his earlier comments were veiled jabs, this remark was an outright insult. Chen Feng, however, was unfazed—he had faced far worse before. Xia Mengyao, on the other hand, was visibly upset; after all, Chen Feng was her lawful husband.

"Chen Feng is my husband. What gives you the right to call him an outsider?"

"Your husband?" Xia Hao laughed uproariously as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world. "Xia Mengyao, be honest with yourself. Do you truly consider that loser your husband? You've been married for three years and haven't even shared a bed."

Not shared a bed in three years?

Upon hearing this, smirks crept across the faces of many Xia family members within the ancestral hall. Their eyes gleamed with mockery as they looked at Chen Feng. They couldn't fathom how spineless he must be to have spent three years with the beautiful Xia Mengyao and yet never have been intimate with her. Could it be that this good-for-nothing had issues with intimacy?

Xia Mengyao's face flushed with a mix of emotions. It was true; she and Chen Feng had been married for three years without so much as holding hands. She had thought that only a few people were privy to this fact, but now it was clear that the entire Xia family was aware.

"Mengyao, why don't you go inside? I just remembered I have one more delivery to make," Chen Feng said with a strained smile. He could withstand the Xia family's scorn, but he didn't want Xia Mengyao to suffer because of him.

Watching Chen Feng's feigned indifference, a pang of pain struck Xia Mengyao's heart. Despite never truly seeing Chen Feng as her husband, he had always treated her with the utmost kindness. Through rain or shine, he was there to pick her up from work, and no matter how irate she became, he would respond with nothing but a smile.

To her, this man seemed unflappable, never showing anger, always patient, and endlessly caring...

With time, feelings inevitably developed.

Tears welled up in Xia Mengyao's eyes. Why do you have to be so kind to me?

Chen Feng inhaled deeply and turned to leave, knowing that any further presence would only bring more shame upon himself.

But as he pivoted, a determined voice rang out behind him: "If he goes in, I go in!"

The moment the words fell, Chen Feng felt his hand grasped firmly by another, softer one.