"Are you sure you don't want to know my name?"
As the car stopped on the outskirts of the city, Lin Fan, who was sitting in the passenger seat, asked with a smile.
"I don't, and you don't need to look for me again. Even if you find me, I won't acknowledge any of this. Just consider it a dream."
Ning Mengyao took a deep breath and wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes.
Since leaving that mountain road, she hadn't dared to look into Lin Fan's deep eyes.
He was handsome, the type she liked.
He had saved her life.
She could give him the most precious thing she had.
She had no regrets.
"I always feel that we will meet again."
Lin Fan suddenly wanted to laugh.
According to his master, as long as he went to the Ning Family,
Ning Zhenyue would take the initiative to give Ning Mengyao to him in marriage.
That meant they would meet again in a little while.
"Better not to have met."
Ning Mengyao sighed, "Forget about me. You will have someone better."
She had too many grievances, but she couldn't voice them.
A spring dream was already her best memory.
"Some things are arranged by fate."
Lin Fan said with a laugh as he opened the car door.
In just a few hours, the two of them would meet again.
"Wait!"
As Lin Fan got out of the car, Ning Mengyao suddenly felt a pang of discomfort in her heart.
"What, having second thoughts?"
Leaning on the car window, he looked at Ning Mengyao's rosy cheeks.
Nourished, she now had even more of a young matron's charm.
Together with her already stunning beauty, she truly looked like a goddess descended to earth.
"Take this money... and take care of yourself in the future."
Pulling out two bundles of bills from her bag, Ning Mengyao threw them directly at Lin Fan.
"Is this my hardship fee?"
Lin Fan weighed the bills in his hand.
He suddenly felt like he was living off a woman.
"Take the money and buy a couple of outfits. Don't dress in rags. Women these days still like clean and handsome men. Forget me."
Ning Mengyao pursed her lips and stepped on the gas.
As the sports car roared off, Lin Fan was left standing by the road.
Watching his figure gradually disappear in the rearview mirror, Ning Mengyao's tears started to flow again.
She didn't know why she did this.
But when she thought of Sun's face, covered with liver spots and wily grin,
She had no regrets about giving her body to a man she liked.
Even if she didn't know his name.
What does it matter?
When the car stopped at the gateway of the old Ning Residence,
The brightly lit Ning Family was exceptionally lively.
Big red wedding characters, red lanterns, and red satin ribbons.
Everything was prepared for a traditional Chinese wedding.
But this festive atmosphere carried a strange scent of sorrow.
The people coming and going had no trace of a smile on their faces.
"Meng Yao, where did you go?"
Hearing that Ning Mengyao had returned, Ning Zhenyue hurried out, leaning on his walking stick.
"I was upset, just roaming around to clear my mind."
Ning Mengyao got out of the car and stepped down.
She still had to accept her fate.
"Ah, you might as well leave for good!"
Marrying his granddaughter to a man almost his age, Ning Zhenyue also felt stifled.
Alas, Eighth Master wielded unparalleled power in Jiangning.
The modest Ning Family simply had no means to contend against them.
"Grandpa, rest assured, I've made peace with it. I'll face everything and won't bring trouble to the Ning Family. The wedding procession will arrive soon, so I'm going to change my clothes."
Ning Mengyao wiped the tears from her face and numbly stepped over the threshold.
Watching her slender figure, Ning Zhenyue let out a long sigh.
The perverted Eighth Master had already killed seven wives.
For Ning Mengyao, becoming the eighth wife seemed to be a grim fate.
"Old man, congratulations to you!"
Just as Ning Zhenyue was about to go back inside, Lin Fan's taxi arrived at the door.
Stepping out of the car, Lin Fan approached Ning Zhenyue with a smile.
"There's no joy today. If you're seeking lucky money, pick another place."
Ning Zhenyue really wasn't in the mood for any of this.
After all, this match was a tremendous humiliation for the Ning Family.
"No need for money. I am here on my master's orders to reclaim the knife that was loaned to you twenty years ago!"
Lin Fan's words shook Ning Zhenyue to the core.
It suddenly reminded him of the mysterious prophecy left by the man who deferred payment for the knife years ago.
"An octogenarian takes a young bride, treating a wedding like a funeral rite. When the prophecy comes true, a man will appear. Marry your granddaughter to him, and not only will the Ning Family weather the disaster but also rise to greater heights!"
"Are you truly here for the knife?"
Ning Zhenyue's voice trembled with excitement.
The young man had a well-proportioned face and an agile figure.
He was a hundred times better than that eighty-year-old Eighth Master in every aspect.
"Correct."
Before Lin Fan could finish speaking, Ning Zhenyue had already pulled him into the courtyard.
"Your timing couldn't be better, hurry and enter the bridal chamber!"
"Entering the bridal chamber, really?"
As Lin Fan was pulled into the yard, he noticed the lack of guests amid the otherwise well-prepared setting.
Feeling curious, he was about to ask what exactly was going on.
Suddenly, a screeching sound of brakes came from outside.
Seven or eight vans pulled up at the Ning Family gate.
The doors opened, and over twenty strong men with vests and tattoos got out.
"Old man, is the new bride ready? Eighth Master said we should check first, the wedding procession will be arriving soon!"
A bald man, leading his underlings, walked straight into the courtyard.
His demeanor made it clear he was no good person.
"Liang, go back and tell that old coot Sun that he's only three years younger than me yet dares to covet my granddaughter. He's truly a toad lusting after swan meat. I'd rather die than let her marry that old beast. As for marrying my granddaughter, dream on until your next life!"
Ning Zhenyue's face turned ashen.
Since the deferred-payment knife's prophecy had been realized,
Lin Fan was the man destined to be Ning Mengyao's husband.
"You old fool, trying to revolt against Laozi? Eighth Master taking a fancy to your granddaughter is a blessing for the Ning Family. You're given face, yet you shamelessly reject it. Since you don't want to marry Ning Mengyao off in style, I'll just carry her back and present her to Eighth Master's bridal chamber!"
Liang scratched his bald head, laughing triumphantly.
"Let's see who dares. Today, if anyone wants to snatch my granddaughter, they'll have to step over my dead body. I'm old anyway; dying is dying. If a life is taken, let's see who among you can escape unscathed!"
Ning Zhenyue clenched the walking stick in his hand.
Today he was ready to fight to the death to protect Ning Mengyao.
"You old fart, do you dare to mess with Laozi, huh? I've killed before. Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish and send you to the afterlife!"
Liang's gaze was like that of a wild wolf.
As he moved forward, his right hand brandishing a knife, he aimed a direct slash at Ning Zhenyue's crown.
The chilly wind whistled, and the blade gleamed sharply.
This blow was truly meant to kill.
"Clang!"
A sound like the ringing of metal resonated, and everyone present was stunned.
Because at that moment, a hand had tightly grasped the blade of the knife.
Moreover, that hand was completely unharmed, akin to an arm of iron.
"Daring to covet my woman, are you seeking death?"
Lin Fan twisted his hand slightly, and the steel cleaver was instantly warped and deformed.
Competing with him for a woman was simply a death wish.