As soon as Feng Yan left the dining room, a heavy silence filled the air, suffocating the remaining members of the Feng family. The echo of the door closing behind her lingered, and for a moment, no one spoke. Feng Yue and her parents were too stunned to process what had just happened.
Feng Liang's face darkened, twisted with humiliation. The fake pleasantries, the rehearsed warmth, all of it shattered in an instant by Feng Yan's cold dismissal. He clenched his fists, the tension mounting in his body. His pride, carefully cultivated over years of controlling his household, had been severely wounded in front of his family. The cracks in his facade of control deepened.
With a sudden outburst of rage, he grabbed the bowl in front of him and hurled it across the room. The porcelain shattered against the wall with a loud crash, fragments scattering across the floor. His outburst jolted Feng Yue and Gu Li out of their stupor.
"How dare she?!" Feng Yue screamed, her face twisted in frustration. "That ingrate! After everything we've done for her! How dare she act so arrogant, as if she's better than us? Who does she think she is?"
Her voice trembled with a mixture of rage and disbelief. Feng Yue had always considered herself the rightful heiress of the Feng family, the one who deserved all the attention and respect. But now, Feng Yan was overshadowing her, and it was driving her insane.
Gu Li joined in, her voice filled with venomous anger. "We took her in, gave her a home, and this is how she repays us? She's nothing but an ungrateful wretch! And now she has the audacity to treat us like this?"
But Feng Liang wasn't listening to their complaints. His anger was no longer directed at Feng Yan—it had shifted towards Feng Yue and Gu Li. In his narcissistic mind, he couldn't accept the blame for the dinner's failure. He needed someone else to bear the responsibility, and Feng Yue's outburst was the perfect scapegoat.
"This is all your fault!" he roared, his eyes blazing with fury. "If you hadn't spoken so rudely to her, none of this would have happened! We had a chance to bring her back under control, but you had to ruin it with your childish jealousy!"
Feng Yue's eyes widened in shock. "But... but Father, I was just—"
"Enough!" Feng Liang cut her off, slamming his fist on the table. "You've always been spoiled, but this time, your stupidity has cost us dearly. Do you even understand how valuable Feng Yan is now? She's not just an adopted daughter anymore—she's a key to our family's future! And you... you threw it all away with your petty jealousy!"
Tears welled up in Feng Yue's eyes. She had never been scolded like this before. As the pampered young miss of the Feng family, she was used to getting whatever she wanted. Her parents had always treated her with gentleness, never once blaming her for anything. But now, all of Feng Liang's rage was being directed at her.
Gu Li, seeing her daughter's distress, tried to intervene. "Feng Liang, don't blame Yue'er! It's not her fault—"
"Silence!" Feng Liang snapped, glaring at his wife. "You're just as responsible for this! You've coddled her for too long, and now look where it's gotten us! Feng Yan is out of our grasp, and we have no one to blame but ourselves."
Feng Yue, feeling the full weight of her father's wrath, couldn't hold back her tears any longer. Her eyes turned red as she cried silently, her heart filled with resentment. She had never experienced this kind of humiliation before, and it was all because of Feng Yan. In her mind, Feng Yan was the one who had caused this disaster. If Feng Yan hadn't returned, if she hadn't dared to outshine her, none of this would have happened.
It's all her fault, Feng Yue thought bitterly. I'll make her pay for this. I'll make sure she regrets ever crossing me.
As her father continued to berate her, Feng Yue's resentment toward Feng Yan deepened. She had already been jealous of her adopted sister for stealing the spotlight, but now, that jealousy was transforming into something darker—an insatiable desire for revenge.
The cracks in the Feng family were widening, and Feng Yan's departure had only accelerated their collapse. But little did they know, the real storm was yet to come.