Chapter 83: I Have Parents Now

On the other end of the phone, Qin Zhigang grew increasingly panicked in the suffocating silence, his sweat nearly soaking through his shirt collar. He forced himself to continue, his voice even more humble, tinged with a faint sob:

"Little Feng… it's Dad's fault… Back then, I was foolish. I'm sorry to you, and even more so to your mother…" He tried to appeal to emotion, deliberately roughening his voice, "All these years, Dad hasn't had a single day without regretting it, without thinking of you! Blood is thicker than water—we're flesh and blood, father and son, bones may break but the tendons still connect!"

"Look… you've made something of yourself now, and Dad is truly happy for you! I don't ask for anything from you—I just want… I just want to hear your voice, to know you're doing well…"

In the office, Qin Feng listened to the insincere repentance and clumsy performance on the other end, his gaze chilling the air. He could almost picture Qin Zhigang's face right now, feigning sorrow.

When his mother fell ill and desperately needed money, he knelt before Qin Zhigang begging for help—and received only cold refusal and cruel mockery from his stepmother. When he left home with nothing, struggling at the bottom of society, had this "biological father" ever felt even a flicker of concern?

Now that he sees me powerful, he wants to stage a scene of filial piety?

Qin Feng felt no emotion—only cold mockery.

He had no interest in playing along.

"Mr. Qin Zhigang." Qin Feng finally spoke, his voice flat, devoid of any emotion—but that distant form of address pierced through Qin Zhigang's pretense like an ice pick.

Qin Zhigang froze stiff, "M…Mr.?"

"First, I'm doing fine. No need to worry." Qin Feng's tone was indifferent. "Second, regarding the father-son relationship—I believe it was severed the moment I left that home years ago. My mother, who endured hardship to raise me, is my only family. As for you…"

He paused, his voice laced with unhidden sarcasm: "To me, you're nothing but a stranger with a biological connection."

"Little Feng! How can you say that!" Qin Zhigang panicked, raising his voice, "I'm still your father! That's an unchangeable fact!"

"The fact is," Qin Feng cut him off, his tone suddenly icy, "where were you when my mother and I needed you most? Now that you see I have value, you come crawling? Qin Zhigang, drop your fake act. Isn't your company on the verge of collapse? Do you want me to save you?"

His hidden motive exposed, Qin Zhigang turned pale, stammering helplessly.

"Listen," Qin Feng's voice carried absolute finality, "I won't give you a single cent, nor will I acknowledge any relation to you. Solve your own problems. Also, don't dare disturb my life, and don't harass my mother. Otherwise…"

He didn't finish—but the cold threat in his words plunged Qin Zhigang into an icy abyss, his body trembling with chill.

"Mind your own business."

With that, Qin Feng hung up without hesitation. He dragged the number into his blacklist, as if brushing away an annoying speck of dust.

After dealing with this trivial incident, Qin Feng's gaze turned to a photo on his desk. It was a recent picture of him and his mother—she smiled gently, her eyes brimming with relief and happiness. For her, he would hold up the sky, ensuring she spent her final years in peace.

As for any possible follow-up from Qin Zhigang? Qin Feng didn't give it a thought. With his current status and power, if Qin Zhigang truly dared to be foolish, there were countless ways to silence him permanently.

He pressed the intercom button and instructed his Assistant: "Arrange it—I'll return to the estate tonight to have dinner with my mother."

"Yes, Director Qin."

That evening, the Qin Shi Zhuangyuan, nestled in the city's most exclusive and tranquil district, glowed with warm light.

In the dining room, the long table was laden with exquisite dishes, yet the atmosphere felt heavier than usual. Qin Feng's mother—a middle-aged woman of elegant bearing, her features faintly resembling Qin Feng's—wore a look of unspoken worry.

"Little Feng…" She put down her chopsticks, hesitated, then spoke, "Today… your father… Qin Zhigang… called me."

Qin Feng's chopsticks paused slightly, then resumed naturally. His tone was gentle: "What did he say?"

"He said… he knows he was wrong, he misses you, and hopes… hopes to mend things with you." She sighed, her eyes complex. "He also said his company is in trouble…"

"Mom," Qin Feng took her hand, his gaze firm and warm, "don't worry—I'll handle this. You know better than I do how he treated us back then. Now he speaks like this only because he sees I've gained some power—he wants to ride on my success. Such a man doesn't deserve to be my father, and certainly doesn't deserve to trouble you."

He looked into her eyes, each word clear and strong: "You endured hardship to raise me—you are my only mother. And I? I have only you, Mom. That's enough. Our home now is perfect. We don't need any irrelevant people disturbing it."

Watching her son's mature, resolute face, tears of relief welled in her eyes. She gripped his hand tightly and nodded: "Alright, I'll listen to you. As long as you're with me, everything is fine."

She paused, then smiled with true relief: "Let's not talk about those unhappy things anymore. Eat, eat."

Seeing his mother's smile return, Qin Feng's last lingering shadow of unease from Qin Zhigang vanished completely.

He possessed a System, boundless wealth and power, building an unprecedented Empire. But every beginning and every end of it all was to protect this hard-won warmth before him.

He had a mother. That was enough.

As for that so-called "biological father"? Merely a small test thrown by fate—not even a proper stumbling block on his path forward.

His gaze passed beyond the dining room window, toward the star-strewn night sky, his heart calm and strong.

His family would be forged by his own hands, beginning with him and his mother—and would become an immortal legend. And certain people? They were destined to be nothing more than insignificant footnotes in this legend, already turned past.