"Didn"t you agree before this? Why are you all coming out to object to my relationship now?" Murong Xu was surprised at Murong Haotian and Zhuang Yaru"s response. Both had obviously given him their permission but Gu Chengkang had unexpectedly refused. Now that Gu Chengkang had finally agreed, it was their turn to say no. What did they want him to do? Why was his relationship with Gu Yuxuan so difficult?
"We never expected the Gu family to be so unreasonable. Since they"re so reluctant, why should we force them? It"s not like we have a shortage of ladies wanting to marry into our family."
"But Uncle Gu has agreed now!"
"We want nothing to do with people who go back on their word."
"Then aren"t you going back on your word as well? Before you criticize someone, please reflect on your actions."
"You disloyal brat! How dare you criticize your parents for a mere woman?!"
"If you don"t want criticism, you should"ve conducted yourself better. Besides, I don"t care what you think. I"ll only date Xuanxuan. I won"t even look at those girls that you introduce to me."
"Leave the family if you insist on being stubborn!"
Murong Haotian"s expression darkened drastically and his voice carried an unquestionable sense of authority.
The typically rebellious Murong Xu also became stubborn in the face of Murong Haotian"s unreasonableness. "No problem!"
Murong Xu turned away, wanting to leave. Murong Haotian felt rage rush to his head after seeing Murong Xu defy him in this manner. He shouted at Murong Xu"s back, "Step out of this house today and I"ll swear you"ll regret it!"
Murong Xu didn"t turn around. He tilted his head ever so slightly and replied icily, "I won"t regret a thing!"
"Very well! Then you better not meddle in what I"ll do to the Gu family."
"You…" Murong Xu finally turned around to glare at Murong Haotian.
"I dare you to leave!"
"Dad! I never thought you"d sink so low as to threaten me!"
"You"re the one who forced my hand! To think you"d go against your parents all for a woman. Capable, aren"t you? I raised you in vain!"
Murong Xu stood in place, glowering at Murong Haotian. But there was nothing that he could say in return. He never imagined that the parents that he so dearly respected would turn out like this.
Meanwhile, Zhuang Yaru had been keeping such a low profile that it looked like she was about to disappear. Now that she had succeeded in inciting an argument between the father and son, she didn"t want to get herself embroiled in it. After all, Murong Xu wasn"t her biological son. Despite how harmonious their relationship appeared, she was always emotionally estranged and thought that they had been raising an ingrate.
Thus, she didn"t wish to partic.i.p.ate in this argument. She merely watched as a bystander.
Ultimately, Murong Xu chose to endure this in silence. He lowered his head and headed upstairs. The war had just started but he had already lost a few rounds of battle. He had no way of winning his father, who treated the business world as a battlefield, because he couldn"t bear making the Gu family collateral damage.
Murong Yunxi had no idea that war was brewing on the other end. She was simply delighted that Mou Yichen and Gu Yuxuan had found their respective happiness.
She returned home with her hand entwined around Gong Yu"s arm. The dinner left her in a sentimental mood. "Yu, I think Mou Yichen and Jiang Xiaonuan suit each other very well. I"m really happy to see them so blissful."
"Yeah!"
"Xuanxuan too. I think her relationship with Murong Xu is finally seeing daylight. I"m really happy for her. Everyone has found their bliss."
"Yeah!"
"Hey, what"s this att.i.tude? Don"t you feel happy for them?"
"Of course, I"m happy for them! It means there"s one fewer man looking to pounce on you!"
"Hey, Jiang Xiaonuan liked you too, didn"t she? I didn"t even say a word about it!"
"Do you think she"s the same as Mou Yichen?"
"But Jiang Xiaonuan liked you. How is it any different from Mou Yichen liking me?"
"Of course, it"s different!"
"Hey, you"re trying to pick a fight with me again, aren"t you?"
"Since when...?"
Halfway into their conversation, Murong Ye walked down the stairs and saw them all made-up and flirting. Smiling, he asked, "Did you guys finally made up?"
Murong Yunxi gave Gong Yu a sideways glare, looking chagrined. Her eyes were full of accusations: "It"s all your fault! Look, he"s teasing us!"
Gong Yu replied coolly, "Doesn"t the old saying goes that married couples always make up by the end of the day?"
Murong Ye sneered. Then, his expression became graver. "Come with me, you two."
He led Murong Yunxi and Gong Yu into his study. Murong Yunxi pulled Gong Yu toward the sofa with ease.
Murong Ye took out a case from his drawer and handed it to Gong Yu.
It was a very well-made embroidered black case wrapped in velvet. It had a nice finish to it and was roughly the size of two palms.
Murong Yunxi curiously observed the case and even reached out to touch it. "Brother, what"s this? Is this a present for us? It was just a fight. You don"t go so far as to give us a present."
Murong Ye glared at her. "This is the most inappropriate post-argument gift I can think of."
"Oh? What is it then? It looks pretty mysterious."
"You"ll find out once you open it!"
Gong Yu gently turned the opening of the case. He must admit that this case had exceptional craftsmanship; even the opening of the case was so well made. One couldn"t help imagining that there was a very valuable treasure lying inside.
Murong Yunxi"s curiosity deepened and she s.n.a.t.c.hed the case. The case was reasonably heavy, so she rested it on her knees. When she flipped open the case, what she saw inside made her heart tighten.
"Brother, this is..."
"It"s a gift for you two!"
"No wonder you said it"s an inappropriate post-argument gift. It"s really inappropriate!"
On the other hand, Gong Yu was a lot calmer. He picked up one of the things inside the case and started turning it around in his hands.
"Carry these with you when you"re in America. I"ll feel more at ease," Murong Ye said in an incomparably calm manner. Murong Yunxi, on the other hand, was anything but composed.
"Brother, are you sure we"ll have a need for something like this over there?" Murong Yunxi looked at Murong Ye with a raised eyebrow. Her eyes were full of doubt. She couldn"t help thinking that Murong Ye was making a mountain out of a molehill.
"Of course!" Murong Ye looked solemn and earnest. His eyes were colored with certainty.
"Then I think I"ll have to relearn everything I know about our trip."
Murong Yunxi immediately picked up one of the things inside the case and moved it back and forth in her hand.
Her fantasy of an expensive present dissipated like bubbles. In the end, she couldn"t help looking at the thing in her hand earnestly.
The gift that Murong Ye gave Murong Yunxi and Gong Yu was a pair of custom-made pistols. Hers was a mini pistol with a silencer. Its body was made to be small, lightweight, and portable. It was especially fitting for her hand. She felt very comfortable holding the pistol. She couldn"t help wondering if Murong Ye had customized it to her size.
Gong Yu"s pistol was a little larger. Both designs were similar, making them look like matching pistols. The only difference was their size.
Murong Yunxi looked at Murong Ye doubtfully. "Brother, did you customize these to our size? It"s such a snug fit in my hand. Even my fingers sit just right on the body of the pistol. Except for the size, these two look almost the same."
Murong Ye nodded calmly. His expression was so nonchalant that it made Murong Yunxi feel uncomfortable.
"It"s really custom-made?" Murong Yunxi"s voice rose by a few octaves. To a girl like her who lived in a separate world from guns, this was simply unbelievable. She had only ever seen firearm on television, but these had now appeared in her life—and custom-made at that, like a fitted outfit. It didn"t feel real to her.
"Of course. How could I gift you two some subpar items? They must be nothing short of extraordinary," Murong Ye said matter-of-factly, making Murong Yunxi feel like she nearly choked on her breath. She felt like she was talking to an alien.
Even though Murong Yunxi had touched a gun before, it was just an ordinary handgun. She had a hard time calming down while looking at these two custom-made pistols.
Murong Ye then handed them two smaller cases, which looked a lot less well-made. Instead, they looked like they were made to be lightweight and portable.
"What are these?" Murong Yunxi looked at the small cases in Murong Ye"s hands, not daring to reach out for them at once.
"Bullets, of course. Won"t these pistols be useless if you don"t have bullets?"
"Oh, alright then!" Murong Yunxi finally took one of the cases. Even though the case was small, she saw quite a lot of bullets piled up neatly inside it when she opened the case. She estimated that there were at least two hundred bullets inside. Like the design of the pistols, the bullets were also made to be small and exquisite. Thus, there were a lot of bullets even in such a small case.
"Like the pistols, the bullets are custom-made too. They may look small, but their penetrative quality and destructive power are impressive. So they"re not only stronger than ordinary bullets but their destructive power even more so. Oh, but you don"t have to worry about running out of bullets. You can use ordinary bullets with your pistols, but they"ll just be a little less effective. But they"ll still come in handy when you need them. Just tell me when you"re about to run out of the bullets. I"ll prepare more."
"Um, Brother. I hope I won"t have a need to use the bullets inside. If I have to use them, that means we"ve gotten in trouble, haven"t we?"
"Don"t be nervous. I"ll arrange for the best bodyguard team that I can find. I"m just telling you to be cautious and keep your pistol with you at all times. It won"t be simple this time. The chances of you using the pistol are..."