Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 257 256 My Brother's Will-o'-the-Wisp
The chessboard that Feng Xiuhu hadn't taken away was still on the tea table, and it seemed that Zheng Muwen hadn't even touched it.

This waiting was quite agonizing for Cheng Aimei, and she was restless with worry in her eyes.

Feng Xiuhu invited him to sit opposite him and play a few rounds of chess.

Cheng Aimei sat down and forced a smile, "You can play chess too?"

Feng Xiuhu felt looked down upon: "No one knows chess better than me."

Cheng Aimei stopped asking and smiled as she picked up a black stone: "I didn't know how to play it before, but I learned it later to please Zheng Muwen... Unfortunately, I've never had a chance to use it."

Feng Xiuhu placed a white piece down and made the first move: "Don't speak too confidently, we might need to use it today."

Cheng Aimei looked at Feng Xiuhu with confusion, hesitated for a moment, and then didn't ask any more questions—assuming that Feng Xiuhu was following the ancient rule of white going first.

He placed the note down and tentatively asked, "Director Zheng is getting old; I'm afraid he can't withstand your antics."

Feng Xiuhu made another move: "I won't bother him, you have to do it."

Cheng Aimei remained silent for a moment. After several chess pieces were laid out in a row, he spoke again: "To be honest, ever since I entered this room, my heart has been in my throat. I have no idea what to do."

Feng Xiuhu held a chess piece, squinting at the chessboard as if deep in thought. He casually replied, "When you don't know what to do... just do whatever you want and let nature take its course."

Cheng Aimei was taken aback: "I don't understand."

Feng Xiuhu sneered, "It's not so much that you don't know what to do, but that you dare not do anything. Why dare not do anything? Because Zheng Muwen is your wife's father, your father-in-law, and a high-ranking official in the government. All sorts of rules and regulations are pressing down on you, binding your hands and feet, making you unable to move."

Feng Xiuhu's eyes lit up, as if he had seen the flaw on the chessboard: "So, why not break out of the rules and do whatever you want? The world will suddenly open up, and courage will naturally arise."

Snapped!
As Bai Zi confidently placed his piece, Feng Xiuhu laughed loudly: "You've lost!"

Cheng Aimei was shocked: "I lost? I only played a few moves!"

Feng Xiuhu picked up the last piece he had placed, jumped three steps in the gaps between the pieces, and finally pressed it onto a black piece: "I'll eat your cannon!"

Cheng Aimei was momentarily bewildered: "Where did this cannon come from?"

Feng Xiuhu pointed to the line of white stones connected after capturing the "cannon" on the chessboard: "Five stars in a row!"

Cheng Aimei's expression suddenly changed: "What kind of rule is this?!"

Feng Xiuhu waved his hand dismissively: "In short, it's not Zheng Muwen's rule—if he wants to play Go, you'll actually play Go with him?"

Cheng Aimei seemed to be deep in thought.

Feng Xiuhu didn't know if he had figured it out yet, but Zheng Muwen had already arrived.

The butler followed behind, crouching low, as Zheng Muwen walked in with a livid face.

Clearly, the housekeeper had informed him beforehand that Cheng Aimei was also there.

Zheng Muwen glanced at Cheng Aimei, snorted coldly, and then sat down opposite her.

Feng Xiuhu grinned and pointed outside, asking, "Old Deng, is it alright if my brother's will-o'-the-wisp is parked outside?"

Zheng Muwen didn't understand, but he didn't bother with Cheng Aimei at all. So he went straight to Feng Xiuhu and said, "If Father Feng wants to ask someone he knows to intercede, he's probably mistaken. I don't know this fat, big-eared street urchin at all."

Feng Xiuhu rubbed the chess pieces in his palm, keeping his head down and remaining silent.

He was waiting for Cheng Aimei to speak.

Cheng Aimei paused for a moment, then finally mustered her courage and smiled as she took the food box from beside her: "Director Zheng, this is..."

"shut up!"

Zheng Muwen glared at him: "You have no right to speak here."

The words she was about to say were swallowed back down. Cheng Aimei's smile froze.

Zheng Muwen was furious, so he took it all out on Cheng Aimei: "Look at what you're wearing! You can't even put together a single new piece of clothing. If others saw you like this, they'd think just anyone could walk into the Zheng family's door—ouch!"

Zheng Muwen covered his mouth and cried out in pain. He heard a thud at his feet and looked down to see a white chess piece roll around and stop on the ground.

Looking across at the other side, Feng Xiuhu didn't move, still silently shuffling his chess pieces.

Seeing this scene, Cheng Aimei, who had almost buried her head, felt a surge of confidence.

He was finally able to finish his sentence: "This was made by Amei herself. Her skills are getting better and better. She was even invited to help with the cooking at the Duke's birthday banquet. Director Zheng, when you have some free time later, please have a taste with your wife."

These words only enraged Zheng Muwen further. He slammed his fist on the table twice: "Skill? How dare you mention that! Now the whole city knows that my daughter, Zheng Muwen, has become a cook! I've completely lost face!"

He pointed at Cheng Aimei and yelled, "It's all because of you! You persistent, fat bastard—ouch!"

Zheng Muwen covered his mouth again, this time in even greater pain than before. He looked at his palm and saw bloodstains.

Looking at Feng Xiuhu again, he found that Feng Xiuhu was looking at him with a half-smile.

Feng Xiuhu nodded at him: "Go on, what did this fat guy do to you?"

At this time.

The butler, who had just sneaked out, suddenly led a large group of people in and barged in.

Among the group were police officers in black uniforms, but most were newspaper reporters, some carrying cameras and others holding flashlights, scrambling to squeeze in.

Seeing this, Zheng Muwen suddenly stood up, raised his voice, and said righteously, "I'll talk! Mad Tiger, even if you beat me to death today—I'll still talk!"

Click!

A flash of dazzling white light captured Zheng Muwen's imposing figure.

A reporter shouted at Feng Xiuhu: "Father Feng Xiuhu! I heard that you tried to use violence to force Director Zheng to collude with you. Is this true?"

Feng Xiuhu smiled and waved at them, but didn't say a word.

Another reporter asked, "Father Feng Xiuhu! Is the sudden death of the Duchess's maid related to you?"

Feng Xiuhu smiled and nodded, but still didn't speak.

The reporters behind couldn't push their way forward, and a voice shouted from behind: "Father Feng Xiuhu! Bishop Conat is about to be tried by the Church. As his secret lover, what is your opinion on this?"

Feng Xiuhu jumped up and shouted, "Who asked that?! Step forward!"

The room fell silent; the reporters remained silent, and no one admitted to anything.

Seeing that the topic was no longer about him, Zheng Muwen coughed twice to draw everyone's attention back.

"cough!"

Feng Xiuhu turned his head and looked at him with an unfriendly gaze.

Zheng Muwen met his gaze without flinching: "Crazy Tiger! Since you want to hear it, I'll tell you! My youngest daughter has been well-educated, virtuous, and kind since childhood, all because she met him—"

Zheng Muwen raised his arm and pointed at Cheng Aimei sitting opposite him.

He gritted his teeth: "This Cheng fellow took advantage of my daughter's youth and ignorance, using all sorts of sweet talk and despicable means to trick her into giving herself to him."

He was on the verge of tears, indignant: "As a father, how could I stand by and watch my daughter be entrusted to the wrong person? For her sake, I had to abandon my family business in Taijing, leave my hometown, and come to Fancheng to continue contributing to education. But this man surnamed Cheng—"

His eyes widened in fury: "They still haven't given up their wicked intentions, and they actually chased us all the way from Taijing to Fancheng. Their hearts are utterly despicable!"

(End of this chapter)