TRWSB – Chapter 137 The Unspoken Tensions

When Qi Shaorong arrived at Snowfall Emporium, Yi Fan was busy directing the staff to deliver goods.

Zhuang Hao frowned as he watched carts loaded with items and remarked, “Yi Fan, you’ve bought quite a lot.”

Qi Shaorong glanced at the packed carts and thought to himself, How did I never notice before that Yi Fan is a shopaholic? Truly, people can be full of surprises.

Yi Fan’s radiant smile lit up the scene. “This is nothing; I’m planning to check out three more emporiums after this.”

Zhuang Hao raised an eyebrow. “With so many purchases, can your little courtyard even hold all this?”

“No, it can’t,” Yi Fan admitted cheerfully.

“Then why are you buying so much?” Zhuang Hao asked, furrowing his brows.

“Don’t worry—I bought a larger estate,” Yi Fan replied with a grin.

Zhuang Hao: “…” He bought an entirely new estate?

Qi Shaorong looked at Yi Fan and asked, “Ah Fan, with all this spending, do you still have enough money?”

Yi Fan chuckled. “Thanks to you, I’ve saved up quite a bit over the years. If I run out, I hope you’ll lend me some.”

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Of course.”

Zhuang Hao crossed his arms and said sourly, “Yi Fan, I think you should exercise some restraint. After all, it’s just a wedding—hardly something life-changing.”

Yi Fan’s sharp gaze locked onto Zhuang Hao. “I don’t know if a wedding is life-changing, but I do know this: Young Master Zhuang, you’re far from having a wedding of your own. Isn’t that right, Shaorong?”

Qi Shaorong, hands clasped behind his back, smiled and nodded. “That’s correct.”

Yi Fan patted Zhuang Hao on the shoulder. “I’ll be going now. Take care, Young Master Zhuang.”

Zhuang Hao turned to Qi Shaorong with a pout. “Why do you always take his side instead of mine?”

“He’s one of mine. Of course, I’ll support him,” Qi Shaorong replied matter-of-factly.

Zhuang Hao sighed. “Forget it. Yi Fan is so excited he’s practically lost his mind, yet he’s still as infuriating as ever.”

Qi Shaorong: “…”

Yi Fan’s Shopping Spree

After sweeping through Snowfall Emporium, Yi Fan made his way to Tianhe Emporium.

Standing downstairs, he was engrossed in a catalog of luxury goods, oblivious to the people upstairs observing him.

“Yi Fei, just how wealthy is your cousin? I heard he spent 4.5 million to buy a large estate in the heart of the capital, and he’s been raiding every major shop these past few days,” Shen Yun asked.

“You shouldn’t be asking me—you should ask Qi Shaofu. Third Young Master Qi, just how much money has your fourth brother given Yi Fan?” Yi Fei replied.

Qi Shaofu frowned and sighed. “Shaorong has a poor relationship with the family, so we’re not privy to his affairs. However, during the Hundred Schools Tournament, Shaorong made quite a fortune betting and supposedly gave Yi Fan over seven million. Shaorong has always been generous to those around him. I wouldn’t be surprised if Yi Fan’s net worth is in the tens of millions.”

Yi Fei looked at Qi Shaofu. “Is there really no way to mend relations between your family and Qi Shaorong?”

Qi Shaofu gave a bitter smile. “I don’t know… Has Yi Fan invited his family to the wedding?”

Yi Fei let out a bitter laugh. “Let’s not talk about it.”

Sensing the tension, Shen Yun tried to lighten the mood. “Let’s move on. Speaking of which, this isn’t Yi Fan’s first marriage, right?”

“Last time, he didn’t care at all,” Yi Fei said.

Back then, the family thought Yi Fan was ungrateful for showing such disdain toward marrying a beauty. Looking back, it was clear he already had someone in his heart and didn’t want to marry Mu Xuelan.

At the Zhuang Residence

When Zhuang Hao returned home, he found his third uncle, Zhuang Renquan, waiting for him.

“Ahao, are you upset about something?” Zhuang Renquan asked, tilting his head curiously.

Zhuang Hao shook his head. “Not at all.”

Zhuang Renquan chuckled. “If you’re upset, just admit it. There’s no shame in it.”

Zhuang Hao gave a helpless smile.

“Let me guess—are you jealous because Yi Fan is getting married while you and Shaorong haven’t made any progress?”

Zhuang Hao took a deep breath. “There’s been some progress, but yes, I’m a little envious. Third Uncle, you should’ve seen Yi Fan’s smug face—it’s so irritating.”

Zhuang Renquan laughed. “Cut him some slack. He’s kept a low profile all these years. It’s rare for him to have something to celebrate.”

Zhuang Hao thought about Yi Fan’s past and nodded in agreement. “That’s true.”

“Do you think Mu Xingzhi will attend Yi Fan and Mu Tingxuan’s wedding?” Zhuang Renquan asked.

Zhuang Hao nodded. “I think so.”

Zhuang Renquan stroked his chin thoughtfully. “If that’s the case, with a Level Nine expert backing him, Yi Fan will be in a much stronger position when dealing with his family.”

Tianlan Academy

“Master, in a few days, I will be getting married. I hope you can honor me with your presence,” Yi Er handed the invitation to Hu Feng.

Hu Feng smiled widely as he looked at Yi Fan, giving his shoulder a hearty pat. “Well, at least you have a conscience, you haven’t forgotten about your master.”

“How could I forget you, Master?” Yi Fan said with genuine sincerity.

“I heard that you’ve been busy organizing the whole wedding yourself?” Hu Feng asked.

Yi Fan nodded. “Yes, that’s right!”

“Is it difficult?” Hu Feng asked.

Yi Fan shook his head. “No, it’s not. I just want to give Tingxuan a wedding he won’t regret. It makes me happy to do something for him.”

Hu Feng: “…”

“I heard you hired Chef Li Xian to handle the catering?” Hu Feng asked.

Yi Fan nodded again. “Yes, that’s right!”

“Well, looks like I’m going to enjoy some good food. Hiring Chef Li must have cost a lot, right?” Hu Feng asked.

Yi Fan shook his head. “No.”

Hu Feng widened his eyes, looking at Yi Fan. “No?”

“That’s right. I promised him something, and in return, he agreed to help me,” Yi Fan replied.

“What did you promise him?” Hu Feng asked.

“Just some taste testing and finding some ingredients. Nothing too special,” Yi Er casually replied.

Hu Feng eyed Yi Fan suspiciously. “Taste testing? Isn’t that just free food? Providing ingredients doesn’t seem like much. It’s so simple—are you sure we’re not dealing with a fake?”

Yi Fan smiled slyly. “Not at all.”

What Hu Feng didn’t know was that Li Xian had recently been researching poisonous gourmet dishes, using various ingredient combinations to neutralize toxins, turning originally deadly ingredients into harmless ones, and ideally making them nutritious as well. Yi Fan’s role in this was to provide the poisonous ingredients and taste test them. After many unusual experiences in his childhood, Yi Fan’s body had mutated to the point where he was immune to toxins, making this task effortless for him.

“Have you invited most of the guests yet?” Hu Feng asked.

Yi Fan nodded. “Yes, pretty much. Everything is arranged.”

Yi Family

Yi Xun stood in the courtyard, his face twisted with a grim expression.

The news of Yi Fan’s upcoming marriage to Mu Tingxuan had already spread across the capital, and invitations had been sent out to numerous influential figures. However, the Yi family had been left out.

Yi Xun was well aware of Yi Fan’s recent shopping spree across major emporiums.

He had known for some time that Yi Fan had likely amassed significant wealth following his association with Qi Shaorong, but he hadn’t realized the extent of it. The wealth of this son of his likely surpassed his own by tenfold.

Now, Yi Fan had become a valuable figure, and many major powers were eager to build connections with him. Meanwhile, Yi Xun, the father who once looked down on him, had been completely overshadowed by his son.

Yi He walked up to Yi Xun. “Second brother, has Yi Fan’s invitation arrived yet?”

Yi Xun glanced at Yi He. “Not yet.”

“Tomorrow is the wedding. If the invitation hasn’t arrived by now, it probably won’t,” Yi He remarked. “Seems like your son doesn’t really take you seriously.”

Yi Xun shot a cold look at Yi He but said nothing, turning to walk into the house.

Yi He looked at Yi Xun’s retreating figure, sneering inwardly. So what if Yi Xun has a son? Whether the son is useless or rebellious, it doesn’t change anything.

Mu Tingxuan at Qi Shaorong’s Estate

Mu Tingxuan sat in a guesthouse at Qi Shaorong’s residence, staring up at the bright moon.

“Tingxuan, can’t sleep?” Qi Shaorong stepped out to ask.

Mu Tingxuan looked at Qi Shaorong. “A little.”

“What’s wrong?” Qi Shaorong asked.

“He seems so excited, so happy, so serious. But I’m afraid I won’t be able to give him what he wants,” Mu Tingxuan said.

Qi Shaorong smiled and looked at Mu Tingxuan. “Don’t worry. You are exactly what he wants.”

Mu Tingxuan took a deep breath. “He’s so serious. That’s why I feel like…”

“I think you should go to sleep soon. If you get dark circles under your eyes tomorrow, it won’t look good,” Qi Shaorong gently nudged Mu Tingxuan back into his room.

Qi Heng looked at Qi Shaorong. “Has Tingxuan gone to sleep?”

“I’ve pushed him to bed, but I’m not sure if he’ll fall asleep. They say that people about to marry tend to overthink, and it seems to be true,” Qi Shaorong said.

Qi Heng looked at Qi Shaorong. “Young Master, if you were to marry one day, you’d probably overthink too.”

Qi Shaorong looked at Qi Heng, surprised. “What do you mean by that, Ah Heng?”

“Nothing,” Qi Heng smiled and said.

Qi Shaorong: “…”

Yi Fan in the Courtyard

Yi Fan sat in the courtyard, gazing at the night sky.

“Aren’t you going to sleep?” Zhuang Hao said coldly.

“I’m too excited to sleep. You wouldn’t understand. You should go to bed,” Yi Fan replied.

Zhuang Hao tilted his head and thought to himself: He’s only coming here early to help because he feels sorry for Yi Fan—he doesn’t have good relationships with people. Now this guy…

Yi Fan looked up at the sky. “Zhuang Hao, why hasn’t the sun risen yet?”

Zhuang Hao looked at Yi Fan, thinking: Because it’s night.

Yi Fan turned to Zhuang Hao and said, “I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. Once tomorrow comes, my relationship with Tingxuan will change. Zhuang Hao, do you understand this feeling?”

Zhuang Hao sighed. Why did I ever think it was a good idea to help him?

“I don’t understand that feeling. But really, you should sleep. You already don’t look great; if you show up tomorrow with dark circles under your eyes, do you really think you’ll still look better than me? You should know—I’m much more handsome than you,” Zhuang Hao teased.

Yi Fan: “…”