The lady sitting in the small boat was about twenty years old. She had a very lovely face and actually slightly resembled Angelababy[1], but with a healthier-looking figure which made her appear to look even better. Even though this woman was sitting on the boat with her legs close together like she was a young lady from a wealthy family, Yan Liqiang could still make out the obvious outline of her slender yet powerful legs hidden underneath her green dress.
This woman had very fair skin on top of that. The paleness wasn’t the same as what he had seen from those cosmetics used in the past life, it was more of a youthful and healthy aura that came from within her. Her skin was translucent like jade and was also tinted with a pinkness that brimmed with vitality. Furthermore, this woman had very bright eyes that were overflowing with vigor. A lady of such caliber was definitely not someone that could be compared to little girls like Angelababy.
Based on his experience, Yan Liqiang could tell that this woman was definitely also a martial arts pract.i.tioner. Although she looked serene like a young lady from a wealthy family right now, the energy, essence, and spirit that this woman exuded were incomparable to that of an ordinary woman.
At this very moment, Yan Liqiang’s mind reacted despite how slow he could be sometimes. It was most likely Qian Su who had arranged his ‘meeting’ with this woman during his trip to Lotus Flower Lake.
For Qian Su to be this meticulous and for so many in the Lu Residence to put an act on just to create opportunities, this woman definitely had to have an unusual status at the Lu Residence.
The gears in Yan Liqiang’s brain turned rapidly. In just a moment, he was able to remember a person among the figures in Lu Clan that Lu Wenbin had introduced to him before — the Ninth Lady of the Lu Residence. The beloved daughter of Old Master Lu, Lu Beixin.
Lu Beixin was the youngest daughter that Old Master Lu had gotten at his old age and thus he pampered her a lot. However, Lu Wenbin previously mentioned that Lu Beixin had been studying at a martial arts academy in the Pingxi Prefecture. So why did she return to the Lu Residence and appear before him, sizing him up with such a strange gaze?
The way this woman was sizing up Yan Liqiang instantly reminded him of the two potential girlfriends that his friend had introduced to him in his past life. She was checking him out in the same way they did when had they first met.
Could it be that Old Master Lu had planned out such a drama because he wanted him to be a son-in-law to the Lu Clan?
Yan Liqiang’s mind was a little dizzy. Although this line of thought was somewhat beyond his belief, this was the best explanation for the situation before his eyes. If it wasn’t for the Old Master’s approval, who in the entire Lu Residence would dare to introduce a potential partner to his precious daughter without his knowledge?
Yan Liqiang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry all of a sudden.
At this moment, that woman who had been staring at Yan Liqiang reach up her head and removed a golden hairpin. Without even taking a look at it, she tossed that hairpin far into the lake.
"Lu Shun, I dropped my hairpin. Can I trouble you to help me retrieve it…?" that woman said indifferently.
The boatman who was rowing put down the oar in his hands without a word. The boat rocked gently as the boatman instantly plunged into the water with a plop. He was simply a great swimmer, there were no splashes as he exhibited his extraordinary swimming ability.
All of a sudden only Yan Liqiang and this woman were left on the small boat.
A hint of a smile appeared on the corner of the woman’s lips. The gaze that she sized him up with instantly grew intense as she started to scrutinize him.
"Ahem… ahem… Greetings, Miss Lu!" As a man, Yan Liqiang took the initiative to greet her.
"You know me?" Lu Beixin was a little taken aback before a trace of anger appeared her face. "They told you about it already?"
"Please don’t misunderstand, Miss Lu. It was only my guess!"
Lu Beixing gave Yan Liqiang an unconvinced look, seemingly distrustful of his words. "Your guess? What can you guess?"
"Parents will always care about their children!" Yan Liqiang let out a sigh. "Wouldn’t I be too stupid if I still couldn’t guess what was going on up until this point?"
"You’re quite a bright one!" Lu Beixin’s gaze finally softened. "So you’ve already figured out the situation?"
Yan Liqiang spread out his arms. "Rest a.s.sured, Miss Lu. It’ll be fine as long as you can explain to Old Master Lu. I’m fourteen this year. It’s still too early for me to talk about marriage, so this can buy you some time. Over the next few years, I think Miss Lu still will have chances to take action and regain your right to making a decision for your own marriage. If anyone in the Lu Clan asks, I will say that I am getting along quite well with Miss Lu and that Miss Lu is well educated, graceful, and is like an elder sister to me. What do you think?"
As the saying goes, ‘Which young man doesn’t want to stay loyal to a lover and which young lady doesn’t yearn for love?’ Lu Beixin had just turned nineteen and was in the prime of her youth. Not only that but she was currently staying in the prefectural city and had a lot of opportunities to meet opposite s.e.x. Yan Liqiang would definitely not believe it if Lu Beixin didn’t have someone in her mind or was secretly in love with someone. In any case, even if Lu Beixin didn’t have anyone in her mind or someone she was secretly in love with, or even if she had completely no experience in love, Yan Liqiang still felt that Lu Beixin wouldn’t have any romantic feelings for him or any favorable impression on him, given their age.
Women always mature early, be it their physical appearance or emotions. A lady at Lu Beixin’s age probably admired a handsome, confident, easy going, and promising young man. It could even be someone like Tony Leung[2] or a mature man like Wu Xiubo[3] who looked like a stylish uncle, but definitely not someone who was a lot younger than her like a fourteen-year-old boy whose pubic hair hadn’t even fully grown out. This was all predetermined by Darwin’s theory of evolution and a woman’s hormone level.
Right now, the most possible scenario was Lu Beixin already had someone she liked in her heart but the Old Master Lu didn’t know about that yet. That was why he had dragged him here to match them up together.
Yan Liqiang wasn’t going to refuse in getting to know Lu Beixin to form a close relations.h.i.+p with the Lu Clan. However, he wasn’t going to let his sperm race to his brain and a.s.sume that this darling daughter from the Lu Clan was waiting for his arrival for all nineteen years...
Since this was the case, it was better for him to get right to the point to avoid wasting each other’s time. He had a feeling that Lu Beixin had sent the boatman away just now because she wanted to lay her cards on the table.
Lu Beixin was dumbstruck while she stared at Yan Liqiang. She definitely didn’t expect this boy to actually finish saying the words she wanted to say before she could even speak. Back then, she had snorted when she heard the story about Yan Liqiang saving her little nephew’s life. She even thought that it was nonsense on how Yan Liqiang had claimed that his knowledge was imparted by some deity in his dream. Yan Liqiang could have just been lucky enough to have picked up that lost secret technique from somewhere else. At this very moment, however, Lu Beixin had a feeling that what Yan Liqiang had claimed could have been true...
Facing Yan Liqiang’s deep gaze that didn’t seem to fit his age, Lu Beixin felt as though this youth sitting across from her could really see through her heart. It made her felt somewhat fl.u.s.tered. She couldn’t help but avert her gaze to the pink lotus flower that she had plucked in her hands despite her aggressive att.i.tude just now.
"Regardless, I still have to thank you for saving Shaolin…" Lu Beixin took a deep breath and then smiled at Yan Liqiang.
This was an indication that she had silently admitted to the words than Yan Liqiang had just said...
Lu Shaolin was the Old Master Lu’s grandson whom Yan Liqiang had saved last time.
"You’re welcome. That’s something I should do. Besides, the Lu Clan has already given me ample reward!" Yan Liqiang replied calmly as he also averted his gaze from Lu Beixin’s face. A harmless and innocent smile reappeared on his face as he changed the conversation topic. "I wonder if it’s too much to ask for Miss Lu to show me around Lotus Flower Lake?"
The fact that both them had a mutual understanding of the most important matter caused Lu Beixin to instantly feel relieved. She patted the side of the boat to make some noises. The head of the boatman who had just dived into the water resurfaced not too far away from them with the golden hairpin that Lu Beixin had thrown into the water in his hand as he swam towards the boat. He placed both of his hands at the end of the boat. The boat rocked gently as he pulled himself up.
"Miss, here’s your hairpin!"
"Alright. You may keep it as a reward!" Lu Beixin was in a great mood. "Young Master Yan wishes to tour around Lotus Flower Lake. I shall leave the rest to you!"
"Understood, you can rest a.s.sured Miss!" The boatman gladly accepted the golden hairpin. With a simple and honest smile, he started rowing the boat energetically.
...
A little more than an hour pa.s.sed by as both of them casually walked around the lake and chatted. It wasn’t until near lunchtime that the small boat which had sent Yan Liqiang out to the lake was ‘repaired’ and was rowing back towards him again. Yan Liqiang returned to his own small boat and parted with Lu Beixin...
With that, their first date that had been arranged by the Lu Clan and Qian Su came to an end.
As Yan Liqiang watched the Lu Beixin’s figure fade away, the judgment in his heart grew clearer. There was no doubt that Lu Beixin already liked someone else, but she hadn’t told Old Master Lu yet. She had been acting like an obedient child in front of Old Master Lu with a great concern in her heart as if she was worried about something.
Old Master Lu didn’t even mind a poor child like himself, so the concern in Lu Beixin’s heart was definitely not connected to the background of the person she liked. It must have been for another reason. She knew that Old Master Lu would definitely not agree to it if she had told him and he might’ve even been furious so she hid the truth and didn’t dare to tell him.
There was only one great possibility for Old Master Lu to express so much disapproval towards a person whom he had never seen before.The ident.i.ty of the man that Lu Beixin liked was most likely from a family or clan that was on bad terms with the Lu Clan and Old Master Lu.
He vaguely recalled Lu Wenbin mentioning that the only clan that didn’t deal with the Lu Clan in the entire Huanglong County was the w.a.n.g Clan.
The Lu Clan and w.a.n.g Clan were both great clans in Huanglong County. However, these two clans had always been incompatible like fire and water with each other.
Hence, it was highly possible that the person whom Lu Beixin liked was from the w.a.n.g Clan!
That person was most definitely not a n.o.body in the w.a.n.g Clan to be able to attract a lady like Lu Beixin. He was surely an extremely outstanding individual, about the same age as Lu Bei Xin and had a lot of opportunities to be together with Lu Beixin. It would be very easy for him to find a person with such a profile.
If Lu Beixing found out that Yan Liqiang was able to guess all the secrets in her heart through just this one meeting, she would definitely regret meeting him this time.
Although Romeo and Juliet was a beautiful tale, the reality was that not every Juliet could meet a Romeo...
Should he tell the people from the Lu Clan about this?
Yan Liqiang was slightly hesitant…