With two simple sentences, Ao Lifu displayed his arrogance to the fullest extent. It was one thing to interrupt his elders repeatedly, but Zhou Yinghao had already stated that this man was his distinguished guest. Yet Ao Lifu paid him no mind whatsoever. To put it bluntly, it was simply boorish.

Not only Zhou Yinghao, but Zhou Jingyuan and Peng Ya also frowned, their faces etched with displeasure.

"Ao Lifu, how can you speak like that?" Zhou Yufei had no such patience and burst out, pointing a finger at Ao Lifu as she spoke coldly.

Ao Lifu simply laughed. "I'm not wrong, am I? He's your distinguished guest, not mine. Am I not allowed to be uninterested in knowing him?"

"If you think I was being presumptuous, should I apologize then?"

As he spoke, Ao Lifu turned to Chen Yang, a deep smirk on his face as he gave a slight, mocking nod. This was far from an apology; it was a naked provocation.

"You..." Zhou Yufei laughed in anger. Just as she was about to say more, Chen Yang stopped her. "Let's order first."

"Alright!"

Zhou Yufei let it go and sat down next to Chen Yang, the two of them looking over the menu together.

A moment later, Chen Yang pushed the lazy susan toward Zhou Yinghao and Peng Ya. "Uncle, Auntie, we've ordered a few dishes. Please see if there's anything you'd like to add."

"Alright, of course."

Peng Ya was beaming. Look at how polite this young man was. Yet, she sighed internally. Such a fine young man, but he was not fated to be with her Yufei. Alas... Although she had accepted this reality, a part of her heart still felt unwilling to let go. It was like watching a duck that had already been cooked suddenly fly away right before her eyes.

After they finished ordering and were waiting for the food to arrive, the group began a lively conversation, with the main topic revolving around Chen Yang and Zhou Yufei. As for Ao Lifu, everyone deliberately ignored his presence.

"Lord Chen, I suppose you won't be staying in Lingjin City for long?" Zhou Yinghao asked.

"Barring anything unexpected, I'll be leaving after the festival."

Nearby, Ao Lifu sneered and mocked them in his mind. 'Lord Chen' this and 'Lord Chen' that, with such a deferential tone... how utterly respectful! Since when did the mighty Zhou Family of Qingqiu Dao fall so low? If they were facing some magnate or the head of a super-family, this would be normal social interaction. But this guy in front of them is just a young whelp who hasn't even finished growing up. Is all this really necessary? It's downright laughable.

After some small talk, Zhou Jingyuan got straight to the point. "Chen Yang, I'm sure you understand Yufei's feelings better than any of us. What I mean to say is, perhaps the two of you could talk things over again?"

Zhou Jingyuan was still being somewhat reserved, not directly suggesting that Chen Yang take two wives.

"Uh..."

Chen Yang had not expected the old man to make such a move and subconsciously glanced at Zhou Yufei. Her face flushed slightly red as she fiddled with the hem of her clothes, clearly at a loss.

"Hehe..."

It was Ao Lifu who burst out laughing as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

"I'm telling you, Elder Zhou, I was already disgusted when you were all treating him with such reverence! Now, from the sound of it, you're begging this little punk to marry Yufei?"

Leaning back in his chair, Ao Lifu stared directly at Zhou Jingyuan, his ridicule unconcealed. "Your Zhou Family is supposed to be a dominant power in Qingqiu Dao. How have you degenerated to this state? If you ran into trouble, you could have come to my Ao Family for help. Why would you sacrifice Sister Yufei's lifelong happiness?"

Ao Lifu was furious and indignant. The great Zhou Family was actually thinking of selling out Zhou Yufei to a little punk? What a joke!

"I won't beat around the bush. I, Ao Lifu, do not approve of this matter!" he finally declared, his tone firm and unyielding.

"You..." Zhou Yinghao shot to his feet, glaring at Ao Lifu. This guy was getting way ahead of himself, wasn't he? What did he mean, *he* didn't approve? No wonder Zhou Yufei had always been cold toward him. His arrogance knew no bounds.

Zhou Jingyuan stopped him and said calmly, "Lifu, you've misunderstood. The truth is, Zhou Yufei and Chen Yang..."

"No need to explain. I don't want to hear it!"

However, Ao Lifu cut him off again. Waving a dismissive hand, he turned his gaze to Chen Yang. "Kid, I'm suddenly curious. Who exactly are you, and what's your status that you can compel Elder Zhou to treat you with such respect? But from what I recall, there's no major figure like you in the entire Qiyun Road."

Chen Yang's attention was elsewhere entirely. Only when Zhou Yufei nudged him did he snap out of it. "Ah? Were you talking to me?"

Ao Lifu was speechless. I've been talking this whole time, and he's completely ignoring me?

Chen Yang offered a hint of an apology. "I was distracted just now. Could you repeat that?"

Ao Lifu was struck dumb again. Seeing Chen Yang's earnest expression, the already displeased Ao Lifu felt a wave of fury surge within him. Is this little bastard deliberately trying to embarrass me?

Zhou Yufei covered her mouth, fighting to suppress her laughter. Seeing Ao Lifu flustered filled her with an immense sense of satisfaction.

Chen Yang looked directly into Ao Lifu's eyes, his expression still serious.

This damned punk!

Ao Lifu practically exploded with rage, his face flushing crimson. In Chen Yang's earnest gaze, he felt a deep and humiliating disgrace.

Chen Yang smiled slightly, then turned to Zhou Jingyuan. "Elder Zhou, we were indeed in the wrong regarding this matter. But for some things, there's truly no other way."

His words were tactful, yet also direct.

The smile on Zhou Yufei's face instantly vanished, and she lowered her head slightly. Though she had long known this would be the outcome, facing it directly still sent a sharp pain through her heart. The pain was so sharp it was suffocating.

Zhou Jingyuan sighed and nodded, saying no more. Perhaps Zhou Yufei and the Zhennan Prince were truly fated to meet but not to be together. Such things could not be forced.

"This is hilarious!" Under the assault of his rage, Ao Lifu's eyes turned crimson. He stared at Chen Yang and said in a low, menacing voice, "Listen here, you little bastard, aren't you getting a bit full of yourself? Who the hell do you think you are?"

That superior attitude of his was simply nauseating! He himself was a wildly arrogant man; how could he stand seeing someone even more arrogant than him?

"Lifu, you've gone too far!" Zhou Jingyuan rebuked sharply. Even a man of his great patience had his limits.

However, Ao Lifu not only ignored him but flipped over the plate in front of him. He unbuttoned his shirt, kicked his chair aside, and strode toward Chen Yang.

"Lifu, what do you think you're doing? Stop right now!" Zhou Yinghao shouted.

"Shut up!" Ao Lifu shot him a cold glance. "Who do you think you are? You really think it's still a decade ago? The Ao Family of today is on a level your Zhou Family could never hope to reach!"

"You..." Zhou Yinghao was fuming but said no more. He had offered a well-intentioned warning, but the other party was not only ungrateful but had also spoken outrageously. Fine, to hell with him!

Ao Lifu walked right up to Chen Yang. Looking down at him from a superior height, he sneered, "Kid, you've got the guts to repeat what you just said?"

With that, he reached out a hand to pat Chen Yang on the head. The gesture was meant purely as an insult. And that was exactly what he wanted: to humiliate Chen Yang.

However!

Chen Yang raised his hand and waved it gently.

Huh? Ao Lifu wondered. What kind of ridiculous gesture is that? Is he trying to shoo a fly?

The next second, he heard a tremendous sound. His vision went dark, his head swam, and an unprecedented, intense pain exploded from his head, instantly spreading to every corner of his body.

BOOM!

Finally, he collapsed to his knees several meters away.

Ao Lifu was speechless.

Everyone else was speechless.

...

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