Xu Qinsong calmed down when he heard Zu Anâs statement. âGo ahead!â
He was already panicking, but figured that he should be all right playing defense. He could still redeem the situation as long as he matched two of them in a row.
How could a drafted son-in-law possibly have any scholarly knowledge? I refuse to believe that he has any tricks!
Zu An gave Sang Qian a look. You were the one who started this, so donât blame me for whatâs about to happen.
He looked straight at Zheng Dan and said, âOne day, one dawn[1], one morning, one drought, one sunrise!â[2]
Xu Qinsong sighed in relief. A drafted son-in-law can only be a drafted son-in-law in the end; one such as you can only come up with such an easy phrase. âOne day, one dawn, one morningâ¦â
He was just thinking to himself how he was going to deal with it when he heard Sang Qian erupt in rage. âWhat are you looking at Miss Zheng for?!â
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 666 Rage points!
Xu Qinsong was shocked. If the young missâ given name was Dan, then wouldnât this word association of his have other meanings?
He broke out into cold sweat. He actually felt helpless before this opponent who was supposed to be easy to deal with.
Zu An only shrugged his shoulders at Sang Qianâs angry roar. âMiss Zheng is so beautiful. Isnât it normal that I desire to look at her? Commander Sang cannot steal our right to admire a beauty just because the two of you are engaged, can he?â
âThe meaning of your phrase is clearly⦠clearlyâ¦â Sang Qian was furious, but how could he actually say such a thing out loud?
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 250 Rage points!
Even Xie Daoyun gave Zu An a look of rebuke. Wasnât he going too far, involving Zheng Dan like this?
âHey, Iâm just posing a phrase to be matched! Iâm not targeting anyone! Even Miss Zheng doesnât mind. What are the rest of you hollering for?â Zu An snorted.
Sang Qian walked over to Zheng Danâs side. âDonât be afraid. As long as you give me the word, Iâm going to discipline this damn brat even if I have to offend the Chu clan today!â he said quietly.
Unexpectedly, Zheng Dan blushed and shook her head. âStudent Zuâs literary pairing skills are so exquisite!â she sighed. âEven I cannot help but admire his ability.â
She might be the only one here who understood the meaning hidden behind this phrase. Wasnât he referring to what had gone on between the two of them in that cave for half a month?
Her entire body heated up when she thought of this, and a wave of weakness flooded her body.
While everyone else was taking offence at his suggestive words, Zheng Dan not only felt no anger, but instead grew even more stimulated.
Sang Qian was completely stupefied when he looked at her. In that instant, his fiancée seemed faintly unfamiliar to him. However, after giving it some thought, he agreed with how she was dealing with this situation. If she acknowledged his insinuations, she would only be jumping straight into his trap. The damage to her reputation would be much greater at that point!
Having reasoned it out for himself, he allowed himself to relax.
Zu An noticed the expression in Zheng Danâs bright and beautiful eyes. His heart skipped a beat. Perhaps he should assign her some missions in the futureâ¦
As the host of the gathering, Wang Yuanlong finally spoke up. âSince young master Xu has failed to match the phrase after so long, we shall be heading upstairs first. Of course, if young master Xu thinks of a matching phrase, you can come straight upstairs. I will take care of all of the costs.â
Zu An felt a great admiration for Wang Yuanlong. He was indeed worthy of being the heir of a great clan! His words left no room for questioning, and he had even saved Xu Qinsong a great deal of humiliation.
From the back of the room, Wei Suo excitedly applauded Zu An. âBoss, you really are incredible! You are a master at everything! I prostrate myself in admiration for you!â
Zu An laughed and said, âYou flatter me!â
Xu Qinsongâs brows climbed upwards. Every single flattering word felt like a slap that struck him in the face. He hurriedly said, âItâs one thing for Zu An to be allowed upstairs, but why is this guy allowed to go as well?â
He had already noticed how close Wei Suo was to Zu An, and surmised that the two of them should be friends.
Since he couldnât deal with Zu An, for better or for worse, he had to bring down this friend of his to reclaim some dignity.
As he pointed at Wei Suo, everyoneâs eyes fell on him.
Wei Suoâs mind went blank. Iâm done for! I donât have the skills to rival my boss! Iâll really be a laughingstock if I get kicked out of the Four Way Restaurant today!
He really wanted to slap his own mouth. Why couldnât he have kept a lower profile? Why did he have to jump out like that and piss others off?
Xie Daoyunâs beautiful brows knit together, but she refrained from saying anything. She wasnât close to Wei Suo. If it wasnât for Zu An, she might have never even appeared in the same place as him.
Wang Yuanlong didnât say anything either. He hadnât planned to invite Wei Suo today. He had only been invited at Zu Anâs request.
There wasnât really a need to stick his neck out for someone like Wei Suo.
Even though the Wei clan had a relative who served as an official in the capital, he was only an official in the imperial court. He might not even come to Brightmoon City once a year. The Wang clan and the Wei clan didnât share much of a relationship.
Wei Suo clearly understood this as well. He didnât want to trouble Zu An, or make a joke of himself. As such, he said to Zu An, âBoss, in that case, Iâll head home first.â
Seeing the forced smile on his friendâs face, Zu An frowned. He pulled him back. âYouâre my friend. How can I let you go like this?â
He took a step forward and addressed the crowd. âIf I recall correctly, the top talents in any field are welcome on the top floor. Am I correct?â
Wang Yuanlong nodded. âThis is indeed the case.â
Zu An continued to ask, âAre there specific provisions that set out which fields are allowed?â
Wang Yuanlong said, âNo, not at all. Usually, howeverâ¦â
Before he could even finish his sentence, Zu An roared with laughter. âIn that case, my friend obviously has the right to head upstairs!â
Everyone was stunned when they heard this. There didnât seem to be anything special about this pervy-looking fellow at all!
Even Zheng Dan and Xie Daoyun looked at Wei Suo curiously.
Wei Suo was stunned. Do I really have some amazing talent even I am not aware of?
Xu Qinsong snorted. âYour word isnât enough. What sort of skill does this brother have? Please tell us, so all of us can judge for ourselves.â
âTell me, what color stockings does Principal Jiang love wearing the most?â
Wei Suoâs eyes lit up. âBoth black stockings and nude stockings appear most often, at about the same frequency. But I like the black ones more,â he replied instantly without thinking.
Everyone was stunned. How could such a ridiculous thing count?
Zu An probed further, âHow long are Principal Jiangâs legs?â
All the men present suddenly grew interested. The fact that Principal Jiang liked black stockings wasnât a secret, but the length of Principal Jiangâs legs was something unknown to them.
Wei Suo blurted out, âThree feet and seven inches, I guarantee that the margin of error is less than an inch!â[3]
Everyone was convinced. This guy really was a talent!
The crowd turned their attention to Xie Daoyun and Zheng Dan. All of them had curious expressions in their eyes.
Zu An went with the flow and asked, âWhat about that miss Xieâs chest sizeâ¦â
Xie Daoyun covered his mouth to stop him from finishing his sentence. âEnough, enough, I can guarantee that he is a genius in this field. He definitely has the qualifications to head upstairs. What do you say, young master Wang?â
Xie Daoyunâs entire face was red. She didnât want her measurements to become public knowledge! Just what kind of friends did Zu An have at his side?
Now that the City Lordâs daughter had spoken, Wang Yuanlong naturally took advantage of the situation. âOf course, of course! Everyone, this way!â
No one else tried to stop them.
Wei Suo strutted forward and ascended the stairs, his head held high and chest puffed out like a proud rooster.
He had always had an inferiority complex since birth, and this novel feeling was truly refreshing.
All this was given to him by his boss! His eyes even became slightly moist when he thought of this.
â¦
The top floor was decorated in a very extravagant manner, but it wasnât the least bit tacky, like the homes and properties of the nouveau riche. The Wang clan had clearly invested a lot of their time in designing this place.
The party took their seats one after another. Soon afterwards, Qiu Honglei arrived as well.
Given their close relationship, Zu An tried to speak with her, since it had been a while since they had last chatted. Unexpectedly, she alienated him, treating him the same way she treated the rest of the other guests.
Zu An grew crestfallen. What the heck was this girl playing at? Was she deliberately playing hard to get?
Zheng Dan grew slightly jealous when she saw Zu An approach Qiu Honglei. After all, Qiu Honglei was just too beautiful. As a woman, she sensed a powerful aura of danger surrounding her.
However, when she saw how his approach was rebuffed, the corners of her lips curled upwards. Serves you right!
Sang Qian felt a sense of inner relief at Qiu Hongleiâs arrival. âLady Qiu has arrived slightly later than the rest of us. I fear that youâve missed brother Zuâs incredible display of literary talents. He really made a tenacious effort to fight off a great talent from Starfire City!â
Zu An was confused. This guy clearly hates me, so why did he suddenly speak on my behalf? Something is wrong!
âOh? Something like that actually happened?â Qiu Honglei was somewhat surprised. Could it be that Ah Zu was talented in the literary arts as well? âIt truly is a pity that Honglei wasnât able to witness that.â
âItâs easy enough for you to catch a glimpse of his talents. Why donât we have Zu An display his skills again? I believe brother Zu wonât disappoint such a gorgeous beauty, isnât that right?â A malicious intent burned in Sang Qianâs eyes as he looked at Zu An.
1. The character for dawn is âDanâ, which is the same âDanâ as the one in Zheng Danâs name.
2. Probably a morning wood joke. Much of the meaning and interest is lost in the translation.
3. Chinese units of measurement are used here. Three feet is about equivalent to a meter.