Chapter 76: An Unexpected Run-in with His Cousin
“Chu Feng.”
While Chu Feng was at the counter settling the bill, he suddenly heard someone call his name from behind. He turned and frowned slightly, thinking: What kind of luck is this? Last time I went shopping, I ran into my ex-boss. Now I’m bumping into my cousin.
Lin Yuan was the daughter of his eldest aunt, Zhao Hong. Zhao Hong had a sharp tongue and a high opinion of herself, and Lin Yuan resembled her in some ways.
Lin Yuan had graduated from a prestigious university and wasn’t exactly young anymore. Chu Feng thought: That aunt of mine loves playing matchmaker so much—why hasn’t she found someone for her own daughter? Lin Yuan’s not a bad catch, just has high standards and dreams of marrying a rich second-generation heir.
She had already broken up with five or six boyfriends but didn’t seem anxious at all.
“Cousin, shopping too?” Chu Feng said with a polite smile.
He didn’t really like Lin Yuan, and Lin Yuan didn’t think much of her “poor cousin” Chu Feng either.
Lin Yuan nodded. “Yeah.”
Illya glanced disinterestedly at Lin Yuan. With his ability, he could sense emotions clearly. He could tell Chu Feng didn’t like this woman, and she didn’t respect Chu Feng much either. While Chu Feng was chatting, Illya snatched the shopping bag from his hand and inspected the clothes.
Lin Yuan frowned slightly at the gesture. “Out shopping with someone?” she asked.
Chu Feng nodded. “Yep.”
Lin Yuan introduced her friend. “This is my friend, Zhou Lingling.”
Chu Feng nodded politely. After the introductions, Illya suddenly raised his head and stared sharply at Zhou Lingling.
Chu Feng was startled by Illya’s sudden tension and found it odd.
Lin Yuan looked at Illya and asked, “Is that your friend, cousin?”
Chu Feng nodded. “Yes. Cousin, you two enjoy shopping—we’ll head off.”
He walked over and pulled Illya away. Lin Yuan watched them go, looking like she had something to say but held back.
As Chu Feng led Illya away, Illya kept glancing back at Lin Yuan and Zhou Lingling. Chu Feng noticed and felt a bit uncomfortable—why was he staring so much?
Then Illya looked at Chu Feng and said, “That was the person, right?”
Chu Feng blinked. “Who?”
“Zhou Lingling. The one someone called about yesterday—asking you to go on a blind date with her.”
Chu Feng froze for a second, then suddenly remembered—No wonder that name sounded familiar. His attention had been on Illya and Lin Yuan and he hadn’t recognized her at first. Thinking back, he had rejected the blind date, and now he’d bumped into her in person. No wonder her expression had been so strange.
Illya looked at Chu Feng. “What’s wrong?”
Chu Feng smiled. “Nothing. I promised you I wouldn’t go on that blind date, and I won’t.”
Illya smiled and nodded.
*
“Was that the cousin of yours who hit the jackpot?” Zhou Lingling asked.
Lin Yuan nodded. “Yeah.”
Zhou Lingling and Lin Yuan were colleagues. Lin Yuan’s mom had tried setting her up with Chu Feng, but Zhou Lingling hadn’t really been interested.
Sure, Chu Feng had won 3 million yuan, but he used to be a delivery guy—a sudden rich man with only a high school diploma.
He seemed a bit too full of himself after winning, and while 3 million sounded like a lot, in today’s world, easy-come money could disappear just as fast. If he didn’t know how to manage it, he’d burn through it in no time.
Still, seeing Chu Feng earlier had made Zhou Lingling feel a bit tempted.
When was a man most attractive? When he was spending freely.
Chu Feng had always been decent-looking, but his former job had him sunburnt and poorly dressed. Now, he looked much more striking.
Recently, Chu Feng’s physique had been steadily changing, and his appearance had improved significantly—he had become much more handsome.
Zhou Lingling, on the other hand, had gone on several blind dates recently, but the men were either too short or too fat—none could compare to Chu Feng.
At the counter, Lin Yuan approached two sales assistants and asked, “How much did my cousin just spend on clothes?”
The two salesgirls exchanged glances and said, “That’s private customer information.”
Lin Yuan said coldly, “Get this straight—I’m his cousin. My mother is his elder. I can’t just sit by and watch him waste money.”
Left with no choice, one of them said, “He spent over 80,000 yuan on clothes just now.”
“Eighty thousand?!” Lin Yuan’s eyes widened in disbelief.
She’d recently splurged on a 20,000 yuan handbag and thought that was already extravagant. Compared to Chu Feng, though, she now seemed frugal.
From the bags Illya was carrying earlier, Lin Yuan already suspected Chu Feng had spent a lot—but 80,000 yuan was more than she’d expected. Zhou Lingling, listening nearby, had a complicated expression. It felt like she had just missed out on a potential millionaire.
“Let’s go,” Lin Yuan said.
Zhou Lingling nodded. “Alright.”
Lin Yuan shook her head. “Chu Feng’s really letting that lottery win go to his head. Spending money like this—three million won’t last him long.”
Zhou Lingling agreed. “Yeah.” She was thinking the same—at this rate, three million would be gone in no time.
“You sure your cousin knows how to burn money,” Zhou Lingling said. But deep down, she thought, If only he were spending that money on me.
Lin Yuan frowned. She’d already heard about Chu Feng’s impulsive shopping habits and thought he’d toned it down—clearly, she was wrong.
She muttered, “I don’t know what he’s thinking. That money would be better spent on a decent car.”
——
Illya walked beside Chu Feng, glancing at him in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
Chu Feng frowned slightly. “Nothing.”
Illya shook his head. “There must be something. You don’t seem happy.”
Chu Feng smiled. “It’s fine.”
He had just run into his cousin and the blind date his aunt had tried to set him up with. No doubt his aunt would cause a fuss again soon. But whatever came, he’d deal with it. He took out his phone and added her number to his block list.
Illya asked curiously, “What are you doing?”
Chu Feng chuckled. “Nothing—just taking precautions.”
Illya looked up at the sky. “Is it going to rain?”
Chu Feng: “…”
——
Back at home, Lin Zhihao was greeted by his mother.
“What’s going on, Mom?”
“Your aunt is here.”
Zhihao frowned. “Again?”
A few days ago, Zhihao had told his grandfather Lin Shumin about Chu Feng’s lottery win. The old man was thrilled but wanted to keep it a secret. Still, it was a hard secret to keep, and when Chu Feng’s aunt started criticizing him, Grandpa let the three-million windfall slip out.
Afterward, Grandpa regretted it, sighing that he couldn’t keep things to himself. Surprisingly, this time the aunt hadn’t made a scene—at least not yet.
Zhihao figured with her personality, the secret wouldn’t stay safe for long.
“Your aunt said your cousin’s been bewitched by some seductress and just spent over 80,000 on clothes for her.”
Zhihao responded with a calm “Oh.”
His mother, Shen Yuying, rolled her eyes. “What do you mean ‘oh’? That’s 80,000 yuan!”
Zhihao thought to himself: Big cousin makes millions from his wood carving business. 80,000 is nothing.
“Mom, Aunt always exaggerates.”
Shen Yuying frowned. “She didn’t seem like she was lying. She’s in the other room.”
Zhihao went inside and saw Aunt Zhao Hong.
“Zhihao, do you know where Chu Feng is?”
Zhihao shook his head. “He’s been really busy lately.”
Zhao Hong frowned. “Didn’t you go with him to buy that apartment?”
Zhihao: “…”
Actually, I bought that place for him.
“The place isn’t even ready yet—he’s not living there.”
He thought: Big cousin prefers villas. He doesn’t even care about that apartment.
“That brat’s been getting out of hand since winning the lottery. I found a good girl for him, but he’d rather waste his money on some vixen.”
Zhihao puffed his cheeks. “Everyone has their own tastes. If he doesn’t like the girl you picked, there’s not much you can do.”
He thought Chu Feng’s decisions might seem erratic, but he trusted his cousin.
Zhao Hong sneered. “Zhihao, you’re not stuttering anymore. You’ve really learned to talk back.”
“Come on, Aunt, don’t be so anxious. Cousin’s now a hot commodity. Relationships are about mutual feelings—you can’t force it.”
Zhihao mused: He has a car, a house, and no living parents to interfere—he’s a dream catch. If people knew about his multi-million net worth, every matchmaker in town would be knocking down the door.
Zhao Hong scowled. “Fine. I’m done meddling. Let’s see what happens when he burns through all that money.”
Zhihao shrugged. “Three million doesn’t disappear that easily.”
“Fine! You don’t appreciate someone trying to help! I’m done!”
Furious, Zhao Hong stormed off.
Shen Yuying glared at Zhihao. “Did you really have to make her that mad?”
Lin Zhihao spread his hands and said, “I was just telling the truth! Who knew she’d be so touchy about it?”
Shen Yuying shook her head and thought to herself: Her son really had changed a lot. In the past, he would never have spoken like that.
Truthfully, Shen Yuying didn’t like Zhao Hong much either. Seeing her storm off in anger actually made her feel secretly satisfied.
Previously, Zhao Hong had frequently demanded favors from them while trying to set her son up with someone. Later, when he broke up with the girl, Zhao Hong criticized him relentlessly.
“She may be harsh, but your cousin really is spending too much. It’s easy to spend money—earning it is the hard part,” Shen Yuying said.
Lin Zhihao shook his head. “That’s not entirely true. Only people who know how to spend money, know how to earn it.”
Shen Yuying rolled her eyes. “Where’d you get that nonsense from?”
Lin Zhihao secretly thought: If people knew cousin Chu Feng’s true net worth, it would scare them to death.
