Elton Leng still had his cunning.
Aside from misjudging Fyren—which led to a series of bizarre maneuvers and eventually cost him his position—he had made very few mistakes over all these years.
People are often like this: the more capable they are, the fewer errors they make, but when they do slip up, it's a major one.
Fortunately, Fyren didn't devour Qianfeng, and Eliza smoothly took hold of the scepter of power at the Qingfeng Group.
A close call, but disaster was avoided.
But today, Fyren is mine—neither the Chens nor the Xus can take him away! That's final!
Outwardly gentle, he was deliberately putting Hong Zhang on the spot, forcing him to make that promise today, in front of everyone.
Make the call!
…
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Fyren had just stepped out of the bathtub, frantically drying himself off and muttering, "Crap, crap, crap! Cora's here, I'm dead!"
Eliza was highly displeased: "Hey! Fyren! What do you take me for? Some side chick? You're with me, and you're scared of her?! You chased me for three years, and now—"
"Now it's my turn to chase you, but I—"
Fyren tried to explain: "No, you don't get it! There's something wrong with my brain!"
"I think there really is something wrong with your brain! It's just Cora—I'll go see her myself!"
"Wait, Eliza, I need to handle this slowly!"
"Are you trying to keep multiple—three, four, five…" As she counted, Eliza exploded: "Just how many women do you have?!"
Right then, Fyren's phone rang.
Fyren answered: "Dad! What's up?"
Hong Zhang replied awkwardly: "Ah, n-nothing much."
"If it's nothing, I'm hanging up."
"No, don't hang up! It's just that, well…"
Once Hong Zhang made this call, the four old men stopped playing mahjong.
The phone was placed right in the center of the table, four heads huddled around it, each afraid of missing a single sentence, a single word, even a single syllable.
Hong Zhang glanced at the three old heads pressed way too close to him and said gloomily: "Son, I want to ask you something. Give me a straight answer, okay? Hello? Fyren?"
Sounds came through from the other end.
Fyren: "Hey, hey, Eliza, don't—not like this, not now! This really isn't the time!"
Eliza: "Why not?! I want it today! Weren't you just saying you could hold on a little longer? I agree! I'm not waiting anymore—today, right now, I'm yours!"
All four old men narrowed their eyes simultaneously.
Fyren: "Can you please calm down? Put your clothes on first!"
Eliza: "Weren't you excited when I was taking them off earlier? To get a look at my thighs, you practically shoved your head underwater!"
Fyren: "There's a situation outside right now!"
Eliza declared: "Fyren, I'll have you know—I, Eliza, am sticking to you for life, whether you like it or not! If you want to build a harem, you'll have to ask me first! Any woman I don't approve of—I'd rather finish her off than let you have her!"
Bin Chen and Zhi Xu were absolutely delighted, their expressions priceless!
They looked at Elton Leng, their eyes and eyebrows full of mockery!
Elton Leng!
You think you're so great? That daughter of yours, hailed as Crystalpeak City's number one Ice Fairy! The icy beauty!
Hahaha!
So much for being "icy"!
She's practically on fire!
Holy crap, this is explosive!
Everyone—and I mean everyone!—thought Fyren was the desperate one chasing after her. Now the tables have turned! Hahaha!
Now it's clear Fyren's the one trying to build a harem, and your Eliza is the one clinging desperately!
This is too good!
Way more exciting than mahjong!
Elton Leng was beyond embarrassed!
He thought to himself: What's gotten into my daughter? Even if you want to win Fyren over, you should… have some strategy and dignity!
This is just… throwing yourself at him, clingy and shameless like a piece of sticky plaster!
Bin Chen excitedly raised a finger to his lips: "Shh, shh, shh! Keep listening!"
Over the phone, Fyren lost his temper.
"Eliza! Get a grip, or I'm really going to lose it! Do you think I'm just putting up with you?"
Everyone was shocked. Was this really Fyren?!
Oh no, Eliza's about to blow up!
The four old men froze completely, wishing they could cut off their ears and stuff them right into the phone's speaker.
Then Eliza started whining sweetly: "Why are you getting so mad? Okay, I was wrong! I'm sorry, alright? Fyren? Fyren, please don't be angry with me. Want me to do a pole dance for you?"
Around the mahjong table, four heads lifted at once. Eight eyes looked at each other, then fell into complete silence.
Zhi Xu broke it: "Uh… young people these days, really… heh, kinda wild, huh."
Bin Chen stifled a laugh: "Yeah, yeah, they're sure creative. We're all behind the times."
Elton Leng was burning with shame!
His daughter's coy, submissive side had been exposed in front of these old men. Could anything be more humiliating?
Elton Leng's face was bright red; he wished he could just vanish into a crack in the floor.
He reached to hang up the phone, but Bin Chen was quicker!
He snatched it away in an instant.
"Hey! Elton! Can't take it?! You were the one who said to make the call and put it on speaker, right?"
Zhi Xu chimed in: "Yeah, yeah, this is… the crucial part. We've gotta… haha… see it through!"
Elton Leng was on the verge of breaking down: "Hey, hey, hey, isn't it inappropriate for a bunch of old men like us to be eavesdropping on a young couple's private talk? Hang up, hang up!"
"No, no, no! It's fine! Totally fine!" Bin Chen was the most excited of them all!
He had no idea that the next part of the drama would involve his own daughter.
Clutching that phone like it was humanity's last hope, he declared:
"Today, all four of us swear: if that side doesn't hang up, whoever ends the call here is a spineless turtle, a wolf-spawned, dog-raised, Northlandia's number one worthless scum!"
Then Bin Chen laughed and tried to reassure him: "Elton, like you said, it's just pillow talk. Haven't we all been young? This is just roleplay—it's trendy! You're behind the times; sit back and learn something! Though, once they get married, you'll have to call Fyren 'bro'! Hahaha!"
Elton Leng had completely lost face by now. Hong Zhang said awkwardly:
"Elton, I failed to raise my son properly. I'll give Fyren a good thrashing later! Don't take it to heart… It's just… young folks nowadays… they like trying new things… At that age… we've all been there, right…"
"Shh, shh, shh!" Bin Chen was hopping around like a monkey in his fifties, whispering excitedly: "They're talking again!"
Fyren had completely forgotten about his dad's call.
With Eliza fawning all over him, his mind had floated right up into the clouds.
After kissing her passionately and copping a feel, he dashed out to meet Cora.
"Cora."
"Fyren!"
Cora rushed over and threw herself directly into Fyren's arms.
The three old men simultaneously looked up at Bin Chen.
Bin Chen was completely baffled!
Wait… wasn't it Fyren and Eliza?
What's my Cora doing… at Fyren's place too?
What the hell is going on!?
Elton Leng immediately pointed authoritatively: "Zhi! Protect the phone!"
Zhi Xu swiftly snatched the phone: "Hand it over! Hahaha!"
Bin Chen panicked: "My daughter—she must be discussing business with him. My daughter… a proper young lady, never steps out unnecessarily, very careful about her reputation… my daughter… once she sets her mind, there's no turning back—a fine horse doesn't return to old grass—she would absolutely never…"
Elton Leng and Zhi Xu said in unison: "Shut up! Listen!"
Fyren: "Cora, what are you doing here? Is something wrong, coming so late?"
Cora: "I washed your underwear and socks yesterday; came to collect them today. What happened? Are you hurt?"
Elton Leng looked at Bin Chen: "Your daughter came to discuss work? She switched to housekeeping?"
Zhi Xu said: "Shh, listen!"
Fyren: "It's nothing. Got into a fight with someone."
Cora: "How old are you still getting into fights? How bad are the injuries?"
Fyren: "Don't worry, just some scratches. Wasn't it like this back in university too?"
Cora saidly: "Then do you have any idea how worried I was all those years?"
Fyren quickly soothed her: "Aiyo, alright alright, don't worry anymore. See, I'm perfectly fine!"
Cora said: "I'm asking you—when are you going to talk to my dad about us!?"
Bin Chen's eyes widened: "What 'us'!? What the hell have you two…"
Elton Leng immediately covered Bin Chen's mouth. Zhi Xu defended that phone with his life.
Fyren sounded dismissive: "Your old man thinks your family is nobility, and I'm just some upstart—not good enough for you."
Cora: "Aiyo, don't be so petty! My dad's an old stubborn mule—just win him over!"
Fyren: "How am I supposed to win him over? I offered him a guaranteed contract, and he acted like some condescending elder—made me so mad I wanted to punch him!"
Cora: "Hehehe! Do it for me! Fyren, seriously, I really want to be with you forever. Go talk to him!"
Fyren: "What should I say? I had to press his head onto the table just to get him to sign for money! Good grief, if I want to marry his daughter, won't he grab his cane and fight me to the death?"
Cora giggled uncontrollably: "Silly! Didn't I tell you already? If you're unhappy with him… take all your anger out on his daughter…"
The four old men were stunned.
What kind of talk was this!?
Then, though Cora's voice softened, everyone could still hear clearly.
First came the rustling sounds of kissing, the two of them murmuring and moaning for a long while.
Then Cora said breathlessly: "Bin Chen's daughter is making it up to you… feels good?"
Fyren's voice was low and seductive: "You think this little bit is enough to make up for it?"
Cora pretended to be pitiful: "Then what do you want me to do?"
Fyren said: "Bend you over my knee and spank you."
Cora giggled: "Then I'll beg for mercy, but you must not forgive me—otherwise I won't behave!"
Fyren: "Looks like you're determined to properly repay your father's sins."
Cora: "Yes, it's all my dad's fault. Fyren, just punish me."
Then she moved closer to Fyren, breathing heavily, clearly getting into it: "Punish me hard! Let's see if Dad can still talk tough when I go back with a big belly…"
Bin Chen immediately shot to his feet, about to explode in anger.
Hong Zhang clutched his chest: "Aiyo, no no no, my heart—I think I'm having a heart attack!"