The more they talked to Zhao Lifei and the more they got to know her, the more Fan Jielan warmed up to the idea of having her in the family. Both of them were not the Yang's first choice when it came to marriage, but Zhao Lifei was obviously unaware of this information.
There was much more to Zhao Lifei than what the media painted of her. The only things written about her were what happened in the past. It included her clinginess towards Zheng Tianyi, ruining herself just to obtain him back, and the lengthy measures she took in an attempt to separate Xia Mengxi from him. These were all of the things that happened in the past. Recently, the only things written about her was her relationship with Yang Feng and aside from that, there was not much.
However, seeing her in person, interacting with her, and finally receiving a chance to personally speak to her, they realized, Zhao Lifei was not as bad as they thought. If something could be done about that reputation of hers, then she would make quite a suitable candidate for marriage.
"Son, your grandfather's birthday is coming up very soon." Fan Jielan began, wondering if this woman was about to appease the grand monarch of this household. "Remember to prepare the gifts in advance."
Yang Feng wordlessly nodded, picking up some matsutake mushrooms and placing it in Zhao Lifei's rice bowl.
"I recommend bringing Su Meixiu with you. Old Master Yang is quite fond of the girl." Yang Qianlu spoke up, his words creating a stifling silence in the room.
Zhao Lifei, who was midway in eating, paused for a split second before placing the food into her mouth. If she was angered by his words, she did not show and ate like it was nobody's business.
Yang Qianlu was studying her reaction, expecting her to lash out due to her bad-temper, but she did not.
Yang Feng stopped eating altogether, his relaxed expression darkening. He placed the rice bowl and chopsticks down.
He stood up, startling Fan Jielan who had not seen her son in a while. Was he leaving already?! "Son, you barely ate, sit down and have some more—"
"I'm done." He made moves of grabbing Zhao Lifei but Yang Qianlu spoke up first.
"It was a suggestion, you reacted as if it were a command."
"It might as well had been one." Yang Feng muttered, grabbing Zhao Lifei's purse so that the two could leave without turning back.
"I'm warning you right now, this woman will not impress your grandfather." Yang Qianlu also stood up, slamming his hand onto the table, scaring his wife and daughter.
"We are a Yang with an endless supply of money and connections. Just because one has a wealthy background does not mean they will be suitable as the next madam of this household!"
Zhao Lifei's silence was beginning to bother Yang Feng. She was eerily calm. When he saw how guarded her eyes were, he knew she was hiding her emotions.
Yang Qianlu continued on, "She needs to be able to benefit the Underworld if she even wants to dream of becoming your wife."
Yang Feng pressed his lips together. Enough was enough. "She can become my wife by tomorrow if I want her to."
"Do you not care about blessings?!"
"We don't need to rely on blessings for a happy marriage." And without another word, Yang Feng grabbed her wrist and pulled her to her feet, ready to take her out of this house. It was a mistake in coming here.
She did not stand up. Instead, she grabbed the hand on her wrist and tugged at him to sit back down. "I'm not offended." Her voice, light and airy like cotton, soothed Yang Feng's anger by the tiniest fraction.
She was lying, he could see it in the way her brows were creased the slightest bit.
Zhao Lifei believed in Yang Qianlu's words, for he should know his father best. With the state that she was in, there was nothing beneficial about marrying her.
Her name was tainted, she was not favored by the media, she was bad at making friends with others, and even if Yang Feng was to marry her, what would he inherit? The money she had could not rival the Yangs, but with her grandfather's help, it could. However, she did not want to solely rely on her grandfather's power and the title he bestowed upon her.
It was time to take Feili to another level. They were doing exceedingly well right now, but Zhao Lifei knew, if she fully concentrated her time and invested it into the company, she could make it rise as fast as Zheng Corporation did.
It would not be easy, given her fear of sitting behind an office desk, pen in hand, overworking her body to its limits, but she knew this silly fear of hers needed to end soon and the only way of doing it was confronting it head-on.
Yang Feng saw the shift in her emotions. It went from depressing defeat to fierce determination in the blink of an eye. He thought back to the words Yang Yulong once told him in secret, "We've got a fighter on our hands." She was determined to not lose this battle.
"Sit down, let's enjoy this dinner in peace. Alright?" She beckoned him, her fingers wrapping themselves around his forearm, the same way he was wrapped around her pinky.
Yang Feng stared deep into her eyes, crystal clear, sharp and confident, the tiny shimmers of gold tucked within the hazel folds. He always found it intriguing that her eyes were this the color of topaz, instead of the typical black that most women in this country had.
"Alright." He sighed, sitting back down, but not touching the food.
Yang Qianlu, for the third time tonight, was blown away by her. Quelling his son's anger was no easy feat, especially when his mind was set on something. Yang Feng storming out of this house was not a rare occurrence.
The father and son always butted heads without hesitation, it was known in the family, but hidden from the public. The primary reason was because Yang Qianlu could not find a way to properly communicate with this stubborn son of his, who rarely spoke unless spoken to.
To him, talking to Yang Feng was like talking to a wall at times due to their clashing values, the difference in the way they were raised, and the triad Yang Qianlu never bothered to familiarize himself with. Their way of thinking was very different.
- - - - -
After the dinner, Zhao Lifei received a call from her grandfather to go home. Yang Ruqin did not want her to leave so quickly, but knew her Feifei did not feel comfortable in this house. Standing by the doorway, she pulled Feifei into a hug, whispering, "My parents are tough critics and my dad might act mean, but believe me, they only want the best for Yang Feng. Dad doesn't care who he has to toss aside so that Feng-ge could prevail and succeed."
She pulled back, adding on, "Please don't give up or take my father's words to heart."
"I never intended to give up. Good things don't come easily."
Yang Ruqin beamed at her response, quickly nodding her head in agreement. "That's the spirit!"
She pulled Zhao Lifei closer and whispered, "Grandpa is very hard to please and he greatly favors Su Meixiu for her family's background." She rambled on, "The Su family specializes in training the best fighters this country has ever seen." The only reason they did not rise to exceeding wealth was because the current monarch did not care for money, they only cared about preserving their ancient fighting techniques.
"I, by all means, see you as the perfect woman to stand by Feng-ge's side, but if you want to impress my grandfather, you will need to find something that can top that."
The Yang influence stretched beyond the seas, their triad was practically unstoppable even when clashing with the law.
"I know." Zhao Lifei responded, a lazy smile on her face. She had yet to place her best cards down and already knew which one to show Old Master Yang.
Yang Ruqin scanned Feifei's face, concern written all over her eyes, but when she saw how self-assured her best friend was, she was finally at ease. It seems her Feifei would not go down without a fight...