Volume 1, Chapter 10 – A Chance Encounter

After walking for another short while, Shi Lan felt her legs starting to ache and subconsciously slowed her pace.

One of the burly men following behind her immediately noticed the change and asked respectfully, “Young Master, would you like to rest for a bit at Cloudrise Pavilion?”

Shi Lan gave a slight nod and walked toward the restaurant up ahead.

The restaurant’s main doors were wide. On the black plaque above, the three gilded characters for “Cloudrise Pavilion” were written in bold, powerful strokes—one glance was enough to tell they came from a master calligrapher.

The moment Shi Lan stepped inside, the previously lively main hall fell silent. The looks she received from the patrons were no different from those of the pedestrians she had met along the way—fear tinged with a faint trace of disgust.

“Young Master Shi, you’re here… Please, head upstairs.” The nervous waiter hurried over with a forced smile, bowing respectfully.

Shi Lan swept a glance around the hall, then walked up to the second floor.

She had barely reached the second floor when the door to a private room on the left side of the corridor opened, and out stepped a young man in a blue robe, his whole person carrying a scholarly air.

Seeing this man, Shi Lan’s brows slowly drew together.

Xu Yuanbai…

Tenglong City really was small enough.

Xu Yuanbai was also slightly taken aback when he saw Shi Lan, but he quickly recovered, cupping his hands in greeting. His tone was neither cold nor overly warm.

“Brother Shi, how have you been?”

Shi Lan couldn’t be bothered with him and walked straight toward a private room whose door bore a “Vacant” sign.

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Xu Yuanbai froze where he stood, a shadow flickering through his eyes, along with a hint of disbelief.

Based on Shi Lan’s usual attitude, she would never have ignored him like this.

“Brother Shi, wait. Have I offended you somehow?” Xu Yuanbai hurriedly stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

Shi Lan gave him a sidelong glance and said curtly, “Move. I don’t have time to waste on your nonsense.”

All she wanted was to sit down, drink some tea, rest a little, and leave. She hadn’t expected to run into Xu Yuanbai at all, and she had no wish to waste what little time she had left and her breath on meaningless talk.

On top of that, ever since she had laid eyes on Xu Yuanbai, the remnants of the original owner’s emotions buried in her body had begun to stir again, leaving Shi Lan faintly irritated.

She hadn’t been in a good mood to begin with today; she was already trying very hard to keep her temper in check.

Hearing her speak like that, Xu Yuanbai looked genuinely stunned. Shi Lan’s attitude today was just too different from before—so different she felt like a completely different person. He was having trouble adjusting to the contrast.

“Brother Shi, if I’ve done something to offend you, you can just tell me. There’s no need to put on a show like this.”

Shi Lan didn’t answer him again. She lowered her gaze slightly and took a slow, deep breath, suppressing the urge to pound Xu Yuanbai into the floor.

She already understood quite well what kind of person Xu Yuanbai was. Precisely because of that, his affected sincerity made her feel sick.

Shi Lan’s breathing grew a shade quicker. In her heart, she kept silently repeating: Acting on impulse is the devil, acting on impulse is the devil…

“I thought we could at least be considered friends. It seems I was overthinking it. A grand house like the Shi family… someone like me just can’t measure up. Farewell.” Leaving behind a self-mocking remark, Xu Yuanbai turned and headed straight for the stairs.

As he walked, he started silently counting to himself. He was certain that before he reached the count of three, Shi Lan would definitely call out to him and apologize.

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One…

Two…

“Stop!”

Before he could count to three, a sharp shout rang out behind him.

Hearing that shout, Xu Yuanbai’s heart steadied. He pretended not to hear and continued walking toward the stairs.

“Didn’t you hear what the Young Master said?”

A cold voice sounded by his ear. Before Xu Yuanbai could see who had spoken, he felt a powerful force slam into his chest. His whole body was lifted off the ground and hurled back, landing right in front of Shi Lan.

Staggering to find his footing, Xu Yuanbai finally saw that his collar was clenched in the grip of a young man dressed in black.

“Let go of me, you brute who only knows how to use force!” Xu Yuanbai’s face flushed red as he struggled twice, but the young man’s hand didn’t budge in the slightest.

Xu Yuanbai shifted his gaze to Shi Lan at the side, and when he saw the expression on her face, he couldn’t help but freeze.

There was none of the apology he’d expected there—only barely concealed irritation.

“Drag him over there and teach him some manners.” Shi Lan drew in a deep breath and pointed at the corner of the hall.

She truly hadn’t planned on bothering with Xu Yuanbai, but he was just too incapable of reading the room. He even wanted to play that game of retreating to advance with her. That directly ignited the anger she’d been suppressing all this time.

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Is he begging for a beating or what?!

The phrase “acting on impulse is the devil” had already been tossed out of Shi Lan’s mind.

The black-clothed young man grinned, clearly pleased, and dragged Xu Yuanbai toward the corner.

The burly men standing behind Shi Lan exchanged a glance, then also headed toward the corner together.

“Brutes! You’re all a bunch of crude martial thugs!”

“You can’t do this to me!”

……

“I was wrong! I really know I was wrong!”

It didn’t take many blows before Xu Yuanbai started begging for mercy. Any so-called scholarly integrity or vow to die rather than yield went completely out the window.

Watching him plead, the little knot of heartache in one corner of Shi Lan’s heart turned into disappointment and slowly began to fade away.

Sometimes, a young girl’s dreams really are shattered this easily.

As Shi Lan’s mood gradually calmed, she called out to stop the men who were still laying into him.

By now, Xu Yuanbai had already fainted. Everyone who had taken action practiced the martial path; naturally, they hadn’t been gentle with their strength. Who knew how many bones in his body had been broken.

“Throw him downstairs. You, come in with me.” Shi Lan waved a hand, then motioned to the man in black before pushing open the door and stepping into the private room.

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Shi Lan sat down at the table, poured two cups of cooled tea, pushed one of them toward the man in black, and asked, “What’s your name?”

“Shi Feng.”

“Why did you hit him so hard just now?” Shi Lan had watched the entire thing from the sidelines. The other burly men seemed somewhat hesitant and had held back their strength, but Shi Feng had gone up and directly broken both of Xu Yuanbai’s legs.

He looked fair-skinned and harmless enough, but his hands were vicious. The contrast was a bit much.

“Xu Yuanbai was disrespectful to the Young Master. It’s only right he took a lesson for it,” Shi Feng replied calmly.

“The truth.”

Shi Feng sighed helplessly. “I have a personal grudge with Xu Yuanbai.” He’d found Xu Yuanbai an eyesore for a long time. If not for considering Shi Lan’s feelings in the past, how could Xu Yuanbai have been strutting around carefree until today?

Shi Lan nodded in sudden understanding. She stood up, walked to Shi Feng’s side, and patted his shoulder. “A friendly face with a ruthless hand—you’re a real talent. From now on, you’re with me.”

“Huh?”

Shi Feng stared blankly at Shi Lan, unable to recover for a long moment.

……

When Shi Lan went back downstairs, the main hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone held their breath in fear.