Just then, Jiang Li, who had been calm and collected, was the first to step forward to speak for Ouyang Rui.
"Esteemed elders, I believe that with Rui'er's discerning eye, ordinary people would never catch her attention. Since Brother Yuan Hao has returned with Rui'er today, it must prove that Brother Yuan Hao possesses extraordinary qualities."
"Rui'er, look at Jiang Li's magnanimity! Even at a time like this, he's speaking for his love rival. Don't you see all these virtues?" The second uncle seemed more anxious than Ouyang Rui.
"Second Uncle, I'm the one looking for a partner, not you."
Hearing her daughter speak so boldly, Zhou Qingfang immediately reprimanded, "Rui'er, how can you speak like that? That's your second uncle. We all have your best interests at heart. I truly don't know what has captivated you about this young man!"
"Mom, have I ever brought any man home before? I finally feel I've found the man I can entrust my life to, and yet, instead of blessing me, you're setting up this 'Hongmen Banquet.' How can you expect me to have a good attitude?"
She paused for a moment, then slowly continued, "Love, when you desperately search for it, you cannot find it even at the cost of your life. But then, perhaps in a sudden turn of the head, you find that person where the lanterns are dim, like a phantom that could vanish at any moment. Thus, you toss and turn, yearning day and night, asking others to inquire frantically about the man you met only once. I found him, yet I still have to beg you to give me a chance, to fawn over your expressions?"
—So, did I really meet him somewhere before?
Ren Yuan Hao was deeply moved, and he had never felt such a sense of presence from any woman. But as she said, he was indeed just a phantom~
"Your only fault is being born into the Ouyang family! Today, you will agree, whether you want to or not!" The eldest uncle was ready to lay his cards on the table. This decision had already been made through a family meeting and was indeed not something Ouyang Rui could refute.
The second uncle also stood up, "Rui'er, your second uncle and I have no children. You are the only daughter of the third brother. The entire vast family business will need you to manage it in the future. If you don't find an absolutely capable man, how will you manage? You are, after all, a woman! How will those shareholders and old guards obey you!"
Ouyang Rui stumbled back several steps. Ren Yuan Hao also rose and steadied her. At this moment, Ouyang Rui leaned softly against his ear, as if speaking to herself, "Yuan Hao, I don't want to marry this man. I don't want to, I, I~"
"I understand."
Ren Yuan Hao straightened up and held Ouyang Rui in his arms. With an unknown source of confidence, he faced these esteemed elders with their high status and let out a loud laugh.
"You scoundrel, what are you laughing at? Do you think your wicked scheme will succeed? You're just a pretty boy after our family's vast fortune, using Rui'er's favoritism to try and get rich with nothing. Your plan is quite clever."
The eldest uncle glared, but Ren Yuan Hao just kept laughing.
"Kid, what exactly are you laughing at?" The second uncle, always cautious, and with his intellect, had already detected a hint of disdain in the laughter.
"I'm laughing at you people, who pride yourselves on being highly educated, for failing to see something as obvious as this."
Ren Yuan Hao's demeanor changed drastically, his gaze like lightning flashing through a storm. "Since you know Ouyang Rui is a woman, and the Ouyang family has no other heirs, no matter who Ouyang Rui marries in the future, your Ouyang family will merely be a splendid dowry. Instead of worrying about the decline of the Ouyang family, you should focus on curing the incurable diseases you both suffer from!"
*Bang!*
The eldest uncle slammed his hand on the table. The slightly chilled soup leaped from the bowl like a carp leaping over the dragon gate. He roared, his anger reaching its peak!
"You brat, I think you're tired of living! How dare you mock our infertility! Someone!"
As soon as he spoke, a dozen or so men in black suits swarmed in from outside the courtyard. In a moment, they lined up on both sides, completely blocking Ren Yuan Hao's escape route.
Ren Yuan Hao, however, leisurely picked up a wine glass, uncorked a bottle of fine wine on the table, poured a cup, swirled it, sniffed it, and drank it down in one gulp.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. The wine you rich people drink is simply tasteless, far inferior to sorghum liquor. Eldest Uncle, do you think your loud voice gives you masculinity? Do you think these dead fish and shrimp can capture me?"
Ren Yuan Hao gently placed the wine cup back on the table. His gaze was like electricity, his qi flowing freely. The body of the cup, following his internal energy, developed dense fine lines, yet it did not crack. This skill was truly astonishing, and the elders present had never heard of or seen anything like it!
"What, what kind of skill is this?"
The second uncle, a bookworm, had always believed that internal martial arts were mere fabrications in wuxia novels, unrealistic things. Even Jiang Li's eyes began to change.
"It's natural for ordinary people to be short-sighted, and their basic respect for heaven and gods has been eroded by technological advancement. You think science can surpass nature, and you believe that among heaven and earth, only we sentient, thinking primates are qualified to stand at the apex of the pyramid. Money, status, women, luxury cars, mansions—these extremely material things are worshipped by you as gods, yet you neglect your own cultivation."
Ren Yuan Hao walked behind the eldest and second uncles. Those thugs did not dare to reach out and stop him. Ren Yuan Hao continued, "Earlier, I saw many deities in the main hall, even with an altar for worship. However, the incense smoke is still lingering, but the incense for worshipping family gods is already moldy. I see that it's been at least half a month, or even over a month, since you last offered incense and paid your respects!"
"What is the reason for this? It's none other than your belief that your material wealth is sufficient, that your affluence allows you to disregard the gods, and that those who pray to gods and Buddha are merely failures with demands." Ren Yuan Hao patted the second uncle's shoulder and asked in a deep voice, "Second Uncle, am I correct in my analysis?"
The second uncle remained silent. Ouyang Rui, however, grew more and more apprehensive—in her entire life, she had never seen anyone render the proud second uncle speechless, or cause the eldest uncle to be angry but refrain from acting. Her admiration for Ren Yuan Hao grew even more fervent.
"Second Uncle, the Confucian school advocates the theory of 'cultivating oneself, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world,' which remains correct to this day. Yet, you, with your level of education, are smug, asking everyone about their knowledge. I believe that applying knowledge has, in your case, perhaps turned into boasting about knowledge?"