Chapter 140: Do you really not like this gift?

Words : 1290 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

At this moment, the Cheng Family had just finished breakfast. Cheng Guomin left for work at his company. Cheng Huai was still lounging in bed, and Zhao Haishuang had plans today to meet friends for a beauty treatment. Cheng Lie, after breakfast, went back to his room to draw. Zhao Haishuang was too lazy to care about him now, anyway. When he turned eighteen, she’d definitely find a way to drive this illegitimate child out of the house. She had tolerated having him around for so many years, but she couldn’t bear it anymore. Once he was of age, surely Cheng Guomin wouldn’t make up excuses to keep him here. If that day ever came, she swore she’d kill this little beast herself. A malicious glint flashed across Zhao Haishuang’s face. The next moment, she heard the doorbell ring. She walked over to open the door, and as she did, the venomous expression on her face instantly vanished, replaced by the soft smile of a warm and gentle woman. "Shi Fei." Zhao Haishuang warmly greeted Yun Shifei. Yun Shifei returned the smile. "Auntie, good morning." "Come to play with Xiao Lie again, haven’t you? Come in, come in." Yun Shifei stepped inside and brought out the gifts Yun Tiancheng had entrusted her with for the Cheng Family. "Auntie, my father returned from Beijing today, and these are some tobacco, wine, and local specialties he picked up for you." She placed the items on the table. "Oh dear, you’re way too kind." Zhao Haishuang laughed, her hand covering her mouth as she sized Yun Shifei up with a few appreciative glances. "Our families are so close; you really shouldn’t trouble yourself sending things over all the time." "It’s no problem. Thank you, Uncle and Auntie, for looking after me during this time," Yun Shifei said politely. Though she wasn’t really cared for much, gratitude was proper etiquette. "Auntie, I’ll go upstairs to find Cheng Lie now." "Alright, go ahead." Zhao Haishuang replied with a smiling face. Her beautiful face looked kind and friendly, the type of auntie that children would love. Yet Yun Shifei knew that Zhao Haishuang wasn’t as amiable as she appeared—not when it came to Cheng Lie. Because Zhao Haishuang treated Cheng Lie poorly, Yun Shifei didn’t like her. Yes, Cheng Lie’s status as an illegitimate child was somewhat disgraceful, but so what? The mistakes of adults shouldn’t be borne by the child. Yun Shifei couldn’t understand this. If Cheng Lie had a choice, she was sure he wouldn’t want to live in this kind of household either. The more she thought about it, the heavier her heart felt. She knocked on Cheng Lie’s door. After a moment, Cheng Lie opened it. The boy was only wearing a thin nightshirt, as he’d been staying indoors. Yun Shifei felt cold just looking at him. She stepped into Cheng Lie’s room and noticed it was chilly inside, too. She’d visited his room a few times before—it had always felt a bit cool in warm weather, but now it felt colder than ever. The cold snap last night had brought icy winds outside. How could this boy not feel cold dressed like this indoors? She couldn’t help asking him, "Where’s your coat? Is it in your closet?" Cheng Lie was a bit confused but nodded. Yun Shifei walked over to the closet and slid it open. Inside were plenty of clothes, including a few coats. With Cheng Guomin’s tendency to keep up appearances and pretend to treat Cheng Lie well, the coats were all worth hundreds, maybe even thousands of yuan. Given the price of clothes in this era, they were practically luxury items, guaranteed to be of exceptional quality. Yun Shifei picked out a down jacket, dusted it off, and wrapped Cheng Lie in it. Cheng Lie instinctively tried to step back but paused when Yun Shifei shot him a warning glare. "Are you going to wear it or not? It’s so cold—don’t catch a cold!" Faced with Yun Shifei’s stern gaze, Cheng Lie didn’t resist. He obediently let her wrap the jacket around him. Yun Shifei was particularly pleased with how cooperative Cheng Lie was. Cheng Lie really was very well-behaved. Right now, he wasn’t some future bigshot; he was just utterly adorable. After wrapping him up in the coat, she patted it down, smoothing its fit. But her hand accidentally brushed against the coat’s pocket, causing something to drop out. Yun Shifei looked down and saw the gloves she had given Cheng Lie last time! Back then, when she’d given the gloves to Cheng Lie, he had refused to accept them, so she’d forced them on him. Strangely, she’d never seen him use them afterward. She’d been puzzled at the time but never expected Cheng Lie to have stuffed the gloves into the pocket of a coat he’d never worn. Did he dislike her gift so much that he hid it away? The thought made Yun Shifei feel a little hurt. She stared at the gloves, lost in thought. Cheng Lie, noticing Yun Shifei had found the gloves, became flustered. Back when he hid the gloves, he had carelessly shoved them into a coat pocket. Ever since then, he hadn’t taken them out again. If Zhao Haishuang had found them, they’d be long gone by now. He would rather keep them hidden and never use them than risk losing them. And yet, they had ended up being discovered by Yun Shifei. The girl was now quietly staring at the gloves, her earlier smile completely faded, replaced by an expression of regret. She seemed disappointed now, disappointed that her thoughtful gift had been tucked away in some forgotten corner and never used. Was that how she saw it? "Cheng Lie, do you really not like this gift?" Yun Shifei asked, holding the gloves and looking at him. Her gaze was clear and calm, like a tranquil lake. Even though she misunderstood his intentions, believing he’d hidden the gloves out of dislike, she wasn’t upset. She was impossibly gentle with him—she seemed to never get angry. Cheng Lie felt an unbearable weight on his chest. The more tolerant she was, the guiltier he felt. He had so many secrets, but how could he explain such a matter? He could only tell the truth. Finally, Cheng Lie said, "They’ll take it away." The boy’s voice was cold and slow. Yun Shifei froze. They? "You mean Uncle and Auntie will take it away?" Yun Shifei asked, leaning closer to Cheng Lie. Her voice dropped, cautious and soft. Cheng Lie nodded. "How could that be..." Yun Shifei frowned. Cheng Guomin and Zhao Haishuang didn’t seem like people who’d lack for money. The gloves might have been expensive by her standards, but to someone as wealthy as Cheng Guomin, they were hardly significant. The only explanation left was that they were deliberately bullying Cheng Lie! Right now, Yun Shifei was deep in thought, analyzing every nuance of Cheng Lie’s words, oblivious to the closeness between them. Cheng Lie could even make out the fine down on her face. Her snowy skin and lowered lashes framed her long, delicate eyelashes and soft pink lips. She was nibbling her lip, lost in thought. Perhaps because of the weight of the information he had shared, she had to process everything carefully. After a while, Yun Shifei suddenly raised her eyes to look at him. "Cheng Lie, don’t worry..." Yun Shifei had been about to promise him that she would do everything she could to protect him, but then she noticed how close they were to each other. She was lifting her face, he was lowering his head, and she was almost about to kiss his jaw.

Chapter 140: Do you really not like this gift?

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