TRWSB – Chapter 206 A Difficult Proposal and Rising Tensions

Qi Shaoru sat upstairs, squinting her eyes as she looked in the direction of Zhuang Hao and Zuo Yunfei.

“Who is that person beside Zhuang Hao? He looks pretty good-looking. Since when did Zhuang Hao make friends like that?” Qi Shaoru asked with interest.

Qi Shaoxuan glanced downstairs casually and said, “That’s Zuo Yunfei. Qi Heng brought him back from outside. He’s a level 9 Thunder Mage, with strength not much different from Zhuang Hao’s. But I heard he has a bit of a bad temper!”

Qi Shaoru looked at Qi Shaoxuan in surprise. “Sixth Sister, how do you know all this so clearly?”

“My Third Brother told me!” Qi Shaoxuan replied.

“Third Brother? Why did Third Brother tell you and not me?” Qi Shaoru asked in dissatisfaction.

Qi Shaoxuan shook her head. “I don’t know either! Maybe you just didn’t ask.”

“That Zuo Yunfei and Zhuang Hao are so close—could it be that he likes Zhuang Hao?” Qi Shaoru muttered.

“Fifth Sister, you’re overthinking it. Zuo Yunfei likes Qi Heng. It has nothing to do with Zhuang Hao!” Qi Shaoxuan said.

Qi Shaoru frowned. “Zuo Yunfei likes Qi Heng? Where did you hear that?”

Qi Shaoxuan shrugged. “The news came from the people at Fourth Brother’s mansion!”

Qi Shaoru looked at Zuo Yunfei with confusion and said, “Qi Heng is just a servant. How could he be worthy of a man like that?”

Qi Shaoxuan looked at Qi Shaoru and said, “Fifth Sister, you better not act rashly. I heard Qi Heng is very jealous. Zuo Yunfei has a fiancée who was almost beaten to death by Qi Heng. Even after his fiancée was attacked, Zuo Yunfei stood up for Qi Heng…”

Qi Shaoru frowned tightly, full of incomprehension. “How could that happen? Is there something wrong with Zuo Yunfei’s brain?”

Qi Shaoxuan nodded seriously. “I heard that Zuo Yunfei was traumatized when he was young, so he does have some mental issues!”

Qi Shaoru: “……”

…

“Young Master Zhuang, Young Master Zuo, out for fun?” Tang Tianying approached and greeted Zuo Yunfei.

Zuo Yunfei nodded coolly at Tang Tianying.

“Young Master Zuo, how is the marriage between Prince Li Ying and Princess Yueting going?” Tang Tianying asked.

Zuo Yunfei gave a cold, three-word reply: “Don’t know!”

“Don’t know? How could you not know?” Tang Tianying was puzzled.

“It’s not my wedding. Why should I know?” Zuo Yunfei looked at Tang Tianying with confusion.

“I thought you were in charge of Prince Li Ying’s marriage!” Tang Tianying said.

Zuo Yunfei shrugged and said coolly, “I heard that Li Ying got picked. The royal family sent someone else to handle it. Maybe they were afraid I’d sabotage it. It’s better with someone else—I never liked arranging marriages for others anyway!”

“Young Master Zuo, you’re joking! How could such an upright person like you sabotage anything?” Tang Tianying said.

Tang Tianying sighed silently. He lost, and Li Ying was chosen instead, which disappointed their father greatly.

Recently, the relationship between the father and the Zuo family has been tense. The father believed his losing was partly because Zhuang Hao didn’t give it his all.

At this delicate moment, Qi Heng actually brought back this guy Zuo Yunfei.

The Zuo family holds great power in Jin Country. Zuo Yunfei’s arrival put a lot of pressure on their father. The relationship between Zuo Yunfei and Qi Heng has always been ambiguous. Zuo Yunfei likely came because of Qi Heng. If something happens between Zuo Yunfei and Qi Heng, their father wouldn’t know how to react.

…

Shen family.

“Ah Yuan.” Shen Manwu called Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan turned around and looked at Shen Manwu. “Sister, you’re back. What’s up?”

“I heard Qi Heng has returned?” Shen Manwu asked.

Shen Yuan nodded. “Yeah.”

“I thought Qi Shaorong wouldn’t need Qi Heng anymore, but unexpectedly, he’s back!” Shen Manwu said.

Shen Yuan frowned. “How could Qi Shaorong not need Qi Heng? Qi Shaorong values Qi Heng the most. Before, he even took funds from the Qingcheng Cosmetics store accounts just for him!”

Shen Manwu smiled and said, “I thought so too. Qi Shaorong has always been kind to his subordinates. I heard Qi Heng has been with him the longest. Also, Qi Heng didn’t come back alone—he brought a distinguished guest!”

“A distinguished guest! That’s Young Master Zuo of the Zuo family. Zuo Yunfei’s status in Jin Country is similar to Zhuang Hao’s in our country!”

“I heard this Young Master Zuo is still unmarried. What kind of person does he like? Someone young from our clan should try to get close to him!” Shen Manwu said.

Shen Yuan’s face showed some panic. “Sister, don’t get any crazy ideas. This Young Master Zuo already has someone in his heart!”

“Who does he like? Qi Heng?” Shen Manwu asked.

“Sister, since you already know, why are you still coming up with crazy ideas!” Shen Yuan said displeased.

“I just heard a rumor, but something feels off! I can somewhat understand that Zhuang Hao likes Qi Shaorong—he really is talented. But what kind of person is Qi Heng? He’s just a subordinate of Qi Shaorong! Zuo Yunfei can have anyone he wants, so why does he have to like a mere subordinate of Qi Shaorong?” Shen Manwu argued.

“Different strokes for different folks. Sister, if he’s already interested, you better not interfere,” Shen Yuan said seriously.

“Will Zuo Yunfei and Qi Heng get married soon?” Shen Manwu asked.

“Probably not. I heard from Zhuang Hao that Qi Shaorong gave Zuo Yunfei a difficult challenge, and solving it might take a very long time,” Shen Yuan sighed.

Shen Manwu grabbed Shen Yuan’s hand excitedly. “What kind of challenge?”

Shen Yuan looked at her sister speechless. “Since when did you become so nosy?”

Shen Manwu smiled. “Because someone like Zuo Yunfei naturally makes women curious! Come on, tell me—what challenge did Qi Shaorong give him?”

“A 2 billion dowry!” Shen Yuan said.

“What? Has Qi Shaorong gone crazy? Does he not want Zuo Yunfei to marry Qi Heng at all?” Shen Manwu was incredulous.

Shen Yuan shrugged. “I don’t know. Qi Shaorong probably has his own reasons.”

Shen Manwu: “……”

…

Yi family.

Yi Xun drank heavily, feeling frustrated and marginalized by his family.

Previously, the Yi family hoped to mend relations with Yi Fan through Yi Xun, but every encounter between Yi Fan and Yi Xun grew worse. Realizing Yi Xun was a dead end, the family stopped placing hopes on him, and his treatment worsened.

Two glamorous women passed by while Yi Xun drank.

Seeing the products they carried, Yi Xun became furious. “You two idiots actually bought stuff from Qingcheng Cosmetics? That bastard is a deadbeat! And you just walk right into his trap? Are you crazy?”

The two women glanced at Yi Xun but ignored him and left.

“Yi Xun’s acting crazy lately,” the woman in green said.

“He’s a master at self-destruction. He had three sons; one disowned his father, two became useless,” the woman in pink said.

“I heard Qi Shaorong’s business has expanded to the Elf and Sea tribes. If only Yi Fan could lead our family well,” the green-clad woman said.

“Don’t even think about it. I heard Qi Shaorong’s subordinate Qi Heng returned with a young talent!” the pink-clad woman said.

“You mean Zuo Yunfei? I heard he’s almost as strong as Zhuang Hao!” the woman in green said admiringly.

“Not sure if Qi Shaorong has won over this Zuo Yunfei,” she added.

…

Qi Shaorong’s mansion.

“Fourth Prince, a rare guest! Long time no see,” Qi Shaosha said.

Tang Tianying placed down several food boxes. “Actually, I came on a mission today!”

Qi Shaorong looked at Tang Tianying. “Since you’re here, you even brought so much food? That’s too kind!”

“Actually, these foods were made by my royal elder sisters and princesses to send to Young Master Zuo,” Tang Tianying said.

Qi Shaorong rested his chin on his hand. “For Zuo Yunfei? I didn’t expect that Yunfei guy to be so popular!”

Tang Tianying hurriedly said, “Not just popular—he’s very popular. That’s Young Master Zuo after all!”

Qi Shaorong: “……”

“How are your royal sisters and princesses at cooking?” Qi Shaorong asked.