"Young genius! Mr. Tang Ao, you truly are a young prodigy with an unrestrained personality. Throughout history, heroes have always loved beautiful women, and I, Li Yifeng, am ashamed to admit that I lack your boldness!"
Li Shiyun, utterly stunned, looked up at her family head, Li Yifeng. She racked her brain, unable to understand how someone as strict and rigid as Li Yifeng—who had once vehemently opposed her becoming a police officer—could say something like this!
It didn't make sense!
Years ago, when his son, Li Si, confessed to two girls on the same day, Li Yifeng had strung him up on a tree and beaten him half to death. It was only through the collective pleas of the entire Li family that Li Si was spared.
Yet now, instead of scolding Tang Ao or kicking him out of the Li family's doorstep, Li Yifeng was praising him!
Did Li Yifeng take the wrong medicine today?
Tang Ao was completely dumbfounded: "Please, just act normal! Stop giving me over-the-top compliments. I'm just a lecher, a total scumbag."
"That's not true!" Li Yifeng shook his head solemnly. "Throughout history, all great men had multiple wives and concubines. A common scoundrel could never compare to you."
"Exactly!" Li Mao nodded in agreement. "A man who leads women on without commitment is a scoundrel. But Mr. Tang Ao is not that kind of man, is he?"
[But of course I am!]
Tang Ao instinctively nodded, but before he could confess, Li Mao quickly added, "Of course not! Brother Tang Ao always keeps his promises. He made a private engagement with my sister Li Shiyun back when they were still in school, and he remembers it to this day. If Tang Ao is a scoundrel, then there are no good men left in this world!"
[Oh man, that's an impossible statement to follow up on.]
[Are the Li family members crazy? I've been acting like the worst person possible, and yet they keep treating me like the protagonist!]
[You've got the wrong guy! You're supposed to be supporting Ye Chen, the one who just went inside!]
Resigned, Tang Ao awkwardly waved his hand. "I... uh... I'm a little thirsty."
"Shiyun, aren't you going to help Mr. Tang Ao inside for some tea?" Li Yifeng's sharp gaze fixed on Li Shiyun as he emphasized the word "help." "Mr. Tang Ao, you're in for a treat. Shiyun is the best tea brewer among our younger generation, and even our family elder has praised her tea!"
It was now beyond obvious that Li Shiyun had feelings for Tang Ao, especially after throwing herself into his arms in front of everyone.
Thus, Li Yifeng deliberately replaced the word "invite" with "help," trying to create more opportunities for physical contact between Li Shiyun and Tang Ao. His intentions were painfully clear.
Watching as the blushing Li Shiyun grabbed Tang Ao's right hand, Zhou Qiao'er's frown deepened.
She was here to claim her man.
And more than that...
She had a written engagement with Tang Ao!
Now, in the eyes of the entire Li family, everyone seemed to adore Tang Ao!
Zhou Qiao'er had thought that by publicly presenting her gifts earlier, she had firmly established herself as Tang Ao's future wife in front of the Li family. But with just one sentence from Li Mao...
The whole situation had flipped.
The worst part was that despite Tang Ao's shameless and scoundrel-like words, instead of reprimanding him, the strict Li family seemed to be overjoyed!
Clearly, Li Shiyun...
Zhou Qiao'er realized she would have to take Li Shiyun far more seriously from now on.
"Brother Tang Ao, come with me. I'll take you for some tea!"
Li Shiyun, full of excitement, puffed out her chest and even playfully stuck her tongue out at Zhou Qiao'er, then grabbed Tang Ao's hand and started to lead him away.
However, as Tang Ao took a step with Li Shiyun, he felt a tug from his left hand...
Zhou Qiao'er had firmly grabbed his other hand, standing her ground.
Meanwhile, on his right, Li Shiyun had already taken her second step!
Tang Ao suddenly found himself stuck in the middle, caught between the two.
The pulling from both sides grew stronger, and Tang Ao's heart ached with dread. He didn't doubt for a second that if they pulled any harder, he might actually be torn in half right there...
A tug-of-war with two women!
The mere thought was terrifying!
With a wry smile, Tang Ao said, "Um... I think I can walk by myself. I'm not a child anymore, no need to hold or pull me."
"No way!"
Both Zhou Qiao'er and Li Shiyun shouted in unison, their expressions and tones eerily synchronized.
"Your parents entrusted me with taking care of you when we left the Tang household. If you get hurt, how will I explain it to them tonight?" Zhou Qiao'er's words made the entire Li family raise their eyebrows.
Her meaning was clear—Zhou Qiao'er was already living at the Tang family residence, which clearly meant she had gained the approval of Tang Ao's parents!
This made things... rather awkward for Li Shiyun.
While people often say that it's harder for a man to win over a woman, and easier for a woman to pursue a man, in this case...
Li Shiyun seemed to be lagging behind.
"So what if you live together? Tang Ao's parents have already seen our engagement letter and approved it!" Li Shiyun shot back defiantly.
The Li family collectively let out a sigh of relief, while Li Mao discreetly gave Li Shiyun a thumbs-up.
Li Shiyun had not embarrassed the Li family one bit!
Watching Li Shiyun and Zhou Qiao'er pull at him fiercely, Tang Ao finally yanked both his hands free. "I said I can walk by myself, and not even an Immortal could stop me once I've decided!"
Without another word, Tang Ao strode quickly into the Li family estate without looking back:
[Is this what they call a battlefield? This is terrifying...]
[Now I totally understand why Cheng Ge died so miserably back in the day. Handling two women is already this tough—imagine dealing with more than a dozen...]
But what Tang Ao hadn't anticipated was that the real battlefield had only just begun.
Hearing Tang Ao's parting words, Zhou Qiao'er shot a glare at Li Shiyun.
Tang Ao was upset!
And it was all because of Li Shiyun. If not for her, Zhou Qiao'er wouldn't have made Tang Ao angry.
Li Shiyun, not one to back down, returned Zhou Qiao'er's glare with a defiant one of her own.
If it weren't for Zhou Qiao'er butting in, Tang Ao would be comfortably holding Li Shiyun's hand and walking inside. There was no way he'd be angry at her!
Neither woman was willing to yield. They turned their heads away from each other, one to the left, one to the right, and both hurried after Tang Ao.
The Li family members, nervously sweating, followed suit and returned to the family estate.
Inside a courtyard paved with blue stone, many guests had already gathered. Most of them were prominent figures from various powerful families. But as soon as Tang Ao stepped into the courtyard, he couldn't help but notice...
The atmosphere was off.
It was supposed to be a joyful occasion—Li Shiyun's 24th birthday—but the atmosphere here was heavier than a funeral.
What was going on?
Surely these people wouldn't dare to disrespect the Li family like this. At least outwardly, they should be smiling. So why were they all wearing such grim expressions, as if someone owed them money?
Tang Ao's mind was spinning with confusion.