"What the hell?! You've arranged a marriage for me?"
Li Junye stroked his handsome face and questioned them in disbelief. "With my looks and family background, are you seriously worried I'll end up a bachelor?"
"You brat! Show some respect to your elders, or..."
Li Dingguo was about to give him a stern lecture, but when he saw his father shoot him a fierce, threatening glare, he immediately swallowed the rest of his words.
Li Yuanshan patted Li Junye on the shoulder and said with a faint smile, "I've seen that young lady's photograph. She has the face of a woman destined to bring prosperity to her husband. Marrying her would be a blessing you earned in your previous life!"
The corners of Li Junye's mouth twitched a few times as he teased, "Old Old Li, since when did you learn fortune-telling?"
A graceful beauty was something every gentleman desired.
If the other party turned out to be a stunning beauty, he might actually be happy to accept the arrangement.
But what if she turned out to be downright hideous?
Besides, when the older generation spoke of a woman having a "face that brings prosperity to her husband," they usually meant someone with a big, round, pancake-like face...
Li Junye didn't dare think about it any further. At the same time, he secretly made up his mind that he would never accept the outdated custom of Arranged Marriage. This engagement had to be called off!
"Listen here! Your Great-Grandpa personally agreed to this marriage. Whether you want to marry her or not, you're going to marry her!"
Li Dingguo ordered sternly.
Thump!
"Ouch!"
Li Yuanshan gave Li Dingguo a sharp knock on the head and snapped, "Have you already forgotten your lesson? Or do you think that just because you've got five stars on your shoulders, I wouldn't dare lay a hand on you?"
"Of course not! I wouldn't dare!"
Li Dingguo shrank his neck back, a bitter smile spreading across his aged face. He then turned to Li Junye, his tone suddenly becoming gentle. "My dear grandson, your Great-Grandpa has always been a man of his word. Since he personally..."
"All right, all right."
Li Junye interrupted impatiently. "I'll handle this matter myself."
With those words, he turned and walked away.
Watching Li Junye's retreating figure, Li Yuanshan and Li Dingguo exchanged glances.
"Dad, Jun Ye suddenly coming back at such a sensitive time is really a bit..."
Li Dingguo looked deeply worried, hesitating to finish his sentence.
The marriage alliance between the Ye Family and the Jiang Family of Jincheng was just around the corner. Yet Li Junye had chosen this exact moment to reappear, inevitably reminding everyone of the Scandalous Affair that had shaken the entire Imperial City three years ago!
As a result, many people would believe that the Li Family had deliberately orchestrated his return to humiliate the Ye Family!
Li Yuanshan shot his son a sideways glare and declared with an imposing air, "My great-grandson is simply returning to his own home. Who dares utter a single word against it?"
Three years ago, when Li Junye had been sent to that godforsaken place, the old man had been utterly heartbroken.
If Li Dingguo hadn't repeatedly assured him that Li Junye was only being sent there to undergo some reform and would be brought back safe and sound after three years, he would never have agreed to it.
Even if it meant fighting the Ye Family to mutual destruction, he wouldn't have hesitated!
"More importantly, I want to know how that little brat managed to get back from that godforsaken place."
Li Yuanshan narrowed his eyes.
Hearing this, Li Dingguo frowned slightly and admitted, "I was planning to wait until after the Ye Family's wedding celebrations, then secretly pull some strings to bring that brat back. Who would've thought he'd return on his own? But how on earth did he manage it? It's truly baffling..."
"If you want to know, why aren't you investigating? How did I end up fathering such an idiot?!"
Li Yuanshan's expression darkened.
Li Dingguo swallowed nervously, his face full of bitterness.
"Yes, yes, yes! I'll investigate right away!"
...
Nighttime.
The dog meat hotpot tasted delicious, and Li Junye was eating so enthusiastically that grease covered his lips.
"Young Master, there's something I'm not sure I should say!"
Gou Fugui spoke hesitantly.
"Well, well! After not seeing you for a few years, you've actually learned how to keep me in suspense!"
Li Junye interlaced his fingers and cracked his knuckles, producing a series of sharp pops. The threat was unmistakable.
Seeing this, Gou Fugui hurriedly gave an awkward smile. "Young Master, please don't get worked up! I was wrong! What I actually wanted to say is that you might have fallen into someone's trap three years ago!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
Wu Xiangwang, who was sitting beside them, wiped his mouth and chimed in. "Fugui is right! I've spent countless nights thinking about it over the past few years. With my intelligence comparable to Einstein's, I've finally reached a conclusion. Someone deliberately framed you back then, Young Master!"
"That's fucking bullshit! I'm the one who figured that out!"
Seeing that someone was about to steal the credit that rightfully belonged to her, Gou Fugui was so furious that she wanted to strangle Wu Xiangwang on the spot.
Wu Xiangwang wasn't intimidated in the slightest and continued trying to claim credit. "Young Master, don't listen to Fugui's bullshit! I'm telling you, there's an eighty percent chance that Li Xiu was the one who framed you back then!"
"Exactly! That sanctimonious little hypocrite!"
Gou Fugui set aside her differences and nodded in wholehearted agreement.
The corners of Li Junye's mouth curved upward slightly as he praised them. "You two truly deserve to be called my most capable and trusted confidants. I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"
"It's only natural! For you, Young Master, the two of us would climb mountains of blades, plunge into seas of fire, jump into boiling oil..."
Wu Xiangwang wanted to continue professing his loyalty, but Li Junye waved a hand and interrupted him. "Enough. Save the bullshit. You two are coming out with me right now!"
"Young Master, you're thinking of going to the Orchid Pavilion, aren't you? A few Western beauties arrived there recently. Those faces, those figures... Tsk, tsk..."
Half an hour later, a flight departed from the Imperial City, bound for Xuancheng.
Gou Fugui and Wu Xiangwang sat shoulder to shoulder, exchanging bewildered glances.
"What's going on with the Young Master? Why's he taking us to Xuancheng in the middle of the night instead of going to the Orchid Pavilion?"
"How the hell should I know?!"
"Didn't you fucking say your intelligence was comparable to Einstein's?"
Gou Fugui looked at him with utter contempt.
Wu Xiangwang snorted and declared arrogantly, "Is bragging against the law? Which law says I'm not allowed to brag?"
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the plane.
Li Junye held a magazine in his hands, seemingly engrossed in reading it. However, no one noticed that in the span of just two minutes, he had secretly sized up the woman beside him no fewer than ten times!
The woman was in her early twenties, with exquisitely delicate features that seemed to have been meticulously sculpted by God himself. Her lips were rosy, her teeth pearly white, and her fair complexion only enhanced her stunning beauty.
Her figure was full and graceful, and despite her seductive allure, she seemed to possess an innate air of ethereal elegance.
She was an absolute feast for the eyes!
Li Junye considered himself a man who had seen his fair share of breathtaking beauties. Yet apart from Ye Qingcheng, with whom he had shared a One Night of Passion, every other beauty he had encountered would pale in comparison to the woman sitting beside him.
Chen Qingyao kept feeling as though someone was secretly watching her. However, after looking around several times, she found that all the passengers were sitting properly in their seats. Even the extraordinarily handsome young man beside her hadn't made the slightest inappropriate move.
But she was certain her intuition wasn't wrong!
"Hey, handsome, have you been secretly staring at me this whole time?"
Chen Qingyao asked with a sweet smile.
Li Junye lowered the magazine in his hands, then pointed at his own nose and asked, "Are you talking to me?"
Chen Qingyao nodded gently.
"Oh, I have been looking at you."
Li Junye admitted it outright.
Huh?
His answer caught Chen Qingyao off guard. She had expected Li Junye to deny it vehemently, never imagining that he would admit it so openly.
"You don't like me sneaking glances at you?"
Li Junye grinned.
"Well, how about this? I'll just look at you openly instead..."