Chapter 135: Unregulated Product
During a break in filming, Zhuang Feixue sat aside playing on her phone.
Illya held a large piece of cake, devouring it in big bites.
“Didn’t eat enough at lunch?” Zhuang Feixue asked.
“It was okay,” Illya replied. He had the crew’s lunchbox earlier, thought it was just average, but he wasn’t picky—so he still ate it.
Zhuang Feixue: “…What do you mean ‘okay’?”
A lot of celebrities like to play the foodie persona, but very few actually eat much. Illya, however, really could eat! With just one cake down the hatch—how much weight would that be?
Well, he never seemed to gain weight anyway.
Zhuang Feixue hesitated and said, “My family wants to invite you and Chu Feng for dinner tonight.”
Illya nodded, “Sure!” Being invited for dinner was always a good thing.
Zhuang Feixue kept a straight face and sighed. Over the past few days, after interacting more, she realized her brother was completely different from what she’d imagined. He didn’t seem to care about the Zhuang family’s wealth at all. And her brother’s boyfriend? Even more unpredictable.
“Where are we eating?” Illya asked.
She was curious and asked, “How’s the head chef at the main house?”
Zhuang Feixue: “That’s what you’re concerned about? The chef’s cooking? We’re going to meet Grandpa!”
Chu Feng had brought home a man, and Grandpa was clearly unhappy. This dinner was likely an attempt to lay down the law.
There was a good chance Grandpa would give Illya a hard time. Wasn’t Illya even a little nervous?
“The chef at the main house is excellent.”
Illya nodded and gave a simple “Oh.”
Zhuang Feixue opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but didn’t know where to start.
The old master clearly favored Uncle Zhiyuan’s side and treated her rather indifferently. Her brother, Zhuang Cheng, was well-liked by the old master, but her relationship with him wasn’t particularly close either.
Grandpa used to like Feilei a lot… but now…
Chu Feng looked at Zhuang Feixue and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Zhuang Feixue shook her head. “Nothing.”
She furrowed her brow, thinking: Every time she visited Grandpa, she got nervous, but Chu Feng seemed so calm.
The Zhuang family didn’t raise Chu Feng, so he once said—if the Zhuang family couldn’t accept him being gay, there was no need for any formal recognition or drama about expulsion. He seemed serious.
If you don’t care, then nothing matters.
That night, Chu Feng and Illya took Zhuang Feixue’s car to the Zhuang family’s old residence.
As soon as they entered, Chu Feng saw a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy glaring at him. When Chu Feng looked back, the boy snorted and turned his head away.
Chu Feng had already read the Zhuang family’s background reports. He knew this was his biological younger brother, Zhuang Cheng.
Zhuang Cheng wore a leather jacket, had dyed yellow hair, and oozed with adolescent edginess.
He gave Illya a few curious glances. Illya noticed and looked back at him.
Zhuang Cheng muttered under his breath, “He actually found a man, not—”
Before he could finish, Illya had already walked up to him, lowered his head, and asked, “What did you say?”
Zhuang Cheng stared at Illya for a few seconds, then muttered under his breath, “Vixen.” His face flushed red, and he ran off.
Chu Feng pursed his lips and thought to himself, This brat is useless! Originally, he probably wanted to give them a show of authority, but once he saw Illya, he immediately backed off. He was probably stunned by Illya’s looks. Chu Feng thought: Illya is just too beautiful. Everyone has a love for beauty—it’s hard for most people to say anything harsh to someone so stunning.
Illya watched Zhuang Cheng leave and puffed out his cheeks slightly.
Zhuang Feixue walked up beside Illya and asked, “Are you okay?”
Illya shook his head. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t need to take what Zhuang Cheng said to heart.”
Illya nodded. “He said I’m a vixen, but I’m not a fox… I’m a half-elf, not a fox. Hu Qiqi is the real fox spirit. There’s also someone here named Su Daji, apparently she’s a fox spirit too. I’m not sure if it’s a mutation—she supposedly has nine tails.”
Zhuang Zhiming came downstairs, saw Zhuang Cheng fleeing in embarrassment, and sneered, “Didn’t you say you were going to give that elf a hard time? That’s your idea of making a statement?”
Zhuang Cheng gave Zhuang Zhiming an annoyed look. “Who told you that?”
Thanks to intentional gossip spreading around, the story about Chu Feng became well-known. Many of Zhuang Cheng’s classmates knew he had an older brother who’d been separated from the family and that this person had a boyfriend.
Zhuang Cheng believed his older brother must’ve been tricked. Someone probably found out his identity ahead of time and seduced him. With a bit of conspiracy-minded thinking, Zhuang Cheng suspected that Chu Feng’s boyfriend was someone sent by the first branch of the family to disgust their second branch.
Zhuang Cheng actually felt a little sorry for this brother he’d never met. He thought this second brother was pitiful and a bit dumb—easily falling into someone’s trap. Only he, Zhuang Cheng, had sharp eyes and could see through the eldest uncle’s scheme at a glance. He felt it was his duty to help his second brother “escape suffering.”
But… when he saw Illya, Zhuang Cheng suddenly thought Chu Feng had gotten a bargain. Even billionaires might not be able to find such a beautiful partner.
“Zhuang Cheng, you’re here too? Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”
Zhuang Cheng had just entered high school, and his coursework was demanding. He usually boarded part-time, so he didn’t see Zhuang Fei often.
Zhuang Cheng frowned and said, “I took time off.”
“Why would you take time off so casually? What if you fall behind?”
Zhuang Cheng frowned again. “I got first in my class last time. Taking a day off isn’t a big deal.”
Chu Feng thought: Is this little brother of his a straight-A student? He looks more like a slacker.
“First in class? You mean from the bottom?” Chu Feng blurted out.
Zhuang Cheng glared at him. “Who came last?!”
Chu Feng laughed awkwardly. “I was just saying.” Dressed like that, he totally looks like a slacker.
Zhuang Cheng gave a huff and held his head high, his entire posture saying, I won’t stoop to your level.
Chu Feng looked at Zhuang Cheng and thought: This kid really has a bad case of middle school syndrome…
“Feixue, this is your second brother?” The eldest aunt, Sun Yi, came down the stairs.
Zhuang Feixue nodded mildly. “Yes.”
“Your mom is unbelievable—doesn’t care about her real son, but treats her fake daughter like a treasure,” Sun Yi said, shaking her head with a hint of pity.
Zhuang Feixue glanced toward the door and saw her mother arriving with Zhuang Feilei.
Zhuang Feilei looked tense and a bit awkward. When he saw Chu Feng, he instinctively lowered his head.
Zhuang Feilei had already been to the Chu family, and to him, their home was simply too shabby. The Chu family’s overly flattering behavior had also made him very uncomfortable.
Thinking about how Chu Feng grew up in that kind of environment—and how it should’ve been him who grew up in the Chu family—Zhuang Feilei’s heart was in turmoil.
“Chu Feng, I’m very sorry.”
Chu Feng replied blandly, “It has nothing to do with you.”
At the time everything happened, Zhuang Feilei was just a baby. He had no say in anything. If Chu Feng guessed correctly, even if it hadn’t been him, someone else would have taken his place.
Zhuang Feilei bit his lip, not sure what to say. Chu Feng looked him over, feeling a bit curious.
Zhuang Feilei wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous, but had a delicate and refined charm. Chu Feng was curious—how had this person managed to attract so many powerful people?
Everyone had arrived and sat down to eat. The old man came downstairs.
Zhuang Feixue invited Chu Feng and Illya to sit beside her. Illya curiously looked around in all directions. Zhuang Ming looked at Illya’s informal manner and sneered sarcastically.
Su Manqing looked at Chu Feng with mixed feelings. She had been heartbroken when she first learned the children had been switched. But her adopted daughter had always been sweet and thoughtful. She didn’t want to hurt her feelings. After visiting the Chu family, Su Manqing felt sorry for Chu Feng, but also sighed over the years her son had wasted.
“Chu Feng, cousin—did I hear you used to deliver packages?” Zhuang Ming asked with a cold smile.
Chu Feng looked at him calmly. “Yes, I did.”
“Your job might be old-fashioned, but your partner is pretty trendy. You actually found a man.”
Chu Feng propped his chin on his hand and said, “When love comes, there’s no stopping it. But if there’s no love, you can’t force it either.”
Zhuang Ming’s face darkened. Zhuang Feixue smiled faintly—she had worried her brother might be at a disadvantage, but now it seemed her brother wasn’t easy to mess with.
The old man glanced at Chu Feng, frowned, and said, “Since you’re from the Chu family, you should come work at the Chu company.”
He had already gotten a general idea of Chu Feng’s background—used to be a courier, then apparently won the lottery or something, and then became a lazy, unemployed drifter with a boyfriend.
Chu Feng asked curiously, “What kind of position are you offering me?”
Zhuang Ming smiled. “You’ve got no experience, so of course you’d start at the bottom. Don’t tell me you think you should be a manager?”
Chu Feng shook his head. “Not at all. Can’t I just be a shareholder? Live off dividends and do nothing?”
Zhuang Ming felt disdain in her heart, thinking to herself: Chu Feng really has a high opinion of himself, actually asking for shares—what a greedy move.
If he wants shares, he better prove himself first.
Chu Feng shook his head and said, “Then I’m not interested anymore.”
Zhuang Ming glanced at the old man and thought: Second Uncle’s son is a total idiot! Sure enough, raising him outside has ruined him.
The old master looked at Chu Feng and said, “You’ll need a job eventually, right? What do you want to do?”
Chu Feng: “What I want to do… I haven’t decided yet.”
Illya thought for a moment and said, “Our store—when Boss Chu Feng was in Crescent Village, he ran his own shop. Being your own boss is great! No need to please anyone. What kind of shop do you want to open?” Zhuang Ming asked.
“A elixir shop,” Illya replied.
“What would you sell?” Zhuang Zhiming asked.
Illya thought for a moment and said, “Beauty Elixirs.”
Zhuang Zhiming sneered, “Beauty Elixirs? Sounds like an unlicensed product.”
Illya nodded and said, “Correct.”
Illya already knew what “three-no” products meant—no production date, no quality certification, no manufacturer. His elixirs had none of these. Illya sighed, thinking: Applying for approval numbers seems really troublesome.
Zhuang Zhiming looked at Illya and secretly thought: Is this guy an idiot?
