Chapter 614 - 403: Package (2)

Chapter 614: Chapter 403: Package (2)

Feng Shan stared at the water stains blooming on the package, unsure if they were from rain or the passage of time.

These past years in prison.

He had long grown accustomed to the looks of disgust from outside the iron bars.

Now, the middle-aged man’s words were like a dull needle.

It pricked gently at a long-scarred wound, bringing a faint, dull ache, but not the heart-piercing agony of the past.

’The man wasn’t wrong,’ he thought. ’I am a murderer.’

Feng Shan hugged the package, his fingertips brushing against a soft contour within.

But the argument between Uncle Luo and his son was getting on his nerves.

Unwilling to cause a rift between the father and son, he forced a smile and said softly, "Uncle Luo, Brother Luo, I have to go."

"No!" Uncle Luo stumbled half a step forward on his crutch, his cloudy eyes wide. "Back when you had your restaurant, you always looked out for my business. How can you just leave now that we’ve finally had a chance to meet?"

The old man’s branch-like hand gripped Feng Shan’s arm tightly. "Come on, come to my place for a bit. We have to have a drink!"

"A drink? What drink!" The middle-aged man stomped his foot in frustration. "Last time you snuck a drink of that medicinal wine, you had a stroke! You’re still unsteady on your feet, and you want to drink more!"

He then turned and shot Feng Shan a look, his tone softening. "Xiaofeng, it’s not that I’m trying to shoo you away, but my dad’s health..."

Feng Shan looked at Uncle Luo’s flushed face, then at his son’s anxious expression. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he pulled out his phone. "Uncle Luo, I really have something important tonight, I..."

"What could be so important!" Uncle Luo cut him off, his voice raspy. "I know things haven’t been easy for you these past few years. Come home for a hot meal, get to know the place again!"

The old man suddenly lowered his voice, his wrinkled face leaning close to Feng Shan. "My son’s a manager at a big company now. I’ll have him find you a job, something to help you get settled..."

Uncle Luo clung to Feng Shan, refusing to let him leave and even insisting his son find him a job.

To be shown such loyalty was more than enough.

The middle-aged man shook his head with a wry smile.

He was just a junior manager in the company’s marketing department. On a daily basis, he had to be polite even to the security guards, let alone arrange a job for an ex-convict.

But seeing his father’s stubborn expression and recalling how the old man had always said Feng was a good kid over the years, he could only bite the bullet and force a smile.

"Yeah, Xiaofeng, whether we can sort out a job or not, at least join us for a simple meal."

"I really can’t. I already have plans tonight, my ride will be here soon!" Feng Shan pulled his hand back for the third time. On his shoulder, Coca-Cola shifted restlessly.

Uncle Luo was determined. He sat down on the flowerbed behind him and placed his crutch across his lap. "Fine, then. I’ll wait with you for your ride. You’re just as stubborn as you’ve always been, kid."

The twilight deepened, and the square-dancing music in the park had stopped at some point.

The streetlights came on, leaving only a few scattered people out for a stroll.

Coca-Cola, in Feng Shan’s arms, curled up into a ball again, its furry head resting on his arm as it dozed off.

Just then, his phone vibrated in his hand. A string of unfamiliar numbers flashed on the screen.

"Hello?" Feng Shan answered the call. A man’s voice, tinged with a professional smile, came through the receiver. "Hello, Mr. Feng. President Zhang asked me to pick you up. I’m on the road by the park from your location data. Have you arrived?"

"I’m in the park right now. Just a moment!" Feng Shan hung up and looked at Uncle Luo. The old man’s wrinkled face was filled with reluctance. "My ride is here. I’ll come visit you again when I have time."

Uncle Luo shakily pushed himself up with his crutch.

His thin, bony hand patted Feng Shan’s shoulder, the touch as light as a falling leaf.

"Go on, go on! Ah, every time we meet might be the last." Uncle Luo, his back hunched, waved a trembling hand, his voice full of melancholy.

His white hair was a mess in the evening breeze, and his silhouette, stretched long by the streetlight, looked exceptionally lonely.

The middle-aged man beside him subconsciously glanced toward the road.

A gleaming Mercedes-Benz business van had parked by the roadside at some point, its body reflecting a cool sheen under the streetlight.

A chauffeur in a crisp suit stood by the door, hands folded in front of him. His posture was as straight as a pine tree, exuding an indescribable professionalism.

The middle-aged man’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He couldn’t help but click his tongue in silent amazement.

’This car couldn’t be here for Feng Shan, could it?’

In Hai City, a vehicle of the Mercedes-Benz business van’s caliber was not a common sight.

The people who owned one were either fabulously wealthy or powerfully connected.

Feng Shan gripped Uncle Luo’s calloused hand one last time. The rough texture against his fingers felt just like the hand that had passed him beer bottles all those years ago.

Holding the package with Coca-Cola in his arms, the cat let out a "MEOW," its tail gently brushing against the back of the old man’s hand.

As he walked out of the park, the suited driver had already bowed and opened the car door. The cool scent of leather seats, mixed with the car’s air freshener, washed over him.

Feng Shan bent down and got into the car. In his peripheral vision, he saw Uncle Luo still standing under the streetlight, his stooped figure stretched long, like a frozen statue.

The Mercedes-Benz van started smoothly, its tires making a soft crunching sound as they rolled over dry leaves.

The middle-aged man stared at the receding taillights, his eyes filled with shock and bewilderment.

"Did you see that?" Uncle Luo slammed his crutch on the ground, shaking loose a few dry leaves from the branches above. "You may be a manager, but when it comes to judging character, you still have a long way to go, kid. People like Xiaofeng, no matter what hardships they face, they can always get back on their feet."

The old man’s voice suddenly choked up, and a gratified glint of moisture appeared in his cloudy eyes. "Two good kids... what a pity!"

The night wind lifted the hem of the middle-aged man’s suit jacket. He gazed at the spot where the car had disappeared at the end of the road, feeling an emptiness inside.

It was as if he had lost something important.

...

Twilight cast a gilded edge where sea and sky met.

「Bihai International Hotel.」

The most luxurious hotel in Hai City, situated on the waterfront. It was not just a city landmark but also the premier choice for visiting elites and celebrities from all walks of life.

As dusk refracted into shimmering fragments on its glass curtain walls, the hotel resembled a giant prism embedded in the coastline.

Luxury cars flowed endlessly before the marble portico, where uniformed doormen bowed to welcome and send off guests. The air was a mix of expensive perfume and the scent of sea salt.

At this moment, Zhang Kai, Su Yang, Su Ziweng, and Eldest Young Master Xu were standing at the hotel entrance.

"Brother Kai, Uncle, Brother Feng hates it when you guys make a big deal out of these social obligations. It’s just a meal." Su Ziweng rubbed his eyes and let out a long yawn, nearly showing his back teeth.

His voice was still hoarse from a hangover.

He had partied wildly at a bar in Singapore until the early hours of the morning. After his plane landed, he was dragged straight to the hotel without even going back to his own. Now, he was so tired he barely had the energy to speak.

"What the hell do you know? The only reason you even met Feng Shan was because of some once-in-a-lifetime luck the Su Family stumbled into, and you, you little brat, still don’t know how to appreciate it."

Su Yang raised his hand, his movement filled with the exasperation of someone looking at a hopeless case.

Looking at his nephew’s listless appearance, Su Yang’s temples throbbed. He really wanted to slap him.

Su Ziweng’s wrinkled sweatshirt was still dotted with fine glitter—trophies, no doubt, from his wild night at the bar.

The night wind rustled Su Ziweng’s messy bangs. He muttered under his breath and patted them down.

"It’s just a meal, do you really have to make such a big scene..."

Before he could finish his sentence,

Su Yang finally lost his patience and rapped him sharply on the forehead. The blow made Su Ziweng yelp and jump in pain.

"You little bastard! When I took you hunting in Alaska back then, if Feng Shan hadn’t stepped in, you would’ve been mauled to death by that brown bear! You have to remember that debt!"

Su Yang glanced at his nephew, a helpless headache coming on.

His nephew’s parents had divorced when the boy was young. He had followed Su Yang’s sister back to the Su family home, even taking their surname.

Su Yang had always raised him like his own son.

He had taken him to Alaska to get his mind off things, but who would have thought they’d meet such an interesting person there.

At first, he thought Feng Shan was just some minor landowner, but as he got to know him, he realized the man was extraordinary.

His network was incredibly vast.

Looking at his nephew’s careless attitude, a complex mix of emotions welled up in Su Yang.

Who would have thought that through this connection to Feng Shan...

...his own unreliable, foolish nephew would actually become as close as brothers with Eldest Young Master Xu.

Outsiders only knew Eldest Young Master Xu as an idle, rich playboy.

But they didn’t know that with a single, casual phone call...

...he had turned around a partnership deal in Singapore that had been stuck for months, a deal vital to Su Yang’s own company.

Tens of millions in potential losses vanished in an instant.

That kind of power secretly astonished even Su Yang, who had been navigating the business world for many years.

But if it weren’t for giving face to Feng Shan, would Eldest Young Master Xu have even bothered with his nephew?

For that phone call alone, he would have been willing to greet Feng Shan with gongs and drums, let alone just pick him up at the curb.

Seeing his nephew still acting like a clueless idiot,

Su Yang felt a strange pang of jealousy.

...