Chapter 258: Meeting the Ex-In-Laws

When the appointed time of six o’clock arrived, Shen Lin and her parents had not appeared. Chen Feng couldn’t help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

In his heart, he certainly didn’t want to meet them very much, but if they really wanted to meet him, he wouldn’t refuse. After all, he had to give them an explanation.

Chen Feng continued to wait patiently. He planned to wait until seven o’clock. If they still hadn’t come by then, he would leave.

After another ten minutes or so, the door of the private room was suddenly opened. The first person to come in was Shen Lin, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time. At this time, her face was frosty, and her eyes were staring at Chen Feng with anger.

Behind her were her parents, who also had serious expressions on their faces, their faces long, as if someone owed them five million.

Shen’s father was in his sixties this year. He had originally worked in a state-owned enterprise and had already retired. He had Shen Lin, this little daughter, when he was in his thirties. Of course, he loved her very much and had worked hard to cultivate her since she was a child. Shen Lin was also considered to be a credit to him. She had been excellent in both character and learning since she was a child. After graduating from college, she even passed the civil service examination in Xiuzhou with her own efforts and got a government job.

Shen’s mother was almost sixty years old this year, and she was well-maintained. When she was young, she had been a substitute teacher and a class teacher in the countryside, and she had always had a serious look on her face.

Anyway, in the few times Chen Feng had met them, they had basically had such a serious look on their faces.

Shen Lin also had an older sister who was several years older than her. She was married to another province and had children to take care of. In the few years that Chen Feng had been with Shen Lin, he had only seen her twice. Her older sister rarely came back to see her parents all year round.

Therefore, the two elders of the Shen family definitely did not want their younger daughter to marry out again. But Shen Lin, this younger daughter, was just like her older sister. She also married out, and the conditions of the man she married were not very good.

Her sister married to another province. At least the man was a small rich second generation, and he was a city person. He had a car and a house and had no worries about food and clothing. Her sister only had to take care of the children at home every day.

And Chen Feng, who came from the countryside of Lushi, had no car, no house, and no savings in Xiuzhou. Although his job looked pretty good at that time, if he only relied on his salary, he would have to work hard for several years to afford the down payment for a house. It could be said that at that time, Chen Feng was useless except for being a little handsome.

At that time, after the two elders understood Chen Feng’s background, they of course firmly opposed Shen Lin marrying him.

So much so that when Chen Feng brought Shen Lin over to propose marriage, they were treated with a cold face. There was no communication throughout the whole process. Although they did not directly throw the gifts that Chen Feng and Shen Lin had brought out of the house, it was not much better.

Chen Feng still remembered the embarrassment of that day, but he really had no resentment towards them in his heart. After all, he was indeed a failure at that time, with no car and no house. Any other parents would not have agreed to this marriage so easily.

At that time, he left alone first, and Shen Lin stayed behind to continue to work on her parents.

Unfortunately, his parents’ attitude was very firm. They were firmly opposed to their marriage.

But at that time, Shen Lin was as determined as if she had eaten a scale. Regardless of their firm opposition, including the threat of breaking off relations with her family, she resolutely married Chen Feng.

They were so angry that they didn’t even attend their daughter’s wedding in Lushi. And of course, they didn’t have any procedures or ceremonies for their daughter’s marriage on their own side, and there was no banquet.

It could be said that Shen Lin’s marriage with Chen Feng at that time had excluded her family on her side, so much so that her parents had never even come to see them after their marriage.

In the first year of the New Year, Chen Feng and Shen Lin went to her house to pay a New Year’s call. Her parents still had a cold face throughout the whole process, but at least they didn’t drive him, this son-in-law, out of the house. But the scene and atmosphere at that time were really depressing.

After Chen Feng barely stayed for a day, he left in a hurry. In the second year, during the Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and National Day, Chen Feng also went to see them with Shen Lin. Their attitude was still the same. They didn’t drive him away, but they still had a cold face throughout the whole process.

Later, because of the changes in Chen Feng’s work, and the quarrels and cold war with Shen Lin, he had not seen them again.

Until now, it had been so long since he divorced Shen Lin, and he had only seen them again. They still had a cold face when they faced Chen Feng, as if they would never smile.

“Uncle, Auntie, you’re here. Please sit down. Order whatever you want to eat.”

Chen Feng stood up and greeted them politely. As for Shen Lin, who had a long face, Chen Feng just glanced at her and said nothing.

Shen’s mother was the first to be unable to hold back her anger and was the first to fire at Chen Feng, “Chen Feng, where did you get the confidence and courage to divorce my daughter? You’re just a poor boy from the countryside. My daughter didn’t mind that you were poor and unpromising at that time, and she insisted on marrying you. But you, you actually have the face to divorce her. Tell me, where is my daughter not worthy of you? You ungrateful bastard!”

Shen’s father also immediately followed up, staring at Chen Feng angrily, “You must give us an explanation today. Otherwise, I’m telling you, this matter is not over.”

Hearing their words, Chen Feng just frowned and was not too angry. Because as parents, they naturally stood on their daughter’s side.

Chen Feng said neither humbly nor arrogantly, “Haven’t you always been opposed to my marriage with Shen Lin? Now we are divorced, and we don’t have any children. Doesn’t this just fulfill your wish? You can find a better one for her next.”

Shen’s mother snorted coldly, “We saw early on that you were a white-eyed wolf, a Chen Shimei, so we always opposed Xiaolin’s marriage with you. But Xiaolin didn’t do anything wrong. Why did you have to divorce her? She was willing to break off relations with us for you at that time. Tell me, do you still have a conscience? She gave her heart and soul to you, but you want to divorce her?”

Chen Feng frowned and said, “You mean, the divorce can only be proposed by your daughter, not me.”

Shen’s mother nodded as a matter of course, “Of course. My daughter has paid so much for you and wasted so many precious years of her youth. Now you can divorce her so easily. Do you know how much harm it has caused her? And you just walked away without any loss. Touch your conscience, are you worthy of her?”

Shen’s father said with a fierce look, “My daughter was blind to fall for you, this Chen Shimei. You must give us an explanation. Otherwise, this matter is not over. We will definitely not let you have a good time.”

Chen Feng held back the anger that was about to rise in his heart and looked at Shen Lin, “Shen Lin, what did you tell your parents? I don’t think I have let you down. Although I was the one who proposed the divorce at that time, you ask yourself, didn’t you think about divorcing me during that period? I just said your thoughts first. Is that also wrong? I took the initiative to propose a divorce with you at that time, which was for your own good. I didn’t want to drag you down.”

These were Chen Feng’s true words. When he knew that he had a terminal illness, his first feeling was of course despair, and then he didn’t want to drag Shen Lin down.

Although at that time, they had been in a cold war for a period of time, and their feelings had been worn out, he was still very conscientious and didn’t want to harm her.

But Shen Lin didn’t know that he had a terminal illness. After seeing Wu Mengting last time, she had always suspected that Chen Feng had a mistress outside, and then proposed a divorce with her.

Even though Chen Feng had already explained, and now he had broken up with Wu Mengting, her suspicion had not been dispelled. She snorted coldly, “What can I tell them? I’m just stating the facts. I just said that you took the initiative to propose a divorce, and I tried to save it, but in the end, I didn’t succeed.”

This was also a fact. At that time, Shen Lin had indeed given him a chance, and had also tried to save it, but how much sincerity there was was unknown.

At least in Chen Feng’s opinion, the so-called opportunity that Shen Lin had given him at that time was a kind of charity, and even more of a mockery. Of course, he would not accept it.

However, it was useless to argue about these things now. Chen Feng didn’t want to argue with them.

“Alright. Then what do you mean now? What kind of explanation do you want me to give you?”

Chen Feng asked directly, looking at Shen’s father.

Shen’s father was not ambiguous and immediately said, “It’s very simple. My daughter has wasted so many years of her youth with you. You can’t just walk away and leave nothing for my daughter. So, you must compensate my daughter 500,000 for the loss of her youth.”

Hearing this, Shen Lin’s eyes widened. She shouted at Shen’s father angrily, “Dad, what nonsense are you talking about? When did I ever ask him to compensate me?”

Shen’s father also glared, “You silly girl, you have wasted so many years of your youth with him. Isn’t it normal to ask him to compensate you for the loss of your youth? For other divorced couples, even if the wife was penniless before marriage, she can still get a lot of property after divorce. If they have two houses, they can even get one. Look at you, you divorced him and didn’t get a penny. Tell me, you silly girl, is your brain broken?”

Shen’s mother also said with a look of anger and disappointment, “We have already tried our best to take care of his family’s situation. We only asked him for 500,000. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be too much to ask him for 5 million. You have been with him for more than five years, right? Is an average of 100,000 a year too much? Not at all.”

“You… you’re making me so angry! You’re making me feel like I’m a prostitute,” Shen Lin said with a flushed face.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Shen’s mother scolded her daughter and emphasized, “This is a fee for the loss of youth and a breakup fee. As long as he still has a little conscience, he should give it to you. Otherwise, you have been with him for these few years for nothing.”

Shen Lin said angrily, “Do you think I was with him for money at that time? Where can I put my face if you do this?”

Shen’s father also said angrily, “You’re already divorced. What face do you still need?”

Shen Lin was about to say more, but Chen Feng spoke first, “Alright, alright, I understand what you mean. Isn’t it just money? I can give it to you. Come, let’s all sit down first. Since you’re here, let’s have a good meal. Let’s just treat it as the last time we eat at the same table in our lives.”

As soon as Chen Feng said this, the three members of the Shen family all looked at him in surprise.

“Please sit down.” Chen Feng gestured for them to sit down with a polite look.

The three members of the Shen family looked at each other for a while. In the end, it was Shen’s father who sat down opposite Chen Feng first and asked, “Are you really willing to compensate my daughter 500,000 for the breakup fee?”

Chen Feng nodded calmly, “Yes. After dinner, I will transfer 500,000 to her.”

Shen’s father was stunned and said doubtfully, “Can you take out 500,000 at once?”

Chen Feng said in a relaxed tone, “Of course. I made some money from stock trading a while ago. 500,000 is more than enough.”

The three members of the Shen family were all half-believing and half-doubting.

Shen Lin stared at Chen Feng for a while. Her intuition told her that Chen Feng was not lying.

However, Shen Lin still said with a cold face, “I don’t want your stinky money.”

“Shen Lin, don’t refuse,” Chen Feng said with a solemn expression. “I’m giving you this money willingly. It’s a little compensation for you. I know I disappointed you before, and now that I finally have some money, it’s right to give you some to spend.”

Hearing this, Shen Lin’s eyes couldn’t help but turn red. Her cold expression immediately broke, and she said with a slightly trembling voice, “If you had talked to me like this earlier and worked hard, how could we have ended up like this?”

Chen Feng thought to himself, not everyone who works hard can get rich. It also depends on luck.

However, her words still touched Chen Feng a little. After all, the two of them had been in love before. This could not be faked.

“It’s meaningless to talk about these things now.” After Chen Feng finished speaking, he shook his head and then pressed the service bell to let the waiter in.

“Bring me a portion of each of your restaurant’s signature dishes, and another bottle of Feitian and two bottles of juice. That’s all for now.”

Chen Feng did not let them order and made the decision directly.

After the waiter went out, Chen Feng said to them, “You should have all heard of Fumanlou’s signature dishes, right?”

Fumanlou was an old and famous restaurant in Xiuzhou. As people from Xiuzhou, even if they were from the county below, they still had some understanding of Fumanlou.

So, when they heard Chen Feng say that he wanted a portion of each of the signature dishes, they were shocked. According to Chen Feng’s standard, it would cost at least tens of thousands. As for the Feitian Maotai he ordered, it was nothing.

Therefore, the three members of the Shen family didn’t know what to say for a moment.

In the end, it was Shen Lin who spoke. She looked at Chen Feng with a somewhat complicated gaze and said, “It seems you have really made money now. But did you really make it all from stock trading? I remember you never traded stocks before.”

“If you don’t believe me, then forget it.”

For a moment, everyone fell into silence.

Not long after, the waiter knocked on the door and came in, bringing them a pot of tea.

After the waiter poured them tea and went out, Shen’s mother suddenly sighed and said, “Actually, it’s not that we insist on you compensating for the loss of youth. It’s just that when we think of Xiaolin following you for so many years without any regrets, but ending up like this, we as parents are definitely not happy. If you can have a good talk and try to date again, we will definitely not want this money from you.”

Hearing this, Shen Lin did not speak, but looked at Chen Feng in silence.

“This money must be given,” Chen Feng said without any hesitation. “I must take most of the responsibility for the divorce at that time. Now that I have money to compensate Shen Lin, it is also right. As for dating again, I think it’s unnecessary. Before we divorced, our feelings had already had problems and cracks. After the divorce, everything has become a thing of the past. It’s impossible to mend it again.”

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(End of chapter)