Chapter 147: Aftermath

Chapter 147: Aftermath

The birthday banquet had already concluded.

In less than an hour, it drew to a close. Some guests began to depart, followed by others making their excuses and leaving. Aside from a few guests with special ties to the Fu family, the rest of the attendees offered their farewells and trickled out.

The banquet itself was not extraordinary; what made it special was its significance. Yet, that significance completely changed the moment Chu Fei appeared and delivered a ruthless slap across the face of a member of the Lin family. It stripped the banquet of its original purpose. Although the atmosphere became much more intense—even shocking and unbelievable—it left many feeling awkward, particularly the second- and third-tier factions who had come specifically to curry favor with the alliance between the Fu and Lin families. They were the very first to leave. Even a fool could see that the alliance had completely shattered, and it was likely that even the most basic surface-level cooperation would crumble as well. Naturally, no one was foolish enough to extend an olive branch at this moment; wise men chose to stand back and watch coldly.

However, the banquet was not entirely without a notable highlight. The most stunning moment was the debut of the descendant of the Chu family.

Did the appearance of the Chu family heir signal the return of that man known as a taboo?

Many harbored such speculations, keeping them suppressed in their hearts. Even more people adopted the mindset of spectators, waiting to see how the Lin family would deal with this Chu Fei.

The Lin family had truly lost all face this time. Not only did they fail to secure the Fu family's premier pearl, but their younger generation's leading figure, Lin Cong, was also fiercely slapped across the face by the Chu descendant. With the pride of the Lin family, they would certainly not let this matter rest. Retaliation against Chu Fei was inevitable, and how the Lin family would handle it was the crux of the issue.

After all, Chu Fei had that taboo man backing him from the shadows. Although the man had not shown his face, anyone who had lived through that era knew how terrifying he was. The Lin family knew this profoundly as well, which was precisely the critical point. Therefore, people were intensely curious about how the Lin family would enact their revenge.

Furthermore, upon leaving, Chu Fei had been on intimately close terms with Mu Feixue, even addressing him as a brother—a revelation that left everyone stunned.

If Chu Zhangtian was a taboo name that suppressed an entire era over twenty years ago, causing everyone to avoid mentioning it, then if one were to seek a taboo figure in the present day, it could only be that executioner, Mu Feixue. In the eyes of many, both names—Mu Feixue and Director Mu—represented a taboo that far exceeded the deterrence Chu Zhangtian held back then. After all, Chu Zhangtian was merely an individual, and the family behind him was unremarkable. Mu Feixue, however, was entirely different. Behind him stood the entire East Sea Alliance and the entire East Sea Syndicate—a ruthless entity fierce enough to make people tremble just to look up at them.

Yet, Chu Fei was now closely associated with this very Mu Feixue. This forced people to speculate, and the Lin family, upon learning of this, would undoubtedly think twice...

Consequently, people were even more eager and anxious to know what the Lin family's future retaliation would look like.

And whether that descendant of the Chu family could withstand the Lin family's revenge.

These thoughts lingered in the minds of nearly every guest who had attended the banquet.

Yet Chu Fei himself, despite receiving such intense attention, carried no psychological burden whatsoever. In his eyes, whether it was Lin Cong, the younger generation of the Lin family, or even Elder Lin, they were ultimately just individuals and a single family. In the face of absolute power, all schemes and plots were a joke. Chu Fei was not arrogant enough to consider himself invincible under heaven, but he was confident in his own capabilities. He cared little for business tactics at the moment; at the very least, the Lin family currently had no opportunity to use such methods to retaliate against him. His publicly acknowledged relationship with Fu Ziqing meant that unless the Lin family had lost their minds, they would never engage in a desperate death struggle with the Fu family.

Aside from that, the only remaining options were dark, underhanded methods of retaliation.

At this thought, Chu Fei merely sneered. Whether they hired assassins to eliminate him in secret or deliberately engineered situations to frame him, Chu Fei feared none of it. For these past years, he had walked on the precipice of life and death almost every single day, often sleeping with one eye open.

If anything, he was actually looking forward to the Lin family's revenge.

He wouldn't mind teaching the Lin family another lesson, only next time, it wouldn't be as simple as just slapping faces.

He sincerely hoped the Lin family wouldn't be too foolish; otherwise, he wouldn't mind letting them experience the sorrow of the elderly burying the young.

Of course, Chu Fei was not a bloodthirsty demon; he had his own principles. As long as the Lin family didn't cross the line, he would naturally exercise restraint. But if the Lin family truly lost their minds and drove him to a dead end, he wouldn't mind erasing one more family from the East Sea.

Of this, Chu Fei was utterly confident.

The descendant of the Chu family.

In the eyes and hearts of everyone in the East Sea, this was his greatest bargaining chip. Yet to Chu Fei, it held no significance whatsoever. From childhood to adulthood, he had faced everything entirely on his own, often viewing this heritage as a mere burden.

I just hope it doesn't bring any disaster upon the Chu family.

That was the thought that crossed Chu Fei's mind.

Before long, Chu Fei arrived back at the entrance of the Changxin Garden.

Several Fu family guards stationed there for reception snapped rigidly to attention in unison.

"Young Master Chu, y-you're back?"

The leader among the Fu family youths summoned his courage to ask, his gaze filled with absolute reverence.

"Mm, I'm here to pick up Fu Ziqing." Chu Fei nodded and offered a slight smile to the group. He held neither fondness nor resentment toward the Fu family members, and even if he did, he wouldn't direct it at a few collateral youths of a younger generation.

Seeing Chu Fei actually respond to his question with a smile, the young men instantly felt a sense of flattery. In the eyes of all Fu family youths, Chu Fei had undoubtedly reached divine status. To dare to brazenly slap Lin Cong across the face in public—such boldness was something even Xiao Feng, universally recognized as the maddest man in the East Sea, wouldn't dare attempt...

Alongside reverence came fear.

The only thing missing was any sense of familiarity.

Yet, Chu Fei's smiling expression at that moment gave them an illusion: this Young Master Chu seemed approachable and devoid of airs, vastly different from the untouchable young masters of the family's direct lineage.

"Miss is still entertaining guests at the Shuiting Pavilion. Would Young Master Chu like me to notify her?" the leading youth asked, eagerly pulling out a walkie-talkie to volunteer his services.

"No need, I can just give her a call myself. You all go ahead with your work, don't mind me!" Chu Fei waved his hand to stop him, offering another smile.

"Right, right! Young Master Chu, go ahead and contact her directly!"

The leading youth chuckled ingratiatingly, inwardly cursing himself for a fool. This Young Master Chu shared a bed with Fu Ziqing; he was infinitely closer to her than anyone here. Why would he need anyone to notify her? He truly couldn't keep his mouth shut.

With that, Chu Fei walked into the Changxin Garden amidst the reverent gazes of the Fu family youths, took out his phone, and dialed the familiar number...

"Hey, do you guys think Young Master Chu and the eldest miss really slept together?" Once Chu Fei had walked out of earshot, one of the Fu family guards turned to his companion, finally looking at the leader. He still found the whole thing a bit surreal.

"Of course they did! You guys didn't see the scene inside when Young Master Chu slapped Lin Cong. Talk about domineering! Only Young Master Chu is qualified to be a match for the miss. That Lin Cong didn't even dare to fight back; he's miles behind!" the leading youth declared proudly, as if he himself were Chu Fei. Among the younger generation of the Fu family, most still habitually referred to Fu Ziqing as "Miss."

"No way? Young Master Chu really slapped Young Master Lin? It's not just a rumor?" Everyone stared at the leader. Because they had been stationed at the entrance at the time, they hadn't been able to go inside. However, they had witnessed the Lin family storming off looking as if their fathers had just died, and only later heard about what transpired within. Their very first reaction had been that they were dreaming—it was simply too unreal.

"Why would I lie to you guys about something like this? I saw Young Master Chu make his move with my own eyes. And it wasn't just once; he gave him several slaps in a row..." The leading youth adopted a righteous and lofty posture. "Especially what Young Master Chu said right after finishing the slaps. It was so insanely domineering."

"What did he say? How domineering was it?" they pressed eagerly.

"Haha, you guys will never guess what Young Master Chu said!" The leading youth decided to play hard to get.

"Damn it, are you going to talk or not? If you don't speak up, the rest of us are going to throw you straight into the latrine," an irritable youth gritted his teeth, while the others glared at the leader with murderous intent.

"I'll talk, I'll talk right now!" The leading youth shrank his neck in fright. Although he was the minor leader of this little group, his actual status wasn't that high; otherwise, he wouldn't be stuck guarding the gate.

"Quick, spit it out! What did Young Master Chu say after hitting Young Master Lin?" the impatient youth urged again.

"Right after slapping him, Young Master Chu shook his hand, looked down condescendingly at the surrounding crowd, and then looked at Lin Cong sprawled on the ground before him, saying: *Damn it, that old swindler really wasn't lying. Slapping people really is addictive...*" At that moment, the leading youth practically transformed into Chu Fei, mimicking his expression with a ninety-percent likeness...

"Damn—"

"Holy shit!"

"Awesome—"

The young men stared at the leading youth with adoring eyes, glowing with excitement. Just listening to his description made them instinctively imagine the scene, especially since the youth's expression was so immersive that it dragged all his companions right into the visualization...

"Just picture the scene: that was Lin Cong, Young Master Lin we're talking about! Not some random nobody. He was lying by Young Master Chu's feet like a dead dog, which only served to highlight how transcendent Young Master Chu was..." The leading youth, extremely satisfied with the effect he had created, continued running his mouth...

The group nodded repeatedly. They could easily picture it, especially considering who the target of those slaps was—Lin Cong. That kind of imagery...

Was simply terrifying.

No one had ever heard of anyone daring to slap Lin Cong in the entire East Sea.

Yet now someone had done it, delivered multiple slaps at that, and finished by remarking that it was addictive...

No wonder the Lin family members had looked as grief-stricken as if their fathers had died; weren't they practically mourning already...

"And I heard with my own ears when Young Master Chu said he had slept with the miss. Do you think someone as fierce as Young Master Chu would lie?" the leading youth asked.

"No way—"

The group shook their heads in unison.

"Exactly! So let me tell you guys—and I'm not afraid of you chewing me out—I used to have a secret crush on the miss myself. But I've completely given up on that now. Trying to steal a woman from Young Master Chu is practically seeking death. Besides, in my personal opinion, Young Master Chu and the miss are a far better match. They're a talented man and a beautiful woman made for each other. Now think about that idiot Lin Cong again—unremarkable in appearance, and if not for the Lin family backing him, who would even know who he is? If the miss really ended up with Lin Cong, it would truly be like a fine flower stuck in cow dung. Oh wait, correction: more like a fine flower stuck in dog shit! That idiot Lin Cong... Huh? What's wrong with you guys? Why are you winking at me? Are you having muscle spasms?"

The leading youth was speaking with great enthusiasm, completely lost in the persona of an orator, when he suddenly noticed his companions blinking frantically at his direction... He paused his "speech" in utter bewilderment...

"It seems you admire that Chu Fei quite a bit?"

Just at that moment, a low voice sounded right behind the youth.

*Swish!*

Frightened out of his wits, the leading youth spun around instantly. His face drained of all color, a cold sweat broke out across his forehead, and his voice began to stutter: "E-Eldest Uncle, w-when did you arrive?"

***

Today's update will be slightly delayed because I deleted the previous outline and am redoing it from scratch. There are a few plots coming up that I'm not entirely sure how to handle yet. Dear readers, could you give Xing'er some suggestions? Xing'er will take your preferences into account so I know what you all want to read most, and plan accordingly! QQ Group Number: Xingyuan Army 20 [Intimate Soldier King]: 701623709