Unexpected Incident

Shi Lan had no memory of this young man, which left her feeling momentarily confused. Had she offended him?

Upon seeing the woman beside the young man, Shi Lan was momentarily stunned.

What a stunning beauty...

Since her rebirth, this was the first time Shi Lan had encountered such a beautiful woman; even the top courtesan of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion from yesterday couldn't compare to even a tenth of this woman's charm.

Perhaps it wasn't the first time she had seen someone like this. Shi Lan subconsciously stroked her chin; if the body she currently inhabited were dressed in women's clothing, she might barely be able to compete.

"Ahem!"

Shi Tianlu coughed twice, pulling Shi Lan back to her senses.

"Greetings, Father, Mother."

"Aunt Shen."

"Second Brother, Third Brother."

Shi Lan greeted them one by one.

"Alan, let me introduce these three distinguished guests to you." Shi Tianlu stood up and walked over to the three of them.

"These three come from the prestigious Lu Clan of Jiuxiao City."

"Uncle Shi is too kind." The woman smiled slightly, humble and polite.

When Shi Lan heard the words "prestigious Lu Clan," she suddenly realized who they were and looked at the smiling woman with a hint of astonishment.

Was this her genius fiancée? No wonder the man beside her was looking at her with such hostility.

So, this visit...

Shi Lan's mind raced. Was the exciting engagement-breaking scene about to happen? What posture should she use to respond in a moment?

Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river?

Don't bully the young because they are poor?

That felt a bit embarrassing...

Just as Shi Lan's mind was churning, her fiancée spoke first.

"Uncle Shi, let me introduce myself."

"Very well." Shi Tianlu nodded slightly.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Lu Yueqing. I am your betrothed, your fiancée who has yet to cross the threshold. This is my Third Great-Uncle, and this is my cousin, Lu Yuan."

Lu Yueqing spoke slowly, giving a brief introduction for the three of them in a very gentle and polite tone.

"Uh... hello." Shi Lan felt a bit awkward. What a gentle-seeming woman...

From the moment Shi Lan entered the room until Lu Yueqing spoke, Lu Yueqing's Third Great-Uncle had kept his eyes slightly closed, not once looking directly at Shi Lan.

"Alan, sit down and let's talk." Shi Tianlu waved his hand and returned to the main seat to sit down.

"Yueqing's visit this time is mainly because of the engagement between me and Shi Lan..."

Hearing Lu Yueqing say this, Shi Lan perked up. The main event was here!

"You two aren't young anymore; it's time to discuss the wedding date." Shi Tianlu nodded and smiled.

Shi Yiming and Shi Qinghu, sitting in the lower seats, tightened their grips simultaneously.

Lu Yueqing was the number one genius within a thousand miles, and a stunning beauty at that. How could she be paired with their good-for-nothing eldest brother?

The two were clearly worlds apart.

"Regarding the engagement between us..." Lu Yueqing seemed to have some unspeakable difficulty, stammering and unable to continue.

Su Lanyue, sitting beside Shi Tianlu, felt a sense of certainty and let out a long sigh of relief. With Lu Yueqing acting like this, she must have objections to the marriage.

Seeing Lu Yueqing's expression, Shi Lan sighed inwardly. It seemed the engagement was almost certainly going to be broken.

"If Yueqing has something to say, please feel free to speak. We are all family from now on." Shi Tianlu chuckled, as if he hadn't noticed a thing.

"This is the first time I've met Shi Lan today. I don't know anything about him, so talking about marriage is a bit too soon."

"You can get to know each other slowly after you are married." Shi Tianlu said dismissively, seemingly quite eager for Shi Lan and Lu Yueqing to tie the knot.

"Yueqing would like to ask Uncle Shi for a favor."

"As long as it is within my power, I will not refuse."

"Yueqing hopes that the wedding date with Shi Lan can be discussed at a later time. I would like to spend some time getting to know Shi Lan first."

As she spoke, Lu Yueqing lowered her head, looking somewhat shy.

"Sister Yueqing! How can this..." Lu Yuan, standing to the side, tried to speak up.

After receiving a smiling glance from Lu Yueqing, Lu Yuan had no choice but to swallow the rest of his words.

Shi Lan looked at the smiling Lu Yueqing, unable to process the situation. Why wasn't this person following the script?

Try spending some time together to see how it goes?

It was no exaggeration to say that the fact that Shi Lan, the eldest son of the Shi Clan, was born with a crippled constitution was known to almost everyone.

How could a proud daughter of heaven like Lu Yueqing tolerate her husband being a useless person?

The smile on Shi Tianlu's face stiffened slightly, and he rubbed his sleeves twice.

Lu Yueqing's words not only made Shi Lan feel incredulous, but they also exceeded Shi Tianlu's expectations.

Shi Tianlu had prepared himself for Lu Yueqing to come and call off the engagement; in fact, he had been hoping for her to come and dissolve it.

Given Shi Lan's reputation in Tenglong City, let alone a proud daughter of heaven like Lu Yueqing, even someone with a modicum of self-respect would never be willing to marry such a person.

Yet, Lu Yueqing acted as if she were completely oblivious, turning a blind eye to all of Shi Lan's "notorious deeds," and instead suggested they spend some time together.

Shi Tianlu suddenly felt that he could no longer see through this "daughter-in-law" in name.

Su Lanyue felt a sense of panic in her heart; if they spent a long time together, with a girl's delicate intuition, it was highly likely that Lu Yueqing would discover Shi Lan's true gender.

By then...

The hall fell into a sudden silence.

"Hmm... what Yueqing says is not without reason, but..." Shi Tianlu pondered slightly.

"Yueqing would like to have a private chat with Shi Lan, and I hope Uncle Shi will grant this request." Lu Yueqing stood up and bowed to ask.

Since Lu Yueqing had lowered her stance so much, Shi Tianlu could not refuse and had no choice but to nod.

"Then let us leave today's matters here for now. I have already had a banquet prepared, so please, everyone, move to the dining hall."

Shi Tianlu stood up and walked to the side of Third Great-Uncle, raising his hand to gesture: "Please."

Third Great-Uncle stood up and returned the gesture: "Clan Head Shi, please."

Shi Tianlu did not decline further and took the lead in walking out of the hall.

"Keep a close eye on Lu Yueqing."

As he passed by Shi Feng, Shi Tianlu condensed his true energy into a thin line and sent these words into Shi Feng's ear.

Shi Feng nodded slightly and then faded into the side of the path.

In the blink of an eye, only Lu Yueqing and Shi Lan remained in the hall.

Lu Yueqing walked up to Shi Lan, a smile playing on her lips, and asked: "Shi Lan, may I ask you a few questions?"

"Ah? Sure, go ahead." Shi Lan was stunned and nodded.

"I heard that you always take a large group of guards with you when you go out, and if you encounter someone who displeases you, you beat them up or even smash their shops?"

Lu Yueqing took a step forward, looking down at Shi Lan, who was sitting in a chair.

Shi Lan stood up from the chair; for some reason, she felt that Lu Yueqing was somewhat dangerous at this moment.

"The guards were arranged by my father, and I have never beaten anyone or smashed any shops." Shi Lan shook her head and took two steps back, putting some distance between them.

"Then do you know Xu Yuanbai?" Lu Yueqing took two steps forward, closing the distance between herself and Shi Lan once again.