Chapter 557: 557: Being Your Flower Protector

(Fifth Update)

After a simple clean up, Ling Ruonan was ready to leave the house.

She didn’t make a deliberate effort to dress up; for many years, from her girlhood to the present, she never bothered to adorn herself. She hardly ever used lipstick or lip liner, not even fully aware of how to do her own makeup.

Ling Ruonan’s beauty was natural, even at her current age, she would face the world with a bare face.

At her age, she still had no obvious wrinkles, and her complexion had not changed much, still so delicate and fair.

No matter how she dressed, she was very beautiful, her temperament was unmatched, self-confidence written on her face, and combined with her pretty face that looked as if it had been sculpted, not a single man would think she had grown old, no longer beautiful. Even though Ouyang Feifei and Yang Qingyin were regarded as Yanjing’s Number One Beauties, they still felt immense pressure in front of Ling Ruonan.

Because Ling Ruonan still looked young, her delicate features impeccably beautiful, and more importantly, she was no longer naive; her mature charm only added to her beauty.

Standing behind Ling Ruonan, watching her slowly comb her hair in front of the mirror, tying her long, black hair into a ponytail without any other adornment, Luo Ziling couldn’t help but crack a joke, “Mom, you’re so beautiful. Heh, for today, I’ll be your Flower Protector. If any hooligans try to hit on you because you’re so pretty, I’ll surely chase them away.”

“Oh, stop it,” Ling Ruonan chuckled and retorted as she turned her head, “Mom is old now, those hooligans wouldn’t be interested in flirting anymore.”

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“How could that be?” Luo Ziling firmly shook his head, “I bet when we go to the mall later, there will be many people who’ll think you’re my girlfriend. If you don’t believe it, let’s make a bet.”

Ling Ruonan felt very happy upon hearing this and glanced at Luo Ziling, chiding him, “Stop talking nonsense. Anyone who sees us will definitely think I’m your mother, not your girlfriend.”

“Maybe everyone will think you look younger than me, why don’t we act a bit more affectionate when we go out later and see what people think?”

Grilled goat meat, boiled seven-gill eels, a small portion of apple puree and pear slices, hop-flavored barley beer, and white bread made from fine wheat flour.

This was Liszt’s dinner.

The slightly Western-style meal did not suit his taste, but he was incapable of cooking and could not prepare the home-cooked dishes he liked. Moreover, in this world, nobles are strictly forbidden from entering kitchens, storehouses, or any other places meant for servants, as doing so would be a breach of noble etiquette and subject to ridicule.

Of course, the court was an exception.

The chefs and servants of the court were all attended to by aristocrats from the various small fiefs. Liszt’s father, the Earl of Coral Island, had once served as a stablemaster for the new generation of the Sapphire Duke, responsible for caring for the Duke’s beloved steed—a horse with a mix of dragon blood in its lineage.

To this day, the Earl of Coral Island would occasionally enter the court to fulfill the role of stablemaster.

He relished this task, fearing that another noble might replace him as stablemaster and impede his close relationship with the Grand Duke.

In the same vein, the Sapphire Duke also served as a personal valet to the lord of his sovereign state, the Steel Ridge Kingdom, attending to His Majesty the King’s every need.

Essentially, commoners are the servants of the nobility, and the lesser nobility serve the greater nobility.

Only by becoming king of a country does one become a true master.

“Thankfully, here in Fresh Flower Town, I am the sole master and need not attend to anyone,” Liszt thought contentedly while eating his less-than-satisfactory dinner.

The Earl was his father who didn’t care for him and would hardly bother him.

After dinner, Butler Carter would direct the maids to clean up the dishes, and a personal valet would bring water for washing and assist Liszt with rinsing out his mouth.

When the routine was done, Carter left with the other servants, “I will be just outside the door, Master and the two gentlemen, please call upon me if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Mr. Carter,” Liszt said, smiling with a gentleman’s grace. In terms of noble etiquette, he was influenced by his predecessor and didn’t need to learn it actively; it came naturally to him.

Even towards the lowliest servants, one must maintain politeness and respect—in private, it mattered not whether they were beaten or killed or subjected to any sort of mistreatment, but publicly, one must maintain noble demeanor.

Caught off guard by the mention of Luo Xusheng, Ling Ruonan, who had been intentionally avoiding this man for some time, instantly felt a pang of sadness and the urge to cry. Fortunately, her sunglasses hid her melancholy. Taking a deep breath, she responded, “Yes. I maintained my skin according to the beauty techniques he taught. Otherwise, I would have had wrinkles a long time ago.”

“Grandpa and I have developed even better formulas and medicines for beauty, and I’ve brought them with me. After we have dinner tonight, I will give them to you. I think you’ll look even younger after using them,” Luo Ziling spoke sincerely.

Ling Ruonan was naturally moved, “Thank you, then.”

What she really wanted to say was that no beauty product was better at keeping someone young than a happy heart.

For a woman, having a man by her side is the best beauty regimen, but having been separated from Luo Xusheng for so many years, she had long since forgotten about affairs of the heart and did not wish to think about them.

Luo Ziling didn’t notice the emotional turmoil in Ling Ruonan, as he excitedly chatted about various random matters.

As they talked, he brought up his past experiences learning medicine with his grandfather and gathering herbs on the mountains.

Luo Liansheng was very strict in educating Luo Ziling and had numerous punishment methods. Going to the mountains to pick herbs was also a way to temper him. There were many hardships that Luo Ziling, recalling them now, still found somewhat daunting.

Ling Ruonan hadn’t expected Luo Liansheng to be so strict in educating Luo Ziling and couldn’t help but feel a bit sympathetic. Indeed, if she had raised Luo Ziling herself, she would definitely have been strict too, but it pained her to see someone else being strict with him.

However, thinking about how outstanding Luo Ziling had become now, she felt very thankful for Luo Liansheng’s teachings.

She thought that if Luo Ziling had always been by her side, perhaps he wouldn’t have turned out as well as he did.

She would surely have given Luo Ziling the best of everything. With overly advantageous conditions and playmates all being children from wealthy families, it would have been quite normal for Luo Ziling to adopt some bad habits typical of a young and rich wastrel.

Originally, Ling Ruonan intended to have Wuyue drive them near Wangfu Jing, but Luo Ziling suggested that just the two of them take public transportation. This way, they wouldn’t attract attention, and it would also give them a true taste of shopping. In the end, Ling Ruonan followed Luo Ziling’s suggestion, and they took the subway together. Ling Ruonan’s decision made Wuyue extremely nervous, and in the end, she could only follow them discreetly with a few people after careful makeovers, just in case.

For all these years, Ling Ruonan had never taken public transportation.

When Luo Ziling took her to the nearby subway station, she was filled with curiosity and excitement.

Of course, if it weren’t for being with Luo Ziling, she would never have taken the subway under any circumstances. Firstly, it wasn’t safe, secondly, it was inconvenient, and thirdly, she didn’t want to show her face in public. When Luo Ziling showed such enthusiasm, she agreed without hesitation, fulfilling his request.

What delighted her even more was that, when descending the stairs and taking the escalator, Luo Ziling, fearing she might fall, took the initiative to take her hand and protected her at his side.

She frequently held hands with Luo Xu when going out long ago, but that was twenty years earlier. Twenty years later, Ling Ruonan was once again holding hands with a man on an outing, yet this man was her son. Nonetheless, Ling Ruonan was still deeply moved.

When Luo Ziling was young, she never held his hand like this, so holding it now when he was grown up felt like some sort of compensation.

Therefore, when Luo Ziling took her hand intending to protect her, she held onto his hand tightly, and didn’t let go.

During the process of buying tickets, going through security checks, and waiting for the train, the mother and son held hands the entire time, which appeared exceptionally intimate.

Although both were wearing glasses, they couldn’t hide their distinguished air, and many people cast envious, jealous, and resentful glances at them. However, the mother and son didn’t pay attention to the gazes of others, they continued holding hands and speaking softly about interesting topics, as if no one else was there.

Ling Ruonan, unlike her usual serious and cold demeanor, was like a young girl, heartily laughing and oftentimes beaming with joy.

With no seats available on the subway, they stood just like everyone else. Luo Ziling naturally protected Ling Ruonan, preventing others from getting too close. They still ignored the gazes of the people around them and quietly talked to each other in a corner.

After getting off the train and walking outside, they retained their closeness, talking to each other as if no one else existed, until they were awoken by a surprised voice.

“Boss, is that you? My God, such a beautiful girl again!”

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