Chapter 35: Auntie, I Don't Want to Work Hard Anymore (Part Two)

In the era before mobile phones became ubiquitous, phone books were the primary means for people to store contact information. Since smartphones had not yet emerged, these directories were still being published. Every year, someone would be tasked with compiling the city's phone numbers into a single volume, consisting mostly of businesses, though private numbers were also included. Eventually, with the rise of smartphones, these phone books vanished into the currents of history.

Chu Feng looked at the directory, a surge of excitement rising in his chest. With this book, he could finally track down that disconnected number, and in doing so, fully uncover the mystery behind the death of Zhang Yanran’s mother. However, he kept his expression neutral, betraying none of the agitation he felt.

"Sister, thank you," Chu Feng said, his tone indifferent.

Zheng Shuting rested her leg on Chu Feng’s knee, a smile playing on her lips. "You were staring at my husband for quite a while just now. I assume you still have questions for me?"

Chu Feng tucked the directory into a handbag. "He is brain-dead, isn't he? Why then..."

"This life-support system cost three million. It exists solely to keep him alive. As long as he remains legally alive, the Imperial Nightclub still belongs to the Shi family," Zheng Shuting said nonchalantly. Her black-stockinged foot began to roam with provocative intent.

Chu Feng’s hand traced the line of her ankle, stroking back and forth. "So, as long as he lives, the Imperial is effectively still in his hands?"

"Exactly. If he were to die, the Imperial would truly have to be dissolved," Zheng Shuting replied with a seductive smile, the allure of a mature woman on full display before him.

Chu Feng suddenly thought that Prime Minister Cao had been a man of keen understanding. Even though Zheng Shuting was a bit older, she possessed a sultry charm that no young girl could match.

"Would you like to take a bath?" she asked, smiling enchantingly.

Chu Feng was about to answer when the door opened. A man walked in—Shi Fei.

"Mom, why is Chu Feng here?" Shi Fei asked, stunned.

Chu Feng glanced at Shi Fei but said nothing. Zheng Shuting, clearly annoyed by the interruption, stood up and walked to the refrigerator to fetch a drink. "Why are you back?" her voice was laced with irritation.

Shi Fei clenched his fists. "Chu Feng! What are you doing in my house? We don't welcome you here!"

"What, am I not allowed to pay your father a visit? Perhaps one day, when I become the Zhang family’s son-in-law, I’ll be able to help the Imperial!" Chu Feng picked up a cigarette from the table and lit it.

Shi Fei sneered. "Help the Imperial? Hah! You poor pathetic loser, do you really think so highly of yourself? Even if Yanran likes you, so what? Uncle Zhang would never accept a penniless son-in-law!"

"Fei! That’s enough! You know the state the Imperial is in right now! If Chu Feng can truly build a connection with the Zhang family, it would be of immense benefit to us! Do you really want to see the business your father worked so hard to build destroyed overnight?" Zheng Shuting scolded.

"I..." Shi Fei clenched his fists, turned, and walked toward his room with determination. "I don't care! I don't want help from this loser!"

*Bang!* Shi Fei slammed the door shut.

The atmosphere in the living room, which had taken so much effort to cultivate, had completely dissipated. Neither Chu Feng nor Zheng Shuting had any interest left.

Zheng Shuting walked Chu Feng to the stairwell. "Let's talk over the phone next time. Between that little brat and the old bastard at home, I have no mood for anything."

"Sister, you should really talk to Shi Fei. You are mother and son, after all," Chu Feng remarked with a smile.

"Mother and son?" A flash of anger appeared in her eyes. "If that old bastard hadn't forced me to get pregnant, I would never have married him, even if it meant death!"

"Oh?"

"It's nothing. Be careful on your way home!"

...

Chu Feng took the phone book outside and hailed a taxi. Upon returning home, he found Li Xueli attempting to bake a cake, though she seemed to have failed. A charred, cylindrical lump lay on the cutting board, and the air smelled of burnt sugar.

Watching Li Xueli’s back, Chu Feng was reminded of the fire that had been stoked within him earlier—a fire that had yet to be extinguished. He walked over to her.

Li Xueli turned around, and seeing him, she beamed. "Chu Feng, you're back? Oh, you... um..."

Chu Feng grabbed her hand. "I’m very heated right now."

An hour later, Chu Feng emerged from the bathroom, washed and refreshed. He went to the living room and turned on the television. Li Xueli’s face still carried a faint, lingering flush. She tossed her apron and some undergarments into the washing machine, then sighed helplessly as she held up a pair of stockings with holes torn in the heels. "Did something happen? You seemed... quite angry today."

The television droned with noisy background chatter. Chu Feng opened the phone book and said, "I think there might be a lead on Sun Jin’s death."

"What?"

Li Xueli was shocked and hurried over. Ever since she learned that Zhang Fuqiang had a new foreign secretary, she had been harboring thoughts of revenge, and naturally, she viewed the truth behind Sun Jin’s death as paramount. Without even stopping to shower, she stood before Chu Feng and asked, "Who is that doctor?"

"It’s come full circle, back to the very beginning! His name is Chen Qiang! I’ve recently made friends with a brother named Chen Meng, and he is Chen Qiang’s younger brother!" Chu Feng said.

"Then let's go find him!"

"It's too late. Chen Qiang died in a traffic accident, leaving behind a younger brother and a sister," Chu Feng replied. He pondered for a moment, then stood up. "I'm going to find them. You stay here."

Chu Feng had not expected that he would travel in such a massive circle only to end up back where he started. He had intended to tell Zhang Yanran, but realized that since she had returned to the Zhang household, contacting her frequently would only invite trouble. Thus, he decided to investigate the matter of the private doctor on his own.

It was all too coincidental. As the Zhang family’s private doctor, Chen Qiang had died in a car accident shortly after the death of Zhang Yanran’s mother, Sun Jin?

Chu Feng drove, turning the volume to the max. The rock music stimulated his thoughts, helping him analyze the situation faster. When he had spoken with Chen Meng and his sister earlier, the two had barely mentioned their older brother. They had only said their parents had died in a mining disaster, leaving the siblings to struggle for survival. There was definitely something wrong there.

Chu Feng dialed Chen Meng’s number.

"Meng, are you at the hospital?"

"Brother? Yes, I'm at the hospital. My sister woke up, the surgery was a success!" Chen Meng choked out.

"Wait for me. I’m on my way." Chu Feng pressed down on the accelerator, pushing the car to go even faster.