Chapter 71: Heart-to-Heart
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As soon as he stepped inside, Chen Fei was greeted by the rich aroma of food. With his keen senses, he immediately perceived the presence of four dishes and a soup.
“Chen Fei, thank you!”
Su Ran quickly approached, grasping Chen Fei’s hand.
“I already heard from Miao Yue. Are your injuries alright?” Chen Fei pretended to be unaware of the situation.
“My injuries are fine now. If it weren’t for Big Brother arriving in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.” Su Ran felt fortunate—fortunate to have taken Chen Fei as her husband. If not, she might have already lost her life.
“I wanted to thank Big Brother properly, but he said he did it all for you. So, I decided to express my gratitude by cooking for you myself.”
As she spoke, Su Ran led Chen Fei to sit down.
“This is the first time my wife has cooked for me—I must savor it properly.” Chen Fei smiled, pretending not to see as he reached for the chopsticks on the table.
“Let me feed you,” Su Ran said, catching his searching hand. “I’ve never cooked before. The chef in the mansion taught me on the spot. If it doesn’t taste good, you can’t laugh at me.”
Chen Fei didn’t refuse. As Su Ran introduced each dish, she fed him personally.
There was a serving of homestyle tofu, steamed fish, stir-fried greens, a meat dish, and a bowl of mushroom soup.
Su Ran seemed to have a natural talent for cooking. Though the food wasn’t on par with the chefs of Huangyue Tower, she had certainly learned well from the mansion’s cooks.
“Is it good?”
Su Ran watched Chen Fei expectantly.
“Mm!”
“It’s just as good as our house chef’s cooking.”
Chen Fei nodded affirmatively.
“That’s great!” Su Ran beamed with satisfaction. As she continued feeding him, she also ate from the same pair of chopsticks.
Chen Fei noticed this small gesture, and a warm feeling spread in his heart. Sharing chopsticks like this—before, only lovers deeply connected would do such a thing.
“Today is a day worth celebrating. Let’s have a drink.”
Su Ran poured a cup of wine for Chen Fei.
“Congratulations, you’ve truly become the eldest daughter of the Su family now.” Chen Fei raised his glass to toast her.
“And congratulations to you for earning the recognition of the Wan Guo Merchant Guild.” Su Ran clinked her cup against his, and they drank together.
“Chen Fei, will you accept their invitation?” she asked after finishing her drink.
“I heard from Miao Yue that the Wan Guo Merchant Guild is incredibly powerful, even the City Lord’s Mansion has to tread carefully around them. For my trading convoy, this is an opportunity of a lifetime.” Chen Fei didn’t answer her question directly.
“Yes, the guild is powerful enough for you to establish yourself in the Great Qing Kingdom. One day, you could become a truly influential figure.”
“Moreover, you have extraordinary talent as a technique spiritualist. With the guild’s help, you could heal your eyes sooner or later, and your strength would surely rise significantly.”
“But if you accept Ling Qingyi’s invitation, your trading convoy will have to move to Tianyuan City.”
As she spoke, Su Ran continued to pour him wine, her tone casual.
“You don’t want me to leave?” Chen Fei picked up on the deeper meaning in her words.
“It’s a rare opportunity. I shouldn’t stop you.” Su Ran didn’t try to hide her emotions when facing him.
Though she had secured her position in the Su family and gained Ling Qingyi’s promise to protect them, she knew that the City Lord’s Mansion harbored a thousand-tier technique spiritualist in the shadows—Ye Chenxing. He would never let her awaken her Phoenix bloodline smoothly.
Before, she had the family’s ancestor to protect her. But now, with the old ancestor dead, no one could stand in Ye Chenxing’s way.
At this moment, Su Ran needed Chen Fei—or rather, she needed his Big Brother, a half-step True Spirit Master, to guard the Huangling Mine.
Beyond these practical concerns, she had also developed an unspoken attachment to Chen Fei, despite their short time together.
She knew they could never be together, yet hearing about his potential departure made her feel reluctant.
Chen Fei sensed her subtle plea and reluctance, and it warmed his heart.
Earlier today, as Chen Yang, he had asked her: If I were to leave Huangwu City, would you come with me?
She had answered: No.
At that moment, he had already made his decision.
Now, hearing her indirect plea, he felt moved again and couldn’t resist bringing up the topic once more.
“If I were to leave Huangwu City, would you come with me?” he asked. “I don’t mean now—I mean when neither of us has anything tying us down here anymore.”
Su Ran wasn’t surprised. She simply smiled and said, “Big Brother asked me the same thing today.”
“Chen Fei, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can do that.” After finishing her drink, she gave the same answer as before.
Chen Fei nodded subtly, his expression unchanged. He downed his own drink before finally sharing his decision with her.
“My wife, I know you have your secrets, and I know you are in a difficult situation right now.”
“You protected me when I was in danger, so I will not leave you when you are in danger.”
“I won’t miss out on the Wan Guo Merchant Guild’s offer, but I also won’t leave right now.”
Hearing this, Su Ran felt an inexplicable warmth in her heart. Without thinking, she leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.
This was the most touching thing she had heard since arriving in Huangwu City.
“Chen Fei, I’m really glad I met you.”
Her face flushed slightly as she spoke softly.
Chen Fei, caught off guard by the kiss, felt his body tingle as if struck by lightning. Before he could react, Su Ran had already stood up and walked away.
“Chen Fei, starting tomorrow, come with me to the Huangling Mine,” she said.
“Me?”
Chen Fei was stunned. “I’m blind. I’ll only get in your way. If you’re worried about safety, I can write to my Big Brother and have him go instead.”
“The old ancestor sacrificed his life to buy me time. The mine will be safe for a while.” Su Ran shook her head.
“Then I’m even less necessary…” Chen Fei was confused. Why was she insisting on taking him to the mine?
“Have Miao Yue pack your things. We’ll leave tomorrow.”
Su Ran cut him off, then pushed open the bedroom door and went inside.
Chen Fei stood there, bewildered. He had no idea what she was planning.
Spending more time with Su Ran was certainly a good thing, but he had his own plans. He needed to focus on cultivation to prepare for the secret realm.
Later, after Miao Yue helped him pack, Chen Fei lay on his bed, unable to sleep. His mind was preoccupied with thoughts of how to refuse Su Ran’s invitation without arousing her suspicion.
Before he knew it, the night had passed.
