Chapter 53 Which idiot dared to abonden Leng Mei?
Leng Yan arrived back just in time.
The moment her gaze landed on Zhang Wei leaning against her car, a look of disgust crossed her face, as if she had swallowed a bug.
Without uttering a word, she stormed over to the driver's seat and slammed the door shut.
Zhang Wei furrowed his brow in frustration at the way she treated the car.
Rather than speeding away, Leng Yan surprisingly waited for Zhang Wei to get into the car.
These small gestures may be overlooked by her, but for Zhang Wei, they were a sign that she was slowly submitting to his authority.
As Zhang Wei settled into the plush passenger seat, he couldn't help but admire the luxurious interior of the customized Audi R8 Spyder.
Despite the temptation to take the car away from her, he dismissed the idea, fearing that she might become so distraught that she would consider suicide.
As they drove towards their destination, Zhang Wei fiddled with the radio, his fingers tapping along with the music.
He made sure not to disturb Leng Yan, but he couldn't help but notice the route she was taking, watching the scenery outside the window with interest.
In less than an hour, Leng Yan pulled up outside a towering building and announced that they had arrived.
Her face remained stoic, giving no indication of her thoughts or feelings.
Zhang Wei finally turned his attention towards the building and let out a hearty chuckle, "I thought we were going to your place. What are we doing here?"
Leng Yan narrowed her eyes, her irritation palpable. "This is your house. Get out," she snapped.
Instead of taking him to her own residence, she had brought him to his apartment building in Southern Heights.
Frustrated, Zhang Wei shook his head and switched on the radio again. "Wake me up when we get to your place, and make sure you arrange for someone to pick up my car and return it," he instructed before dozing off, propping his feet up on the dashboard.
Leng Yan was left speechless, unsure of what to do with the sleeping man in her car.
After waiting for what felt like an eternity, her growing irritation got the better of her, and she gritted her teeth in anger before slamming down on the accelerator, changing course and heading north.
Zhang Wei's lips curled into a smile, his eyes still closed as he pretended to be asleep, thoroughly enjoying Leng Yan's mounting frustration.
The car continued down the road, and without warning, it turned towards the university district, causing Zhang Wei to sit up straight in his seat. He turned to Leng Yan and asked, "Do you live in a dorm?"
Leng Yan looked at him and frowned, "No."
Zhang Wei's interest was piqued, "So where do you live?"
Leng Yan glanced at him before nodding towards the west. "In one of the mansions there," she said.
Zhang Wei raised an eyebrow, not surprised but impressed. "You live in one of those mansions in the west?" he asked, his voice tinged with admiration.
Leng Yan's expression remained stoic as she replied, "Yes."
Zhang Wei couldn't help but grin, "I thought you were diligent in your duties, but it appears the water isn't as clear as it seems; rather, it's quite muddy." He was teasing her for keeping up false appearances.
He couldn't help but wonder how someone like Leng Yan, who appeared to prioritize work above all else, could afford a mansion in that area.
He suspected that the only explanation was corruption.
Leng Yan noticed the look on his face and quickly clarified, "It's not mine, it's brought by Mei."
Zhang Wei's curiosity only increased, "Is your mother that wealthy?" he asked.
He realized that Leng Yan's family wasn't just powerful but incredibly affluent.
To afford a home in Mansion Row, they would need to be at least near the level of the city's most prominent families.
Despite his deductions, he couldn't quite deduce the source of their wealth, leaving him intrigued.
Zhang Wei realized that he didn't know much about the capital, nor had he ever heard of the Leng family. 'I should ask Rose. She might have more information about the capital,' he thought to himself.
Although he was far from venturing there, he believed that having some connections wouldn't hurt. 'What if I end up having good luck and catch a big fish?' he wondered.
Little did he know that Leng Mei was that big fish, and she had already appeared on his radar.
Leng Yan noticed him grinning in the mirror and sighed. "Don't think anything funny about Mei; she is much more powerful than you," she warned him.
She couldn't help but feel a bit conflicted about why she was helping him.
Wouldn't it be better if he learned a lesson from Leng Mei's hands?
Zhang Wei shrugged nonchalantly, not caring about Leng Yan's words.
He was determined to learn more about the capital and make connections that could benefit him in the future.
He wasn't going to accept the fact that Leng Mei was stronger than him. Although it might be the case, giving the benefit of the doubt to Leng Yan was his best option.
Zhang Wei's suddenly remembered that he haven't heard about Leng Yan mentioning her father up until now, his suspicion lingered like a heavy cloud as he sat in the passenger seat of Leng Yan's car.
He couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something she was keeping from him, his eyes darted around the car, scanning every inch of it, searching for any clues that might lead him to the truth.
"Who is your father?" he asked, his voice low and cautious.
Leng Yan's expression changed instantly at the mention of her father.
She felt a bit surprised, as Zhang Wei asked it out of the blue.
She gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white. "Why do you ask?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Zhang Wei didn't answer. Instead, he stared at her, his eyes piercing her soul.
He knew that she was hiding something, "Is he dead?" he asked bluntly.
Leng Yan's frown deepened as she muttered, "It would be better if he was dead!"
She accelerated the car, causing Zhang Wei to raise an eyebrow.
The sudden acceleration caused Zhang Wei to feel discomfort for a moment, but it wasn't enough to make him change his question.
"He is alive then?" Zhang Wei pressed, his tone harsher this time.
Leng Yan fell silent, knowing that she had said too much already. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but it was no use.
The anxiety were too much to bear. "I don't know," she finally said, her voice trembling with emotion.
Zhang Wei's eyes narrowed as he caught the steering wheel, startling the young woman. "What are you doing?" Leng Yan turned around in surprise, only to find Zhang Wei staring back at her with a determined look in his eyes. "Either you tell me the whole thing, or we both are dying today," he said, his voice low and threatening.
Leng Yan couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Y-You have gone insane!" she exclaimed, her heart racing.
Zhang Wei held her gaze, his expression unyielding. "So, are you telling now?" he asked with an evil grin.
The system chimed in, [Host, you possess her slave seal. You could simply command her to reveal all that she knows.]
Zhang Wei sneered, 'Where's the fun in that?' He enjoyed the power he held over her, the fear he could instill with a mere glance.
Leng Yan's breaths came in short gasps as she stammered out what little information she had.
She knew nothing of her father's whereabouts, only that his name was Xu Wen and that her mother had described him as a charming and strong man.
Her fear was palpable as she recounted how her father had been absent throughout her childhood, and how her mother had fled their hometown the moment Leng Yan was born, settling in the capital.
"All the techniques and cultivation were taught by Mei to me, and the she refused to divulge the source," Leng Yan whispered, her voice barely above a whisper.
Zhang Wei's lips curled into a snarl as he realized that Leng Mei had kept the source of the techniques and cultivation a secret.
He knew that it had to be related to Xu Wen, but Leng Yan's mother was not talking.
"You have quite the bastard father," he spat out, his voice dripping with contempt.
Leng Yan's face twisted into a stiff smile as she nodded in agreement, the darkness of her situation becoming even more apparent.
To Zhang Wei, Xu Wen was nothing but a cultivator who had ascended to higher realms and left his women behind, a plot he had read in one of his novels that he hated to the core.
He would rather kill someone than abandon them to suffer for eternity.
Despite not knowing much about Xu Wen, Zhang Wei couldn't help but grin in delight since he now had an opening to confront Leng Mei.
With this new information, he believed that Leng Mei wasn't as strong or cheerful as she appeared.
It was a facade to hide everything she had gone through, similar to how Leng Yan had developed a sense of justice due to her feelings towards her father.
Xu Wen's actions had caused her to view the world in a black and white perspective, with a strong distaste towards criminals.
With more information, Zhang Wei found that he could interpret Leng Yan and Leng Mei much more easily.
He could also justify the closeness between Leng Yan and her mother, and why they behaved like sisters.
They had been dependent on each other while growing up, with a parent depending on her children, and Leng Mei needing to depend on Leng Yan for her existence, causing them to develop such intimacy.