Lin Danyang was shocked at Cheng Feng’s appearance when he saw him.

Sitting on the floor and leaning against the edge of the bed, Cheng Feng was surrounded by bottles of wine. The room was filled with a disgustingly strong stench of alcohol.

Lin Danyang couldn’t help but pity this man in front of him. He was so obsessed with Lin Wan, which was something Lin Danyang had never expected.

“Brother Cheng Feng. Brother Cheng Feng!” Lin Danyang called out softly.

Cheng Feng didn’t respond after Danyang called him a few times. So Cheng Tian walked over to him and leaned down to speak to him, “Young Master, Master Danyang is here to see you!”

Lin Danyang waved his hand at Cheng Tian and instructed him, “Give us some privacy. I'll talk to him for a while.”

Cheng Tian responded and waved his hand. With that, several attendants at the door swarmed in and cleaned up the room by picking up the wine bottles. Cheng Tian was the last to leave as he closed the door gently.

Lin Danyang came to Cheng Feng's side and shook him by the shoulder a few times.

“Brother Cheng Feng! It's me! Lin Danyang!”

Cheng Feng raised his head drowsily and took a long time to focus his gaze on Lin Danyang. Looking at him, he smiled, “So it's you! Come on! Have a few drinks with me!”

After saying that, he started to look around for wine.

Lin Danyang pulled him back and scolded in a low voice, “You wimp! How would you be able to marry my sister if you are always that ridiculous? Do you know what you’re doing right now will only make her despise you more instead of pitying you?”

Looking at him, Cheng Feng's eyes suddenly welled up with tears as he choked up and said, “I…”

Lin Danyang pulled him up from the floor and let him sit on the bed.

“Brother Cheng Feng, my sister has been divorced. For you, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Why are you giving up on yourself instead?”

“Dantong isn’t giving me a chance at all. She’s avoiding me and wouldn't see me at all.” Cheng Feng whimpered.

“You fool!” Lin Danyang looked down on Cheng Feng. If it wasn't because he needed this fool in his plans, he wouldn't bother to talk to him at all.

“Brother Cheng Feng, you should earn your own opportunities. Tell me, what opportunities would you have if you continue acting like this? You won’t gain anything except being looked down upon and despised by others.”

Cheng Feng regained some composure and said aggrievedly, “I’ve tried. I've been fighting for it all this while. But it was to no avail. And I don't know what to do now.”

“Do you know why it was to no avail? It’s because you are doing it the wrong way! All you have ever thought of was wishing that my sister would come back to you. But have you ever thought that the more you push her, the more she’d hate you? Sometimes, if you take one step back, it might bring you unexpected results instead.”

Puzzled, Cheng Feng looked up at him and asked, “How should I take one step back?”

Lin Danyang walked to the door and opened the door slightly. He looked out for a moment before he closed the door and walked back, “Let me ask you a question first. Why isn’t she accepting you?”

“It’s all because of Li Mu! She still loves her ex-husband and is hell-bent on getting back together with him! There's no way for Dantong to accept me as long as he's still alive!”

Lin Danyang sneered and said in a low voice, “But what if he’s dead?”

Cheng Feng froze for a moment and the drowsiness caused by the alcohol disappeared in a trace. He stared intently at Lin Danyang.

Lin Danyang patted him on the shoulder and went on, “You heard me right. That's what I said. If Li Mu is dead, won't you have a chance?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“What am I trying to say? It’s very simple actually. How can my sister marry such an unworthy and poor boy? What Dantong did was simply a disgrace to the Lin Family. I might as well tell you that everyone in the Lin Family doesn't want them to get back together.”

“Are you all trying to get rid of him?”

“Yes. But we’re not in the best position to do it. Brother Feng, the Lin Family has been considering taking you as a son-in-law. If you’re still keen on marrying my sister, isn't it time for you to show us your resolution?”

“Me?”

“That's right. You. If you refuse to make a move, it’ll be too late for you when my sister finds Li Mu. They will probably reunite. And he will become the head of the Lin Family instead. You will never stand a chance ever again.”

Cheng Feng couldn’t help but think about it. Although he knew Li Mu, the two of them were not friends. He wouldn’t feel bad for killing him. “But would Lin Wan really come back to me because of this? What if she finds out the truth? We’ll become enemies instead then!” Cheng Feng thought.

Lin Danyang seemed to have read his mind and continued to prompt him, “Brother Cheng Feng, I'm not asking you to do it yourself. If you really want to kill someone, do you think you would have to do it yourself? You’re the Young Master of the Cheng Family! As long as it’s done as secretive as possible, who will know the real cause of his death? I don’t think I need to guide you on such trivial matters!”

Cheng Feng nodded and said slowly, “It's not hard for me to kill him. But would Dantong really accept me after that?”

“Brother Cheng Feng! Why are you so foolish? My sister is already pregnant. She can never give birth to a posthumous child! This involves the dignity of the Lin Family hence it is not up to her to decide. If she wants to give birth to the child, she must get married to a man before the child is born. Isn’t this your time to shine?”

Cheng Feng's eyes lit up as he no longer looked disheveled. Judging by his expressions, he was obviously starting to get convinced by Lin Danyang’s words.

Lin Danyang seized the chance and went on, “You wouldn't mind the baby, would you? If you do, then forget what I just said.”

“No!” Cheng Feng said firmly, “I swear that I’ll treat that child well and take him as my own child! Anything is acceptable as long as Dantong accepts me.”

“Great!” Lin Danyang exclaimed, “In that case, you shouldn’t hesitate anymore! Get that annoying obstacle out of the way. And my sister will be yours.”

Cheng Feng bid farewell to his mother that very day with the excuse being that he was going on a trip to relax and didn't want to get involved with Lin Wan anymore. Lin Danyang volunteered that he could go along with him.

Seeing that her son was in good spirits, Mrs. Cheng thought that he had heeded his friend's advice and was no longer obsessed with Lin Wan. She also thought that with Lin Danyang tagging along, her son would be in safe hands. Hence, she happily agreed to it.

...

In the Shen Village, Shen Xingyue woke up from her sleep. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was her Third Grandaunt smiling kindly at her.

“Third Grandaunt!” Shen Xingyue called out subconsciously.

“Nonsense! I am your mother! Don't ever call me Third Grandaunt again!” Third Grandaunt pretended to be angry.

“Mother!” Shen Xingyue called out sweetly.

Third Grandaunt smiled brightly as she responded and helped Shen Xingyue sit up. “Yueni, you’re such a good girl! I'll protect you from now on. I’ll make sure you live a long life!”

“Mother, have I recovered?” Shen Xingyue asked skeptically.

“Of course! I know you're still worried. Don't worry. We'll go to the hospital later to have another checkup. By then you will know that I’m not lying at all!” Third Grandaunt said confidently.

Shen Xingyue shook her head and said, “Mother, I trust you. There is no need to go for a checkup!”

Third Grandaunt was overjoyed at how sensible Shen Xingyue was. But she knew very well that Shen Xingyue was just trying to make her happy. Shen Xingyue would still be worried if she didn't go for a checkup.

Hence, she called out, “Second Brother, are we ready to leave?”

Senior Village Chief walked in and said with a smile on his face, “I’ve been waiting for a long time now. All that’s left was for Yueni to wake up. Third Sister, shall we go now?”

“Let’s go. Yueni has slept for so long now. It's time for her to get out of the house. Let's go to the hospital now. We have lots of important things to do after the tests.”

Shen Xingyue shifted her gaze outside and asked shyly, “Mother, where is my husband?”

Third Grandaunt froze as she hurriedly coughed to disguise herself. Calmly, she said, “He went to the mountains to play with Zixing and Ming’er and won’t be back until two days later. Let’s not wait for them and go to the hospital first. They will be back when we return.”

Shen Xingyue did not doubt her words and got into the car with Third Grandaunt’s help. A dozen Land Rovers formed a convoy and sped off towards town.

Did the Shen Family have a car? The answer was yes. They always had a car. It was just that they were all in the city. The clan who lived in the ancestral land preferred a simple and quiet life, which was why they rarely used such modern appliances and equipment.

They led a simple and quiet life until Li Mu taught them a lesson, which caused the Shen Family to learn that they had to keep up with time. If they had had a few cars in the village with them, Li Mu wouldn’t have escaped so easily.

They weren’t confident with the county hospital. Hence they headed straight to the hospital in the provincial capital. The test results soon came out. Shen Xingyue who fared normal in all tests was as healthy as she could possibly be.

Shen Xingyue cried tears of joy and hugged her Third Grandaunt while jumping and screaming happily after getting the results. All the other members of the Shen Family were also in tears and overwhelmed with joy.

Shen Xingyue insisted to go back to the village that instance, as she wanted to see Li Mu as soon as possible. She wanted to tell her fiance the good news so they could be happy about it together.

Not daring to tell her the truth, they accompanied her back to the Shen Village.

Actually, Shen Xingyue was starting to get suspicious too. Li Mu's mobile phone was always out of service, which in turn increased her suspicions.

But then she remembered that there were no power sources in the mountains and that Li Mu's mobile phone might have switched off after running out of battery. So she reassured herself and dismissed her suspicions.

After returning to the village and realizing that Li Mu was still out of sight, Shen Xingyue finally could not sit still and wanted to look for Li Mu in the mountains. At this point, they could not lie to her anymore.

Third Grandaunt had no choice but to tell her the truth: “Daughter, I'm sorry I couldn't keep an eye on Li Mu for you. He ran away!”

Ran away? Shen Xingyue was confused. “What did she mean by that? Why did he run away? Who wanted to harm him? Has Lin Wan found him?” She thought.

“Mother, what happened? Why did he run away?” Shen Xingyue asked eagerly.

“We're not sure either. he ran away all of a sudden! He also set fire to the village and stole your Fourth Uncle's motorbike. Oh, he also took two of your sisters along with him!”