The Illegitimate Son Is Feng Tingfan!

Time passed, second by second, as Feng Yanshan hesitated.

Meng Shangzhi lowered his head to check the time on his watch. "Chairman Feng, it's already very late."

Though it was plainly a simple remark, Feng Yanshan still heard the impatience in Meng Shangzhi's tone.

Feng Yanshan weighed his options again and again.

It did not matter if he lost the partnership, but Meng Shangzhi...

At last, Feng Yanshan spoke. "All right."

Jiang Li, standing nearby, lifted her head in disbelief. In her arms, Feng Tingfan struggled to open his two swollen eyes and said indistinctly, "Dad, n-no, I don't want this."

Making Bai Yunsheng's identity public would mean confirming that he himself was the illegitimate son!

Feng Yanshan said, "Shut up!"

Having gotten what he wanted, Bai Yunsheng could not be bothered to remain in that nauseating room.

"Father, it's already late. I'll see Mr. Meng out."

Feng Yanshan said, "It's so late. How about Chairman Meng—"

Meng Shangzhi cut him off. "No need. I'm not used to staying at other people's houses."

Feng Yanshan smiled. "Yunsheng, see Mr. Meng out."

Bai Yunsheng nodded.

The two left the room one after the other, passed through the long corridor, and went downstairs. It was not until they had walked out through the gates of the Feng Household that Meng Shangzhi stopped. He lowered his eyes to Bai Yunsheng's face. "This is far enough. It's already late. Go back and rest early."

But Bai Yunsheng did not stop. He took a few more steps forward, then walked down several more stairs. The night breeze carried the cloying sweetness unique to spring, tossing the hair over Bai Yunsheng's forehead into disarray. "I want to walk you a little farther, Brother."

Meng Shangzhi could not refuse any request Bai Yunsheng made.

The night was quiet, broken only occasionally by the chirping of unfamiliar insects. The two walked side by side, their arms brushing against each other from time to time.

Bai Yunsheng suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. "It seems like every time you see me, I'm always in a pretty sorry state."

The back of Meng Shangzhi's hand brushed against a patch of smooth skin. It should have been the back of Bai Yunsheng's hand, warm for just an instant. His body involuntarily slowed by half a beat, and even his answer came several seconds late. "No."

Bai Yunsheng smoothed back his windblown hair. "No?"

Meng Shangzhi halted and turned to look at Bai Yunsheng. Moonlight fell softly across Bai Yunsheng's face, draping him in a thin silver veil. "No. You don't look sorry. You always look good. As long as..."

Bai Yunsheng asked, "As long as what?"

"As long as you don't get hurt."

Bai Yunsheng's eyes curved, and specks of light spread through them. For a moment, Meng Shangzhi could not tell whether that light came from Bai Yunsheng's eyes, the lamps, or the moon.

"Then that's good." Bai Yunsheng said, "I hope I look good in front of you."

Meng Shangzhi hummed. After several seconds of silence, he suddenly said, "Shengsheng, I'll handle Gao Yan and the others." The shift in topic was somewhat abrupt, as though it had come to him on a whim, but Bai Yunsheng knew Meng Shangzhi must have thought about it for a long time.

Bai Yunsheng kept smiling, then nodded. "All right."

Feng Tingfan stayed home for three days. Only then did the injuries on his face look less horrifying. Originally, he had wanted to remain home until he had fully healed before returning to school, but Feng Yanshan forced him to go. Feng Yanshan attached particular importance to education. Perhaps because he had built his fortune from nothing, he had always believed knowledge could change one's fate.

Feng Tingfan got into the car unwillingly.

The moment he got out, Feng Tingfan felt countless people looking at him. Unlike before, when those gazes had been filled with envy and fear, there was something else in the crisscrossing stares this time.

He headed toward the school building, trying to ignore the uncomfortable attention. Just before reaching the building, he saw Yang Zhenyu, someone who wore a gold badge and had always been close to him.

"Zhenyu!" Feng Tingfan called out.

Yang Zhenyu turned around. Feng Tingfan did not notice the unfriendly look in Yang Zhenyu's eyes and walked over as usual. Just as he raised his hand to sling it over Yang Zhenyu's shoulder, Yang Zhenyu shoved it away.

Feng Tingfan's hand was slapped aside. The smile on his face vanished, and his tone turned unpleasant. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Does someone like you deserve to put an arm around my shoulders?"

Feng Tingfan froze, as if he had not understood.

Yang Zhenyu's voice was filled with disgust and distance. "So in the end, you're the illegitimate son."

"You actually had the nerve to pin the label of illegitimate son on Bai Yunsheng."

"An illegitimate son hogging someone else's place—how shameless can you get?"

"Feng Tingfan, you'll pay for using me!" Yang Zhenyu threw out that final sentence before striding away, leaving Feng Tingfan standing there with a lost expression.

Yang Zhenyu's mother had committed suicide because his father took a mistress, so Yang Zhenyu especially despised illegitimate children.

The reason he had stayed with Feng Tingfan was, first, because their family backgrounds were comparable, and second, because Feng Tingfan, like him, had an illegitimate younger brother.

Over the years, he had helped Feng Tingfan bully Bai Yunsheng plenty of times.

So when Yang Zhenyu learned the truth, aside from shock, he was furious. What a farce—he had ended up as the one helping an illegitimate son.

Feng Tingfan stood rigidly in place. At last, he understood what those looks from earlier had meant.

But wasn't this supposed to be made public this Saturday?

How did so many people find out overnight?

Had Bai Yunsheng spread the news ahead of time?

At the thought of Bai Yunsheng, Feng Tingfan's eyes filled with hatred.

Bai Yunsheng.

Bai Yunsheng.

Bai Yunsheng again!

Feng Tingfan clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms and bringing a trace of pain. That cleared his head somewhat. He composed himself and made his way to the classroom without changing his expression.

The moment he entered, strange looks came from all around him, and whispers rose and fell. He forced down the anger and humiliation in his heart, walked to his seat, and sat down. Throughout the entire morning study session, Feng Tingfan felt as though he were sitting on pins and needles. Even after the bell rang, some of those stares still clung to him.

He took a deep breath and stood up. He planned to find Bai Yunsheng and demand an explanation. Though sooner or later many people would learn about this, he still felt Bai Yunsheng should not have revealed it so early.

He had not prepared himself at all.

Before Feng Tingfan could even leave the classroom, a crowd of people surrounded him.

Feng Tingfan looked at them. They were nothing more than a group of students wearing silver badges, so he said impatiently, "Move."

"Why are you so fierce? Illegitimate son." One student laughed. After speaking, he looked over the injuries on Feng Tingfan's face. "Don't tell me your dad gave you those injuries."

Feng Tingfan's eyes widened in rage. "Do you have a death wish? How dare you talk to me like that?"

Another student mocked, "I heard before that you were the illegitimate son. I thought Bai Yunsheng was making it up, but it turns out it's true. You really are shameless—hogging someone else's father, hogging someone else's place, and even pinning the illegitimate-son label on Bai Yunsheng."

How could Feng Tingfan endure such mockery? Just as he was about to make a move, he saw the crowd part.

Yang Zhenyu slowly appeared before Feng Tingfan. With a crooked smile, he said cheerfully, "Feng Tingfan, you know the thing I find most disgusting and hate most in this life is illegitimate children."

"Being used by an illegitimate son really pisses me off."

"I told you, I won't let you have it easy."