Peach Blossom Unmatched

Chapter 13 Rising from Cinder to Princess

If it weren’t for the sake of his late father, Qin Wei, Qin Feng would never have let Cheng Mei and Qin Yu off so easily.

Cheng Mei was petty and mean enough on her own—but she’d also raised her son to be a spoiled, worthless playboy. At such a young age, he was already bragging about sleeping with multiple women and asking Hou Bao for stamina pills. He’d deserved every bit of what he got.

That kick of Qin Feng’s had left Qin Yu’s “manhood” functional only for urination; he wouldn’t recover fully for a week.

“Xiao Feng, do you want to move into the villa?” Hou Bao asked. In his eyes, the eldest son of the Qin family belonged in the family’s main residence.

Qin Feng shook his head, “I can’t stand being around those two. If I move in, I’m afraid I’ll lose my temper and kill them.”

Hou Bao quickly dropped the idea. After all, they were still family—there was no need for bloodshed. “Then I’ll find you another villa. It might not be as nice as this one, but I’ll do my best. It’s hard to find something suitable on short notice.”

Qin Feng smiled, “You don’t have to go to all that trouble. Just rent me a small apartment—I’ll be happy as long as it’s better than a hotel room.”

He wasn’t being modest. Over the past fifteen years, he’d slept in jungles, on rooftops, and even lay motionless in damp grass for thirty or forty hours straight while on missions.

He’d always adapted to his environment—never the other way around.

Mei Hui immediately objected, “That’s out of the question! You’re the young master of Qin Group. If you live in a shabby place, people will think Hou Bao and I are being disrespectful.”

“Hehe, Ms. Mei, you’re too kind.” Only then did Qin Feng take a good look at the elegant woman in front of him.

They’d met twice before—once at the police station the previous night, and again earlier at the Qin family villa—but with so much happening both times, he hadn’t had a chance to really notice her appearance.

Mei Hui had the poise and grace of a mature woman—noble but not arrogant, like a snow lotus blooming on a mountain peak: calm yet intelligent, wise yet lively.

She was wearing a low-cut black office dress, with a silk scarf draped over her shoulders. Her chest was full, her waist was slender, and her high hem revealed a pair of long, shapely legs. She wore black suede high heels.

She was over 165 centimeters tall, and with her twelve-centimeter heels, she was almost as tall as Qin Feng, who stood at 180 centimeters.

By comparison, Hou Bao looked short, thin, and unimpressive. The old man was under 170 centimeters tall, frail-looking, and slightly hunched.

Qin Feng couldn’t help but wonder: How had this old man raised such an outstanding adopted daughter?

From their conversation on the way over, he’d learned that Mei Hui had been adopted by Hou Bao twelve years earlier. With a forty-year age gap between them, Hou Bao had been fully eligible to adopt her. Qin Wei had also taken a liking to the young Mei Hui, and together, he and Hou Bao had helped her grow into a top-tier business talent.

“Xiao Feng, you don’t have to be so formal with me,” Mei Hui said generously. “When President Qin was still alive, I called him ‘Uncle Qin.’ If you’re okay with it, you can call me ‘Sister Mei’ or ‘Sister Hui’—whichever you prefer.”

Qin Feng chuckled, “Then I won’t stand on ceremony. I’m sure lots of people call you ‘Sister Mei.’ To show we’re closer, I’ll call you ‘Sister Hui.’”

Hou Bao looked on with a smile, “It’s wonderful that you two get along so well.”

It really was a case of “some people are born under a lucky star.” Comparing Qin Feng to the spoiled, useless Qin Yu was like comparing heaven to earth.

Mei Hui’s eyes lit up, “Xiao Feng, there’s an elite business gathering in a few days. I wasn’t planning on going at first, but now I think I should take you with me. It’ll be good for you to meet those so-called ‘elites’—let them see what the young master of the Qin family is really like.”

Fang Fang, who had been sitting quietly on the sidelines, finally spoke up, “Qin Feng, I never would have guessed you’re President Qin’s son. What have you been doing all these years?”

Hou Bao and Mei Hui were also curious, but with Fang Fang—an outsider—present, they didn’t want Qin Feng to reveal too much about his past.

Qin Feng sighed and gave a vague answer, “It’s a long story—one that would take three days and three nights to tell. I’ll explain everything to you when we have more time. By the way, Fang Fang, you’ve been out for a while. Your parents must be worried sick. Uncle Hou, why don’t we take Fang Fang home first?”

Hou Bao agreed immediately and told the driver to head to Laosan Street.

When the multi-million-yuan stretched Lincoln pulled up on Laosan Street, it caused a commotion. People poured out of their shops, pointing and whispering about the luxury car.

Fang Fang’s family ran a food stall near the street entrance, so Li Ru—Fang Fang’s mother—was among the crowd.

A neighbor standing next to Li Ru said, “Sister Li, who do you think this rich guy is? What’s he doing on our street? Maybe one of the girls here hooked up with him? I just hope he’s under fifty—if he is, it might be worth it!”

Li Ru nodded, “You’re right. As long as the age gap isn’t too big, it’s not a bad deal—even if she’s just his mistress or something.”

She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening as the car door opened. First, an old man in his sixties got out—and then her own daughter stepped out.

Li Ru felt her world spin. Oh no, Fang Fang—how could you be so foolish? Why would you hook up with someone old enough to be your grandfather? What’s the point of being pretty if you don’t respect yourself? Your father and I have worked so hard to raise you, and now we’ll be the laughingstock of the whole street!

Everyone stared in shock—everyone on this street knew Fang Fang, the eldest daughter of the Fang family.

Next, Mei Hui stepped out of the car. Her elegant demeanor silenced the crowd instantly.

Li Ru’s heart sank. Could this be the old man’s wife? Had she come to cause trouble?

And Fang Fang was being so respectful to her—calling her “Ms. Mei” and bowing slightly.

If Li Ru hadn’t been leaning against a telephone pole, she would have collapsed to the ground. What had she done to deserve this? Where was Fang Yuan—her husband? When the arguing started, he’d better stand up for her. She couldn’t afford to lose face like this.

When Qin Feng stepped out of the car, Li Ru finally felt her racing heart calm down.

“Aunt Li, how are you?” Qin Feng smiled and greeted her politely.

Li Ru suddenly felt a surge of pride. So they’d come to send her daughter home! She was so proud of Fang Fang! Thinking back to her earlier suspicions, she wanted to slap herself. Fang Fang had always been such a good, obedient girl—how could she ever be someone’s mistress?

“Xiao Feng, you’re out of the police station already?” Li Ru asked. Then, realization dawned on her, and she stammered, “A-Are you really… really Qin Wei’s son?”

Before Qin Feng could answer, Hou Bao smiled and said, “That’s right. Xiao Feng is Ah Wei’s long-lost son. Thank you for taking care of him yesterday—and for letting us know about him so quickly. Your daughter is a very kind young woman.”

The previous night, Mei Hui had given Fang Fang a subtle look, and Fang Fang had immediately understood—quietly taking out her phone to record the scene in the interrogation room. Now, Mei Hui said, “I think Fang Fang is wasting her talent working as a clerk in that construction materials company. Why don’t you come work as my assistant instead?”

Li Ru couldn’t help but ask, “And who might you be, miss?”

Fang Fang quickly introduced her, “This is Mei Hui—CEO of Qin Group. And this is Mr. Hou, the company’s vice president…”

Gasps of surprise filled the air. The eldest daughter of the Fang family was about to rise from cinder to princess.