Qiu Honglei stared at him, speechless.
So were Pei Mianman and Xie Daoyun, watching from the second floor.
This guy really needs a good ass-whooping!
The same thought popped into everyone’s mind simultaneously.
You have successfully trolled the onlookers for 66… 66… 66…
A cool, refreshing feeling swept over Zu An’s entire body at the influx of Rage points. It seems like remaining low-profile really doesn’t suit me! Being placed in the limelight is still the fastest way to earn Rage points.
You have successfully trolled Chen Xuan for 99… 99… 99…
Zu An gave him a surprised look. From the way he was receiving Rage points, he fully expected this fellow to come charging right at him. And yet, that was somehow not the case.
Qiu Honglei clearly shared his worry. She moved slightly, placing herself between the two of them as if unintentionally. “It turns out young master Zu was here all along,” she said with a sweet and cheerful smile.
As she came close, Zu An immediately smelled a natural, delicate fragrance like that of an orchid. She was already extremely beautiful from afar, and her charm up close was even more fatal.
Thank heaven I’ve already seen my fair share of beauties!
Zu An secretly counted his blessings. If he hadn’t spent so much time with Chu Chuyan, his resistance towards physical beauty might not be as high, and he would have probably made a fool of himself here.
Zu An put these thoughts aside and met her gaze directly. “If I am not mistaken, this should be our first meeting. Why would you suddenly ask about me in such a manner?” he said with a smile.
Qiu Honglei couldn’t help but feel slightly startled. After all, when other men interacted with her at such a distance, most of them couldn’t keep their eyes from flickering all about, while others would stare blankly at her with eyes overflowing with desire. Eyes that maintained their clarity as they stared straight into hers were truly rare.
She quickly put aside her surprise, saying with a gentle voice, “Even though I’ve never met this young master before, I have long considered you a friend in spirit. I heard that young master found an exceptional treasure, the ‘Evanescent Lotus’, in the dungeon, whose petals alone could raise one’s cultivation by a step. However, young master resisted such great temptation and fed it to his wife without any hesitation.
“Young master’s love for his wife is enough to move the hearts of all women in this world. The proverbs are indeed true. Priceless treasures are easy to obtain, but true love is scarce. Young miss Chu is truly blessed.”
“Pah!” Pei Mianman spat viciously. What a cunning vixen. My dear Chuyan, my dear Chuyan, if you don’t treat your husband right, he is going to get snatched away…
When they heard Qiu Honglei use the words ‘friend in spirit’, a commotion immediately broke out among the surrounding men.
The news about the Evanescent Lotus only heightened their cries of alarm.
So far, news of this matter had only been circulated within a small circle in the higher levels of society. Now that it was known, almost everyone secretly sighed inside. This fella really goes all-in for women.
A small group silently mocked his stupidity. After all, the gap between him and young miss Chu was already so great. If Chu Chuyan’s strength rose further, that gap would only grow.
It was common knowledge that a marriage with too wide a gap was bound to fail.
Regardless of what they thought of the relationship between Zu An and Chu Chuyan, none of them could stomach the sight of Qiu Honglei looking at Zu An with such sparkling eyes. Their jealousy and anger immediately skyrocketed.
Watching this influx of Rage points, Zu An was convinced that this woman was doing this on purpose. Wasn’t she basically throwing him onto a rack to be roasted?!
Sucks for you, I am different from everyone else. The more people hate me, the happier I become!
“But of course! I’ve always treated women well. If Lady Qiu is envious of my Chuyan, you can consider being sisters with her. If I find another Evanescent Lotus, then I’ll give it to you.” Zu An said with a big smile.
“This little bastard is too shameless.” Xie Daoyun couldn’t hold back her criticism.
Is it so easy to find an Evanescent Lotus? Are you really trying to bag a beautiful concubine with just these empty promises?
Also, aren’t you merely a drafted son-in-law of the Chu clan? Do you really have the nerve to walk up to them and ask for a concubine just like that?
Her thoughts mirrored those of countless others in the hall. If glares could kill, Zu An would have died a hundred times over by now.
“This humble girl doesn’t dare compete against first miss Chu.” Qiu Honglei’s face flushed slightly. Other men always spoke to her using the most graceful words, out of fear of leaving a bad impression. She had never seen someone as direct as him, actually asking her to be his concubine!
Zu An shrugged in an unconcerned manner. “Don’t worry, she’s told me before that she doesn’t care if I look for other women.”
Pei Mianman almost choked.
Xie Daoyun whipped her head around, giving her younger brother a look of disbelief. “Did young miss Chu really say that?”
Xie Xiu said with a bitter smile, “Who knows if young miss Chu really said it or not? But he has said this more than once, and young miss Chu has never shown any reaction. The relationship between those two might not be what we suspect.”
“Just what kind of person is young miss Chu? How could she possibly allow him to take concubines?” Xie Daoyun’s face was full of disbelief. At the same time, she found herself more and more curious about the man below.
Just what was going on?
The other men in the hall weren’t as kind. Curses rained down on Zu An from all sides.
“You are just a drafted son-in-law! Why are you acting all smug?”
“I really don’t know what your ancestors did to make a goddess like young miss Chu choose you! And yet, you are still looking for other women?!”
“Exactly! You actually have the nerve to set your sights on Lady Qiu? Absolutely absurd!”
…
Even Wang Yuanlong quietly prodded Chu Yucheng. “Did your first miss really say this?”
Chu Yucheng said with a bitter smile, “I really don’t know either… But knowing our first miss’ nature, there should be no way she would allow such a thing.”
Chu Hongcai recovered from his previous daze just in time to give Zu An a look of shock. This guy really has guts! Is he not scared that the first miss would find out? Even if the first miss doesn’t intervene, Master and Madam definitely won’t hold their peace.
However, since they were all standing on the same side for now, it wasn’t appropriate for the two brothers to openly criticize Zu An. They discreetly shifted a few steps away to avoid getting caught in the stream of hate.
No one was more excited than Wei Suo. “All of you should know that this boss is my desk-mate! Half of our school’s top ten beauties have already been subdued by him! Compared to that, picking up Qiu Honglei would be nothing much!”
He began to recount Zu An’s ‘lady-killer’ legends in a vivid and colorful manner. Everyone around him was completely stunned.
To mooch off of women to such a degree… isn’t he already in a class of his own?
Wei Suo felt as if he were basking in his own glory as he saw more and more expressions of shock. The excitement in his voice grew exponentially.