"Thank you!" Xia Yuwen's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, her face almost buried in the flowers, but her heart was filled with sweetness. This was the first time she had ever received flowers from a boy.
"Wenwen, come home with me."
The unharmonious voice shattered the pleasant atmosphere. Cheng De, who had been holding back for most of the day, was finally about to lose his temper. He was talking to Xia Yuwen, but his eyes were glaring at Lin Yao, as if he wanted to shoot knives out of his eyes and chop the brat to pieces.
Chengde had suffered many setbacks at Lin Yao's hands, following General Xia. Each time, the general would return in a rage. Even when the old general extended an olive branch to him in the reception room of Minhong Pharmaceutical Factory, he did not respond. This made the old man furious in private, as it was too embarrassing for him.
"Um... Major Cheng, thank you for taking Wenwen home, but wouldn't it be better if you parked the car on the right side of the street? Wenwen and I will walk to your place later."
Lin Yao was also annoyed by Major Cheng. Their meetings had been unpleasant, and he was completely different from his childhood friend Situ Hao.
"You..." Major Cheng didn't think that much, and was about to lose his temper, as if he had been infected with the fiery temper by following the old general.
"If you want people to know Wenwen's identity, just drive over. You can also give me a ride. I didn't drive today."
Lin Yao didn't care at all. He thought to himself, why does this guy dislike me so much? Even one of my toes is countless times better than that guy, Condike!
"Hurry up!" Chengde snapped, storming off in a huff. To onlookers, the angry expression on his face might have been mistaken for the coldness and authority of a soldier.
“Let’s go. Uncle Cheng actually has quite a temper; he learned it from Grandpa.” Xia Yuwen stuck out her tongue and tugged at Lin Yao’s arm.
"You're going to be interrogated when you get back today. Do you want me to come back with you?"
Lin Yao kept Zhou Xiaoqi's advice in mind: boys should take responsibility. Xia Yuwen was bound to be scolded when she got home. It would be better to go with her to see Old Man Xia and see what tricks he had up his sleeve. He wouldn't have to be afraid of him.
If you can't even protect your own woman, you might as well go back to Chengdu as soon as possible; your defying-the-heaven cultivation will become a joke.
"I'm fine, I'm not afraid." Xia Yuwen shook her head. "You've endured so much hardship before, this little thing won't stump me. I won't listen to their arrangements now. At worst, I'll get a scolding."
"Alright, call me if you need anything. Let's go." Lin Yao pulled Xia Yuwen along, said goodbye to Situ Hao and Zhang Zheng who had been chatting and standing by, and then began their leisurely post-dinner stroll.
********
"Wenwen, tell Grandpa what happened."
General Xia rarely suppressed his fiery temper; the only thing that could make him control his temper was his beloved granddaughter.
"It's nothing, Grandpa. You must have heard what Uncle Cheng said, right?" Xia Yuwen bit her lip, stood straight in front of General Xia, staring at the ground in front of her, her hands tightly clutching the tulips in front of her chest.
“I’m dating Lin Yao. I don’t want to follow your arrangements, and I don’t like Kang Dikai.”
After speaking in one breath, Xia Yuwen felt somewhat exhausted.
Although her grandfather always spoke to her gently, she felt that he was quite powerful and intimidating, even without getting angry. She had always been a good girl and never disagreed with him, but this time, she was afraid she couldn't escape it.
"You..." General Xia's eyes widened, and he was about to get angry, but when he saw his granddaughter's gentle and weak appearance, he immediately deflated and softened his tone, "Wenwen, although Lin Yao is a good boy, he is not a good match for you."
"Why not?" Xia Yuwen bravely raised her head. "Could it be Kang Dikai? Grandpa, don't you know what terrible things Kang Dikai has done?!"
"I will never be with Condé Kay, never!"
Xia Yuwen's decision left the old general somewhat helpless. After a slight hesitation, he hardened his stance, saying, "You are not allowed to date that Lin boy. You must marry Kang Dikai!"
"Why should I?" Xia Yuwen was resolute. "This isn't the old society anymore. I can decide my own marriage. Grandpa, if you like Kang Dikai, find someone else to marry. I'd rather die than marry him!"
"This, this concerns matters of national importance. You don't need to know the specific reasons, but you must marry Condike!" The old general still wanted to persuade his granddaughter, revealing a little information, but it was ineffective.
"National affairs? National affairs don't need a little woman like me to shoulder them, do they?" Xia Yuwen rarely showed firmness and resilience. "Don't say that important things can't be accomplished without me. If important things can only be accomplished through a woman's marriage, no matter how big they are, they can't be that big."
"You're talking nonsense!" The old general's voice instantly rose an octave. "What do you know? Kang Youwen must participate in this matter, so the two families must become in-laws!"
"Grandpa, you and Grandpa Kang have such a good relationship. If you still need me as a condition to get things done, where is Grandpa Kang's sense of justice?! Why should someone like me, a complete stranger, sacrifice his happiness?!"
Xia Yuwen instantly noticed the absurdity. Logically speaking, as a former lieutenant general of the Republic, his level of awareness should be very high, and he shouldn't need such a feudal-style marriage to force a union.
Although Xia Yuwen didn't know what the important matter her grandfather mentioned was, if the Kang family used this matter as a condition, they certainly wouldn't be very conscientious or enthusiastic in helping her grandfather accomplish that important matter.
"Well... it's all just a hidden danger, and there haven't been any signs yet. So General Kang isn't sure about this, and that's why he needs you to win over their family. The main thing is that General Kang's old subordinates need to stand on our side." This was the first time General Xia had spoken to his granddaughter about state affairs. Although he spoke vaguely, he explained the general situation.
"I won't do it. We only live once. If I have to live a miserable life for a reason that I don't even know the specifics of, I won't do it!" Xia Yuwen resisted her family's arrangement with tears in her eyes.
General Xia was about to say something when he was interrupted by an angry roar.
"Old man Xia! You owe me an explanation!"
The person who burst through the door was Kang Dikai's grandfather, General Kang Youwen, a former lieutenant general of the Republic, followed by Major Cheng, who looked very nervous.
"Wenwen is here? Perfect, let's get this straight today!" When General Kang saw Xia Yuwen holding a bouquet of flowers and standing in the center of the living room, his anger subsided slightly. He had liked this girl since childhood and had hoped for her to become his granddaughter-in-law for many years.
Xia Yuwen bit her lip, not calling out to Grandpa Kang affectionately as before, nor greeting him, and just stood there motionless.
"Old Kang, it's all a misunderstanding. I was just talking about Wenwen." General Xia lowered his voice, but his booming voice was still very loud.
"It's not a misunderstanding, I'm dating Lin Yao." Xia Yuwen suddenly interjected, making the atmosphere tense again just as it was about to ease.
"Old Man Xia!"
General Kang's face immediately turned very ugly, and he glared at General Xia, demanding an answer.
“Grandpa Kang, this has nothing to do with you. It’s just that I don’t like Kang Dikai.” Xia Yuwen looked up at General Kang. “Grandpa Kang often tells me how outstanding, capable and ambitious Kang Dikai is, but that’s not true at all!”
"You just need to send someone out to inquire, or you don't even need to send anyone to inquire. Just ask your adjutant. Everyone knows that Kang Dikai is a good-for-nothing playboy who has ruined countless women and is involved with some bastards who act arrogantly. These misdeeds will definitely not reach your grandfather's ears. You still think he is a real man."
"Actually, any random man you pick off the street is much better than Condé Kay, at least they're not bad!"
Xia Yuwen's last words pierced General Kang's heart like a sharp sword. He never expected that his grandson, whom he had always regarded as an outstanding individual, would be so wicked. However, Xia Yuwen would never lie about this matter, which meant that his family education had been a complete failure.
General Kang opened his mouth as if to say something, but said nothing and fell straight backward.