FID – Chapter 577

Chapter 577: Too Stingy to Spare a Glance

After Qian Wanjin and Xue Qinglian took their seats, Kang Shiming and his family finally followed suit.

Since Liu Yusheng was present, the women of the household were also allowed to join the meal.

During the banquet, Kang Shiming barely dared to speak. This was the King of Nanling—even he had never seen the man before.

As just a lowly seventh-rank county magistrate, he didn’t even have the qualifications to attend court, let alone meet someone of such high status.

Back when he first learned that His Highness and His Majesty were in Xinghua Village, he had desperately wanted to pay his respects. Unfortunately, he was refused.

Now, hearing that the king himself had arrived, he had been both excited and anxious, carefully preparing what he wanted to say. Yet, the moment he saw the man in person—his mind went blank.

The aura Feng Qingbai exuded was too overwhelming. Facing him directly was especially intimidating, and Kang Shiming had completely forgotten all the words he had prepared.

“Feng Qingbai, how did you get here so fast?” Qian Wanjin couldn’t hold back his curiosity. “The canal transport boats are still docked in Yunzhou, waiting for Lucky Nannan to use them anytime—don’t tell me you flew here?”

He had to know. Otherwise, he might start resenting Xiao Shi.

He was starting to feel abandoned.

Feng Qingbai calmly picked out a few dishes for the girl beside him before answering, “I built two of those transport boats.”

The three who knew the cost: “….”

“Feng Qingbai, be honest with me,” Qian Wanjin leaned in, his voice low. “Aren’t you actually the richest man in Nanling?”

Building one of those ships cost at least 100,000 taels!

Back when Xiangshan was hit by a snow disaster, Feng Qingbai had given Liu Yusheng 300,000 taels without hesitation.

Now, just for these ships, he had casually spent another 200,000 taels.

Just how much silver was he hiding?

Feng Qingbai gave him a side glance. “And what if you knew?”

This was pure bullying!

Qian Wanjin immediately kicked Xue Qinglian under the table. “Xue Qinglian! Say something!”

Help!

Xue Qinglian, who had been minding his own business, finally spoke up lazily, “Nannan, Feng Qingbai has a secret stash of money. The richer a man is, the easier he goes bad. If he doesn’t hand it over, don’t marry him.”

“Xiao Lian, you’re a true brother!” Qian Wanjin cheered.

“Change ‘Xiao’ to ‘Da’!”

The two of them kept going back and forth, while Feng Qingbai narrowed his eyes, feeling an itch in his hands.

Were they trying to talk Shengsheng out of marrying him?

Liu Yusheng held back a laugh. “Enough. Don’t flip the dining table over.”

With just that one sentence, the three men immediately shut up.

The Kang family watched this entire exchange in stunned silence. They were shocked.

Shocked by Liu Yusheng’s standing among the three men—she was clearly not just a follower in their group. 

In fact, she seemed to be the one in control.

Kang Shiming didn’t dare to directly question Feng Qingbai, so he turned to Qian Wan Jin instead. “Young Master Qian, what exactly are you all talking about?”

He was completely lost.

“We’re talking about a certain someone who, just to see his sweetheart and go on dates, spent a fortune building ships—his level of extravagance is downright outrageous.” Qian Wanjin snorted in frustration.

“You know the Canal Guild, right, Lord Kang? This guy built two ships there just so he could conveniently visit her anytime. Tell me, isn’t that shameless?”

“……” Kang Shiming didn’t dare to answer.

“Xiao Jinzi, the Xianrou headquarters is in the capital. You’ll have to travel back and forth in the future, right?” Liu Yusheng said casually. “How about I ask Feng Qingbai to return the ships? From now on, you can keep taking a carriage between the two places. A round trip only takes two months—it’s not too long, right?”

“Ancestor, I was wrong!”

Qian Wanjin surrendered in seconds.

Why was he picking a fight with Feng Qingbai? Liu Yusheng always had her man’s back!

If the ships really got taken back, how was he supposed to visit his Xiao Shi?

Hearing their conversation, Kang Ziyu’s eyes flickered with emotion.

The King of Nanling—handsome and refined, wielding immense power, and generous beyond words. Wasn’t he the dream of every noble maiden?!

And Liu Yusheng…

By having him, she had everything.

A clear and crisp female voice suddenly rang out, interrupting the playful atmosphere.

“We have always heard of Your Highness’s great name—lofty, untouchable. But who would have thought, in private, Your Highness is so thoughtful toward his fiancée? It’s truly enviable.”

The conversation stilled for a moment. The sudden intrusion made the atmosphere feel slightly off.

Kang Shiming and Mrs. Kang’s hearts clenched. They immediately turned to look at Kang Ziyu.

The young woman, smiling brightly, used her words as an excuse to directly gaze at Feng Qingbai!

Liu Yusheng lifted her eyes but showed no extra emotion.

With Kang Ziyu’s personality, it would have been strange if she didn’t try to stir things up.

But no matter what she thought or what schemes she had, it had nothing to do with her.

She was entirely irrelevant.

Some things in life aren’t about whether you want to join in—it’s about whether you’re even worthy of being included.

She’s a jumping clown, that’s all.

Liu Yusheng had nothing to say, but Qian Wanjin certainly wasn’t going to stay quiet. 

“Miss Kang, you must be mistaken. Feng Qingbai isn’t just considerate toward his fiancée— He’s only considerate toward OUR Lucky Nannan. Others can be envious all they want, but they won’t get the same treatment.”

A direct slap in the face.

Fiancée? She didn’t even say Lucky Nannan’s name. Did she really think she was that important?

Meanwhile, Feng Qingbai didn’t even spare Kang Ziyu a single glance. Not even the corner of his eye. Instead, he lifted his gaze and looked at Kang Shiming.

“Lord Kang, let’s talk about the current situation in Xiangshan County. Have the damages been calculated yet? And the injured—there are far too many. I took a quick look today, and almost all of them are crowding around Shengsheng and Xue Qinglian. That’s not a sustainable solution.

For minor ailments and small injuries, send them to other doctors. A healer must have compassion, but also boundaries—You can’t let them exhaust themselves.”

Such an obvious display of disregard made Kang Ziyu’s smile freeze, leaving her awkward and unable to recover.

Meanwhile, the man continued speaking while diligently serving food to the young woman, ensuring she ate well.

His care for her was meticulous!

Yet toward others?

He wouldn’t even spare them a glance.

Beside her, Kang Shiming broke out in a cold sweat. His Highness was clearly displeased that Liu Yusheng was being overworked.

“Your Highness is right, it was my oversight,” Kang Shiming quickly responded. Tomorrow morning, I will summon all the doctors in the county to help treat the people and distribute medicine.”

“You are the magistrate of Xiangshan—handle it as you see fit. An imperial decree will soon arrive. For the post-disaster efforts in Yunzhou, assist the prefect to the best of your ability.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

Liu Yusheng tugged on Feng Qingbai’s sleeve. “We’re eating. Discuss government affairs after the meal.”

“Mm.” The man smiled at her, picked up his chopsticks again, and resumed serving her food. He did not bring up official matters again.

Kang Shiming secretly let out a sigh of relief. Good thing Liu Yusheng had changed the topic—otherwise, he would have been so nervous that he wouldn’t have been able to sit still.

Before meeting him, he had always wanted the chance to see the legendary king in person.

But now that he had, he finally realized—

Some people’s presence is simply too overwhelming to withstand.

A true son of destiny—his aura was something innate.

The dining table fell silent.

Kang Ziyu also lowered her head and quietly ate her meal. 

No one noticed that one of her hands was tightly gripping her thigh, where her mother had viciously pinched her just moments ago.

Everyone at the table was rejecting her. Even her own parents!

She had only said a single sentence, yet her parents reacted as if facing a great enemy! 

What did she do wrong?!

After the meal, Feng Qingbai and Kang Shiming went to the study to discuss the county office’s plans and progress for post-disaster reconstruction.

The others returned to their rooms to rest.

After the servants cleared the table, Mrs. Kang pulled Kang Ziyu aside.

“The guest staying in our house right now is a true son of destiny, not those ordinary young masters you used to toy with! If you can’t see the situation clearly, then stay in your room and reflect! Until our esteemed guest leaves, you are not to take a single step outside your door!”