Reborn Heiress: Seeking Revenge-Chapter 447 Zhuge Feng and Lin Mengjie (4)_1

If he had known what would happen between him and Lin Mengjie, or the extent of their entanglements, Zhuge Feng certainly would not have used closed-door cultivation as an excuse to leave Hidden World Village. Then, perhaps, none of what followed would have happened, and Lin Mengjie wouldn’t have fallen into a deep sleep that lasted sixteen years.

Ever since the day Lin Mengjie had looked down on him, Zhuge Feng would show up at the Shangguan Family’s residence every night. The men of the Shangguan Family left early and returned late each day, sometimes not coming home for over ten days at a time. Zhuge Feng even made a special effort to learn about their family’s circumstances.

Shangguan Hao performed exceptionally well in the military and was frequently assigned missions. Although he had just married Lin Mengjie, they spent very little time together. Shangguan Yu had recently been promoted and was also extremely busy. Consequently, the people most often at home in the large Shangguan household were Lin Mengjie, Liu Ruoling, and Old Madame Shangguan.

Liu Ruoling went to work during the day. Shangguan Qing was already in kindergarten, with a dedicated car service for her daily pick-up and drop-off. This meant that during the day, only Lin Mengjie and Old Madame Shangguan were usually at home. Hiding in the shadows, Zhuge Feng watched Old Madame Shangguan relentlessly find fault with Lin Mengjie over every little thing. Lin Mengjie would simply smile, quickly enduring it. Zhang Ma was also part of the Shangguan household then, working as a maid.

Zhang Ma took care of Lin Mengjie’s daily needs. Although Lin Mengjie had married into the Shangguan Family, there was virtually no interaction between the Lin and Shangguan families. Despite this, Lin Mengjie frequently visited her own family.

Every day at home, Lin Mengjie bore the brunt of Old Madame Shangguan’s ill temper. Whenever Lin Mengjie got angry, she would take her sports car out for a furious drive, returning with it full of items—each a high-end product—with something for everyone. Upon seeing these things, Old Madame Shangguan’s expression would turn even fouler, despite receiving her share, and her comments would become increasingly harsh.

Old Madame Shangguan would accuse Lin Mengjie of only knowing how to spend money, not earn it, and of wasting her son’s hard-earned cash. Her criticism was relentless nitpicking, constantly deriding Lin Mengjie. Towards Liu Ruoling, Old Madame Shangguan’s attitude was equally cold.

Filled with fury, Lin Mengjie returned to her room and shouted in the direction where Zhuge Feng was hiding, "Get out here!"

Zhuge Feng rubbed his nose, inwardly pleased by her predicament, and emerged into the room quite boldly.

Looking at the large wedding photograph in the room, Zhuge Feng felt an inexplicable pang, but he quickly pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

"What do you want?" Lin Mengjie asked, her face still holding a sweet smile, though it now seemed somewhat terrifying. She actually detected me! Zhuge Feng thought with some surprise.

"Not much, just looking for the Five Spirit Pearls," Zhuge Feng replied, making no effort to hide his purpose. He knew it would be useless to try and deceive someone who could detect his presence. Besides, his instincts told him he didn’t want to lie to Lin Mengjie.

"There are no Five Spirit Pearls here. You can leave now."

Zhuge Feng elegantly seated himself on the sofa. "How do you know there aren’t any?" he asked, watching her face flush red then pale with anger, a sight that amused him greatly. "Did you marry Shangguan Hao and endure that old hag, all for the sake of the Five Spirit Pearls?"

"Shut your mouth!" Lin Mengjie retorted, her temper flaring for the first time, her usual gentle demeanor gone. "What are these Five Spirit Pearls anyway? Do you think everyone is as shameless as you?"

"Why should I shut up? I haven’t said anything wrong," Zhuge Feng said, waving his hands in a gesture of innocence. "Besides, that old hag is deliberately making things difficult for you. Can you really stand it?"

The term "old hag" seemed to slowly quell the anger in Lin Mengjie’s heart. "You’re right," she murmured, more to herself than to him. "’Old hag’ fits her quite well. If Hao hadn’t repeatedly told me not to clash with her, I wouldn’t be here enduring all this." At the mention of Shangguan Hao’s name, her expression softened, her voice tinged with the tenderness reserved for a beloved.

"What’s your name?" Lin Mengjie asked.

"Ouyang Xuan," Zhuge Feng replied, offering the alias he always used when traveling. Since she asked, he naturally gave the false name.

"Hmph! All that glitters is not gold," Lin Mengjie sneered sarcastically, suppressing her annoyance. "You have the nerve to use a name like that? It must be fake." Despite her anger, she seemed more vibrant and expressive than when she faced Old Madame Shangguan.

So, her days in the Shangguan Family aren’t easy because of that old hag, Zhuge Feng mused, finding the situation peculiar.

"Thank you for the compliment," Zhuge Feng replied, unabashedly taking her sarcastic remark as praise.

In the days that followed, Zhuge Feng came by almost every day to trade barbs with Lin Mengjie. He meticulously searched the entire Shangguan residence, from top to bottom, not missing a single corner. He knew something so important would be hidden extremely well. Each time he searched, Lin Mengjie would surprisingly help by turning on lights, even pointing out spots he had overlooked.

More often than not, however, Lin Mengjie would sprinkle a bit of itching powder on things she had handled, making Zhuge Feng uncomfortable. He fell for her tricks every time. This went on for more than ten days.

When Shangguan Hao finally returned, Lin Mengjie was ecstatic, utterly blissful. She no longer had time to bicker with Zhuge Feng; if she even spotted him, she treated him as if he were invisible, paying him no mind. She was always with Shangguan Hao, watching sunrises and sunsets together, and going on outings with him.

From his hiding spot, Zhuge Feng watched her face, radiant with happiness and contentment. Seeing Shangguan Hao’s tender affection for her, an inexplicable sourness welled up in his heart. He was intensely jealous of Shangguan Hao.

At night, hearing the intimate, heart-pounding sounds coming from their room, Zhuge Feng was consumed by an even stronger urge to kill Shangguan Hao. One day passed, then two. After three days, Zhuge Feng could bear it no longer. He left in a fit of pique and went into closed-door cultivation for three months.

He had only interacted with Lin Mengjie for a little over ten days, yet the memory of their time together constantly replayed in his mind, impossible to shake off. After three months, he could no longer resist and reappeared at the Shangguan Family’s villa, secretly watching her.

When he saw her slightly protruding belly, Zhuge Feng felt as if a bucket of icy water had been dumped over him, chilling him to the bone. Watching Lin Mengjie sit happily on the sofa, nestled in Shangguan Hao’s embrace, his heart turned to ice. Three months... and she was pregnant?