She never had the heart to force her younger siblings. Whenever they said they didn't like or were unwilling to do something, she would try her best to protect them.
But today, this is how it ends!
****
"Would you like some tea?" The voice was gentle and pleasant, as warm as a spring breeze in March.
Xu Yansheng had a handsome and elegant face, always wearing a smile. He was kind and composed in his dealings with others, and had the demeanor of a true gentleman.
As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face. Luo Cuiwei suppressed her faint anger, looked up at the person opposite her, and said calmly, "Thank you, but no need."
"After all, we've known each other since childhood. Don't we even have the kind of friendship that allows us to have a cup of tea and a few words of conversation?"
Xu Yan smiled and got up to pour two cups of hot tea from the stove.
Normally, Luo Cuiwei might have tried to smooth things over with him, but right now she was angry with Luo Cuizhen and had no intention of dealing with him politely.
"Speak frankly. You and I have only met a handful of times in the past ten years. What kind of friendship do you have?"
Xu Yan, however, remained calm and composed. He pushed a cup of tea towards her and said softly, "In that case, perhaps it was abrupt and impolite, but there are some things I need to say..."
"No need for all this formalities, can't we just get straight to the point?" Luo Cuiwei, in a bad mood, raised her hand to rub her temples.
“Alright, then I’ll get straight to the point,” Xu Yan said with a soft laugh. “Are you planning to personally arrange a marriage with the Prince Zhao’s family to escape the predicament of being controlled by the Huang family?”
In the past two weeks, Luo Cuiwei and Yun Lie did not show off or overstep their bounds in public. However, none of them who were able to accompany the emperor to Quanshan were easy to deal with. How could they not see through the clues?
Everyone else saw through it but kept quiet, but Xu Yan was the first to ask directly.
"Xu Er, you are really being abrupt, rude, and nosy," Luo Cuiwei paused, finally looking him directly in the eye. "Whether it's the Luo family's business or my own, it's none of your concern."
The reason she chose a prince was simply because she was unlucky; the person she liked just happened to be a prince.
But she felt it necessary to explain this to Xu Yan. What did it have to do with him?
Xu Yan sighed softly, gazing at her with a deep, smiling look.
"There are many ways to resolve this predicament, why do you insist on choosing the worst one?"
Seeing that he insisted on talking about this matter, Luo Cuiwei frowned and stared at him, but did not say anything.
A hint of pity gradually appeared in Xu Yanxiao's eyes. "You are not particularly gifted in business, and you are not shrewd or perceptive enough. You have managed to support the Luo family to its current state. Even if you don't say it, I can guess how much effort and brainpower you have put in."
Xu Yan's gaze slowly met Luo Cuiwei's scrutinizing eyes. The smile in his eyes gradually faded, leaving only earnest words and deep sorrow.
"Have you ever considered that choosing a prince means you'll be marrying into the family, not taking him in as a son-in-law? Even if you successfully resolve the Luo family's predicament, you'll ultimately be working for someone else's benefit. Don't you really feel any remorse for all the effort you've put in?"
"Oh, I've thought about that," Luo Cuiwei picked up her teacup and took a small sip before lazily looking up at him. "Don't you feel bad about it?"
Xu Yan must have exerted a great deal of effort to hold back from spitting a mouthful of blood on her face.
“Fine, even if you don’t care about handing over the Luo family’s patriarchal token,” Xu Yan took a deep breath, “what about His Highness Prince Zhao? Have you asked him if he did it for you, Luo Cuiwei, or for the Luo family’s vast wealth behind you?”
Seeing Luo Cuiwei's gaze turn to shock and confusion, he knew that this girl must not have thought of this before.
“If you are only ‘Luo Cuiwei’ and no longer ‘Luo Cuiwei, the eldest daughter in charge of temporarily taking over the Luo family’s leadership’, how far can you go with him? If it really comes to that, you will really have nothing left.”
----2018/2/24 14:11:52|51116134----
32. Chapter Thirty-Two
Under Xu Yan's heavy gaze, Luo Cuiwei picked up the teacup with one hand, drank the half-cold tea in one gulp, and the shock in her eyes still hadn't faded.
"People say that you, Xu Yanduan, are prudent and know how to conduct yourself properly. Don't you understand the principle of 'it's not appropriate to speak too deeply with someone you don't know well'?"
Xu Yan lowered his eyes helplessly, sighed softly, and gently twirled the teacup in his palm. "Even if you feel that we don't have much of a relationship, Uncle Luo and my father have been friends for decades. Logically speaking, I could be considered..."
“Stop!” Luo Cuiwei’s beautiful eyes widened, and she gently patted the edge of the table. “What kind of relationship Uncle Xu has with my father is their business. What does it have to do with you? And what does it have to do with me? Don’t try to act like you have a big deal in front of me.”
Her voice wasn't loud, but her sweet and spicy tone carried an air of arrogance.
Xu Yan paused for a moment, then looked up at her.
"Whether I marry into the family or not, whether I take charge of the household or relinquish it, these are all matters of the Luo family. What right do you, a man surnamed Xu, have to interfere? Do you think that just because you're a year older than me, you're qualified to teach me how to be a person?"
Luo Cuiwei is no pushover; if necessary, she can be more arrogant than anyone else.
“Xu Er, although I am only acting temporarily, I am still the person in charge of the Luo family headship in Jingxi. In serious situations, I can stand on equal footing with your father. Where do you get the confidence to be so aggressive and ‘preachy’ to me?”
A cold smile curved her red lips, her watery eyes were icy, and she exuded an imposing aura without anger.
She didn't argue or refute with a red face, nor did she loudly and aggressively explain or defend herself; she simply pointed out in a light and understated manner—
You, Xu Yan, are merely one of the successors cultivated by the Xu family; while I am the actual head of the wealthiest family in the capital.
In terms of status and influence, you are not worthy to be compared with me, much less to instruct me on anything.
****
Because of Luo Cuiwei's deliberate avoidance, Xu Yan has not had any direct contact with her for nearly ten years.
It was only at this moment that Xu Yan truly realized that Luo Cuiwei, sitting opposite him, was no longer the little girl he used to chase and play with.
Even though she didn't have any outstanding achievements in business, and even though the Luo family was currently in a slight decline, the Luo family managed to survive for four whole years without collapsing as everyone originally thought.
She was the head of the Luo family who took over the mantle of "the richest man in the capital" when Luo Huai's life was hanging by a thread; while he was just the second young master of the Xu family, under the restraint and cultivation of his father.