Chapter 323 Two weeds
Under everyoneâs gaze, the cap-wearing Yang Xiaojin walked up to Ren Xiaosu. All of the well-known public figures of Stronghold 88 knew of her status.
Meanwhile, the young man who was similarly dressed stood in a daze out on the lawn. It was as though he had not expected to witness such a twist today. He had thought she would make her appearance in a stunning gown, shining bright as the stars. At the moment of her appearance, even the stars in the night sky would have paled in comparison. He had come here today because he had wanted to enjoy that sight.
But what happened here blew Ren Xiaosuâs mind. Not only was Yang Xiaojin not dressed formally for the function, she even deliberately wore white sportswear with red wording on it that matched well with his that had blue wording.
The young man had many fantasies that made him the hero saving a damsel in distress. But the entire world was apparently playing a joke on Ren Xiaosu. He had only saved her once, yet she stood by him on so many occasions after that, ready to pull him out of any sticky situations he got himself into.
At the venue of the gala, everyone was holding their champagne flutes with stunned looks. They were staring in shock at the two like spectators would.
It might have been an illusion, but Ren Xiaosu felt that everyone around him had turned into statues. The world was no longer bustling, while time also stopped briefly.
The two of them were similar in that they were somewhat out of place with the neatly mown lawn, the smooth stone steps, and the tasteful decorations found around the manor.
All of a sudden, Ren Xiaosu realized he had been mistaken. Yang Xiaojin was never a princess of the organization like he had imagined her to be, but a weed willing to grow freely in the wilderness just like him.
Ren Xiaosu said in a stunned manner, âWhy are you dressed in suchââ
Yang Xiaojin leaned forward and grabbed Ren Xiaosuâs hand with everyone watching. âCâmon, itâs pretty boring here. Letâs go out for a walk.â
The young girl led Ren Xiaosu out and disappeared from everyoneâs sight. It was only then that the glacier cold atmosphere started thawing.
Someone asked in a whisper, âWho is that young man?!â
Yan Liuyuan watched quietly as Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin left the manor. He had wanted to go after them, but he thought they were like the stars on the stage, and that he should just stand quietly in the audience and watch in the darkness.
He knew how much hardship Ren Xiaosu had suffered. During the period Ren Xiaosu was injured, Yan Liuyuan got a sense of it. So when Ren Xiaosuâs happiness arrived after all the suffering he had gone through, Yan Liuyuan knew not to disturb Ren Xiaosuâs hopes.
He had told Ren Xiaosu that if Yang Xiaojin did not come look for them, they should not head to Stronghold 88.
But now Yang Xiaojin had used her actions to prove she could do a lot more for them.
Since it was that way, Yan Liuyuan had nothing more to disagree with. He was willing to sacrifice his personal inclinations for Ren Xiaosuâs happiness. Wasnât it just suffering some grievances in the stronghold? That wasnât a big deal to him.
If Luo Lan was willing to act like a silly fatso whose life was worthless for Qing Zhenâs sake, Yan Liuyuan could do likewise for his brother.
When he thought of that, Yan Liuyuan felt like Luo Lan had suddenly become much more affable. âHey, fatty, letâs head back first.â
Luo Lan scolded, âBrat, who are you calling a fatty? Come on, Iâm taking you home.â
âŠ
When they walked out of everyoneâs sight, Yang Xiaojin suddenly let go of Ren Xiaosuâs hand. She hesitated for a moment before saying, âJust nowâŠâ
Ren Xiaosu said with a smile, âThanks for bailing us out.â
Yang Xiaojin seemed relieved. âYou donât have to care about them since theyâre still obsessed with the world theyâve built and are complacent about things. But you and I know this world is about to change.â
âMhm.â Ren Xiaosu nodded.
âYou still havenât eaten yet, right?â Yang Xiaojin asked.
âYeah.â Ren Xiaosu laughed and said, âI discussed beforehand with Luo Lan to scrounge off your family tonight, but we ended up leaving before I could do that.â
âLetâs go. Iâll take you to a diner that serves delicious wontons.[1]â Yang Xiaojin said, âThereâs also something I want to tell you about. Weâll be setting off to the northwest in seven days.â
Ren Xiaosu wondered, âWhatâs in the northwest? Are we going to Stronghold 178?â
âNo.â Yang Xiaojin said, âWeâre going to exterminate the bandits with the Zong Consortium. Itâs going to be a joint operation by the Yang Consortium and the Zong Consortium this time. Weâre not going to exterminate the banditry completely, so weâll return once weâve killed enough of them.â
âWho else will be going with us?â Ren Xiaosu asked curiously.
âThe Zong Consortiumâs people.â Yang Xiaojin said calmly, âWe have to be careful along the way. Donât trust anyone besides me.â
Ren Xiaosu was shocked. He suddenly recalled the time they were on the expedition to the Jing Mountains. Although they did not trust each other at the time, they still formed a temporary alliance. Now that he thought about it, that alliance felt rather nice.
Neither of them mentioned holding hands. The stars were shining brightly in the night sky, and it was the perfect time to have supper.
âŠ
The uproar at the gala did not subside even after Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin had departed. Everyone seemed to have found a new topic to gossip about.
Many of the higher-ups knew the purpose of the gala tonight. A young and promising man from the Zong Consortium who was known to be a supernatural being would be here for the function. In addition, Yang Yuâan had arranged for Yang Xiaojin and Zong Cheng to exterminate the bandits together. His intention could not be any more straightforward than this. It was not like the higher-ups were stupid.
The gala had not even started yet. Yang Yuâan, the representative of Stronghold 178, and the young man from the Zong Consortium were still discussing some matters inside the villa. The gala would only officially begin when they were done with the discussion and after they walked out of the villa. But before the function even began, one the stars for the night had already run off with someone else. In fact, she was the one who made the other person run off with her!
At this moment, Yang Yuâan and two young men stepped out of the villa. As he smiled at the guests, Yang Yuâan calmly took a glass of champagne and said, âHonored guests, whatâs going on here? Is there something interesting youâre discussing?â
Someone hesitated before saying, âYour niece left with a young manâŠ.â
Yang Yuâanâs expression remained unchanged. He maintained his smile and said, âOh? Which young man?â
Some people secretly sighed at how shrewd Yang Yuâan was. He could still keep such a straight face at a time like this.
Someone replied, âI donât know where he popped out from. But he came here with Luo Lan and was dressed in casual attire.â
Yang Yuâan took a deep breath and said with a smile while looking at Zong Cheng and Xu Xianchu next to him, âZong Cheng, Brother Little Xu, Iâm sorry about this, but I have to deal with some family matters first.â
Xu Xianchu did not mind and said with a smile, âWhatâs the matter? Who ran off with your niece?â
âItâs just a refugee called Ren Xiaosu. Thereâs nothing worth mentioning about him,â Yang Yuâan answered.
But Xu Xianchu was stunned. He suddenly asked the others around him, âWhere did Ren Xiaosu go? Which direction did he head off to?â
The people at the gala were dumbfounded. What the hell was going on?! The situation was such a mess. âI think they took off towards the south.â
Xu Xianchu bade farewell to Yang Yuâan, âIâm sorry, Chairman Yang. Ren Xiaosu is a good brother of mine. We havenât seen each other in a long time, and heâs also my benefactor. Iâll go look for him first, so letâs discuss the other matters tomorrow.â
Then Xu Xianchu ran out and chased after Ren Xiaosu.
[1] A type of Chinese dumpling commonly found across regional styles of Chinese cuisine.
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