The lively chatter in the air died down faster than the speed of light. It was so sudden that Zhao Lifei was confused by it. It was as if these people knew something she did not.

  Everything seemed to happen in slow motion to most of the people. The enormous door was pushed open, accompanied by a gust of winter air in the midst of spring. The room was so quiet that everyone could hear the small yet rough sound of footsteps approaching from not far off. He walked with the confidence of an Emperor towards his rightful throne, his tailored suit hugging his body flawlessly, enhancing his impeccable figure. He looked at no one except his grandfather.

  Everyone paled in comparison to him, no other single man could match up to his fine physique. It was as if their body moved on a silent command from him, people stepped back to allow a wider opening for the expressionless Yang Feng to walk through. When he passed by them, the people held their breath. They were overwhelmed by the majestic air around him that placed him on a higher pedestal as if he was an immortal from the heavens coming down to bless the mere mortals with his presence.

  Yang Feng stopped before Elder Yang. "Grandfather," He nodded his head in acknowledgment, a gesture that the common people would never dare do. Everyone, no matter their age or position, always bowed before the old man. Yang Feng never did.

  "Where are my birthday wishes?" Yang Mujian’s lips quirked into an amused smirk, highly entertained by his grandson’s behavior. Aloof as always, the chilliness of his eyes resembled that of a never-melting glacier.

  Yang Feng monotonously said, "May you live on with good health and prosperity."

  A sound rumbled its way up Yang Mujian’s chest, traveling up his throat, a deep chuckle filled with fondness, before transforming into thunderous laughter was heard, booming off the walls, scaring everyone.

  "Unenthusiastic as always."

  Yang Feng did not reply back.

  Zhao Lifei did not think their exchange would be so…… unfamiliar, nothing like how a normal grandson and grandfather would interact. But, then again, was anything ever normal in the life of the rich?

  "The least you could do to convince me was cracking a smile." Yang Mujian chided. He became even more amused when Yang Feng did not follow his suggestion. If it was anyone else, that person would’ve been shot dead on the spot, but this was his grandson, and the very boy he raised.

  To see Yang Feng was so heartless, even in front of his grandfather, Yang Mujian was proud and content with this behavior, for he was the one who instilled such a mindset into the man.

  Yang Mujian was glad he exposed his grandson to things too gruesome for a child to witness, or else this man would not have such a heart of stone.

  "To fake a smile is to insult you." Yang Feng replied, his words a slap to many people who wore fabricated expressions in front of the elder.

  Yang Mujian’s frigid face became warm, filled with affection. "Of course, child. How could I forget?" Seeing that his grandson did not disappoint him, his mood improved as his eyes swept around him and landed on Zhao Lifei for the briefest second before his head tilted to the obedient woman standing beside him.

  "You’ve yet to greet your secretary."

  "Since when do I lower myself to glance at insignificant things?"

  Yang Mujian was silent for a split second before he broke out into a fit of highly pleased laughter that was hearty and throaty. Truly this grandson of his was one of his finest masterpieces.

  Su Meixiu was deeply offended by Yang Feng’s words. He was never this harsh to her in the past. She shrank back a bit when several pairs of eyes, filled with judgment, landed upon her, silently mocking her.

  "Good……good." Elder Yang quietly murmured to himself.

  "If that is all, grandfather, I will be excusing myself." Yang Feng walked off, not taking notice of his woman who suddenly turned her back towards him as if hiding from him.

  He made his way to his family who arrived a while ago. Yang Ruqin was nowhere in sight, but his younger brother most certainly was. Even as Yang Feng approached the table, Yang Yulong was flirting with a group of women that were intently listening to everything he was saying, their high-pitched giggles irritating Yang Feng.

  Seeing as it was their grandfather’s birthday banquet, Yang Feng did not want Yang Yulong to make a fool out of himself.

  As Yang Feng passed by his younger brother, he grabbed the man by his collar and dragged him to his seat.

  Yang Yulong slumped into his chair, a small pout on his lips. "But Feng-ge, those ladies were totally attracted to me!" He huffed, "The prettiest one in the group was offering me her number!" He threw his hands up.

  "It’s in the database." Yang Feng sat down, indifferent to his younger brother as well.

  Yang Yulong already knew he had more than enough connections to get the number of any woman on this planet. "But that ruins the fun of obtaining it! Some things are more entertaining when you work hard for it."

  "Only for you to discard them later on." Yang Feng lazily replied.

  "Well, I never said I would keep them." Yang Yulong shrugged, "Toys are meant to be tossed away once you’re done with them."

  He opened his mouth to speak again but yelped in pain when someone smacked him on the back of his head. He swirled around to see his obnoxious little sister preparing to swing her purse again, the darn gems nearly piercing his scalp. "Woah there tiger, let’s put the weapon down, alright?"

  Yang Ruqin glowered at him, "You shouldn’t talk about women like that."

  "And you—" Yang Yulong paused when he noticed her make-up was slightly smudged, her eyes puffy, and her cheeks slightly damp. Instantly, the carefree and happy-go-lucky expression on his face morphed, in a snap of a finger. He was livid.

  "Who did it?!" He snarled, standing up. "Who bullied you?"

  Yang Feng pretended to not care about the issue while leisurely drinking the tea, but his ears were on high-alert. Would blood be spilled tonight? So soon? He guessed it was time to put his new gun to the test. Or perhaps the men in the Underworld base would like a new target to practice on.

  Yang Ruqin sniffed, her shoulders hunched over a bit as she sat down, not wanting to talk. "It’s nothing."

  "I’ll find out eventually. Just spit out the name." Yang Yulong pulled up a chair beside her and sat down, his murderous face had a tinge of worry to it. He tried to be gentle with her and whispered, "Don’t worry, no harm will come your way if you tell me who it is."

  He patted her back, "Big brother will handle it, alright?"

  Yang Ruqin slowly nodded, yet her mouth was still clamped shut. She did not want to reveal what happened as it was too painful to even think about it. She was played yet again. It was always the same damn thing! Why couldn’t people love her for who she is? Why do they only care about the benefits she could bring them? Fame, money, wealth, and power — these were just a handful of the selfish things that people wanted from her.

  "Don’t pout, Xiao Qin, grandfather will worry if he sees you like this." Yang Yulong quietly whispered, his heart throbbing with pain at the sight of her defeated face, so broken that it was beginning to chip away at his heart.

  "Cheer up, alright? I’ll deal with the problem." He tapped a long finger onto her nose. "And all you have to do is stand there and look pretty."

  Yang Ruqin quietly nodded, leaning her head on her brother’s shoulder. There were times he was beyond irritating with his constant teasing, pranks, and bullying. The two always bickered like cats and dogs, but in the eyes of these siblings, only they could bully each other. No outsider could even dare attempt such a thing.

  An attack on Yang Ruqin was an attack on all of the siblings.