Chapter 156: Unappreciative of Good Intentions

Chapter 156: Mistaking a Good Heart for Malice

Though mocked by a younger generation, Tang Zhenfeng managed to suppress his anger. At this moment, Sable and Jackal, whom Tang Yifei had left at the entrance of the Tang family villa, walked up to him.

"Where is the Second Young Master?" Tang Zhenfeng forced himself to contain his fury. Today's mess was entirely caused by his son's rash behavior, and he would certainly not let him off lightly.

Sable lowered his head and said, "He has already left."

Tang Zhenfeng's mouth twitched, and through gritted teeth, he said angrily, "I don't care what method you use, bring him home immediately! I'll be waiting for him at home!"

"Second Uncle, don't be angry, drive safely on your way back," Xu Yun added insult to injury. "If you get too anxious and something happens to you, I won't live to see the day I drown."

Tang Zhenfeng snorted. "Then I thank you in advance. Rest assured, my life is tough enough. Let's wait and see who loses their footing first. Young man, don't be too full of yourself. You may be exceptional, but you aren't exceptional enough to make the Tang family bow to you alone!!"

With that, Tang Zhenfeng opened the door, climbed into his fully-loaded BMW 7 Series, slammed his foot on the accelerator, and sped away in a cloud of dust!

Xu Yun wasn't done yet. He waved goodbye from behind, shouting with a mournful expression, "Second Uncle, drive slowly! We're not in such a rush to be reincarnated, no need to push your luck!"

Tang Qun and the others shivered with apprehension. This guy had enough guts to completely disregard Tang Zhenfeng's status within the Tang family. Even though Tang Zhenfeng had already driven far away and couldn't possibly hear him, probably no one else would ever dare to shout such words out loud.

Xu Yun cast a glance at Tang Qun and Tang Wanxin, two fellows with no powerful backers, wearing a completely harmless smile. "Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother, safe journey. When you have time, your brother-in-law will treat you to a drink."

Oh, good grief! A warm current instantly surged into the hearts of Tang Qun and Tang Wanxin. Among the younger generation of the entire Tang family, aside from the two of them occasionally treating each other to a drink, none of the other cousins had ever invited them anywhere. Those people had always looked down on them.

"Brother, since you've said that, Fifth Brother supports you!" Tang Qun immediately declared his stance, suddenly feeling that this outsider stood exceedingly tall and heroic.

Tang Wanxin secretly tugged at Tang Qun's sleeve, gesturing for him to be careful of paper walls having ears. Siding with this guy without even knowing what kind of capabilities he possessed was simply making a reckless gamble; they wouldn't even know how they died when the time came.

"If you're trying to build a faction, you've chosen the wrong people," Tang Wanxin stated bluntly. "We can't help you with anything in the Tang family. See you!" With that, he urged Tang Qun to get into the car. The two luxury vehicles drove off one after the other, gradually fading into the distance.

Tang Long, who hadn't yet stepped out of the villa's gates, heard every single word clearly. In his heart, he dared not underestimate Xu Yun even more. This fellow had exceptionally sharp eyes; he knew precisely what kind of people were easiest to recruit at a time like this. He could tell those two fellows held the lowest status in the Tang family, yet he didn't look down on them. That was Xu Yun's extraordinary trait—winning people's hearts at such a moment, making those two feel genuinely grateful toward him. Even though those two fellows had the lowest status in the Tang family, they were still members of the Tang family. And as long as they were members of the Tang family, there was always a chance they could help him at a crucial moment.

Tang Long took a deep breath, forcing his expression to look slightly flustered, and hurried over to Xu Yun in a panic. "Uncle Tang's heart condition is acting up again. Go on inside and take a look quickly; I'm worried Ninth Sister will be upset. Given the special circumstances today, I won't stay much longer. I'm afraid Uncle Tang and Ninth Sister might get angry upon seeing me. Sigh, enough said, the more I say, the more misunderstandings arise. I'll be leaving first."

Xu Yun frowned slightly. "Safe journey, Brother Long."

Tang Long climbed into his Volkswagen Phaeton and drove off rapidly. He was presumably the last to leave; those so-called Tang family members, lacking any real voice and simply there to make up the numbers, had long since retreated, terrified of being implicated by today's farce.

Xu Yun watched the distant Volkswagen Phaeton, thinking to himself that Tang Long was indeed a deeply unfathomable person. Just by looking at his car, one could tell: a top-tier twelve-cylinder Phaeton worth over two million, yet no matter how one looked at it, it resembled an oversized Passat. Its exterior was understated, while the interior was vastly more luxurious and comfortable.

Only Tang Long himself knew why he bought this car. Among all his cousins, his car's exterior was the most low-profile. Compared to SUVs like the Range Rover, Porsche Cayenne, and Audi Q7, or sports cars like the Porsche 911, Nissan GTR, and Audi R8, the Phaeton's exterior looked practically like a beggar's ride in comparison. No one would ever guess at a single glance that it was worth over 2.5 million.

Tang Long did this precisely to make his cousins overlook his existence. Yet his personal comfort was by no means lower than anyone else's; in fact, the price of his car ranked in the upper-middle tier among all the vehicles owned by the Tang family.

Just as Xu Yun was seeing Tang Sanguo off at the door earlier, he had heard Tang Long's footsteps, yet Tang Long had deliberately delayed approaching until everyone else had left. Only then did he run over acting exceptionally panicked, telling him that Tang Zhengtian's heart condition had flared up.

Obviously, if Tang Zhengtian's heart condition had truly acted up, his feigned panic would be utterly sickening. But if Tang Zhengtian wasn't in as much danger as he claimed, it could only mean this person had no intention of letting Xu Yun have peace of mind.

Regardless of everything, Xu Yun decided to go inside first and figure it out.

As soon as Xu Yun stepped through the door, Guo Guo rushed over and recounted what had just happened inside the room. Learning that Tang Zhengtian was in no serious danger, Xu Yun finally relaxed.

A trace of relief finally surfaced on Tang Ji's face. "Have they all left?"

"They've all left," Xu Yun said with a faint smile. "If you trust me, would you allow me to examine Old Master Tang's condition?"

Before Tang Ji could speak, Aunt Xue chimed in first. "Treating illnesses is a doctor's job! Bystanders should do best not to meddle blindly!"

Tang Ji was taken aback. To her ears, Aunt Xue's tone toward Xu Yun was exceptionally unkind, placing her in a rather awkward position. On one hand was Aunt Xue, a veteran contributor to the Tang family whom even her father respected by three degrees; on the other hand was Xu Yun, whom she had gone to great lengths to invite from Hedong City to help her. Whichever side she failed to support would feel awkward.

Fortunately, Xu Yun didn't mind and simply brushed it off with a slight smile.

Seeing Xu Yun take the misunderstanding so lightly, Tang Zhengtian's appreciation for him grew by several degrees, and he couldn't help but nod inwardly in praise.

"Aunt Xue, Xu Yun means well," Tang Ji explained on Xu Yun's behalf.

Guo Guo was far from pleased. "Hmph, what's so special about that? Truly mistaking a good heart for malice! Usually, if anyone wants to invite my dad to treat an illness, they wouldn't be able to hire him even with an eight-bearer sedan chair. Today, he voluntarily offered to help you guys, and this is the attitude you give him."

Good grief! Xu Yun almost choked on his own breath. Guo Guo's exaggeration was off the charts, practically comparing him to legendary miraculous physicians like Hua Tuo or Bian Que. If he genuinely lacked the ability to treat the person, Aunt Xue would laugh her teeth out later on.

Aunt Xue didn't react to Guo Guo being a child; her expression remained calm as she said indifferently to Tang Ji, "Ji'er, Aunt Xue knows you've had your own mind since childhood, and Aunt Xue has always trusted your judgment. The person you've chosen is certainly no ordinary one; they must be a dragon among men."

Tang Ji breathed a sigh of relief. "That's right, Aunt Xue, so Xu Yun is truly exceptional."

"Uh..." Xu Yun was also baffled. Was Aunt Xue praising him in a roundabout way? Or was this Aunt Xue really... how should he put it?

Hearing this, Guo Guo cheered up and chimed in repeatedly, "What she said makes a lot of sense! Hmph, could a dad chosen by me be anything less than stellar? If he weren't a dragon among men, I, Feng Guo Guo, wouldn't have fancied him either. Hehe, Sister Xiao Jiu, we really are good sisters—even our eye for people is precisely the same."

Tang Ji nodded repeatedly.

Chou Yan was left speechless. She was genuinely terrified that Xu Yun wouldn't be able to bear wearing such a towering compliment.

"However—" Aunt Xue's single word immediately froze the triumphant expressions on Tang Ji's and Guo Guo's faces. She continued, "This is an extraordinary period. Ji'er, you know your father's physical condition best. At a time like this, you cannot afford to let your guard down around anyone. Aunt Xue trusts you, but please allow Aunt Xue to harbor doubts just this once regarding the person you've chosen. I will not easily give any outsider the opportunity to approach your father. If anything happens, I would truly fail the Tang family for the rest of my life."

A cloud of worry washed over Tang Ji's face. "Aunt Xue, please don't say that. I know you have the Tang family's best interests at heart, and you're looking out for me and Dad. I understand, I truly do."

After all, Tang Ji was a member of the Tang family, so her understanding was normal. But how could Guo Guo and Chou Yan understand? How could Xu Yun?

"What if some malicious person tries to take advantage of this vulnerability? Ji'er, you're still young, and society is vicious. Sometimes, one cannot be too careful against others." Aunt Xue's remark was genuinely crossing the line; at least even Tang Zhengtian felt it went a bit too far.

Though Xu Yun didn't say anything on the surface, he felt more than a little annoyed inside. He had come with good intentions, only to be treated like someone feeding Lü Dongbin a good heart for a dog's lung—getting bitten by the very person he wanted to help. Naturally, he felt uncomfortable.

Guo Guo was thoroughly displeased and immediately declared her stance: "Sister Xiao Jiu, even though we're good sisters, your aunt's words are simply too harsh! After all this, my dad and I traveled all the way to Jibei City to help you, only to be treated like malicious intruders trying to seize your Tang family's assets! In that case, we're heading back! Lest someone here continues to give us the cold shoulder."

"Guo Guo, stop stirring up trouble." Tang Ji was naturally anxious; she was genuinely terrified that Xu Yun would get angry and actually leave. Besides, knowing her own temperament, if she were in Xu Yun's shoes and Aunt Xue spoke to her like that, she would flip out a hundred percent of the time.

Guo Guo's little face flushed red with anger. "Am I stirring up trouble? Sister Xiao Jiu, I'm telling the truth! There's not even the most basic respect here, it's such a huge disappointment! I will never allow my dad to be bullied and talked about like that!"

Xu Yun truly loved this little rascal from the bottom of his heart; she knew precisely when she needed to step forward and speak up for her adoptive father.

"Aunt Xue, look at how you've upset them. You... sigh, I..." Tang Ji was practically frantic with worry. She had never lost her temper at Aunt Xue since childhood, so she found herself unable to utter any harsh words, leaving her to shoulder everything herself: "Guo Guo, Xu Yun, is it my fault? Can I apologize to you guys?"