Volume 1, Chapter 23: The Eldest Young Master of the Li Family
“Who are you! How dare you hit someone!”
A young maid jumped out.
She was not tall, with closely set eyes that looked clever and shrewd, somewhat resembling Lin Ruomei.
Ruan Wan became interested, examining the new faces in the room.
Without exception, they all bore some resemblance to Lin Ruomei.
Oh, they were all her relatives.
Ruan Wan smiled, “You don’t know who I am, so why are you in my house?”
“…”
The young maid was stunned.
Wasn’t it said that the young lady of the Ruan family was repulsive, ugly, and a useless fool who only rose to her position by drugging the young master of the Li family?
But the woman before her had dark hair and snow-white skin, almond-shaped eyes, a delicate nose, and wore a blue tie-dyed long dress. The slender straps hung over her thin, pale shoulders—she was even more beautiful than a celebrity.
—”Is it Xiao Ying who’s back?”
A man’s voice sounded from the spiral staircase.
A young, handsome man walked down.
It was Ruan Wan’s brother, Lin Qingyu.
Seeing it was Ruan Wan, the smile on his lips slowly faded, and he frowned, asking, “Why is it you?”
“Brother seems disappointed to see me? It’s fine, I’ve moved back in. If you’re not satisfied, you’ll just have to bear with it.”
“How can a married daughter come back to live at home? Where’s Minglan? I’ll call him right now and have him come pick you up.”
“No need to call. He has another woman now. The cooperation between the Ruan and Li families can also stop.”
“…”
Lin Qingyu’s expression changed abruptly!
“Guangguang, you’re being too unreasonable!”
“Do you know how much preparation we’ve done and how much money we’ve spent just to secure cooperation with the Li family?”
“Minglan is a man; maybe he’s just putting on a show. How can you run back to your parents’ home over such a trivial matter? What will the Li family think of us?”
“Besides, it was you who drugged Li Minglan and insisted on marrying him in the first place. Why are you backing out now?”
“…”
Ruan Wan’s eyes were clear and calm, “Brother, do you really not know how I ended up marrying Li Minglan? It was because I drank the water you and Father gave me that I was drugged and spent the night with Li Minglan.”
Lin Qingyu showed no remorse; instead, he spoke earnestly, “Father and I did this for your own good, for the good of the Ruan family.”
Ruan Wan: “…”
What nonsense was he talking?
Lin Qingyu: “Guangguang, you’ve enjoyed over twenty years of wealth and luxury from the Ruan family. It’s your responsibility to help the Ruan family through this difficult time!”
Ruan Wan laughed in anger.
She raised her head, her cool voice tinged with sarcasm:
“Brother has enjoyed one more year of wealth and luxury than I have. I see you’re still quite charming. Coincidentally, I know a few big shots who like men. Why don’t you go sell your ass and revive the Ruan family?”
“You!” Lin Qingyu trembled with rage!
At that moment, Lin Ruomei stepped forward.
There was still a clear red slap mark on her face as she advised, “Guangguang, is this something a young lady should say? Hurry up and apologize to your father and brother. Even I, an outsider, can’t stand to watch this.”
Ruan Wan: “Since you know you’re an outsider, why are you butting in?”
Lin Ruomei: “…”
In the past, Ruan Wan’s personality, to put it nicely, was sensible and obedient;
To put it bluntly, she was indecisive, timid, and cowardly.
But now—
She was downright arrogant, sharp-tongued, and frighteningly unfamiliar!
Lin Qingyu noticed the slap mark on Lin Ruomei’s face and immediately asked with concern, “Lin Ruomei, your face?”
Lin Ruomei shook her head, “It… it was an accident. I bumped into something.”
Meanwhile, the young maid nearby said indignantly, “It was Miss Ruan! Miss Ruan ordered Aunt Lin to move the suitcase into the room. When Aunt Lin said Yu Ying was staying there temporarily, Miss Ruan got angry and hit Aunt Lin!”
Lin Qingyu’s expression changed abruptly. “I was the one who let Xiao Ying stay in that room. If you have a problem, take it up with me!”
Slap!
Another slap rang out.
The atmosphere froze, everyone’s eyes wide with shock.
No one had expected Ruan Wan to actually hit Lin Qingyu.
Lin Qingyu was stunned at first.
As the numbness on his face gradually turned to pain, a wave of humiliation and anger at losing face surged into his mind.
He wanted to retaliate, but Ruan Wan wasn’t foolish—she had already moved to stand by the entrance, keeping her distance from him.
Lin Qingyu’s eyes turned crimson with rage. He grabbed a book from the shelf and hurled it toward Ruan Wan.
Just then, there was a sound from the large bronze door.
Turning around, they saw Lin Yuying had returned.
Behind her were two tall figures.
It was Jiang Song and Li Yuan.
Ruan Wan froze, her gaze skipping over Jiang Song standing in front and landing on Li Yuan, who was dressed in black, carrying a chill about him, his expression cold and stern.
Meeting Li Yuan’s calm, dark eyes, Ruan Wan’s heart seemed to skip a beat.
Why was it him?
Why was he here?
The next second, Li Yuan stepped in front of her and caught the flying book.
The edge of the thick book cover was sharp, and with the force of its momentum, it sliced a cut on his index finger, from which dark red blood seeped out.
“Is this how the Ruan family treats its guests?” Li Yuan paid no mind to the wound, his cold eyes lifting to fix on Lin Qingyu.
Lin Qingyu didn’t recognize Li Yuan at first glance.
He only thought the man bore some resemblance to Li Minglan in his features, but his entire presence exuded an overwhelming pressure and danger, making it easy to distinguish between the two.
Upon a second look, he broke out in a cold sweat.
“L-Li… Young Master Li?”
Everyone else was equally shocked.
Who in Jiangcheng didn’t know of Young Master Li, Li Yuan?
Li Yuan’s father was the second son of Old Master Li. Years ago, he had been expelled from the Li family by Old Master Li for falling in love with a commoner girl.
When Li Yuan was fifteen, his parents died in a car accident, and he was taken back into the Li family by the old master.
From then on, the shadow over the young heirs of Jiangcheng’s wealthy families arrived.
The reason was simple: he was excessively outstanding.
Whether in looks, academic performance, or physical prowess, he was top-tier.
During the college entrance exams, he even entered the top institution, Jiangcheng University, as the top science student.
Just when everyone thought Li Yuan would become the heir to the Li family, he was exiled abroad by the old master due to “his fate clashing with the Li family.”
Yet, just as people were feeling sorry for him, the Capital Circle’s Lu family announced they had found their long-lost grandson and declared him the heir to the Lu family.
That person was Li Yuan.
—It turned out Li Yuan’s commoner mother was actually the young daughter of the Lu family who had gone missing as a child.
In any case, Li Yuan had been in the capital all these years and had never returned to Jiangcheng.
Now, he was actually back.
It seemed the sky over Jiangcheng was about to change…
Lin Qingyu quickly had someone bring a first aid kit and explained, “I apologize for letting you two witness such a scene. Just now, my younger sister hit our maid over a minor issue, so I was just disciplining her.”
“Is that how you discipline a younger sister?” Jiang Song spoke up.
Staring at the book as thick as a brick, his voice was mocking. “The Ruan family truly has a fierce family style.”
Lin Qingyu sighed. “Young Master Jiang, you may not know this, but Guangguang has been spoiled by our family since childhood and has developed a reckless personality. Just now, she not only hit Aunt Lin but also struck me.”
Lin Yuying, who had remained silent all along, suddenly knelt before Ruan Wan.
Immediately after, two clear streams of tears flowed down her face.
“Guangguang, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have competed with you for the interview and the deputy editor position. Considering my mother has worked for the Ruan family for fifteen years—even if she hasn’t made great contributions, she has worked hard—please, I beg you, let her go!”