Chapter 86

Page Thirty-Five Huangfu Fei

Heavens, Huangfu isn’t the surname of Linhua’s grandmother?

Following this logic, Old Feng was probably adopted by Huangfu Yuehua.

If that old matriarch who holds women above all else saw the homeless young man, Old Feng, she would surely feel pity and take him home as her daughter.

Oh, now she should be called Xiao Fei, even if inside she’s a forty-year-old man.

Linhua didn’t follow, but when she saw me suddenly turn around to stare at her, she first jumped in surprise, then approached with a puzzled look.

“Why are you glaring at me?” she whispered.

“Her surname is Huangfu too, see if she’s related to your grandmother?” I pointed my chin towards Xiao Fei, who was reading a book.

“This surname isn’t common. Let me see?”

Tan Linhua leaned against a half-meter-high partition, staring at Old Feng for a long time before shaking her head.

“I haven’t seen… If she were such a beautiful relative, I wouldn’t forget.”

Perhaps hearing Linhua’s words, Xiao Fei on the sofa lifted her head to glance at her, her pupils suddenly contracting. She gently closed the tutoring book and placed it on her black dress-clad knees.

The eternal ice queen’s face softened, carrying a gentle smile.

“If I’m not mistaken, you’re Sister Zhen’s son, right… Linhua? Still wearing women’s clothes at this age, men should act like men.”

She said a long sentence in one go, which was quite rare.

Now it was my turn to be confused. From Xiao Fei’s tone, she not only knew Linhua’s mother but had met her before.

“Who exactly are you?”

Tan Linhua was also puzzled. She frowned, trying to recall any memory of Huangfu Fei, but to no avail. After all, Huangfu Fei had only been around for less than a month.

“Have we met before?”

“When you were little, I even held you.”

Xiao Fei’s vague words almost drove Tan Linhua crazy. She hurriedly walked around the partition and sat down next to Xiao Fei on the sofa.

“No, you look about my age, how can you call my mother ‘sister’?”

“I am already thirty-seven this year.”

I believed her, but Tan Linhua did not. She looked down at the senior high school tutoring books on Xiao Fei’s knees, raising an eyebrow disdainfully, as if saying, “Are you kidding me?”

Xiao Fei could tell her thoughts. She glanced at me hesitantly, seemingly unable to speak because of my presence.

“Should I leave?”

“No need. How long has Linhua not returned to her ancestral home?”

“More than a month. I haven’t gone back since summer vacation.” Linhua answered honestly.

“In that case, come back when you have time, we’ll talk later.”

She picked up the books from her knees, put them in a bag, and stood up. Her jet-black hair swayed gracefully, bouncing back with elasticity, hanging down her back to her ankles, complementing her porcelain skin, making her look like a delicate Japanese doll.

“It’s almost noon, I’ll leave first.”

Only after she left the sofa area did I remember I hadn’t gotten her contact information.

“Hold on, Miss Huangfu, can I get your contact details?”

“No, I’m not interested in you.” Xiao Fei shook her head, directly refusing. Her long black hair swayed heavily.

“And I’m much older than you, just call me Fu…Fei sister.” Her facial expression gradually cooled, returning to her usual cold demeanor, which made me feel a bit cold, “That boy, you can’t use such persistent methods to flirt with girls, especially since you’re not my type.” I’d be scared if you liked me.

But leaving a bad impression wasn’t what I wanted, yet I couldn’t confess here. If she knew it was me who turned her into a woman, she might attack me.

Seeing me tilt my head in silence, she looked back at Tan Linhua and warned again, “Your grandmother isn’t feeling well lately, visit more often, at least give her a call…”

“But she doesn’t like me going back,” Tan Linhua’s eyes dropped, her mood sinking.

I always thought Tan Linhua lived alone because of a falling out with her family over cross-dressing. It seemed there was more to it.

“Even though I’ve suffered a lot from her temper, she is still your granddaughter. You should visit her.”

“Who exactly are you?”

This time, Xiao Fei shook her head without answering, holding the bag of books and walking out of the bookstore without looking back, heading toward the subway station we came from.

Not only did I fail to get her contact information, but I also left a bad impression. In the future, I could only find Xiao Fei through Tan Linhua.

“Your family situation seems quite complicated?”

Tan Linhua was still in low spirits. Hearing my words, she forced a bitter smile.

“It’s not that complicated. As you guessed, my grandmother dislikes men, so male family members don’t usually return to the ancestral home.”

“What about your father?”

“I don’t live in the big house with my parents. Instead, my younger aunt has stayed with my grandmother ever since her divorce.”

I caught something significant…

“Wait, your younger aunt got divorced? Did she have children?”

“She has a daughter… Come to think of it, Miss Huangfu and Crystal do resemble each other.”

When Old Feng was still himself, he recounted his unfortunate life story. He mentioned how a once-prominent star chef became a disfigured street vendor, but never mentioned being part of the Huangfu family.

However, there was a clue. Old Feng had a wife and daughter… If my deduction is correct, Tan Linhua’s younger aunt is Old Feng’s ex-wife, and Crystal is likely his daughter. Considering the headmistress’s personality, it’s normal for her to bring back her daughter to avoid letting her suffer with the disfigured Old Feng.

Then, Old Feng became Xiao Fei, and desperate, she sought help from her ex-wife. With her new identity as a woman, she was more easily accepted by the old lady.

All the puzzles were solved!

The progress on Old Feng’s case excited me, but I couldn’t let Tan Linhua notice anything suspicious. Otherwise, if she returned to the ancestral home and compared notes with Xiao Fei, she might suspect me. Who knows if Old Feng would recognize me by my back?

So I redirected the conversation.

“What about your grandfather? Did he divorce your grandmother?”

“Of course he did. I’ve never seen him since birth. They say he took my eldest uncle away.”

I wanted to ask more, but a knock on the door interrupted. Turning around, I saw the shop assistant tapping the partition with her finger, pointing to the sign on the wall that read “Reading Lounge.”

“Very sorry, we’ll leave now!”

Leaving the sofa area, I felt embarrassed to stay in the store any longer, so I followed Tan Linhua. The midday sun was even more intense than before, and with the urban heat island effect in the city center, the air outside was scorching, making breathing feel like inhaling hot air.

Heat drained my moisture, making my tongue feel dry, “It’s so hot! I’m dying!”

“Stop complaining! I told you to start earlier when it wasn’t so hot!”

We walked along Pingcheng New Street for a while, and Tan Linhua took a turn into a narrow alleyway.

Unlike the modern style on the main road, the further we went, the more ancient the surroundings became. Even some decayed carved signs could be seen, and the air carried a musty smell of rotten wood, giving a sense of decline—the buildings here were older than those in Mifeng Street, making it hard to connect with the city center.

But these narrow alleys had one advantage—they weren’t directly exposed to sunlight.

“How much longer? Where are we going?”

“About five more minutes. Don’t worry, the destination will have air conditioning.”

The interconnected narrow alleys formed a natural maze, but Tan Linhua was very familiar with the paths, as if she were strolling in her own backyard.

“We’re here!”

Tan Linhua led me out of the alley, back onto the street. The sudden brightness of the sun blinded me.

“Kai, welcome to my childhood paradise, the real Pingcheng Street.”