Chapter 16: Awakening
Nan Yun went as far as to swear directly, “That old fossil is actually using his status and seniority to pressure us. How impressive!”
“At least it seems Xiao Yu has finally come to his senses,” Nan Zhen added. “He definitely won’t associate with that waste Bai Zhouyun anymore. I just hope we can find an opportunity to dissolve the engagement later; otherwise, it’s far too pitiful for Xiao Yu to marry someone like that!”
Nan Ming felt exactly the same way, but the engagement had been set by the Nan family’s late patriarch—his own father and the grandfather of the three brothers. He and Old Man Bai had once been close brothers-in-arms and dear friends. The engagement was intended to bring the two families closer, but no one expected Bai Zhouyun to go off-script.
He actually dared to despise the Nan family’s precious treasure.
Even Old Man Bai himself couldn’t stand it, yet he was powerless. Unless the Bai family breached the contract first or Bai Zhouyun did something that rendered him completely unworthy of Nan Yu, it would be difficult for the Nan family to dissolve the engagement on their own.
They had considered waiting until Nan Yu became a High-Level Jingshenli Zhe to escape the contract. However, while there were millions of mental power users in the Empire, only a few dozen were high-level. Furthermore, they were all over a hundred years old. Even if Nan Yu had the potential, they couldn’t stall the marriage for a century. Wouldn’t that just be an outright rejection?
“Don’t think too much for now,” Nan Ming said. “Xiao Yu isn’t on the Capital Star. Even if the Bai family wants to do something, they can’t. Everything will wait until he returns.”
“He’s out on a mission with the Marshal, so his return will be confidential,” Nan Ming continued. “That will buy us a certain amount of buffer time.”
“Understood, Dad,” Nan Yun replied. “Nan Zhen and I will focus on our training at the academy during this time.”
With Xiao Yu gone, there was no need for them to return home frequently; they could simply rest at the academy.
“Also, don’t eat too much Yineng beast meat over these two months,” Nan Ming warned. “We don’t want Xiao Yu to be exhausted from worrying about our mental pollution the moment he gets back.”
The two brothers nodded. Although they could technically hire other mental power users, they had tried it before and found it uncomfortable. After experiencing Nan Yu’s treatment, accepting others felt “off.” It wasn’t that the others were unskilled, but the brothers couldn’t lower their guard around strangers, which hampered the results. Around Nan Yu, they could fully relax, making the process far more effective.
In truth, this was also because Nan Yu’s mental power was purer and more powerful, though they hadn’t realized that yet. After dinner, the brothers took an aircraft back to school, while Nan Ming left after tidying up some affairs.
He headed to the military department. As Marshal Yu Lanfeng had mentioned, beast activity was surging in border regions, making this their most frequent combat period. He had only returned because he happened to be passing by the Capital Star after a mission. Now that his business was done, he had to return to duty.
The sprawling Nan villa was left to the butler and a few servants. Normally, Nan Yu would be home, but now…
The butler looked at the empty villa and sighed, though he felt a sense of pride. They were all good children. The butler was of the same generation as the late patriarch and had watched Nan Ming and the three boys grow up. He was more than entitled to call them “good children.”
Bai Zhouyun didn’t return home until nearly one in the morning. Before he could even sit down, the butler stopped him. “Young Master, the Old Master is waiting for you. Please go to the study immediately.”
Bai Zhouyun straightened up abruptly. “Grandpa has been waiting for me this whole time?”
“Yes,” the butler replied. “He is very angry. He specifically said he wanted to see what time you’d finally show your face. Be careful when you go in.”
Bai Zhouyun feared no one—his parents doted on him—but he was terrified of his grandfather, who lectured him constantly. Usually, it was about Nan Yu. Was it about him again?
He walked toward the study with a sense of trepidation, and his opinion of Nan Yu dropped once more. Why was the boy such a hassle? It was always about him!
Entering the study, he wiped the annoyance from his face and approached timidly. “Grandpa…”
Regardless, making his grandfather wait until this hour was his fault, but couldn’t they have sent a communication? If they had, he would have come back earlier.
What Bai Zhouyun didn’t know was that Old Man Bai had strictly forbidden anyone from calling him. He wanted to see exactly when the boy would decide to come home on his own. To think he had to wait until 1 AM! It was lawless!
“Xiao Yun, give me a straight answer right now,” the old man demanded. “Is there any hope for you and Nan Yu to continue? Answer me seriously, right now.”
“I’m not an old-fashioned man,” he continued. “If you really feel like you can’t be with that boy, I’ll grant your wish and go to the Nan family myself to break the engagement.”
Bai Zhouyun stared at him, dumbfounded. He thought he was being summoned for an apology, but it was this instead…
“Grandpa, I…”
Bai Zhouyun hesitated. While he didn’t feel much for Nan Yu, he knew the immense value the boy and the Nan family represented.
“I still want to be with him,” he finally said.
“If that’s the case, do you know what your behavior looks like? You look like a scumbag!”
“You have a Middle-Level Jingshenli Zhe with massive potential chasing you, and you give him the cold shoulder! No matter how good Xiao Yu’s temper is, I don’t think he can tolerate you for much longer.”
“Look at the situation now,” the old man fumed. “In the past, he would have come to make up with you already. Does he look like he’s coming now?! He’s probably sick of you! If you don’t go and chase him back right now, you won’t have another chance, I’m telling you!”
“Nan Ming and his sons hate you most,” the old man continued. “You don’t cherish their treasure; you don’t treat Xiao Yu well or value him.”
“You only care about yourself! You’re selfish! They haven’t come to break the engagement yet because they fear the person behind us—and the engagement is a private matter that that person wouldn’t interfere with anyway. They haven’t broken it only because the boy still has feelings for you. But I can tell you clearly: the moment Nan Yu shakes his head, they will be at our door the next second to call the whole thing off!”
Translator’s Note: Welcome to Chapter 16! We finally see “Old Man Bai” (Bai Laoyezi) lose his cool. In Chinese culture, an elder waiting up until 1 AM is a huge sign of disrespect from the junior. Also, the term “scumbag” here is Zha nan (渣男), which literally means “dregs man.” It’s a very satisfying moment to hear even his own grandfather call him that! I’m curious to see if Bai Zhouyun actually “wakes up” or if he’s just too stuck in his ways. Happy reading!
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