Upon hearing these words, Lu Ting’s smile instantly froze on his face.
Simultaneously, Lin Chaoyu’s expression turned extremely grim.
He grabbed Lu Ting by the collar and roared, “You dare, Lu Ting! How audacious! How dare you deceive me! Taking our Lin family’s silver, then turning around to accept the Jiang family’s money as well.
What aspect of our Lin family falls short compared to the Jiang family? By doing this, where do you place our Lin family?!”
Seeing Lin Chaoyu about to lay hands on Lu Ting, Jiang Yunnan quickly suppressed his desire to watch the spectacle and added fuel to the fire:
“Land Supervisor, this is rather unfair. Since you’ve already chosen to let me stay in this room, you should return the silver to Young Master Lin.
Keeping both families’ silver without a word—isn’t that somewhat inappropriate?”
Cold sweat beaded on Lu Ting’s forehead as he stammered an explanation: “Young Master Jiang is right. I should have returned the silver to Young Master Lin, but Academy affairs have been so hectic that it slipped my mind.”
Flustered, he only wished to escape the awkward situation as quickly as possible.
But Jiang Yunnan wouldn’t let him off so easily.
“So that’s how it is. I thought perhaps you found the Lin family’s silver too meager to bother returning.”
This casual remark completely enraged Lin Chaoyu.
Lin Chaoyu tightened his grip on Lu Ting’s collar, as if channeling all his pent-up fury into that hand.
“Lu Ting, just you wait! Since you look down on our Lin family, I’ll show you exactly how formidable we are!”
With that, he abruptly released his hold.
Lu Ting stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.
Lin Chaoyu then strode straight past Jiang Yunnan, heading furiously toward Su Youen, who had been quietly observing from the corner.
He raised his hand, intending to grab Su Youen’s collar just as he had with Lu Ting.
But at that moment, someone suddenly appeared before Youen, shielding her protectively.
Youen looked closely—it was Su Yan.
Carrying bedding in one hand and a bundle in the other, he had come to deliver daily necessities to Youen.
Unexpectedly, he encountered Lin Chaoyu storming toward Youen with a ferocious expression, as if ready to devour her.
Without a second thought, Su Yan instinctively moved to protect her.
But Lin Chaoyu was no pushover either. Seeing someone blocking Su Youen, his rage intensified, and he shouted at Su Yan, “Get out of the way! Who do you think you are, daring to block your grandfather’s path!”
Facing Lin Chaoyu’s unreasonable outburst, Su Yan remained exceptionally calm, speaking in a measured tone: “I am Youen’s brother, the second son of the Su family, Su Yan.”
Youen, standing behind him, glanced at the fuming Lin Chaoyu and then at the composed Su Yan, suddenly feeling an urge to laugh.
The two standing together created a stark contrast.
Su Yan was strikingly handsome, born with the ethereal grace of a scholar. Even standing motionless, he resembled a painting.
In contrast, Lin Chaoyu was indescribably ugly.
Naturally unattractive, his willful tantrums appeared even more grotesque beside Su Yan’s noble and unyielding presence.
The comparison rendered him utterly worthless in her eyes.
Youen felt that placing the two side by side was a form of cruelty to Lin Chaoyu.
The more Lin Chaoyu raged, the more he humiliated himself.”I don’t care whose brother you are! Since she offended me today, your whole family better prepare for consequences!”
Lin Chaoyu’s entire face flushed crimson with rage, his cheeks puffing up intermittently, nostrils visibly flaring with heavy breaths.
His appearance rather resembled Zhu Bajie from Journey to the West.
Except Bajie still looked somewhat pleasant and endearing.
Whereas Lin Chaoyu was truly unsightly.
Youen couldn’t be bothered to engage with such a person. Taking the bundle from Su Yan, she completely ignored the fuming Lin Chaoyu and said to Su Yan:
“Second Brother is so thoughtful. I actually forgot all these things when I came over earlier.”
Su Yan smiled, straightening her slightly tilted hair bun before saying, “I guessed you’d forget, so I packed everything for you earlier.”
The moment his hand left her hair bun, a faint blush flashed across Youen’s ears.
Su Yan didn’t know she was a girl, often treating her with intimate gestures.
In his view, these were merely expressions of fraternal affection for his younger brother.
Naturally, he felt completely unperturbed.
But she was, after all, a young woman in her early twenties who had never been truly intimate with any man, whether in modern times or this world.
Had it been anyone else, it might not have mattered. But standing before her now was Su Yan.
The Su Yan whose face resembled the mid-autumn moon, whose complexion bloomed like spring dawn flowers.
The Su Yan with hairline sharp as knife cuts, eyebrows painted like ink artwork, cheeks like peach petals, and eyes sparkling like autumn waves.
The Su Yan who stood radiant as jade before the wind, whose every word carried the gentleness of spring breeze.
Such a man, exceptional in talent, temperament, appearance, and character, spoke to her softly daily and showered her with care.
Had she not possessed strong self-control, she might have long succumbed to his unconscious flirtation and developed feelings for him.
Lin Chaoyu rolled his eyes silently.
Couldn’t these two brothers show some respect to someone currently furious?
He was the young master of the Lin family, the Prefect’s son!
When he got angry, it was serious business!
Couldn’t they at least react? Couldn’t they acknowledge him?
Seeking validation, Lin Chaoyu shouted with effort: “You two scoundrels! Did you even hear what I just said?!”
Su Yan and Youen continued ignoring him.
The two swaggered past him toward the study room.
Lin Chaoyu rushed to block their path but was intercepted by Jiang Yunnan.
Standing before him, Jiang Yunnan adopted an even more delinquent posture and an increasingly roguish tone: “Hey, Lin Chaoyu, what gives you the right to barge into my room?”
Lin Chaoyu wanted to shove him aside, but seeing how Jiang Yunnan stood a full head taller, his courage faltered.
“I won’t stoop to your level, you delinquent!” With a cold snort, he turned and left.
He considered himself clever.
The current situation was unfavorable – Su Yan, Su Youen, and Jiang Yunnan were clearly aligned, while Lu Ting nearby proved utterly useless.
He knew too well that one against three was a losing battle.
A wise man knows when to retreat. Since he couldn’t win, strategic withdrawal was the best option.
Lin Chaoyu understood he’d made an enemy of Jiang Yunnan today, secretly vowing to build his own faction within the Academy. Someday, he would repay today’s humiliation to both Jiang Yunnan and Su Youen.
Unbeknownst to him, the three who had already entered the room had long forgotten his existence.
Su Yan was making the bed for Youen while reminding her to cover herself properly before sleep and not to kick the quilt off the bed again by the time she woke up.
Youen blushed at his words.
How did Su Yan know that she had a habit of kicking the quilt in her sleep?
—Cao Xueqin, Dream of the Red Chamber