Dragon Hermit

“What?” Zhao Man shouted in surprise. “Are you planning to recognize this engagement? How can you take seriously a promise made under the influence of alcohol? What’s more, Fang Le’er won’t marry a charlatan.”

“Dad, I won’t ever marry him!” Fang Le’er rushed out of her room. She had been eavesdropping on them from her room for a long time, and she couldn’t stand this anymore. [How could I accept an arranged betrothal?]

“I…” As Fang Xiangdong observed his angry wife and daughter, he felt like he was the one in the wrong. He couldn’t help but sigh and say, “Just forget it, but I must still apologize to Xia Yan for what happened today.”

“Dad, it’s I who didn’t let him in, and I’ll apologize to him by myself,” Fang Le’er said.

…

Dong Quan quickly sent the relevant information to Xia Yan’s phone, and Xia Yan started observing the repulsive names that showed up one by one and looked for key information. He wanted to uncover the truth by himself and didn’t want to depend on the Liu family. He didn’t want to end up as a tool in the hands of the Liu family.

All of a sudden, Xia Yan’s phone rang and it was Fang Xiangdong’s number. But, upon accepting the call, he heard Fang Le’er’s voice. She said, “Xia Yan, I have wronged you today and I’m apologizing to you. So, come over now to have lunch with us.”

“You are apologizing to me now?” Xia Yan laughed in spite of himself. This little princess spoke in a forceful tone, as if she was showing off her might rather than apologizing. He didn’t feel any sincerity in her apology!

“Le’er, how can you talk to him like this? Apologize properly!” Fang Xiangdong’s reprimanding voice transmitted over. It was obvious that they turned on the loudspeaker, and this meant that Fang Le’er’s attitude represented Fang Xiangdong’s whole family.

But, Fang Le’er still wasn’t willing to give in to Xia Yan, and she shouted at the phone in a loud voice, “Xia Yan, don’t assume that I don’t know why you dropped in our house! Let me tell you clearly, I won’t ever recognize any arranged betrothal. So, just give up.”

“Le’er, how can you say this?” Fang Xiangdong’s voice transmitted again, but it was weaker than before. It was obvious that he wasn’t berating her sincerely, which meant that he also didn’t want to recognize the arranged betrothal.

Xia Yan chuckled and said, “You can set your mind at ease, I have zero interest in you. Oh, by the way, tell Mayor Fang that what happened fifteen years ago is a matter of the past so he doesn’t have to take it seriously. My master also doesn’t care about it, he has saved many people and you don’t have to keep it in mind. Fine, I wish you a happy Mid-Autumn Festival.”

After Xia Yan spoke, he hung up without waiting for their reply and added Fang Xiangdong’s number to his blacklist.

“A great debt of gratitude may turn into enmity, my master wasn’t mistaken,” Xia Yan shook his head. He had never mentioned what happened fifteen years ago since he met Fang Xiangdong and he also didn’t mention the arranged betrothal. It was Fang Xiangdong who was conflicted about it and it seemed like he agreed tacitly to Fang Le’er’s actions.

Xia Yan didn’t have any good impression of Fang Le’er and he planned to tell them this clearly at the dinner in the Fangs’ house, yet they had taken a decision before him. But, this was also fine, as he saw through to the true nature of humans thanks to them.

Xia Yan threw this matter to the back of his mind and continued observing the material. While, on the other side, the Fang family’s three members wore conflicted expressions.

“He called me Mayor Fang a while ago, sigh!” Fang Xiangdong let out a long sigh and his expression turned disheartened. ‘Uncle Fang’ and ‘Mayor Fang’, those two forms of address represented completely different attitudes. He couldn’t help but look at his daughter and sigh. He said, “Le’er, I have betrayed my benefactor for you.”

“Dad, I…” Fang Le’er was also anxious and restless. Xia Yan’s actions were once again beyond her expectation, and he had already cut off any relationships with Fang Xiangdong. If she said again that he was seeking a connection with the mayor, then even she wouldn’t believe this.

Zhao Man’s face turned dark for a while, and pale for another while.

The Fangs assumed that what they had done was fair and reasonable, yet they suddenly discovered that this wasn’t reasonable at all, rather it was unreasonable and heartless.

“I have never done such a vile deed in my life,” Fang Xiangdong leaned on the sofa. It seemed like he had instantly aged by several years.

“Dad, I’ll give him another call,” Fang Le’er took Fang Xiangdong’s phone and dialed Xia Yan’s number once again, yet she only heard the following reply “The number you have dialed is currently busy.”

After five minutes, Fang Le’er called him again, yet she got the same reply, and after several other tries, she finally realized something. “Dad, he… He has blacklisted your number. Didn’t he?”

Fang Xiangdong and Zhao Man found this unimaginable. Many people wanted to get the private number of Chengdu City’s mayor and get closer to him, so he had never been blacklisted by anyone. He had never imagined that he would go through this one day!

But on this day, he finally experienced how it felt to end up on a blacklist. He was even blacklisted by a teenager and he was the one in the wrong.

“How… How could he do this?” Zhao Man felt like her worldview as the Madame Mayor was subverted.

“Sure enough, he’s Mister Han’s disciple… It seems like he really doesn’t care about the people he saved and it’s me who got upset over nothing and made problems for myself. I really feel ashamed of myself,” Fang Xiangdong stood up and went back to his study room in a low mood and locked the door.

“Could it be… That I have misjudged him? Did I really misjudge him?” Fang Le’er sat on the sofa in a daze, and as she mulled this over, she felt quite uncomfortable. She felt like she had become one of those vile characters shown in TV series.

The Fangs had assembled for Mid-Autumn Festival’s dinner, yet it was doomed that they wouldn’t get to enjoy this meal.

Xia Yan obviously didn’t know the Fangs’ current feelings and he didn’t care about them either. After he observed the materials several times, he finally got a clear assessment of this affair.

“The Xie family… The Xie family…”

He was in a bad mood, but he must still celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. On this day, there was an event held in Music Plaza, and that was why Xia Yan decided to give a call to Zhao Qiang and Qin Jian who stayed in the dormitory. In any case, they were quite idle, so he just asked them to come out. As for Hou Xiaotian, he went home to see his father and didn’t stay in the dormitory.

Later on, he gave a call to room 504, and he found out that Wang Yi had also gone home, while An Xiaoru, Anna, and Xiaoyu planned to go to Music Plaza and join in the fun, and he invited them to accompany him to the plaza.

At 6 pm, the residents of rooms 402 and 504 gathered in the vicinity of Music Plaza.

Those six people had dinner in a famous restaurant in the vicinity, and they spent approximately 10¥ per person, which befit poor students like them. Actually, Zhao Qian wanted to order roasted meat, yet his suggestion was overruled by the others.

The sky had already darkened and Music Plaza got quite lively. A rock band was stirring up the audience’s feelings, and there were even two famous singers among them. The youths were all very excited and they moved their bodies and danced to the rhythm of the music.

Even with so many beauties over here, An Xiaoru and her two companions were still in the limelight. They had all put on some makeup previously and they seemed even more moving and alluring under the dazzling lights.

Many people started gathering around them because they were in the company of beauties and men frequently cast their glances upon them, while some had even tried to approach them. But, Xia Yan and his other two roommates didn’t allow them to approach the girls; they frequently pushed aside those men that harbored ulterior motives and they had almost started fighting.

“Let’s go to another place,” Xiaoyu said nervously.

“Why do we have to change our location? It’s the same everywhere,” An Xiaoru said carelessly, “If anyone dares to molest us, I will kick and crush his balls.”

“Xiaoyu, don’t be afraid, we’re here with you,” Zhao Qian struck his chest and spoke.

“Chengdu City’s star, the media industry’s fresh talent, Yan Xiaoqing, please come to the stage,” The host on the stage took the microphone and shouted loudly.