Chapter Two: The Explosive Performance That Followed

Lavender stood only about 1.6 meters tall. Compared to Ye Feifan, who possessed a standard height of 1.8 meters, she appeared half a head shorter. However, his resolute and refined features earned him many points, and the two looked quite well-matched when standing together.

"Brother Feifan... you still haven't broken through to the next realm!"

Whether it was his imagination or not, Ye Feifan felt the young girl seemed somewhat awkward.

"It’s nothing; this is perfectly normal," Ye Feifan replied with feigned indifference, causing the girl’s eyes to dim slightly.

Seeing this, Ye Feifan knew his humiliation was likely coming ahead of schedule.

Since ancient times, true feelings have never been enough to hold onto someone; only schemes can win hearts!

This childhood friend of his was likely going to bring him trouble, and what followed would be his own rise to power. Whether his "golden cheat" would finally arrive depended on how they planned to stage this performance for him.

"Go on then... start your performance."

"Someone is coming to propose marriage at noon."

As expected, the girl spoke up, and the moment she did, it was the familiar script.

Ye Feifan looked at Lavender in surprise, wondering what was going on in her mind. A marriage proposal is a marriage proposal—why tell him?

"I see." His expression grew uneasy. Ye Feifan desperately channeled his acting skills, showing a mix of helplessness and pain on his face.

Seeing Ye Feifan’s expression, a trace of a smile appeared at the corners of the girl's mouth.

"Brother Feifan, can you help me think of a way to call off this engagement?"

To achieve her goal, the girl was going all out. Ye Feifan felt a moment of trance; the lovely girl before him was someone who liked to play big, but no one understood her better than he did.

Her personality was much like that of a female emperor, and he knew she was a beautiful, lurking viper—the more beautiful, the more venomous.

As for what Lavender truly wanted, Ye Feifan was confused. They say you should never try to guess a girl’s thoughts, as you will never figure them out. He truly didn't understand her heart.

He remembered that as a child, whenever Lavender couldn't get what she wanted, she would find ways to manufacture accidents to destroy it. He would play the fool, watching it all unfold with a vacant expression, acting heartless and dense, which was exactly why she favored him so much.

Now, the dagger was revealed from the map; she had shown her purpose for seeking him out. He was to be the scapegoat for her refusal of the marriage.

Ye Feifan endured the bitterness, his expression pained as he said, "How should I know? I don't have any ideas. You should ask your foster father..."

"Fine. Brother Feifan, you keep exercising. I’ll go find Father..."

Seeing Ye Feifan looking so pained, Lavender smiled, though her eyes were somewhat melancholy, and she turned to leave.

A woman's heart is the most poisonous!

At this moment, everyone witnessed the scene, and seeing Ye Feifan’s feigned distraction, they felt a secret thrill; some even laughed out loud.

"A toad wanting to eat swan meat—didn't expect the young lady’s future husband to be arriving, did you?"

"So satisfying! Truly satisfying!"

"My treat today at the Fragrant Pavilion, are you all coming?"

"Let’s drink until we drop to celebrate today’s proposal."

"Finally, we can hold our heads high!"

"Deserved! He should look at himself in a puddle of urine..."

"A useless pretty boy. The clan leader has already shown him great mercy by raising him this long. One should know their place!"

The vicious words were not whispered because Ye Feifan was present; rather, there was a sense of speaking freely, intentionally letting him hear every word.

People always resent seeing others do well; they are all victims of the "green-eyed monster"!

Ye Feifan knew he was not well-liked in the Lavender family. Because he lacked the talent for cultivation, he had no future and was not highly regarded. Others enjoyed stepping on him to feel superior; he was well aware of this.

To set the stage for others, Ye Feifan practiced his acting skills desperately, projecting a powerful, alternate life before them.

Having looked death in the face through nightmares, his heart had long since learned to remain unmoved. If not for the fact that powerful beings could sense the speed of a heartbeat, he could have deceived everyone with his acting alone.

Whenever he faced an emotional situation in front of Lavender Tianxing and the others, he would recall the blade-tilling machines from his nightmares to increase his tension, accelerating his heart rate to fool them all.

With such superb acting, if he were in his past life, he could have won ten consecutive Oscars and lived a life of luxury without worry.

After passing the time in a daze and finishing lunch, a servant knocked on Ye Feifan’s door.

"Young Master Feifan, the Master wants you to come to the main hall. He has something to discuss with you."

"Understood, allow me to change."

Dismissing the servant, Ye Feifan changed into clean, black, tight-fitting clothes, tied his long, loose hair with a wooden crown, and tidied his appearance before opening the door to follow the servant to the hall.

As he entered the hall, everyone was momentarily stunned by his bearing, before regaining their composure.

It must be said that if this were a historical drama, Ye Feifan’s current posture could effortlessly outshine any young idol, and his powerful acting skills could rival those of veteran actors; any series or film starring him would surely be a blockbuster.

"Foster Father... Elders..." Arriving in the hall, Ye Feifan bowed politely to the high-ranking members of the Lavender family sitting in the seats of honor.

In the main seat sat Lavender Tianxing, a man with a slightly stout build, a round face, broad eyebrows, and square eyes. His gaze carried a domineering spirit and a refreshing sharpness; he was no simple man.

Beside Lavender Tianxing sat several elders over fifty, familiar figures of the Lavender family. They looked arrogant, their eyes filled with deep contempt, clearly disliking Ye Feifan.

In the surrounding seats sat the core disciples of the family, but there was no seat for him.

"Feifan, how old are you now?" Lavender Tianxing asked calmly, his expression quite benevolent, like a kind uncle.

"Foster Father, this boy is sixteen this year," Ye Feifan replied, bowing. He had always referred to himself as "this boy"; referring to himself as a "son" would easily lead to misunderstandings.

"Sixteen in the blink of an eye... time flies so fast... do you know your crime!" The tone shifted sharply. Lavender Tianxing slammed the armrest of his chair, his eyes wide, radiating an intimidating aura.

Ye Feifan, even though he had been prepared, couldn't help but shudder. His body trembled as he stammered, "F-Foster Father... this boy... does not know what wrong he has committed?"

"Are you still refusing to tell the truth?" Lavender Tianxing roared.

Ye Feifan looked flustered and hurriedly said, "This boy does not know... I beg Foster Father to enlighten me..."

Lavender Tianxing looked at Ye Feifan’s stagnant cultivation and shook his head secretly, saying coldly, "Lavender has already told me everything. Do you still want me to continue?"

"Lavender..." Ye Feifan was stunned, completely unaware of what had happened, though the discussions around him provided him with plenty of information.

"Ye Feifan has the heart of a wolf; he actually dared to lure the Young Lady into eloping. He has no respect for the Lavender family at all."

"An ungrateful wretch—that’s exactly what he is!"

"If the Clan Leader hadn't accidentally seen the Young Lady packing her things, we wouldn't have even known about this mess."

"And the Clan Leader, bringing just anyone into the house. Look, this is the lesson learned."

"Luckily it didn't succeed, otherwise the Lavender family would have lost all face."

The chatter grew louder, making Ye Feifan’s face turn iron-blue. He bit his lip hard, leaving several traces of blood.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Lavender Tianxing asked coldly.

Ye Feifan raised his head and saw Lavender standing beside Lavender Tianxing, her eyes filled with desperate pleading.

Look at that—this is what a childhood friend is! First-class acting, explosive performance, a perfect Best Actress!

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!

With a sorrowful expression, Ye Feifan gritted his teeth, knelt heavily on the ground, and bowed his head, his voice trembling: "Lavender and I are truly in love. All the fault is mine; it has nothing to do with Lavender. I am willing to accept punishment."

The sound of his knees hitting the floor made everyone’s hearts jump. Lavender Tianxing also felt a jolt, secretly shocked by his foster son’s sincere feelings for his daughter, and his expression softened slightly.

Even though she didn't like Ye Feifan, the impact of that kneel caused a ripple in Lavender’s heart. Moved, she knelt down as well.

"It is this daughter who is unfilial; it has nothing to do with Brother Feifan. If you want to punish someone, punish me!"

Lavender Tianxing pondered for a moment and turned to ask, "What does the Great Elder think?"

The Great Elder was the pillar of the Lavender family, having managed the laws for decades with immense power. Hearing the Clan Leader ask him, he nodded with satisfaction, squinting his eyes at Ye Feifan for a long while before saying, "Since a crime has been committed, there must be punishment. Ye Feifan has openly disregarded the family rules; by logic, he should be beaten to death with sticks..."

"However, given his willingness to admit his mistake, the stick punishment is canceled... he shall be expelled from the Lavender family. Do you all agree?"

Disagree? To disagree would be to oppose the Great Elder, which would lead to trouble. The disciples in their seats hurriedly stood up, fearing they would be marked if they were too slow, and bowed: "We are truly impressed; the Great Elder is fair and just!"

The Great Elder looked at everyone agreeing with his verdict and nodded with satisfaction. He looked at Ye Feifan and said, "Ye Feifan, do you submit?"

"I..." Ye Feifan raised his head blankly. Looking at the people around him, then at the pitiful Lavender and the grim-faced Lavender Tianxing, he said in pain, "If the Elder will pardon the Young Lady, I, Ye Feifan... submit!"

Ye Feifan slammed his head against the ground with a loud thud that moved even the Great Elder. Even though he disliked Ye Feifan, the boy’s attitude was gratifying.

When he raised his head, his forehead was bruised purple, with blood faintly seeping out.

"Brother Feifan, you..." Lavender covered her mouth with her delicate hand, speechless, her eyes filled with emotion.

"Good. Since you are willing to accept my verdict, I will grant your request. Leave the Lavender family as of today and never set foot here again. Can you do that?"

"I..." Ye Feifan looked around. His eyes were red and streaming with tears. He bowed three times to Lavender Tianxing: "Foster Father... please forgive this boy for being unfilial..."

After bowing, Ye Feifan looked at Lavender with deep affection for a long moment before turning away. "Feifan... obeys..."

Lavender Tianxing sighed and didn't look at Ye Feifan again. The surrounding disciples remained silent; after all, now that their favorite punching bag was leaving, they didn't know who to bully to feel superior, and the days ahead would be dull.

Ye Feifan bowed five more times, stood up, and left the hall, stumbling as he went.

"Brother Feifan..." Lavender’s voice came from behind, but Ye Feifan only shuddered, never looking back, and strode out of the hall.

For some reason, Ye Feifan’s back looked very lonely and very sorrowful.

Inner thoughts: ~(￣▽￣~) (~￣▽￣)~

[PS: Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, rule of law, patriotism, dedication, integrity, friendliness]