Hai City Fengye Street.
The young man walked with his head down, his expression indifferent and hurried, threading through the bustling crowd, a hint of impatience faintly visible between his brows.
Behind him, a group of men in black were panting and following closely, like sticky taffy, impossible to shake off.
"Young Master, please wait... Please come back with us! Right now, the only person who can take charge of the Su Family is you!"
"That's right, Young Master, the Old Madam has told us to definitely bring you home. Right now, the Master is critically ill, and the eldest young master is in jail, the house is in complete chaos!"
"No matter what, Young Master, you share the Su Family's blood too. Please reconsider..."
"Have you said enough?"
Su Changfeng abruptly stopped, looking coldly at the incessantly chattering people with a mocking curve at the corner of his mouth: "Su Family's blood, huh. If it weren't for my brother going to jail, I'm afraid they'd never remember me, right?
"Ever since we were kids, Grandma indulged my brother's arrogance, just because he was the first grandson of the Su Family, the rightful heir, and what about me? The extra, the eyesore, the villain who would compete with her cherished grandson for benefits?
"Since marrying into the Tang Family, I've endured humiliation for three years, has the Su Family ever said a word? They told me to get out, and I left. Now with a casual word, they want me back? You tell the Su Family, since they abandoned me, I, Su Changfeng, have nothing to do with the Su Family anymore. Their messy affairs, I, a worthless person, can't handle and am not interested."
With that, Su Changfeng turned and left in large strides, disappearing into the crowd without looking back.
The men in black looked at each other, unsure whether to chase after him or not.
The Tang Family, although not ranked among the first-class families in Hai City, was still a respectable and established noble family. Three years earlier, when Su Changfeng had nowhere to go, at his most down-and-out moment, Old Master Tang spotted him at a glance and personally hosted his wedding with his granddaughter, Tang Qiulu.
This event caused a sensation throughout the city at the time, and even after three years, people occasionally brought it up in idle conversation. But whenever people mentioned Su Changfeng, it was always with sighs and laughter. No one could understand why Old Master Shen would marry his eldest granddaughter to such an obscure, useless son-in-law.
As for Su Changfeng's past, besides Old Master Shen, no one else knew. Unfortunately, not long after the wedding, the old master suddenly passed away due to illness, and since then, Su Changfeng completely lived a life of being snubbed and mocked everywhere, having no status whatsoever in the Tang Family.
Over time, Su Changfeng became numb. Abandoned by the Su Family initially, now suffering in the Tang Family, he had long seen the ugliness of human nature.
He checked the time and quickened his pace.
Today was a big day for the Tang Family, the annual family banquet was about to begin. To pick an appropriate gift, Su Changfeng had gotten up early, queued up to buy the most deadly pastries in all of Hai City. Although they weren't worth much, and certainly couldn't compare to other gifts brought by the Tang Family members, it was still a token of his intentions. Given Su Changfeng's financial situation, it was the most he could do.
Tang Family Mansion.
A woman with flowing long hair, beautiful appearance, and a sexy figure was pacing back and forth outside the door, occasionally looking towards the end of the road, seemingly waiting for someone.
She was the once goddess pampered by men in Hai City's upper circles and Old Master Shen's most cherished granddaughter, Tang Family's Miss Tang Qiulu.
By right, with Tang Qiulu's conditions, what excellent suitor couldn't she find? She still couldn't understand why Old Master Shen insisted on marrying her to such an unknown guy like Su Changfeng, and even on his deathbed, he held her hand with countless instructions, urging her to live well with Su Changfeng and not to despise him.
Only heaven knows how Tang Qiulu had forced herself through these three years to share a room with Su Changfeng. If it weren't for the sake of family reputation and the old master's will, she would have divorced Su Changfeng long ago.
"Han Xue!"
At this moment, the approaching Su Changfeng saw Tang Qiulu's silhouette and hurried to her side, smiling: "Were you waiting for me?"
"Did you get the things?"
Tang Qiulu's eyes showed a bit of disdain, glancing at the gift box in his hand.
"Yes, I bought lotus pastries from the northern part of the city. I queued for a long time, and they're still warm."
Su Changfeng said.
"Come in with me, then you can eat when it's time, don't say useless things, got it."
Tang Qiulu turned to enter the house, quietly reminding: "Everyone in the Tang Family will be here today, no matter what they say to you, just endure it."
"Don't worry."
Su Changfeng smiled slightly, clearly aware. In such occasions, it was inevitable that he would be mocked and laughed at by the Tang Family members, and Tang Qiulu didn't want to be embarrassed along with him.
Such feelings were understandable, having been with Tang Qiulu all these years, Su Changfeng had never blamed Tang Qiulu for not giving him a good face. After all, anyone forced into a marriage without any emotional foundation, especially to a timid person with no background, would feel very constrained. This marriage was very unfair to Tang Qiulu.
However, Su Changfeng's totally indifferent attitude made Tang Qiulu even more angry. After they got married, he merely did household chores like washing clothes and cooking, a complete househusband, with no ambition, and absolutely no sense of male dignity!
Not wanting to bother with Su Changfeng any longer, Tang Qiulu walked straight ahead. They arrived at the living room, where the Tang Family's relatives had already gathered, chatting and reminiscing in small groups, and the hall was very lively.
"Oh, isn't this Han Xue? Why are you so late?"
"On such an important day, you just got here, you must have spent a lot of thought preparing gifts, right?"
"Go say hello to Grandma, she was just talking about you~"
Seeing Tang Qiulu arrive, the relatives enthusiastically gathered around, and the sisters of her generation, adorned with jewels, cheerfully greeted her.
But no one paid any attention to Su Changfeng, as if he did not exist.
Su Changfeng enjoyed the leisure, and it suited him just fine, better than being ridiculed.
However, even if Su Changfeng didn't want to draw attention to himself, there were always those who delighted in causing him trouble, like Tang Qiulu's cousin, Tang Xiangdong. Almost every time he saw Su Changfeng, he wouldn't be satisfied until he made a fool out of him. In fact, the widely known "worthless son-in-law" name in Hai City for Su Changfeng was first said by Tang Xiangdong.
"Yo, Su Changfeng, what you're carrying, is that the 'big gift' for the family banquet?"
Tang Xiangdong crossed his arms, laughing arrogantly at Su Changfeng, nodding at the paper bag he held: "Packaging so cheap, which crappy stall did you buy it from?"
"Bought it from the long-established lotus pastry shop on Fengye Street."
Su Changfeng shook his head, looking directly into Tang Xiangdong's eyes, said blandly.
Pfft—
As his words fell, the surrounding relatives burst into laughter.
Seeing this, Tang Qiulu's expression stiffened as she turned away, gritting her teeth in frustration. She had just told Su Changfeng not to cause trouble, and here he was embarrassing her within minutes.
In typical situations like this, Tang Qiulu wouldn't step forward to speak for Su Changfeng. In her subconscious, she never regarded this man as one of her own. If Su Changfeng embarrassed himself, that was his own business, as long as he didn't drag her into it!
"Hahaha, you must be here to make us laugh, right? Know what day it is today? You brought such a small gift for Grandma, and you have the nerve to enter?"
Tang Xiangdong boasted, strolling to the coffee table lined with gifts, pointing at a half-man-high exquisite brocade box among the high-end gift boxes, laughed: "Come, let this young master open your eyes and show you what qualifies as a gift!"
"Okay."
Su Changfeng glanced at Tang Qiulu, mindful of her not letting him speak unnecessarily, he was absolutely sparing with words.
Watching the crowd gathering to see the spectacle, Tang Xiangdong, eager for Su Changfeng to make a fool of himself, lifted the lid off the gift box with a flourish.
When the contents of the box were revealed, the relatives couldn't help but widen their eyes, marveling aloud!