Chapter 346: She is my future wife

Zhong Yinghong had imagined that Xu Guanshan would be furious when he found out, but she didn't expect him to be this angry. His expression and body language showed he was furious to the extreme. Zhong Yinghong had never seen him like this.

Should we call Xu Yanfeng over now? Zhong Yinghong hesitated a little; Xu Guanshan was still fuming, and if Xu Yanfeng came over now, he would surely get a scolding.

The father‑son relationship was already on the brink; adding more fuel would bring consequences Zhong Yinghong dared not imagine.

"What are you standing there for?!" Xu Guanshan shouted at Zhong Yinghong, "I'll do the hitting myself."

Zhong Yinghong steeled herself to persuade him: "Dinner's ready, let's eat first. It's already so late; whatever it is can wait until tomorrow."

Xu Guanshan glared: "Do you think I can still eat?"

He stopped wasting words with Zhong Yinghong and picked up the phone on the table.

Seeing this, Zhong Yinghong quickly grabbed his hand, going along with his wish: "I'll call, I'll call—calm down, don't hurt your health with anger."

Zhong Yinghong avoided Xu Guanshan, went outside the study, and called Xu Yanfeng.

The ringtone sounded for a few seconds before being answered; Xu Yanfeng's voice was gentle: "Mom? Do you have any other questions?"

Zhong Yinghong turned slightly, glanced at the study door to make sure Xu Guanshan hadn't come out, covered the phone and whispered: "Your dad just found out about those online matters, flew into a rage, and insists I call you now to come back."

Xu Yanfeng fell silent, then said calmly: "I understand."

"Then you…"

"I'll be back right away."

"Your dad's just like that; when you get back, talk to him properly, keep your attitude good, don't clash head‑on with him." Zhong Yinghong said, "Maybe it's too sudden for him to accept, but given time he'll come around."

At first she also found it hard to accept, but now she's come to terms with it. Xu Guanshan is more stubborn, so he'll need even more time.

Xu Yanfeng felt his mother was still underestimating Xu Guanshan—that man could never soften, no matter how much time passed; he would never change, like an ancient, obstinate stone.

He didn't even expect to win Xu Guanshan's approval or support; he merely agreed to come back so his mother wouldn't be put in a difficult spot.

After the mother and son finished their call, Zhong Yinghong returned to the study, saw Xu Guanshan still wearing a furious expression, sighed, and said: "I've already told your son; he'll be here shortly. Don't just sit here—come eat with me."

Zhong Yinghong coaxed and pulled Xu Guanshan into the dining room to sit down, then told the servant to serve the dishes.

She ladled a bowl of soup and placed it before him, then, while Xu Yanfeng hadn't arrived yet, she tried to ease the tense atmosphere: "The boy's grown up, he has his own ideas; he's a person, not an object. You need to learn to trust him, let go, and allow him to live the life he wants."

But the more she urged him, the angrier Xu Guanshan became; he couldn't even swallow a sip of soup, glaring at Zhong Yinghong with fire in his eyes: "The life he wants is nothing but getting tangled up with that woman, and turning against the Ling Clan, with whom we've always been on good terms?"

Zhong Yinghong looked bewildered: "What does this have to do with the Ling Clan? Ling Yan made a mistake and apologized—isn't that perfectly normal?"

Xu Guanshan let out a short, cold laugh, mocking her naivety: "You think the scandal involving the Ling Clan and Lingxunzhang just appeared out of nowhere? You think that Ling Clan girl, given her nature, would apologize out of guilt? No—this is all your good son's doing! He's forced the Ling Clan to push Ling Yan out to apologize by threatening their very safety. Quite the achievement."

Zhong Yinghong was left speechless; she really hadn't connected the Ling Clan's crisis with this matter…

Xu Guanshan picked up his chopsticks, glanced at the dishes on the table—really had no appetite—and then slammed his chopsticks down hard on the table.

Of his two sons, one stays abroad and rarely returns; the other seems steady but actually does things that continually test people's limits. Neither is easy to handle.

Xu Yanfeng poured a cup of water, drank it slowly, then went to his room to put on a jacket.

Xia Xi huddled on the sofa with her laptop, the air conditioner blowing cold, a blanket draped over her legs, her brows slightly furrowed in thought. Xu Yanfeng didn't want to disturb her at that moment, but he needed to let her know before heading out.

After a moment, Xia Xi sensed his gaze, looked away from her laptop screen, saw he was fully dressed, and couldn't help wondering: "Are you going out?"

Xu Yanfeng stepped behind her, placed both hands on her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze: "My dad wants to talk to me about something; I have to go home. When you're done working, go to sleep—I'll try to be back early."

Xia Xi instantly withdrew all her thoughts from work.

"His dad?"

"Oh, it's Xu Guanshan."

Xia Xi asked, her heart heavy: "Will your dad hit people?"

Xu Yanfeng: "I don't know—I've never seen him lay a hand on anyone."

Xia Xi tilted her head back, looking up at him: "Then be careful yourself, and watch out for safety on the road."

Xu Yanfeng bent down, kissed her upside‑down on the lips, added "Get some rest early," and walked out of the room.

He didn't call for a driver; Xu Yanfeng drove himself back.

The atmosphere at home was suffocating, as if all the oxygen had been sucked out; the servants had all gone elsewhere.

Xu Yanfeng set down his car keys, then greeted Zhong Yinghong: "Mom."

"You're back?"

Zhong Yinghong forced a bitter smile at him; she had tried to persuade Xu Guanshan all afternoon, but to no avail—he kept a stern face, hadn't touched a bite of the dishes, which left her unable to eat either, so she only sipped some soup.

Xu Yanfeng's gaze swept past Zhong Yinghong to see Xu Guanshan sitting quietly in his chair, smoking, an ashtray before him with several cigarette butts stuck in it. He walked over slowly, lowered his head slightly, and said: "Dad."

Xu Guanshan didn't respond; a low pressure seemed to press down on him.

In this situation Zhong Yinghong dared not leave; she patted her son's arm and said softly: "Your dad's so angry he hasn't eaten."

Xu Yanfeng seemed indifferent, only saying: "You probably haven't eaten properly either—let the servant reheat the dishes and have some more."

Seeing Xu Yanfeng's reaction, Xu Guanshan's anger flared; he violently stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, stood up, and without a word slapped Xu Yanfeng hard across the face.

Xu Yanfeng, unprepared, took the blow squarely; half his face went numb. He stared for a few seconds, brushed the back of his hand against the struck cheek, lifted his eyelids slightly to look at Xu Guanshan's furious face, his gaze calm.

As a father disciplining his son, he couldn't fight back, and he almost wanted to laugh, recalling the question Xia Xi had asked before he left: "Will your dad hit people?"

"If you have something to say, speak nicely—why resort to hitting? He's all grown up." Zhong Yinghong, equally unprepared, watched her son being struck, her heart jolted, and she hurried over to examine his face.

Who knows how much force Xu Guanshan used; Xu Yanfeng's face instantly showed several clear fingerprints.

Zhong Yinghong felt heartbroken.

Xu Guanshan shoved Zhong Yinghong aside, his eyes blazing with fury as he fixed Xu Yanfeng with a stare: "I see you're getting more and more backward, waging war over an unrelated woman, turning the world upside down—do you even know your own surname?! I handed the company to you so you'd have the liberty to act recklessly? Xu Yanfeng, look at what you've done—you've offended the Ling Clan to the core, you…"

He caught his breath and continued his tirade.

"I don't think I've done anything wrong." After his father finished berating him, Xu Yanfeng finally spoke, refusing to bow his head in apology: "Others provoked first; I merely used a few means to give them a little punishment."

Xu Guanshan could barely catch his breath, as if he were about to be angered to death.

Xu Yanfeng added: "Besides, she's not some unrelated woman—she's my future wife, the mother of my child; protecting her is utterly justified."

Zhong Yinghong thought to herself, "It's over."

"Wasn't I supposed to tell him on the phone to speak nicely, keep his attitude good, and not clash head‑on with his dad? How did we end up locking horns?"