At the international airport.
Li Zheyu glanced at his watch, it was just ten minutes to boarding time. He quickly scanned the airport lobby, counting down silently in his heart.
"Five, four, three..."
"Li Zheyu, I want to go with you."
Before he could finish his countdown, an anxious female voice sounded from behind him. A slight smirk curled at Li Zheyu's lips, he turned around and briefly glanced at the woman. "Your family have given me a million dollars to break up with you, to go away from you. You tell me, that you can't let go of me, what should I do about that?"
Curious passers-by started to turn their gazes upon the two, Li Zheyu's words shattered the hearts of many young girls, hearing that he was apparently a penniless rogue.
And the woman conversing with him, was none other than Ruo Linglong, a rich girl from the Ruo family. If he wasn't mistaken, she was supposed to get married to Ou Hanting the following day.
"Zheyu, I really don't want to marry Ou Hanting, please, take me away," begged the charming woman, tears starting to fall in desperation.
"Tut-tut, telling the truth, huh. But Ou Hanting is such a failure." A playful smirk crept on Li Zheyu's lips. He gently took hold of the woman's petite chin, studying her delicate features with a serious gaze. "Then, come with me."
With a smooth motion, Li Zheyu pulled her into his arms.
As habitual as it was, he put on his sunglasses, no one noticed the deliberate concealment of raw hatred in his eyes.
Ou Hanting, you're doomed.
The Ruo family was up in arms at the news. Their daughter, Ruo Linglong, was absconding with a penniless rogue a day before her wedding, a situation that stunned and infuriated the elders in the family, especially the old master whose blood pressure sky-rocketed to 200.
"No matter what, we have to bring Linglong back before the engagement!" The old master was infuriated, knowing the precarious situation the Ruo family was in and that their only hope of survival was hitched on Ou Hanting.
"But, old master, Linglong really doesn't like Ou Hanting. You know how stubborn Linglong can be. Even if you bring her back, she wouldn't agree to this."
Grand Lady Ruohome Ning Zhishan expressed her dissatisfaction with the marriage arrangements from the start. Yet, she had no choice but to marry off her daughter under the prevailing circumstances.
"So, what do we do now? Are we just going to watch the Ruohome business go bankrupt?" the old patriarch was furious. "I'm already in my eighties, and without a male heir, our only hope was Linglong. But now that she's run off, who will assume the family business?"
Ning Zhishan also wore a troubled expression. While the business once flourished, it has been on a slow decline since the death of her husband in an accident fifteen years ago. They were just barely making ends meet thanks to the reputation the old patriarch had cultivated. And just when they had attracted the attention of Ouhanting who requested a marriage alliance with their daughter, she ran off.
"Grandfather Ruo, what are you all talking about?" a lively female voice interrupted their discussion. A small head peeked out curiously into the study, wondering why everyone looked so serious.
The old patriarch and Ning Zhishan looked at each other, seemingly understanding each other's thoughts. Ning Zhishan suggested, "There is a solution... we can have Xiao Xiao replace her sister in the engagement."
"Impossible," the old patriarch denied immediately.
Ning Zhishan's face darkened. "Why not? Xiao Xiao has been living off our family for years; why is it that only my daughter Linglong has to sacrifice her happiness? It's time this girl repaid us in kind."
Xiao Xiao, startled by Ning Zhishan's outrage, hurriedly ducked out of the way, hiding behind the door and not daring to breathe, only to bump into a wall of muscle when she turned around.
"Ouch..." She complained, rubbing her head and looking up at the man in front of her who resembled Apollo himself, followed by a large group of people. His light grey eyes merely glanced at her before stepping into the study without hesitation.
Inside the study, Ning Zhishan and the patriarch were arguing fiercely, interrupted by the man entering. "Lady Ruo, I heard Linglong has eloped?"
Ning Zhishan's complexion paled considerably as she looked at the man before her. His chiseled features were refined and his grey eyes focused intently on her. She had not expected that Ouhanting would receive such prompt news. Despite her years of experience dealing with societal relations, she could only manage a stuttered laugh. "No, no... Linglong merely went out to clear her mind."
"And where did she go to clear her head when the engagement is tomorrow?" Ouhanting presented a seemingly amused smile, that bore a cold undertone, sending chills down their spines.
Sweat dripped down the Grand Lady of Ruohome's back, while the old patriarch cleared his throat, "I must apologize, Linglong indeed ran away with someone else."
Ouhanting's expression became icy in an instant; his eyes scanned over everyone before resting on the old patriarch. "If I recall correctly, the Ruohome family has been informing the media about the engagement for the past two months, correct?"
The old patriarch's face was one of despair as he remembered how eagerly he had spread the news of the planned marriage alliance to boost their stock prices. Now, they were the ones causing issues.
"We didn't specify which daughter... we still have another child..." Ning Zhishan tried to explain desperately, only to be cut off by Ouhanting's piercing gaze.
