Leng Xingshuang followed her grandfather into the private room of Zirui Pavilion.
As soon as she raised her eyes, she saw the youth sitting by the window, his golden hair radiating brilliance more dazzling than the sunlight outside.
The youth turned his head and looked her way, rising with a gentle smile, "Old Sir Leng."
Those azure eyes that always appeared in her dreams now materialized before her, causing Leng Xingshuang’s heartbeat to race uncontrollably.
"Mr. Amos, apologies for keeping you waiting," Leng Shan raised his hand in apology.
"This is my unruly granddaughter, Xingshuang. Weren’t you planning to thank Mr. Amos face to face?"
Leng Xingshuang froze in place. Seeing her in this dazed state, Leng Shan frowned slightly and tugged at her sleeve.
Leng Xingshuang snapped out of it, dropping her gaze in a panic. "Thank you for saving last ti at Cold Moon Building, Mr. Amos. Had it not been for your tily help, I’d likely already be at the gates of King Yan. You are my savior, Mr. Amos. As the saying goes, a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, I won’t hesitate to help."
Leng Xingshuang had never spoken such flowery words before. Even she found herself disgusted, but she had no choice but to keep up the demure facade, speaking coyly and carefully, afraid of leaving a bad impression.
A warm voice rang out above her, "It was rely a small favor. Miss Leng, you don’t need to take it to heart. Please, both of you, be seated."
Leng Xingshuang glanced up briefly at the youth. His features were extraordinarily refined—at first glance, he didn’t even seem foreign. Yet, his blue eyes and golden hair lent him an Exotic Realm charm. Though he was smiling, those azure eyes clearly carried no warmth, only an inscrutable chill that made one uneasy.
Leng Xingshuang felt a coldness creep into her heart as she sat down uneasily.
Leng Shan discreetly observed the two, sighing inwardly.
To him, his granddaughter was beyond reproach in every way, but Amos—what was his status? Naturally, his standards would be exceedingly high. Xingshuang probably wouldn’t catch his eye.
Oh well, everything is left to fate. Watch and wait.
A server entered, and Amos gestured for Leng Xingshuang to order, "Order anything you like, don’t hold back."
Leng Xingshuang opened the nu and, after listening to the server’s introduction, picked a few signature dishes.
After ordering, Leng Xingshuang felt the room was a bit stifling. Moreover, she deduced that her grandfather and Amos likely had matters to discuss, so she tactfully excused herself, claiming she needed to go to the restroom, and left the private room.
As soon as Leng Xingshuang left, Leng Shan could no longer hold back. "Mr. Amos, is there sothing urgent you need? Has there been any change in your elder’s condition?"
"Thanks to your miraculous dicine, they’re in good health," Amos replied.
Leng Shan let out a breath of relief. "That’s good to hear."
Amos glanced at him and said indifferently, "What kind of deal did you strike with the Yu family?"
Leng Shan was startled, cold sweat breaking out on his back. He steadied himself, let out a heavy sigh, and his expression betrayed a sense of helplessness. "There’s nothing that escapes your eyes. To put it simply, it’s a ss my granddaughter caused..."
Leng Shan briefly recounted last night’s farce. "The Yu family has always been unforgiving when they have the upper hand. If given the chance, they won’t let go easily. They’ve targeted my family’s Nine Revitalizing Soul Pills. I heard Old Madam Yu is critically ill, so it must be for her sake. The last pill has already been given to you; I truly have none left. But she pressed hard, and I couldn’t bear to see Xingshuang captured and her life ruined. So, I had no choice but to say I could refine another Nine Revitalizing Soul Pill. Only then did she relent and leave."
"But rest assured, Mr. Amos, this was rely a stopgap asure. I would never allow the Nine Revitalizing Soul Pills to fall into Yu family hands. Yu Ruohuan’s sche to harm my granddaughter remains unaddressed. How could I possibly hand over my family’s secret treasure to her?"
Amos smiled and nodded. "I see. That Miss Yu is indeed arrogant and overbearing. If I hadn’t arrived in ti at Cold Moon Building, Miss Leng might have perished. At last night’s gathering, I imagine Miss Leng acted impulsively, driven by hatred. Although Miss Yu’s companion intervened and she wasn’t hard, she’s unforgiving, fixating on this trivial matter. It reminds of a saying from your Hua Country: The magistrate may burn down houses, but commoners aren’t allowed to light lamps."
Amos let out a mocking laugh. "But the Yu family—what kind of magistrate do they think they are?"
Leng Shan felt the sa way but knew he couldn’t challenge the Yu family—like a moth against a fla, it would be senseless.
Suddenly, Leng Shan discerned deeper implications in Amos’s last comnt. He looked up at the youth with azure eyes and tentatively asked, "The Yu family isn’t easy to deal with. I had no choice but to invoke your na, Mr. Amos. Now, I fear the Yu family sees you as a thorn in their side. Alas, in my mont of recklessness, I may have committed a foolish act that could bring you trouble...."
The youth smirked faintly, "Old Sir Leng, aren’t you tired of probing back and forth?"
Leng Shan’s face stiffened. The youth’s blue eyes held an icy smile, nearly impossible to read.
"Let be clear today: The Yu family may see as a thorn in their side, but I see them as a dagger in my flesh. Our grudge is irreconcilable."
The youth’s tone was casual, but to Leng Shan, it sounded like thunderstrikes in the clear sky.
His eyes widened in shock. "Mr. Amos, you... you...."
He had thought it was rely an entanglent of financial interests. Now it seed far more complex—a bitter and deep-seated animosity.
"If you wish to abandon this ship," the youth remarked with a faint smile, "there’s still ti to do so."
Amos’s gaze landed on him with an unfathomable expression.
Without a mont’s hesitation, Leng Shan declared resolutely, "Mr. Amos, I am no such faithless and untrustworthy person. Since the day I boarded your ship, I never intended to disembark."
Leng Shan’s aged heart seed to reignite with vitality, thumping madly, even causing his blood pressure to spike slightly, dizzying his mind.
The youth offered a slight smile. "Excellent, Old Sir Leng. Let us journey together down this path to restore balance and order."
Leng Xingshuang returned to the private room only to find the seat where the youth had sat now empty. She exclaid in concern, "Grandfather, where is Mr. Amos?"
Leng Shan sat motionless, his brows furrowed deeply, as though imrsed in profound contemplation.
Leng Xingshuang gently nudged him. "Grandfather?"
Leng Shan snapped out of his thoughts. "What did you say?"
"I asked where Mr. Amos went."
"Mr. Amos had urgent matters and left early. He’s a man of countless responsibilities; it’s remarkable he found ti to et at all."
Leng Xingshuang lowered her head in disappointnt. "He’s gone? I still had more to say to him..."
Leng Shan’s mind was consud by the phrase "restore balance and order." Maybe Amos had just learned the idiom and was using it casually. Yet, to Leng Shan, it felt anything but simple.
Restore balance and order... Surely there was hidden aning within, though its depth eluded him for now.
One thing he could clearly grasp, however, was the enmity between Amos and the Yu family—it was a matter of life and death. With this knowledge, he felt emboldened.
"Grandfather, is Mr. Amos mixed-race?" Leng Xingshuang suddenly asked.
Leng Shan was montarily stunned. "What?"
"Mr. Amos’s appearance is a classic mixed-race look. His maternal lineage must be Hua Country descent, don’t you think?"
A spark of realization flashed through Leng Shan’s mind. "Maternal lineage? Hua Country descent?"
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