New Family Members Join

Fu Yanzhi had just stepped outside when he saw Zheng Long squatting by the entrance, watching the show. As soon as Zheng Long saw him come out, he jumped to his feet.

Fu Yanzhi glanced at Zheng Long and asked, "Why are you still here?"

Zheng Long stammered, "Master Fu, you're the boss of the Black Dragon Way now. From now on, I'll follow you."

Fu Yanzhi smiled. "You want to follow me? Aren't you afraid that one day I'll be in a bad mood and accidentally kill you?"

Trembling, Zheng Long said, "I believe you wouldn't kill me, Master Fu. I'm still very useful."

Fu Yanzhi found it funny to see Zheng Long trembling as he spoke. "All right, I won't tease you anymore. Your skills seem pretty good, so stay by my side from now on. But let's be clear: if you betray me, I'll make sure you're smashed to pieces."

Zheng Long nodded hastily. "Master Fu, don't worry. I'll do a good job!"

Fu Yanzhi patted Zheng Long on the shoulder. "All right, come home with me. From now on, I'll call you Brother Long, and you can just call me boss."

Fu Yanzhi and Zheng Long soon returned to the villa. As soon as they entered, Fu Yanzhi saw Kong Fanxing sneaking around behind the sofa. He quietly walked over, then leaned close to Xingxing's ear and asked, "What are you doing, Xingxing?"

The sudden voice by his ear gave Kong Fanxing a fright. He recoiled and nearly fell off the sofa, but luckily, Fu Yanzhi caught him by his clothes.

After Fu Yanzhi put him back on the sofa, Kong Fanxing said angrily, "Big brother, you're so annoying, scaring me like that! I'm mad at you."

Fu Yanzhi sat on the sofa and pulled Kong Fanxing into his arms. Smiling, he said, "Is Little Xingxing mad at big brother? Then how about big brother apologizes? I'll treat you to ice cream in a little while. How's that?"

At the mention of ice cream, Kong Fanxing immediately threw his arms around Fu Yanzhi's neck and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, big brother! You're the best," he said with a smile. "Second brother never lets Huanhuan and me eat it at home."

Fu Yanzhi said, "All right, big brother gets to decide today. You can all have ice cream. Now tell me, what were you sneaking around on the sofa for just now?"

Kong Fanxing leaned close to Fu Yanzhi's ear and whispered, "I was hiding snacks. Big brother, you mustn't tell second brother. It's our secret."

Fu Yanzhi laughed. "Is second brother that strict with you now? He won't even let you have snacks?"

Kong Fanxing nodded. "That's right! Second brother is really strict. I secretly saved up all these snacks. I've only told you and my brother."

Fu Yanzhi wanted to tease Kong Fanxing some more, but just then, Zheng Long stepped forward and asked a little awkwardly, "Boss, what should I do now?"

Fu Yanzhi thought for a moment. "There's a guest room on the first floor. You can stay there from now on. Go get settled in first. Tell me if you need anything, and I'll buy it this afternoon."

Zheng Long nodded and went to put his things away.

Kong Fanxing suddenly remembered something. He jumped off the sofa and ran to the bedroom, emerging shortly afterward with a fluffy stuffed toy in his arms. "Big brother, this is Huanhuan's favorite teddy bear. He treasures it!"

As he was speaking, the door suddenly swung open, and Li Huanhuan came out in a huff. "Xingxing, you took my teddy bear again!"

Fu Yanzhi watched the scene with a smile and pulled Li Huanhuan over beside him. "What were you doing just now, Huanhuan?"

Seeing that big brother was home, Fu Yanhuan smiled and said, "I was playing with toys in the bedroom when Xingxing snuck in and stole my teddy bear, so I came out to find him."

Fu Yanzhi stroked Li Huanhuan's head. "Xingxing wanted to show big brother your precious teddy bear. Don't be mad at him, okay?"

Li Huanhuan hesitated, then nodded.

Kong Fanxing immediately handed the bear over. "Huanhuan, here you go. I'm sorry. Let's go play together."

Li Huanhuan took Kong Fanxing's hand, and the two little ones happily huddled together again, playing with the teddy bear on the sofa.

Just then, Zheng Long came out of the guest room. "Boss, I'm all settled in."

Fu Yanzhi nodded. "Brother Long, go to the mall and buy whatever you need. On your way back, get the kids some snacks and ice cream too."

Zheng Long agreed. Fu Yanzhi transferred thirty thousand yuan to him and said, "Use this for now. If you run out, ask me for more."

Zheng Long stared in a daze at the thirty thousand yuan that had suddenly appeared on his phone. "Boss, aren't you afraid I'll run off with the money? You trust me that much?"

Fu Yanzhi smiled. "How does that saying go? Don't doubt the people you employ, and don't employ the people you doubt. Go on, and come back early."

After Zheng Long left, Fu Yanzhi continued playing with Kong Fanxing and Li Huanhuan.

While they were having fun, Bo Qing came downstairs. His eyes lit up when he saw Fu Yanzhi. "Big brother, you're back! Is everything taken care of?"

Fu Yanzhi smiled and beckoned him over. "Yes, it's all taken care of. Come sit down, second brother."

Bo Qing sat down beside them and looked at the two little ones. "Big brother, don't spoil them too much. Too many snacks aren't good for their health."

Fu Yanzhi smiled. "It's fine once in a while. They're children; they should be happy."

"All right, let them indulge themselves today," Bo Qing said.

Li Huanhuan and Kong Fanxing cheered, "Second brother is the best!"

Fu Yanzhi then told Bo Qing about the Black Dragon Way and said that Zheng Long would be staying at the house to protect them from now on.

After hearing what had happened, Bo Qing marveled at how formidable his big brother was. Of course, Fu Yanzhi didn't tell him that he had killed Wang Chen, only that he was now the boss of the Black Dragon Way.

"Where are third brother, Xiaoxiao, and Yueyue? What are they doing?" Fu Yanzhi suddenly asked.

Bo Qing replied, "Third brother and Xiaoxiao are probably playing games upstairs. Yueyue was studying upstairs with me just now. I came down to see what Huanhuan and Xingxing were doing."

Fu Yanzhi nodded. "Have you eaten? Do you want to go out to eat with big brother today, or have me cook?"

Kong Fanxing and Li Huanhuan said in unison, "We want big brother's cooking! It's the most delicious food in the world!"

"Let's go out to eat," Bo Qing said. "Big brother hasn't rested since he got back, and he's been looking after you little gluttons too."

Kong Fanxing and Li Huanhuan nodded. "Okay, let's let big brother have a good rest today."

Fu Yanzhi smiled. "There's no need. Since Huanhuan and Xingxing want my cooking, we'll eat at home today."

Hearing that, Li Huanhuan and Kong Fanxing each happily planted a kiss on Fu Yanzhi's cheek. "Big brother is the best!"

Bo Qing smiled beside them. "Big brother, just keep spoiling them."

"My little brothers are meant to be spoiled," Fu Yanzhi said.

Bo Qing stood up. "I'll go upstairs and call third brother and the others down. Let's all go to the supermarket to buy groceries in a little while."

Fu Yanzhi nodded. Before long, Bo Qing came downstairs carrying Kong Fanyue, with Wen Shiming and Feng Yunxiao walking behind them.

Fu Yanzhi looked at everyone and smiled. "All right, let's go to the supermarket and buy ingredients together. I'll show everyone what I can do tonight."

The whole group headed out in high spirits. At the supermarket, the children darted excitedly between the shelves like little ponies freed from their reins.

Kong Fanxing and Li Huanhuan pulled Fu Yanzhi straight to the snack aisle, while Wen Shiming and Feng Yunxiao picked out fresh meat and seafood in the fresh-food section.

Bo Qing pushed the shopping cart, taking his time choosing vegetables with Kong Fanyue.

Suddenly, a tall man accidentally bumped into Bo Qing, nearly overturning the cart. Fu Yanzhi reacted quickly and caught it, his face darkening instantly.

Not only did the man fail to apologize, he shot them an impatient glare. Fu Yanzhi was about to lose his temper when Bo Qing grabbed his arm and said softly, "Big brother, let it go. Let's hurry up and finish shopping so we can go home."

But the man wouldn't let it go. He muttered, "Watch where you're going." That completely enraged Fu Yanzhi. He stepped forward and stared at the man coldly. "Apologize."

The man shuddered under Fu Yanzhi's imposing presence, but still spoke defiantly. "Why should I? You're just a kid, and you dare try to scare me?"

Just as the tension was drawn taut like a bowstring, Zheng Long appeared from who knew where. He stood behind Fu Yanzhi, glaring fiercely at the man.

At the sight of him, the man immediately lost his nerve. He hurriedly apologized and slunk away.

Fu Yanzhi turned around and saw Zheng Long's face. "Am I not scarier than you? Why is everyone afraid of you but not me?" he asked helplessly.

Zheng Long laughed. "Maybe it's because you're still young, boss. You look a little cute." Realizing he'd said the wrong thing, Zheng Long instinctively covered his mouth.

Fu Yanzhi smiled. "All right. Brother Long, how did you know we were at the supermarket?"

Zheng Long scratched his head and grinned. "When I was on my way back, I happened to see you bringing your little brothers into the supermarket, boss, so I followed you in. I'd just come in when I saw that dumbass dare to provoke you."

Fu Yanzhi patted Zheng Long's shoulder. "Good. Nice work. You deserve praise."

Just then, Kong Fanxing ran over and took Fu Yanzhi's hand. "Big brother, let's keep picking out snacks."

Fu Yanzhi nodded with a smile and continued shopping with the children.

Once they had finished shopping, the group returned home. Fu Yanzhi tied on an apron and went into the kitchen to show off his skills. Before long, the table was laden with delicious dishes. Everyone sat around it together.

Fu Yanzhi stood up and raised his glass. "Today, our family welcomed two new members. The first is Xiaoxiao, whom we all know, and the other is the man sitting beside me. His name is Zheng Long, and he's part of our family from now on too. You can call him Brother Long."

Everyone glanced at Zheng Long and said in unison, "Hello, Brother Long!"

Zheng Long was deeply moved. He had thought Fu Yanzhi would use and extort him like Wang Chen, but instead, Fu Yanzhi treated him like family. It had been a long time since he had felt the warmth of a home.

Fu Yanzhi also introduced his little brothers to Zheng Long. Once Zheng Long had met each of them, the children began to eat. Watching every one of his little brothers devour the food made Fu Yanzhi very happy.

After the meal, the children played in the living room while Fu Yanzhi and Bo Qing sat chatting nearby. Just then, Fu Yanzhi's phone rang. He saw that it was Qiao Shuyan and answered.

The moment the call connected, Qiao Shuyan's voice came through the phone. "Xiaozhi, little brother, are you at home?"

"I'm home. What is it, Sister Yan?" Fu Yanzhi asked.

Qiao Shuyan said, "It just so happens you're home today. I'll come pick you up in a little while, and we'll go to the Fu Family banquet together."

Fu Yanzhi was a little surprised that Sister Yan had suddenly asked him to attend the Fu Family banquet. Puzzled, he asked, "Sister Yan, I just had a conflict with the Fu Family yesterday. Wouldn't it be a bit inappropriate to take me there today?"

Qiao Shuyan laughed. "Don't worry, Xiaozhi. I thought it through last night. You're one of my Qiao Family, and we should let outsiders see that not just anyone can bully you. You have the Qiao Family backing you."

A warm current welled up in Fu Yanzhi's heart as he listened to Qiao Shuyan. With the Qiao Family behind him, he did feel more assured. "All right, Sister Yan. I'll wait for you at home."

After hanging up, Fu Yanzhi told Bo Qing that he was going to the Fu Family banquet.

Bo Qing frowned. "Big brother, be careful. The Fu Family definitely doesn't have good intentions."

Fu Yanzhi patted Bo Qing's shoulder. "Don't worry. With Sister Yan there, they won't dare do anything to me. Besides, don't you trust my skills?"

Bo Qing nodded. "It's still better to be careful, big brother. If things look bad, come straight home."

Fu Yanzhi smiled. "Don't worry, second brother."

Wen Shiming walked over just then and said, "Big brother, take me with you. If the Fu Family makes a move against you, I can help."

Fu Yanzhi patted Wen Shiming lightly on the shoulder. "Stay home and protect your little brothers. Don't you trust my skills?"

Wen Shiming wanted to say something else, but just then, Kong Fanxing ran over and tugged at the hem of Fu Yanzhi's shirt. In his babyish voice, he said, "Big brother, I want to go too. I want to protect you."

Fu Yanzhi stroked his head and smiled. "Be good, Xingxing. Stay home and play with your brothers. I'll be back soon."

Kong Fanxing was a little disappointed, but he obediently nodded.

Before long, Qiao Shuyan's car arrived. After Fu Yanzhi said goodbye to his family,

After he got in the car, Qiao Shuyan looked at him and said gently, "Xiaozhi, don't worry. Sister Yan will protect you." Fu Yanzhi nodded gratefully.

Soon, they arrived at the Fu Family's place. As they had just stepped into the banquet hall and the light of the crystal chandeliers poured down, Qiao Shuyan entered the hall with her arm linked through Fu Yanzhi's, and the music that had been flowing seemed to pause for half a second.

First, a few scattered gazes broke away from the champagne tower, the dining tables, and the chatting crowds. As if drawn by invisible threads, they landed on the two of them.

Someone's fingers paused on a wineglass, and someone else fell silent instinctively. Even the perfume drifting through the air seemed to slow a little. Soon, those scattered gazes gathered into a sea of looks—some probing, some curious, and some carrying a barely perceptible hint of awe. One by one, they fell on the skirt of Qiao Shuyan's well-tailored gown, then on the upright line of Fu Yanzhi's shoulders and his serene profile at her side.

Qiao Shuyan's fingertips pressed lightly against Fu Yanzhi's forearm, a perfectly measured smile on her lips. Without breaking stride, she walked through the enveloping gazes with a quiet composure.