The blazing flames in the living room gradually subsided, their terrifying heat slowly fading away.
Everyone from the Du family looked utterly grim, while Du Mingchun trembled from head to toe.
How could he have imagined that Lin Fan was actually a layman, and that his first display of power would be so extraordinary? Those kinds of methods were certainly beyond the ability of a first-grade layman like Bai Jingyun.
The Du family members around him hurriedly put some distance between themselves and Du Mingchun, afraid of being dragged into his mess.
Du Mingchun understood as well. After offending such a powerful layman, he would probably have no chance of becoming the family head in the future.
Du Zhengguo took a deep breath. Even he had become quite respectful. “Mr. Lin truly possesses heaven-defying abilities. You’ve really opened this old man’s eyes.”
In truth, with assets worth tens of billions, an enterprise like theirs certainly wouldn’t have to fear Lin Fan alone, even if he was a layman.
What Du Zhengguo feared was the power behind Lin Fan.
It wasn’t astonishing that a layman with Lin Fan’s strength existed. What was astonishing was that Lin Fan was far too young!
In Du Zhengguo’s eyes, the power behind Lin Fan had to belong to some enormous clan at the very least. Compared to a clan like that, the Bai family was completely insignificant.
Lin Fan said, “With my abilities, do I qualify to take the secondary seat at your Du family’s table?”
The corner of Du Zhengguo’s eye twitched. He thought to himself that if Lin Fan wanted to take the head seat, it probably wouldn’t be a problem either.
He couldn’t help but resentfully glare at Du Mingchun. If this fellow hadn’t been stirring up trouble, how could they have offended Lin Fan?
Du Zhengguo hurriedly said, “Of course you do. Please stay for dinner, Mr. Lin.”
“I’m not interested in eating a meal at the Du family’s house.” After saying that, Lin Fan turned and left. Du Yu hurriedly followed him. “Mr. Lin, allow me to see you out!”
After Lin Fan walked out of the villa, Du Zhengguo slapped Du Mingchun hard across the face. “You unfilial son! Do you know what our Du family has lost because of you?”
Du Zhengguo was so furious that his entire body trembled.
“Grandpa, Lin Fan and I attend the same school. I’ll find a way to build a good relationship with him.” Du Shengxiao hurriedly tried to console him.
Hearing his grandson say this, Du Zhengguo’s expression finally softened somewhat. “Looks like only you and your father are capable of getting things done. The rest of them are nothing but cowards who only know how to throw their weight around at home.”
Those members of the Du family who had treated Lin Fan poorly earlier all lowered their heads.
“Mr. Lin, please don’t take it to heart…” Du Yu tried to persuade him from behind.
Lin Fan’s face was expressionless. He said, “It’s fine. Take me home. If you want my help, you need to show the proper attitude when asking for it. Also, don’t casually reveal that I’m a layman.”
“How did you know that we wanted to ask for your help?” Du Yu’s heart leaped at Lin Fan’s words. Lin Fan had still left them room to mend the relationship.
To be honest, the way the Du family had acted had genuinely irritated Lin Fan. If Du Shengxiao hadn’t helped him deal with Wang Zhengwei earlier, and if Du Yu hadn’t consistently treated him well, Lin Fan wouldn’t even have bothered with them.
Lin Fan said, “Come talk to me about asking for my help after you figure out how to make it up to me.”
Lin Fan rode in Du Yu’s car back to his own home.
“That whole family, honestly…” Lin Fan shook his head. He didn’t like the atmosphere in the Du family at all. Everyone was constantly scheming against everyone else. He was much more comfortable on his own.
After returning home, he was hungry as well. He cooked himself a bowl of noodles, ate it casually, then went to bed and sat in meditation to cultivate.
He had to speed up his cultivation and reach the level of a third-grade Daoist as soon as possible.
Before Xuandaozi died, he had instructed Lin Fan that until he reached the level of a third-grade Daoist, he absolutely must not go to the Quanzhen Sect to avenge him lightly. Otherwise, he would only be humiliating himself.
Early the next morning, Lin Fan woke up. He went downstairs, intending to exercise before heading to school.
But as soon as he went downstairs, he saw a beautiful figure standing outside his building.
Su Qing.
Su Qing wore her hair loose and hadn’t dressed up much. Yet even in a white dress, she made countless men passing by turn their heads to look.
She was so beautiful that she looked like a celebrity.
“Nose-picker, what are you doing here?” Lin Fan looked at Su Qing in surprise. He felt speechless as well. Great, it looked like his training plans for the day could be scrapped.
Su Qing walked over with a smile. “Obviously, I came to have you buy me breakfast. I didn’t get to eat dinner yesterday, so it isn’t too much to ask you to buy me breakfast, is it?”
“That makes some sense.” Lin Fan nodded. “It’s also a good chance for me to ask you what miraculous treasure you ate. You look like a completely different person.”
Su Qing rolled her eyes at him. “I was naturally beautiful to begin with. You people simply lacked the eyes to appreciate beauty back then.”
Lin Fan shook his head. “It wasn’t that we lacked the eyes to appreciate beauty. Your snot was blocking it.”
“Are you asking for a beating? I’m a taekwondo black belt now, you know. Watch out, or I’ll beat you until your face is black and blue.” Su Qing said.
“Wow, you’re quite the all-rounder.” Lin Fan nodded.
Su Qing looked him up and down. “Why aren’t you surprised? Everyone is shocked speechless when they hear that I’m a taekwondo black belt.”
Lin Fan rolled his eyes and couldn’t be bothered to answer. Instead, he asked, “Seriously, you showed up outside my building first thing in the morning. People might misunderstand and think you came to confess your feelings to me.”
Su Qing: “You didn’t know that I live in the neighborhood across from yours?”
“Uh.”
Lin Fan was at a loss for words. “How the hell would I know?”
“Oh, right. I moved there while you were taking a year off from school.”
The two of them chatted as they walked outside. Su Qing asked, “Speaking of which, what exactly did you do during your year off?”
Su Qing’s face was filled with curiosity.
Lin Fan: “I learned how to catch monsters.”
Su Qing: “Be serious.”
Lin Fan: “I am being serious!”
These days, in this world, no one believed you even when you told the truth.
They chatted as they took a bus to the school entrance.
The moment Su Qing got off the bus, she attracted countless gazes.
“Look, it’s Su Qing.”
“My God.”
“She’s really beautiful.”
“Who’s that ugly guy beside her? Standing next to Su Qing, he completely changes the whole vibe.”
Lin Fan’s expression darkened. Damn it, he wasn’t claiming to be some dashing heartthrob, but he was at least a standard handsome guy. How had he become an ugly guy in these people’s mouths?
“Looks like I really should spend less time walking around with you, unless I want to get hit by some random disaster one of these days.” Lin Fan spoke to Su Qing with an exasperated expression.
Su Qing merely giggled, as if she had already grown accustomed to being stared at every day.
The two of them walked into a steamed-bun shop.
“Damn, that guy actually took the school beauty to eat at a place like this?”
“School beauty Su, give me a chance! I’ll book him a feast at a five-star hotel right now!”
Lin Fan said to the owner, “Boss, five yuan’s worth of buns and two bowls of rice porridge.”
“Coming right up.” The owner nodded and quickly placed ten steamed dumplings on the table, along with two bowls of rice porridge.
Lin Fan paid the owner seven yuan.
Outside the shop, the crowd erupted once again.