6 years later..
A Black Mercedes Maybach S-class slowly steered onto the majestic ground of Lu Villa. With a low squeal, it slid to stop.
A man in a black suit-pant who seemed to be an assistant descended from the car hurriedly and pulled open the backseat door for his boss.
Lu Yunsheng stepped down the car with an indifferent expression, and went inside the European style villa with his long strides.
Smashed...
Just as he was about to cross the threshold, an antique white porcelain flower-vase was hurled at him with a great speed.
But alas!
With Lu Yunsheng's great agility he dodged it easily; not a single ripple of emotion passed across his stolid countenance.
"Lu Yunsheng! How old are you?" An oldman in his early eighties descended the stairs hitting the gleaming and spotless marble steps with his golden stick producing a "ding ding" sound.
"Did you call me here to ask my age?" Lu Yunsheng asked, staring at the curmudgeon calmly. He took a few steps into the living room, then stood there upright, tucking both hands in his pocket.
"Impudent! Watch your language and see whom you are talking to!"
"I don't have time to waste, if that's why you asked for my presence."
In actuality, Lu Yunsheng was already aware of the reason why his grandfather called him there. Infact, his grandfather often called him here and knowing why, he didn't pay any attention to it.
Last night, Lu Donghai, his father called him in his chamber and reprimanded him for thirty minutes straight for this very specific reason.
Although, Lu Yunsheng made it clear to his grandfather over phone, the Oldman was insisting again. Thus, he decided to come and slay the topic once and for all face to face.
"How could you stand Huo's daughter up for three hours and never show up at the restaurant?" The oldman asked with a raised voice, "Not only that, you did the same thing to all the previous candidates as well!"
"And may I know, who arranged those blind dates for me?"
"Of course, I did." The Oldman replied as a matter of fact.
"Then why didn't you go instead? Since you are so much into these things."
"You..you!" Lu Heitin's face turned purple in anger, as he pointed his forefinger at his grandson. His other hand almost snapped the handle of his stick from sheer anger.
Just then, Mu Jiaying, Lu Yunsheng's mother, came back from outside.
"Father, come down." Tossing her handbag on the couch, she rushed up and tried to calm her father-in-law down. "Don't take his words to heart. He didn't mean it." Mu Jiaying said, rubbing her father-in-law on his back to abate his anger. "Have you forgotten what Dr. Zhang told you? You have to keep your anger at bay, otherwise, your blood pressure will rise drastically and it can cause a heart attack."
"Tell that to your son instead!" Lu Heitin was clearly very worked up. The term, 'Forever unmarried' stung, and that coupled with Lu Yunsheng's lofty tone sent Lu Heitin into an outrage.
"Sheng, how many times have I forbidden you to misbehave with your grandpa?! Don't you know he suffers from high blood pressure? Why don't you pay us any heed, son?" Mu Jiaying asked harshly, as she was extremely upset with Lu Yunsheng's rude behaviour.
"Ma..I just don't want anyone to interfere in my personal life. Is that too much to ask?"
"Yes, it is! Are you planning to end the Lu family's bloodline here with you being the last member? I will never accept that! How will I face my ancestors then?" At the end of his sentence, Lu Heitin's voice became weak, as if he had to exhaust his last bit of energy to pull out the words from inside.
Lu Heitin fished out his inhaler from his pocket with shaky hands, and took two puffs from it. Recently his health had been deteriorating a lot. He couldn't even yell for a minute before he started panting.
At that, Mu Jiaying felt her heart sink, as she finally seemed to have understood what had happened.
Again this marriage issue, both grandfather and grandson were headstrong, whom could she persuade? However, Mu Jiaying didn't dare to take chances, as she knew how serious her father-in-law's condition was.
"Father, sit down first. You can't stand too long, lest your knee buckle away again like last time." Worry was plainly written all over Mu Jiaying's face.
Mu Jiaying was an orphan, who craved love and family all her life until she met Lu Donghai. It was only after her marriage with him, that she got all the paternal and maternal love from her father and mother in-laws, which she had been missing out before.
Lu Yunsheng stared at his grandfather, a man who was once as strong as a tiger, now nothing but a shell. His meaty hands were now bony and extremely wrinkled. He looked frailer than the last time he saw him.
Subconsciously, Lu Yunsheng's heart softened a bit, and he took a deep breath helplessly. It wasn't like he loved being harsh with his grandfather. However, the fact was, he couldn't do what his grandfather was asking for.
Mu Jiaying helped Lu Heitin on the sofa and tilted her head in her son's direction, before saying coldly, "Do I have to give you a special invitation for seating?"
Lu Yunsheng sat on the sofa opposite his grandfather. He was silent for a few seconds, pinching the space between his eyebrows, before cutting straight to the point, "Grandpa, I can't marry anyone."
That was a neat way of putting it.
"And why so? I want to know the reason! You are already thirty two this fall. I married your grandmother when I was twenty two and had your father at twenty three. Your father was married at twenty two as well. Previously, you said you are in a special squad, and you don't have the permission to get married. What now? You retired from the military a year ago."