Zhao Lihua's gaze lingered on him for a moment.
Mei and Li Feng had never been on good terms. Her sister hadn't supported the relationship from the beginning. She had accepted it eventually, but only because it was what Zhao Lihua wanted.
Li Feng let out a small smile. "Thanks for the heads up."
*Mei is definitely going to make a fuss tomorrow.* Zhao Lihua picked up her chopsticks. *You'll just have to change her mind.*
"Daddy, Daddy." Xian tugged at his sleeve. "Who is Mei?"
Zhao Lihua's expression shifted slightly. Something quiet moved across her face. Her daughter had forgotten about her sister entirely.
Li Feng looked down at Xian. "Sister Mei is your Aunt."
Xian stared at him. "What is an Aunt?"
"An Aunt," Li Feng said seriously, "is like a Mummy. But not your Mummy."
Xian frowned. "Another Mummy?"
"No. Only one Mummy."
"Then what is she?"
Li Feng thought about this for a moment. "She is someone who loves you almost as much as Mummy does. And she will probably bring you gifts."
Xian's eyes went wide. "Gifts?"
"Possibly."
Xian turned immediately to Zhao Lihua. "Mummy. I like Aunt Mei."
Li Feng continued eating, his face calm. He was not calm. According to the memories, he and Mei had always been fire and ice. He could never quite find the reason behind her dislike of him back then. No single incident. No defining moment. Just a steady unwavering disapproval from the very beginning. Now of course, she had more than enough reasons.
*Sister instinct,* he concluded. *She saw it before there was anything to see.*
His grandfather's voice surfaced quietly. *Panic changes nothing. Whatever is in front of you, you face it.*
Li Feng picked up his chopsticks and took another bite.
Everyone settled in for the night. Li Feng lay on the sofa, back against the cushions, and opened his phone. Notifications had been piling up. He scrolled through them steadily until two stopped him. One from Chen Yiran. One from Madam Chen.
He opened Madam Chen's first. It was long. He could feel the sincerity in every line — gratitude for what he had done, relief that the company had been protected, warmth from a woman who had trusted him before anyone else had reason to. She ended it simply. *My brother would like to thank you personally.*
Li Feng typed his reply. *Madam Chen, your kind words are more than enough. The work was straightforward and the outcome was the right one. Please relay my regards to Manager Tao and the staff. As for the president of Chen Long Group — he does not need to trouble himself over something so insignificant.*
He sent it and set the phone down for a moment. *Something so insignificant.*
The truth was the case was not fully closed. What he had exposed today was real — Wang Jin's fraud, Guo Tian's laundering operation. But the traces did not end there. Someone had ordered it. Someone intelligent, careful, and sitting high enough inside Chen Long Group that their fingerprints never appeared directly on anything. The Chen family were not people you moved against carelessly. Powerful in ways that went beyond money. Their reach was quiet and deep and most people only understood how far it extended once it was already too late.
*Messing with that will bring consequences.*
He opened Chen Yiran's notification next.
*MR LIII😭😭 school just announced a break for the next few days so our sessions are cancelled🥲 my heart is literally in pieces rn you know. also i finally finished editing the video!! took me three rewatches on that last section but i got it eventually😤 anyway my cousin is visiting tomorrow and she's SO annoying i don't even know why i'm telling you this but yeah. hope you're having a good night Mr Li😭*
Li Feng read it once all the way through. She had covered school, his video, her cousin and his evening in a single message without stopping for air. The sarcasm about her heart was noted.
He opened his channel next. The numbers had moved again. Steady growth, consistent engagement, comments still coming in on videos he had uploaded weeks ago. The channel was doing well. Better than well. He uploaded Chen Yiran's edited video quietly. The topic was cash flow analysis — one of the drier ones to sit through but she had cut it cleanly.
He scrolled through the rest of his unread messages. There were many. He would answer them tomorrow. He was about to set the phone down when his fingers hovered over the search bar. He typed slowly.
*How to get your sister in law to like you.*
He stared at it for a moment. *Embarrassing.* He read anyway.
---
Morning light pushed through the curtains. Li Feng was already up. He had gone through the entire apartment quietly — swept, mopped, wiped down every surface. If Mei was coming today then she was going to walk into a clean home. That much he could control.
The bedroom door opened slowly. Zhao Lihua stepped out, still half asleep, and stopped. She had heard sounds.
Zhao Lihua stood in the doorway in a black nightgown, her silver hair loose around her shoulders, rubbing her eyes. Her gaze fell on Li Feng. Cloth in hand, wiping down the counter he had probably already wiped twice. He heard the door and tilted his head toward her. They looked at each other.
Zhao Lihua couldn't help it. A small laugh slipped out. He had acted completely calm at dinner last night. Not a single crack. But here he was, up before sunrise, scrubbing an already clean apartment because Mei was coming today. *E for effort,* she thought warmly.
Li Feng however had gone still. This was the first time he had seen her in something this light. The black nightgown. Hair down. Still half asleep. It was a simple thing and it had completely caught him off guard.
"Beautiful."
It came out before he could stop it. Zhao Lihua's face went hot immediately. She became very aware of her hair, her nightgown, the fact that he had not looked away. Li Feng turned back to the counter and resumed wiping it. Zhao Lihua moved quickly back inside and closed the door behind her.
Li Feng stood there for a moment. *What is wrong with me.* He turned back to the counter. Though who could blame him. Try having a ten out of ten wife walking out in a black nightgown at seven in the morning and see how you handle it.
---
By ten o'clock Li Feng was on the living room floor with Xian, the two of them deep in a conversation that had somehow moved from breakfast to why the sky was blue to whether Baozi could fly if he tried hard enough.
"He can," Xian said firmly.
"He can't," Li Feng said.
"He can." She held Baozi up toward the ceiling as evidence.
A knock at the door. Li Feng picked Xian up and walked over. He shifted her to one arm and opened the door.
Mei stood on the other side. Black hair, sharp blue eyes. A fitted blue top and black trousers, a bag hanging from one shoulder. She looked like someone who had spent the entire journey over rehearsing exactly what she was going to say.
She held —
Her eyes landed on Li Feng.
"Li Feng." The warmth drained from her face instantly. "What did you do to my sister."
It was not a question.
"Mei!" Zhao Lihua's voice came from just around the corner. She had heard her sister's voice and was already at the door. "Mei? Is that you?"
Mei stepped straight past Li Feng. "Jiejie."
The two sisters met in the doorway and held on. Tight, wordless, a year of missed calls and late nights and too many things left unsaid all at once. Zhao Lihua laughed softly into her shoulder. Mei closed her eyes.
Li Feng stood to the side with Xian on his arm, the door still open.
*So much for a great impression.*
He let out a quiet sigh.