Are They Bai Yunsheng's Family?

Meng Shangzhi had indeed sent a car to pick them up, but it had only picked up Bai Yunsheng. Feng Yanshan and the others had driven themselves.

If the Feng Household stood in the middle tier of the pyramid, then the Meng Household stood at its very peak.

Bai Yunsheng had never expected that, in Kyoto where every inch of land was worth a fortune, someone would build a manor in the heart of a bustling commercial district.

After getting out of the car, Bai Yunsheng did not go in immediately. He waited a while for Feng Yanshan and the others.

The wind stirred by the black car as it pulled up swept flowers that had fallen to the ground at some unknown time into the air. One drifted unsteadily to Bai Yunsheng's feet. The car door opened, and Feng Tingfan was the first to step out, his expression terrible. As if sensing something, Bai Yunsheng and Feng Tingfan silently met each other's eyes for several seconds.

Bai Yunsheng was the first to look away. He leaned slightly forward and crushed the petals beneath his foot, leaving a broken trail of dark red juice before the door.

People got out of the car one after another, and the door slowly opened as well.

Meng Shangzhi wore light-colored loungewear, leaning lazily against the doorframe.

This was a Meng Shangzhi Bai Yunsheng had never seen before.

Casual and peaceful.

"You're here." Meng Shangzhi's tone was familiar, as though he had been waiting for a long time.

Bai Yunsheng obediently greeted him. "Mr. Meng."

Meng Shangzhi scrutinized Bai Yunsheng's face for several seconds before his gaze passed over Bai Yunsheng's head. Whatever he saw made the casual air around him vanish at once, and he even straightened up.

A smile piled onto Feng Yanshan's face as he stood beside Bai Yunsheng. "Chairman Meng."

Meng Shangzhi nodded.

Feng Zhiyou said, "Chairman Meng."

Meng Shangzhi ignored him.

Feng Tingfan and Jiang Li, standing behind Feng Zhiyou, also wanted to greet him, but Meng Shangzhi spoke first. "What are you doing here?"

Jiang Li's upturned lips stiffened, yet she had no choice but to force a smile. Feng Tingfan, behind her, could not hide his expression. A flicker of displeasure crossed his face, even diminishing some of its pallor.

Meng Shangzhi looked at Feng Yanshan. "Since when did these two become Bai Yunsheng's family?"

Meng Shangzhi's words instantly embarrassed everyone standing at the door, except Bai Yunsheng.

Standing at the front of the group, Bai Yunsheng naturally heard Meng Shangzhi's tone with perfect clarity. It was full of disgust and distance.

For no reason at all, a pool of sourness welled up in Bai Yunsheng's heart. At the slightest pressure, it would surge through his veins and spread to every limb. Bai Yunsheng closed his eyes briefly. When the sting in them faded, he looked at Meng Shangzhi with gratitude.

"Forget it. Come in, all of you." Meng Shangzhi raised a hand, motioning Bai Yunsheng inside, then walked to the dining room on his own.

Once Jiang Li saw Meng Shangzhi turn away, she could no longer maintain her proper smile. Her expression turned awful as she followed behind him. Seeing this, Feng Yanshan quietly snapped, "Who are you making that face at? Tell your son to watch his expression."

"Dad, didn't you see—"

Jiang Li immediately grabbed Feng Tingfan. Her lips twitched a few times before she struggled to force out a smile.

The family arrived in the dining room. The table was laden with dishes. Meng Shangzhi was already seated, while Bai Yunsheng stood to one side, staring blankly.

So many of the dishes were his favorites.

Some, Bai Yunsheng had mentioned before.

Others, Bai Yunsheng had never mentioned.

Bai Yunsheng's gaze traveled across the table before finally settling on a basket of shumai. It should not have been on Meng Shangzhi's table, yet there it was, standing apart like a crane among chickens, utterly out of place.

"Bai Yunsheng." Meng Shangzhi's voice pulled Bai Yunsheng back from his daze. "Sit beside me."

Bai Yunsheng's eyes widened slightly, then he obediently sat down next to Meng Shangzhi.

Only after Bai Yunsheng had taken his seat did Meng Shangzhi speak again. "Chairman Feng, make yourselves comfortable."

Lunch was somewhat quiet. Bai Yunsheng and Meng Shangzhi exchanged a few words now and then.

"Don't you like this?"

Too embarrassed to say it was too sweet, Bai Yunsheng shook his head. "It's not that I don't like it."

Meng Shangzhi put down his chopsticks. "Is it too sweet?"

The question came too suddenly. Bai Yunsheng paused for several seconds, and Meng Shangzhi quickly made a decision. "Have this dish remade. Use less sugar."

Seeing the servant waiting nearby come over to take the plate, Bai Yunsheng reached out to stop them and hurriedly said, "No, no, there's no need. It's too much trouble."

Meng Shangzhi lightly blocked Bai Yunsheng's stopping hand without touching it. "If you don't like it, remake it. It's no trouble." During that brief exchange, the servant had already carried the dish away.

Feng Yanshan took it all in, and he had already formed an understanding.

He had never expected that this son, whom he had always looked down on, would suddenly win Meng Shangzhi's favor.

Nor had he ever heard that Chairman Meng liked men.

Feng Yanshan seized the chance to say, "Thank you for preparing such a large spread for us today, Chairman Meng. Let me toast you."

Meng Shangzhi casually picked up his wineglass and raised it perfunctorily. "Chairman Feng, haven't you always wanted to work with me?"

As soon as those words fell, everyone at the table turned to look at Meng Shangzhi.

Feng Yanshan's brows relaxed, and his smile bloomed. "Yes."

Meng Shangzhi set down his glass. "All right."

Feng Yanshan was just about to say a few words to reassure Meng Shangzhi when Meng Shangzhi's tone shifted. "But... I have one condition."

"As long as I can work with Chairman Meng, let alone one condition, I can agree to ten."

"I have only one condition. Bai Yunsheng must be part of this partnership."

The hand holding Bai Yunsheng's chopsticks curled slightly, and even his eyelashes fluttered uncontrollably a few times. He looked up at Meng Shangzhi, then glanced around.

Everyone wore a different expression.

Feng Tingfan instinctively looked at Feng Yanshan, while Jiang Li instinctively looked at Bai Yunsheng.

Feng Zhiyou simply sat to the side without much expression.

Feng Yanshan paused for several seconds. His hand holding the wineglass moved, making the wine inside swirl once. "Yunsheng... Yunsheng is still too young. He doesn't have enough experience."

Meng Shangzhi raised a brow and leaned back in his chair. "Young? If I remember correctly, your eldest son, Feng Zhiyou, began helping manage the company as soon as he came of age."

"I'm afraid Chairman Meng will suffer losses." Feng Yanshan glanced at Bai Yunsheng after saying that.

Bai Yunsheng spoke up. "Mr. Meng, I've never—"

Meng Shangzhi leaned forward slightly, moving closer to Bai Yunsheng. "If it profits, the Feng Household keeps it. If it loses money, it's on me."

Bai Yunsheng did not know how to respond for a moment.

The air seemed to freeze until the dish that had been taken away was served again, breaking the stifling atmosphere.

Feng Yanshan broke the deadlock. "Yunsheng, why aren't you thanking Chairman Meng for this opportunity?"

Feigning panic, Bai Yunsheng stood up, drained the palate-cleansing fruit juice in his glass, and picked up the decanter beside him. "Thank you, Mr. Meng."

Meng Shangzhi pressed down on his hand holding the decanter, then quickly pulled away. He took the decanter and set it aside. "You don't like the smell of alcohol, so you don't need to drink."