Chapter 29 He Must Study, He Must Grow Stronger

Chapter 29: He Wants to Learn, to Become Strong

Around seven p.m., Shang Zixuan still wouldn't let him go. Instead, she suggested a stroll around the neighborhood and asked him to accompany her.

Cheng Feng, holding Hua Xiaozhai, walked beside her.

Their walk brought them to the residence of the Third Young Master, Shang Nanzhou.

As soon as Shang Zixuan reached the entrance, she strode into the courtyard, shouting at the top of her lungs:

"Hey, Shang Nanzhou! Your sister is here! Come out and greet me!"

A head popped out from the second-floor balcony in response—it was Shang Nanzhou.

His eyes landed on Cheng Feng beside Shang Zixuan, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

"Wasn't a female nanny always following you around? Why is it a man now?"

"Say 'sister.'"

"Sister, what do you need?"

"What else? To hang out with you!" Shang Zixuan lifted her chin, saying enthusiastically, "I want to play Dou Dizhu with you!"

"No way." Shang Nanzhou refused without a second thought. "Big Brother is here. I'm playing chess with him and don't have time for you. Why not go bother Shao Hao? He'd be thrilled to keep you company."

Shang Zixuan didn't buy that Big Brother was there. Without replying, she barged into the living room on the first floor.

Cheng Feng silently followed behind Shang Zixuan. When he reached the second floor, he saw Shang Nanzhou and Shang Xu facing each other across a pearwood table, playing chess.

The moment Shang Zixuan saw Shang Xu, she instinctively hunched her shoulders, her heart sinking.

She had thought her third brother was joking.

Although Shang Xu was only a year older than her, he exuded an aura of calm and restraint, and his personality was particularly serious and rigid.

In the past, whenever she said something wrong, he would sternly correct her and then lecture her at length, showing no mercy whatsoever.

"Brother..." she called out softly.

At the sound, Shang Xu glanced over, his gaze sweeping over her briefly as he simply responded, "Hmm."

When his attention shifted to Cheng Feng behind her and saw the chubby white cat in his arms, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He asked in a deep voice:

"Where is your nanny?"

Shang Zixuan's heart tightened.

"My... my nanny had something come up, so... so I let him accompany me."

Shang Xu's gaze fixed directly on Cheng Feng:

"Remember your place."

The words were light and seemingly non-confrontational, yet they made the hairs on the back of Cheng Feng's neck stand on end instantly.

A wave of invisible pressure washed over him, almost suffocating him, and his heart skipped a beat.

He tightened his grip on the cat in his arms.

Had the eldest young master gotten the wrong idea? That he was trying to make a move on the second young lady?

He opened his mouth, about to explain, but Shang Zixuan spoke first:

"Big Brother, it's not what you think! He and I are just friends!"

"Friends?" Shang Xu's eyebrows drew together. "You're friends with a nanny?"

Cheng Feng lowered his gaze, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

What's wrong with being a nanny? Aren't nannies people too? Does the eldest young master look down on servants like them so much?

Shang Zixuan also knew that she had been caught in an early romance before and was severely scolded by her parents. Since then, her parents had become stricter with their education, especially toward her. She pursed her lips, sensing the tense atmosphere, and quickly corrected herself, explaining with a tight expression:

"No, no, we're not friends. It's purely a master-servant relationship! Please don't misunderstand!"

Shang Nanzhou, watching the drama unfold, chimed in leisurely with a teasing tone:

"Sister, this nanny is indeed handsome and good-looking. But you mustn't be foolish. If Dad finds out, he'll skin you alive. You are the master, and he is the servant. You need to understand the boundary between you. There's an insurmountable gap between you two."

Shang Zixuan interrupted him,

"Can't you stop looking at people through tinted glasses? Can't we have a pure relationship? I just find him pleasant to be around. What's wrong with letting him accompany me?

Who doesn't like looking at attractive people? I have no such feelings for him! Besides, he's several years younger than me. I'm not so old that I'd go after someone so young! I always remember my place!"

Shang Nanzhou: "We're just reminding you. If Mom and Dad find out you've taken a liking to a nanny again, they'll break your legs, and this nanny will suffer too. Can't Big Brother see what your intentions are toward this nanny?"

Shang Zixuan immediately fell silent.

Cheng Feng tightened his arms around Hua Xiaozhai.

Yes, in the morning, the eldest young master had taken him to buy clothes. The second young lady asked him to hang out with her. The young master wasn't harsh with him. He had really started to believe that he could stand on the same level as them, that they could be friends, that he could be treated as an equal.

It turned out he was just being presumptuous. Between him and them, there had always been an unbridgeable chasm.

He was, after all, just a servant.

Just then, Shang Xu's voice broke the silence in the living room once more:

"Didn't I tell you to change into those clothes this morning? Why aren't you wearing them?"

Cheng Feng was taken aback. He looked up abruptly, meeting Shang Xu's deep gaze.

"I washed them. I plan to wear them tomorrow."

Hearing this, Shang Nanzhou looked at Shang Xu in surprise:

"Brother, you took him to buy clothes?"

Shang Xu gave a slight nod.

Shang Nanzhou then turned his gaze back to Cheng Feng, looking him up and down before nodding.

"You really should change your outfit. What you're wearing now is quite unsightly. If outsiders saw you, they might think the Shang family has fallen on hard times, with even the servants dressed so shabbily."

Cheng Feng lowered his head.

Shang Xu asked, "What's your name?"

Cheng Feng glanced around. Seeing no one else, he realized the question was for him.

"Cheng Feng."

Shang Xu's gaze returned to Cheng Feng, his tone flat.

"You may go. From now on, without my permission, you are not to approach Second Young Lady again. She is in a critical period of her studies, with exams coming up, and must not be disturbed by any outside distractions."

Cheng Feng replied softly, "Yes, Young Master."

He turned and looked at Shang Zixuan standing nearby, held out the fluffy cat, Hua Xiaozhai, and murmured:

"Second Young Lady, your cat."

Shang Zixuan took the soft kitten.

"Well... you'd better go."

"Yes."

Cheng Feng responded, turned and hurried down the stairs, leaving the Third Young Master's villa.

The evening breeze carried a chill.

Head lowered, he walked with heavy steps along the stone path, his heart terribly stifled.

He knew his status was lowly, that he didn't belong in the Shang family's circle, but he still disliked their condescending looks, hated the sheer disdain that radiated from those upper-crust types.

He clenched his fists tightly.

He had to study. It was his only way to move up in the world. To transcend class through learning, he must become strong. He would become so strong that someday, no one would dare look down on him.