This Assassin Is a Son-in-Law
[Original/Author — Rainy Night Trekker]
[TL — Spades]
[PR — Blitz]
[QC — Lumi]
Chapter 2 — The Arranged Betrothal
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Amidst the family's laughter and chatter, the housekeeper entered the room and quickly approached Feng Wanming.
"Mr. Feng, there's a young man outside looking for you," she said, handing him the photo and military medal.
The moment Feng Wanming saw the photo and medal, his entire body trembled. He swiftly picked them up, examining them closely.
"This is..."
A look of joy spread across his face. He eagerly asked the housekeeper, "Is the young man still outside?"
"He is!"
Upon her nod, Feng Wanming stood abruptly and hurried toward the door.
"Dad, who's here to get you so excited?"
Feng Zitong, the youngest daughter of the Feng family, called out to her father with a puzzled expression as he rushed toward the entrance.
Feng Wanming seemed not to hear, continuing his brisk pace out the door.
Curious, Feng Zitong turned to her mother. "Mom, do you know who it is? Dad's so worked up, he didn't even hear me."
Not only Feng Zitong but also the other Feng siblings, including Old Master Feng, looked at Feng Wanming's wife, Li Yuemei, with confusion.
To their surprise, Li Yuemei's face gradually paled, her body trembling as she muttered, "The Jiang family has come."
"Mom, what Jiang family? Why do you look so shaken?"
Seeing her mother's ashen face and trembling, Feng Zitong and the others grew even more puzzled.
After a long pause, Li Yuemei looked at Old Master Feng and said slowly, "Dad, have you forgotten? Wanming once arranged a betrothal for Yiyun."
Her words instantly clicked for everyone.
The arranged betrothal Feng Wanming had set for Feng Yiyun was well-known in the Feng family.
The other party was Jiang Hao, the son of Feng Wanming's old comrade.
"Grandpa, if it's really Jiang Hao, you have to stand up for Sis! Don't let Dad honor some old promise and marry her off to a stranger!" Feng Haoming, the second son, looked at his grandfather in a panic.
He knew his father was the family's decision-maker, and only Grandpa might sway him.
The others also turned pleading eyes toward Old Master Feng.
Old Master Feng raised a hand, signaling everyone to stay calm. "For now, let's wait and see how this unfolds," he said unhurriedly.
...
Feng Wanming stepped out of the courtyard and saw Jiang Hao standing at the gate.
Noticing Jiang Hao's faded, worn clothing, his eyes reddened. He strode forward, grasping Jiang Hao's hands tightly.
Jiang Hao recognized Feng Wanming as well. Compared to childhood memories, Feng Wanming had aged, but his features remained largely unchanged.
"Haozi, you're finally here! You have no idea how hard I've searched for your family all these years!"
Feng Wanming's excitement caused his body to tremble slightly.
If his old friends or business rivals saw this, their jaws would drop. In their eyes, Feng Wanming was always calm and unshakable, like a mountain.
Jiang Hao, who had spent years in a world of bloodshed, hadn't felt familial warmth in a long time. At this moment, he sensed it from Feng Wanming.
It touched him slightly. "Uncle Feng, I'm late. I've made you worry."
Feng Wanming patted Jiang Hao's hand, smiling with relief. "You're here now, that's what matters. You're here now."
"Haozi, why are you alone? Where are your parents?" Feng Wanming glanced behind Jiang Hao, seeing no one, and asked with confusion.
At the mention of his parents, a shadow crossed Jiang Hao's face. After a long pause, he said softly, "My dad passed away when I was not yet ten.
As for my mom, less than two years after Dad's death, she left me without a word."
Hearing of his old comrade's tragic fate, Feng Wanming was struck as if by lightning, muttering in disbelief, "How... could this be..."
As he spoke, deep sorrow filled his face.
"How... did your dad pass?"
"An old chest wound flared up."
"An old chest wound... flared up!" Feng Wanming's face twisted with guilt. "It's my fault, all my fault. If Jiang hadn't saved me, he wouldn't have been injured, and if he hadn't been injured, the wound wouldn't have relapsed..." The more he spoke, the deeper his pain grew.
After a long while, Feng Wanming suppressed his grief and patted Jiang Hao's shoulder. "Child, you've had a hard life these years."
Jiang Hao gave a faint smile.
His life could be called thrilling and tumultuous, but not exactly hard.
After his father's death and his mother's departure, he became an orphan and was taken in by his master.
After completing his training, by chance, he joined the assassin organization 'Wolf.'
Later, with his exceptional martial skills and godlike marksmanship, he earned the favor of the organization's leader, the 'Wolf King.'
When the Wolf King was injured and retired, Jiang Hao became the new Wolf King...
...
As Jiang Hao followed Feng Wanming into the villa, the taxi driver, who had witnessed everything from afar, stood dumbfounded.
He had assumed Jiang Hao, like others before him, would be turned away at the Fengs' door.
Instead, not only was Jiang Hao not rejected, but Feng Wanming, the chairman of Feng Corporation and a prominent figure in Wuling City, personally came out to greet him.
Their interaction was so warm that some might believe Jiang Hao was Feng Wanming's own son.
Who was this country kid?
The driver was filled with regret. Had he known, he would've tried to build a connection with Jiang Hao for future benefits.
Cursing himself, the driver started the car and slunk away, wishing he could disappear into a hole after his earlier remarks.
...
Jiang Hao's arrival was like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, sending ripples and waves through the Feng household.
Initially, some held a sliver of hope for Jiang Hao, but upon seeing his cheap canvas clothes and cloth shoes, they were instantly disappointed.
Jiang Hao was clearly here to leech off the Fengs, hoping to strike it rich overnight.
Feng Yiyun, beautiful and accomplished, had graduated from a prestigious foreign university and, at just twenty-six, had built her own company to a modest scale.
Compared to Jiang Hao, the two were worlds apart.
Marrying Feng Yiyun to Jiang Hao would be like letting a toad feast on a swan.
As the person at the center of this, Feng Yiyun felt endless despair seeing Jiang Hao, her supposed betrothed, in such a state.
If her father forced her to marry him, it would be worse than death.
Feng Wanming sensed his family's initial attitude toward Jiang Hao but paid it no mind, instead introducing his family to Jiang Hao.
Though Old Master Feng wasn't fond of this rustic-looking Jiang Hao, as the elder, he nodded politely and probed about Jiang Hao's family situation.
Learning that Jiang Hao was only a high school graduate, with a deceased father and a mother who had abandoned him, Old Master Feng felt pity.
Pity was one thing, but marrying his granddaughter to Jiang Hao? Absolutely out of the question.
"Haozi, this is Yiyun. You remember her, right? You two played house together as kids," Feng Wanming said, pointing to his eldest daughter with a hearty laugh.
In the past, Feng Wanming had indeed taken Feng Yiyun to the Jiang family once, staying for a week.
Hearing her father mention playing house with Jiang Hao as a child, Feng Yiyun, already resistant to the betrothal, looked utterly mortified.
"Little Sister Yiyun, hello. It's been years. I wouldn't have recognized you if Uncle Feng hadn't introduced us," Jiang Hao said with a smile, looking at Feng Yiyun.
Her transformation surprised him. The seven-year-old girl with pigtails, bouncing around him, had grown into a stunning beauty. He couldn't help but marvel at how time flew.
After a moment's hesitation, Feng Yiyun forced a smile. "Sorry, my childhood memories are blurry. I don't recall much."
Her words were clearly meant to distance herself from Jiang Hao.
Feng Wanming shot his daughter a dark glance. As her father, he knew exactly what she was thinking.
Jiang Hao looked at Feng Yiyun and gave a wry smile. "I understand."
"This is my second son, Feng Haoming."
"And my third daughter, Feng Zitong."
Feng Wanming continued the introductions.
Jiang Hao nodded to them. "Nice to meet you. I hope we get along."
Though Feng Haoming was reluctant to acknowledge Jiang Hao, out of respect for his father's authority, he nodded curtly.
"Why are you here at our house?" Unlike her brother, Feng Zitong showed no tact, pouting and questioning Jiang Hao directly.
Jiang Hao smiled faintly. "To fulfill my father's last wish."
"What wish?" Feng Zitong pressed.
Jiang Hao smiled again. "My father didn't tell me before he passed. He only said I'd understand once I came to the Feng family."
"Stop playing dumb! You're here to marry my sister and climb the social ladder, aren't you?" Feng Haoming, unable to stand Jiang Hao's perceived pretense, cut in before his sister could respond.
"And your timing's perfect, isn't it? Not too early, not too late, but right now. Let me tell you—"
"Haoming, shut your mouth!"
Before Feng Haoming could finish, Feng Wanming, furious, interrupted him.
Seeing his father's anger, Feng Haoming fell silent but redirected his rage at Jiang Hao, glaring as if he wanted to devour him.
"This is all your fault for stirring up trouble in our family," Feng Zitong muttered under her breath, glancing at Jiang Hao, careful not to let her father, standing beside him, overhear.