"You dare talk back! Just you wait!"
The man took out his phone, ready to make a call, looking like a thug. It was likely that after this call, many more ruffians with switchblades or flamboyant hairstyles would appear.
Just then, by the roadside, an old man over fifty with a receding hairline walked over silently. Without any warning, he struck the man on the head!
"Who the hell dares to sneak attack me~"
Before he even finished speaking, the old man behind him grabbed his ear and said fiercely, "Take a look, who the hell dares to sneak attack you?"
Upon hearing the voice, the man immediately wilted, like a deflated eggplant. His previously fierce demeanor vanished.
"Dad, why are you here?"
"Why am I here? If you mess up Rui'er's plans, I'll be done with you!"
Without another word, the old man grabbed the man's ear tightly and began dragging him towards the Porsche 911.
"Hey, wait a moment, Dad. Let me teach this ignorant 'driver' a lesson, and then I'll definitely go back with you!"
"Driver?"
Only then did the old man look towards the outside of the gate covered in climbing vines. Ren Yuanhao not only showed no anger but instead offered a faint smile, approaching and extending his right hand in a seemingly familiar manner.
"Ah, I smelled a hero's aura from afar and wondered which young talent it could be. I didn't expect us to meet again so soon, brother. This is truly an acquaintance made through a fight!"
"Hahaha, Elder Zhu, you flatter this young boy."
Ren Yuanhao and Elder Zhu exchanged pleasantries like old friends. Elder Zhu's son, on the other hand, stood dumbfounded, unsure of what to do.
"Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and apologize to our brother. If he hadn't chivalrously helped you last night, you would have been sent to the afterlife by me today!"
Elder Zhu, still holding his son's ear and pressing his head down, saw his unfilial son's lack of reaction. In comparison, he was furious at his son's lack of initiative and immediately kicked him, saying, "You brat, do you need me to teach you how to apologize too?"
Ren Yuanhao, understanding the principle of knowing when to retreat, immediately cupped his hands and helped the man up, saying, "Ah, what apology? As you said, we've met through a fight, and we'll need to rely on Elder Zhu more in the future."
"Certainly. I'll take this brat with me. We'll discipline him slowly at home."
Elder Zhu bid farewell to Ouyang Rui and Ren Yuanhao, then grabbed the man by his collar and returned to the car. The roar of the Porsche 911 was deafening as it sped away in a cloud of dust.
After the troublemaker left, Ouyang Rui finally breathed a sigh of relief. Ling'er pouted and tugged at her sleeve, saying, "Let's go, Sister Rui. My brother is probably getting impatient!"
Ouyang Rui ruffled her hair and frowned slightly, "What's wrong? He's already waiting, what's the harm in making him wait a little longer?"
She looked back at Ren Yuanhao, who stood tall and exuded an extraordinary demeanor. Her heart pounded. She thought that this Elder Zhu, a titan of the business world, actually valued Ren Yuanhao so highly. It seemed the little girl's intelligence was mostly accurate. A wave of sweetness washed over her, accompanied by a sense of great crisis, as Ren Yuanhao was indeed a sought-after commodity.
"Let's go."
It was Ouyang Rui's first time bringing a man home, and her mood was naturally different from usual, a mix of anxiety, nervousness, excitement, sweetness, and joy. Ling'er, for some reason, disliked Ren Yuanhao. Whenever Ouyang Rui got close to him, Ling'er would emit a low growl, similar to a dog's.
The three of them, maintaining an awkward distance, passed through waterside pavilions,绕 over ancient-style corridors, entered through carved doorways, skirted around a grand screen depicting picturesque landscapes, trod along a pebble path, traversed a courtyard filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers amidst overgrown autumn grass, finally arriving at a secluded and elegant side room.
The side rooms were arranged on both sides, with distinctive carved doors and windows adorned with red flowers and green leaves. Wind chimes hung upside down, tinkling in the breeze. A fat, almost immobile orange cat lay on a gray-black carpet, lazily watching the three of them. It wasn't afraid and was too lazy to greet its owner, eliciting a tinkling laugh from Ling'er.
The agate incense burner in the main hall emitted a faint fragrance, which immediately eased the sense of stuffiness. Ren Yuanhao was quite curious and planned to ask Ouyang Rui about it later. The front of the hall featured an altar dedicated to some unknown deity, with statues of deities believed to bless fortune and longevity on either side. Rows of huanghuali chairs were neatly arranged, with an antique desk in the center. On the desk were items such as a jade ruyi scepter, a pixiu, and a jade cabbage.
From behind a white fox screen on the right, the sound of a zither could faintly be heard, sometimes like a sword's long cry, sometimes like mercury spilling, sometimes like waves crashing, and sometimes low like echoes from a deep valley—truly exquisite music, like listening to heavenly sounds.
The moment the three entered the main hall, the playing stopped, and an ethereal man strode out from behind the screen, possessing an extraordinary aura that hinted at detachment from the world.
"Brother, look who I brought!"
The man affectionately ruffled Ling'er's hair. As Ren Yuanhao looked up, he felt a flash of sword light and his heart stirred, his internal energy unconsciously circulating!
The man's appearance was exceptionally striking, with sword-like eyebrows, eyes like bright stars, a full forehead, and a handsome, refined bearing. His demeanor exuded scholarly elegance and a noble air. This man was Jiang Li, the third son of the Jiang family, one of the four great families of Stone City. Ling'er was the fourth child, named Jiang Ling.
"Oh, it's been several years since we last met. Your guzheng playing has gotten better and better. When did you return to the country?"
Ouyang Rui's face was full of smiles, but her gaze towards Jiang Li was entirely different from that towards Ren Yuanhao; it was merely one of admiration, of a relationship between acquaintances.
"I returned last night. It's been about four or five years since we last saw each other, hasn't it? You've only gotten more beautiful."
As Jiang Li spoke, he took out a dark ink box from behind him and handed it to Ouyang Rui. "Open it and take a look. I returned in such a hurry this time that I didn't have time to prepare any gifts. I thought that as the daughter of the Ouyang family, you lacked nothing, so I ventured to bring a folding fan that I made myself."
"Receiving gifts as soon as you return, that's quite a treatment."
Ouyang Rui opened the box, and a scent of lavender instantly filled her nostrils. Holding the fan delicately, she unfurled it, revealing a scene from the "Guan Ju" poem. The elegant brushstrokes transitioned from dark to light, and a few lines of the Guan Ju poem conveyed her clear intentions without needing further explanation.
"Hmm, this landscape is transcendent, and the characters are elegant and refined. However, I am but a commoner, so setting aside the meaning of the poem, I will reluctantly accept it."
Ouyang Rui's words were clear: she was not the right person for him, and he was not who she was looking for. The sentiments of longing and sleepless nights, the object of his affection—she could not accept them.
Jiang Li did not appear dejected or disappointed by Ouyang Rui's words. Just as he was about to converse with her, Ouyang Rui's mother walked in. Upon seeing Ren Yuanhao, she immediately frowned, her demeanor as if facing a formidable enemy!