Chapter 15: The Fifteenth Step to Becoming the Matchmaker: Play Innocent When Needed  

As Chang Fei was thinking, the young matchmaker girls had already set their plan in motion.  

One transformed into a waitress, approaching with a tilted tray, poised to splash water on Leng Yin’ning, who’d just invited Chang Fei.  

“Oh, that’s awesome!”  

Chang Fei lunged toward Leng Yin’ning, and the hot tea splashed onto his back.  

The moment it hit, Chang Fei wanted to cry.  

What a scam!  

Weren’t they just pretending to splash water?  

Why was this scalding hot?  

If he weren’t a Matchmaker God, his skin would’ve blistered!  

Despite his mental preparation, the burn made him scream.  

He hadn’t expected boiling water.  

Lezheng Tingyu’s face darkened instantly.  

He grabbed the fake waitress’s arm, glaring fiercely, then flung her aside.  

Rushing to Chang Fei, he yanked open his clothes to check for injuries.  

Chang Fei was mortified.  

He’d worn nice clothes for once, planning to thwart the matchmakers’ scheme.  

But now?  

Utter humiliation!  

No, beyond humiliation—epic disgrace!  

Thankfully, touching a man turned him male, or he’d have lost all dignity if he’d been a girl.  

Sob… he was just a normal boy!  

Why was he even imagining the shame of being exposed as a girl?  

Even as a boy, being stripped in public was mortifying!  

Chang Fei swatted Lezheng Tingyu’s hand away, torn between laughter and tears.  

Sure, he had thick skin, but this sudden stripping was too much.  

He couldn’t show his shameless side now.  

He needed to drag his foolish scumbag dad away to prevent him from becoming a third wheel.  

Thinking fast, Chang Fei rubbed his eyes, coaxing tears to well up.  

Should he furrow his brows and pout to look aggrieved?  

Hmm…  

Picturing the perfect pitiful expression, Chang Fei aimed for flawlessness.  

Oh, right—he needed a touch of pain from the burn too.  

Lezheng Tingyu couldn’t believe his “wild, free-range” son of fourteen years dared resist his concern.  

Too spoiled, huh?  

Time for a lesson…  

But turning back, he saw Chang Fei, pitifully clutching his clothes to cover himself, pale shoulders trembling, tears brimming but held back stubbornly.  

His expression held hatred, disgust, pain…  

In that moment, Chang Fei’s image overlapped with a woman from fourteen years ago.  

Lezheng Tingyu’s anger fizzled, replaced by pity, sorrow, rage, and melancholy.  

His heart churned with countless emotions.  

“You…”  

He started to speak but noticed the crowd’s stares, along with Leng Yin’ning and Kading Che’s complex looks.  

For once, the usually arrogant Lezheng Tingyu realized he’d been… too rash?  

Really too rash?  

He was just worried his son was hurt, wanting to check the injury.  

Why were they all looking at him like he was a pervert?  

As LZ’s president, he could have anyone he wanted!  

Did he need to make a move on his son in public?  

Lezheng Tingyu wanted to round up these creeps ogling his son and teach them a lesson.  

“What are you staring at? Keep looking at my son, and I’ll gouge your eyes out!”  

His thoughts veering wildly, Lezheng Tingyu snapped.  

Chang Fei saw his chance.  

Time to whisk this troublesome dad away from the young couple.  

Seriously, having a dad like this messed with his work.  

He shouldn’t call him a scumbag dad anymore—calamity dad fit better.  

The man never brought him luck.  

Every time this disaster dad showed up, Chang Fei caught the Lezheng family’s bad luck and dim-wittedness.  

It kept him from fully unleashing his mom’s smarts.  

Opening his mouth to redirect Lezheng Tingyu’s rage, a sigh interrupted.  

“Sure enough…”  

*That voice sounds familiar!*  

Chang Fei’s heart skipped.  

A man in a black-and-white butler outfit with dark hair walked in, smiling at Lezheng Tingyu.  

“Young Master, didn’t I say I’d handle picking up the young master? Where did you get his whereabouts to recklessly follow? Do you know how many enemies your actions create for him? Or how they damage his image? I’ve already caught three paparazzi teams outside.”  

Lezheng Tingyu frowned, displeased.  

“Sebastian, I don’t need you meddling in my decisions. Just look after the young master.”  

“The young master’s crying because of you, Young Master!”  

Sebastian leaned closer, still smiling, but Chang Fei sensed he was angry—not just a little, but *furious*.  

He watched, stunned, as his unmistakable calamity dad’s gaze… shifted away!  

No way!  

His gaze actually moved?  

The fearless Lezheng Tingyu was scared of a butler?  

Chang Fei felt he’d witnessed one of the world’s ten greatest mysteries.  

But soon, he noticed something odd.  

The crowd… hadn’t moved in a while?  

An illusion?  

He glanced around.  

Hey, they weren’t even blinking?  

Wasn’t that uncomfortable?  

Chang Fei wondered.  

Sebastian smiled at him.  

“Young Master, if you’re done playing, let’s go home. The Young Master didn’t mean to upset you.”  

Hearing this, Lezheng Tingyu spun around, staring at Chang Fei in shock and disbelief, mirroring Chang Fei’s earlier expression.  

That look didn’t suit his face at all, making Chang Fei’s brows knot in distaste.  

Lezheng Tingyu asked Sebastian, stunned, “Why didn’t you freeze his time too?”  

Sebastian shrugged innocently at the towering man.  

“I wanted to freeze the young master’s time, but some things just can’t be done.”  

His vague reply offered no explanation.  

Lezheng Tingyu mused to himself, “So, this kid’s the only one who inherited my blood? Because he’s too powerful, like me?”  

He nodded knowingly at Chang Fei.  

Chang Fei didn’t even have the energy to retort.  

Only he had a dad this narcissistic, right?  

***

Shang Zhi’s note:  

No additional notes provided.