After rubbing the ointment onto her knees and making sure she"s not hurt anywhere else, Yang Feng took her home. She forced him to drop her off a block away from her condo. She didn"t want to be seen stepping out of such an expensive car because it would attract attention to her and people might start becoming curious about her affairs. She wanted to live peacefully where people wouldn"t pester her because of her name and reputation. Given that her building is more secure compared to others, she knew that some of the residents may already have an inkling about her ident.i.ty. At least, n.o.body dared to comment or ask her about it.
Yang Feng was reluctant at first and compromised by getting out of the car with her to personally see her walk into the private elevator of her building. He would have gone up with her and walked her to her door if she wasn"t so stubborn. Only then would he finally feel she was safe. Besides, he already did not trust the so-called tight security of the building. After ensuring she had safely arrived home, he felt rea.s.sured. After that, he left for his office.
Just as Zhao Lifei placed her purse onto the table, she got a message through the intercom tablet on her door. Walking towards it, she saw it was from the front desk. She pressed the "Answer" b.u.t.ton and waited for them to speak.
"Good afternoon ma"am. Your parents are requesting entrance to your home." A neutral voice spoke out.
Down at the lobby, there were three people who were struggling to maintain their composure.
The receptionist was accompanied by the same elevator hostess that always greeted Zhao Lifei. Their faces were cold and didn"t reveal an ounce of emotion. They eyed the people claiming to be her parents and younger sister.
Sky Arc Complexes" biggest selling point was their absolute respect for client privacy. Without being on a resident"s guest list or the permission of the resident, no one was permitted anywhere beyond the lobby. It didn"t matter if someone claimed to be family, parent, relative, or friend.
Zhao Wenjin was enraged by the complex"s policy and saw this as a blatant insult. Everyone knows we are her parents for heaven"s sake, why can"t we enter?! And how dare that ungrateful brat not put us down in the guest registry! After all that we had done for her, she decided to treat us like this? Unacceptable!
"That insolent child! Just wait until I get my hands on her!" Zhao Wenjin hissed under his breath, his eyes shooting daggers into the front desk.
His pride and ego were greatly wounded. Not only was the great Zhao Wenjin denied entry to his own daughter"s apartment, but he knew a couple of people who also lived in this apartment complex.
Surely, the awkward and humiliating news of the high and mighty Zhao Wenjin not getting past the lobby would circulate even before they had stepped out of the building. While it"s not news that Zhao Lifei had been abandoned by her own family, if the media manages to catch a whiff of this specific story, it would surely turn viral!
Zhao Linhua noticed the red vein popping out of her father"s forehead and immediately knew it was time to step into action. "Daddy, you have to calm down. Don"t overthink it." She softly said, linking her arm through his.
"Dear, Linhua is right. Your blood pressure might rise if you think too much of it." w.a.n.g Nuoli was worried about her husband.
Even though the beginning of their marriage was extremely rocky, she had eventually come to love him. The start of their marriage was haunted with darkness that manifested into their first born, Zhao Lifei.
She grew up during a period of time where the mansion was desolate. Zhao Wenjin was barely home while w.a.n.g Nuoli had turned to countless bottles of wine from the moment she woke up until she fell asleep. It was no wonder Zhao Lifei made so many mistakes in her life, she didn"t have any good influences around her!
Zhao Lifei was a dark stain in their marriage, the thing they wanted to erase the most. Due to the immense pressure to fully seal their family"s alliance by producing an heir, Zhao Lifei had been conceived after a night of nonconsensual s.e.x.
On the other hand, Zhao Linhua was the light and blessing of their marriage. She was born from love and a night of pure consent. Unlike Zhao Lifei who grew up surrounded by her father"s indifference and her mother"s animosity, Linhua was cherished and showered with adoration. She was the constant reminder that their marriage eventually worked out in the end. Linhua was the child they were supposed to have.
Perhaps that was why Zhao Lifei walked down such a dark path. She mimicked what she saw when she was younger. When Zheng Tianyi was out with Xia Mengxi, Zhao Lifei sat in the same chair as her mother, mixing wine and antidepressants until she was too numb to feel anything. Growing up in a world filled with darkness, scheming against Xia Mengxi came naturally.
Her sister inherited the good, she inherited the bad. And when she was cast out of the family, Linhua watched on from the pedestal their parents put her on. It wasn"t a surprise Lifei abandoned her family. Why care for someone that never cared for you? To her, the only family left is her grandfather.
When Zhao Lifei received the message from the front desk, she paused. This was the first time they came to her house. She had been back in the city for a few months already, but neither of her family members, except her grandfather, came to visit her.
Ever since Zhao Linhua"s banquet, she had completely refused to pick up the phone whenever anyone from her so-called family calls. She knew that they were only badgering her to find out whether the headlines about her and Yang Feng were true.
They saw how overprotective he was of her, regardless of her reputation. It was ironic that they were now calling themselves her family when they stood there and did nothing as Zheng Tianyi used violence against her.
Her grandfather had not seen any potential in any of his children, hence, none of them inherited a powerful position within Zhao Corporation. She knew her father would want to use her connection with the CEO of Yang Enterprise to boost himself above his siblings.
She wasn"t hopeful, nor did she try to comfort herself with lies. She faced the harsh reality that neither of her family members would a.s.sociate with her unless it would benefit them. What good was there in meddling with a discarded and useless woman?
Zhao Lifei wanted to make sure w.a.n.g Nuoli and Zhao Wenjin heard the next thing she was going to say. She pressed the b.u.t.ton that would allow the receptionist and the guests to hear what she was saying.
"Parents?" The word seemed foreign to Zhao Lifei. Did she have parents in the first place? She saw them as nothing but sperm and egg donors.
She laughed. The sound was so cold, it blew blowing an icy gust of wind into the warm lobby.
"I don"t have parents." The sound of Zhao Lifei"s desolate voice seemed lifeless and empty. It was completely different from her usual haughty detachment that even w.a.n.g Nuoli and Zhao Linhua couldn"t help but s.h.i.+ver.
The receptionist was quick to recover. "My apologies for disrupting you. I will have security escort these imposters out-"
Slamming his hand onto the desk, his voice was filled with uncontrollable rage. "You disrespectful rascal! How dare you speak to your father like that? Have you lost your d.a.m.n mind?!" His roared over the desk, the sound like a mighty lion awakening from his slumber.
One could tell Zhao Wenjin had lost his patience. He pushed the receptionist aside to speak to Zhao Lifei. His voice was so loud and commanding, the receptionist nearly trembled.
Even Linhua and her mother were frightened by the voice. Zhao Wenjin was known to be bad-tempered, but when it came to his family, he was more lenient with them. Even Zhao Lifei had almost never heard him raise his voice this loud. The last time he did was when he caught wind that Zheng Tianyi was going to break his engagement with his daughter for a mere secretary.
While w.a.n.g Nuoli and Zhao Linhua quivered and shook at the frightening voice, Zhao Lifei remained pa.s.sive. Her face was calm, almost nonchalant when she heard him. Shouldn"t the harsh scolding of her father scare her?
"Why, Mr. Zhao, I have indeed lost my mind. I"m glad you"ve realized." She replied, her voice as detached as it had always been.
Everyone was surprised to hear her composed voice. If she flinched or hesitated, it didn"t show.
Zhao Wenjin was so shocked by the blatant disrespect, his mind suddenly went blank. Did he hear correctly? This wench actually called him by his surname, instead of a parental t.i.tle?!
It was as if a cold bucket of water was tossed onto him. He realized his daughter truly had stopped caring for him or his reputation. It seemed that having no contact with any of them the past two years had made her bold and confident of her abilities. Did she forget what he could do and the people he could command to destroy her?
"Per protocol of Sky Arc Complex, please escort the strangers out of the building. I have no relations with them." Zhao Lifei ended the call before any of them could even protest.
When Zhao Linhua saw her father"s expression instantly turn eerily calm, her eyes flickered with surprise. She knew the expression all too well...it was the face that thirsted for blood, hidden by a veil of blatant serenity.