Chapter 69: Arent You Cold?
Wu Xiaoxiao's explanation made Yang Haoran understand why the people of the Wu Family weren't as welcoming to him and Guanhai as he had imagined.
It made sense. If they genuinely needed their help with a difficult matter, how could they leave the two of them on the sidelines?
However, when Guanhai suggested leaving first, Wu Xiaoxiao became anxious and hastily pleaded with them not to go.
Guanhai found himself in a dilemma. Wu Xiaoxiao was his friend, and Yang Haoran was his sworn brother. If he left, he worried that Yang Haoran might feel slighted, but staying would embarrass Wu Xiaoxiao. In this situation, he turned to Yang Haoran for his opinion.
"Let's assess the situation first. I also want to see what kind of experts Master Wu has invited and how capable they are," Yang Haoran said with a smile.
In fact, Yang Haoran should have realized long ago that wealthy and influential families like the Wu Family would surely have connections to experts if they encountered any strange occurrences.
As for whether the experts brought by the Wu Family might be frauds, Yang Haoran didn't doubt it. Master Wu had reached his current position through his abilities; he must have his own standards for judging people. Since he valued the other party highly and personally went to meet them, he must have personally witnessed their abilities. Otherwise, with his status, how could he mobilize such resources?
Upon hearing that Yang Haoran wanted to assess the situation before making a decision, Guanhai didn't say much. He nodded and returned to his seat, while Wu Xiaoxiao looked visibly relieved.
"Thank you, thank you so much. Now, let me properly introduce myself. I'm Wu Xiaoxiao!"
Wu Xiaoxiao expressed her gratitude and then extended her hand to Yang Haoran in a friendly gesture.
"I'm Yang Haoran." After a courteous handshake, Yang Haoran also introduced himself.
"From now on, we're friends. You can call me Brother Yang, and I'll call you Xiaoxiao. I'm really happy to make friends with someone as capable as you," Wu Xiaoxiao exclaimed excitedly.
Seeing Wu Xiaoxiao's excitement, Yang Haoran maintained a neutral expression with a smile, inwardly sighing at her innocence.
Whether Yang Haoran had real abilities or not, Wu Xiaoxiao hadn't witnessed them. Believing in his abilities based solely on Guanhai's words showed her naivety.
Furthermore, considering someone a friend upon first meeting them without even basic understanding was also a form of naivety.
However, a little naivety wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It meant less scheming and less mental exhaustion.
Of course, Yang Haoran didn't voice these speculations. It went against his usual way of handling situations. As for whether Wu Xiaoxiao was genuinely naive or if her innocence was just a facade to lower others' guard, he didn't really care.
"By the way, Xiaoxiao, what exactly happened at your home? You didn't want to tell me earlier, but now that Brother Yang is here, let him analyze it for you. He's a professional and specializes in handling such matters," Guanhai asked.
Guanhai's knowledge of the Wu Family's affairs was limited. He only knew that the Wu Family had been unsettled recently. Wu Xiaoxiao hadn't gone into detail with him. Now, asking in front of Yang Haoran, he had his own reasons.
Yang Haoran had abilities, but Guanhai didn't know the extent of them. Inquiring about Wu Xiaoxiao's family situation was mainly to give Yang Haoran an understanding of the Wu Family's affairs.
If Yang Haoran could handle the situation, they could prepare in advance. If not, they could use the Wu Family's lack of regard for them as a reason to leave the matter alone, to avoid getting into trouble and tarnishing their reputation.
As Wu Xiaoxiao began to speak about what happened, her expression suddenly changed as footsteps and voices came from outside the living room. Wu Xiaoxiao paused mid-sentence, and the three of them turned their gaze towards the entrance to the living room.
Master Wu greeted the two as they entered the living room, showing extreme enthusiasm, a complete contrast to his demeanor when facing Yang Haoran and Guanhai earlier.
The two newcomers, one male and one female, looked to be in their early twenties. The man was not tall, about 5 feet 5 inches, but he walked with confidence, each step exuding strength.
The woman was young, appearing to be around seventeen or eighteen. She was about the same height as the man, with straight and slender legs that were quite eye-catching.
Following behind the three were members of the Wu Family. Even the Eldest Son Wu and the Second Son Wu were obediently trailing behind.
As Yang Haoran observed the two newcomers, they paused in their steps one after the other, seeming to sense something, and looked towards Yang Haoran.
Seeing them suddenly stop, Master Wu was puzzled. Following their gaze, he noticed Yang Haoran, who was smiling warmly.
Master Wu's expression changed slightly, but he quickly recovered and smiled at the two newcomers, saying, "These two are friends of my granddaughter, invited to our home by her."
Master Wu wasn't sure about Yang Haoran's capabilities before, as he hadn't had a chance to talk to him before going to greet the guests.
However, now, in the living room with three people, these two newcomers, instead of paying attention to Guanhai and his granddaughter, focused their gaze on Yang Haoran. This indicated many things, and after years of experience in the business world, Master Wu had a keen eye for such matters.
"Master Wu indeed has quite the connections in Lecheng, inviting all sorts of people," the man said casually. Then his gaze shifted to Guanhai and Wu Xiaoxiao, continuing, "The two of you sitting next to him, aren't you feeling cold?"
Both Guanhai and Wu Xiaoxiao looked puzzled at the man's words.
"In this weather, aren't you cold?" Guanhai retorted.
The man didn't respond, but the woman beside him sweetly smiled and said, "Hehe, indeed, it's very cold in this winter, especially with the heavy Yin Qi in this villa. It'd be strange not to feel cold."
With these words, the woman smiled provocatively, looking at the man beside her as if deliberately taunting him.
The man remained silent, his face stern, and continued walking. Seeing this, Master Wu quickly followed with a smile, glancing at Yang Haoran a bit more.
Yang Haoran, on the other hand, maintained his smile throughout, showing no change in expression.
"Come, please sit here. Let's take our time and discuss. Drinks and food are all prepared, just waiting for you two to join us," Master Wu warmly invited them, but his mind was on Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran seemed ordinary, with nothing particularly outstanding. However, now it was clear that Yang Haoran was not simple. Master Wu intended to gauge some clues from Yang Haoran's words and actions, but Yang Haoran remained smiling and didn't speak, making it difficult for him to discern Yang Haoran's thoughts.
Master Wu sat at the head, with the two newcomers seated beside him. Then came the Eldest Son Wu and the Second Son Wu.
The seating arrangement had already been decided, indicating their respective importance. However, after the Eldest Son Wu sat down, Master Wu gave him a signal with his eyes.
The Eldest Son Wu was clever and had a tacit understanding with his father. With just a glance, he understood his father's intentions. Despite not saying anything, just with a look, the Eldest Son Wu knew what his father wanted. He immediately stood up after sitting down, then walked towards where Yang Haoran was seated.
The positions where Yang Haoran and Guanhai sat were the least regarded areas. Master Wu hadn't paid much attention to them before, considering them merely as Wu Xiaoxiao's friends.
However, because of the man's reaction, Master Wu's perception of Yang Haoran changed drastically.
"You two young men are honored guests of our Wu Family. It's not suitable for you to sit here. That's where you should be sitting," the Eldest Son Wu said with a smile, pointing to where he had been sitting before, then signaling to the Second Son Wu.
Though extremely unwilling, the Second Son Wu had no choice. After a cold snort, he stood up and cleared a seat.
The Wu Family was now trying to make up for their earlier mistake. Guanhai didn't say anything and looked towards Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran stood up with a smile, surprisingly without a single word of refusal or sarcasm towards the Wu Family's lack of respect. Instead, he nodded politely to the Eldest Son Wu, then walked with Guanhai towards the seats previously occupied by the Eldest Son Wu and the Second Son Wu.
Yang Haoran's straightforwardness caught the Wu Family off guard, especially Master Wu, whose gaze towards Yang Haoran changed slightly.
"What a clever lad. He's given face to our Wu Family while appearing magnanimous himself. Most importantly, he hasn't shown any emotional changes from start to finish, as if nothing has happened. This lad is quite scheming and cunning," Master Wu thought to himself, becoming more wary of Yang Haoran. However, his face remained kindly as he hurriedly invited Yang Haoran to sit down, his attitude warm and completely different from before.
Yang Haoran sat down with a smile, looking very natural, as if this were not the Wu Family, but his own home.
Guanhai sat beside Yang Haoran, in the Second Son Wu's previous seat, while on Yang Haoran's other side sat the long-legged beauty from before.
As Yang Haoran sat down, the long-legged beauty exaggeratedly shivered and exclaimed, "So cold, so cold! Mr. Wu, doesn't your huge villa have air conditioning?"
The long-legged beauty appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen, two years younger than Master Wu's granddaughter. However, she directly called Master Wu "old man Wu" in front of so many people, which raised eyebrows among the other Wu Family members.
However, Master Wu just laughed and said, "Haha, there was an incident at home, so it's been cold lately. Even if we turn on the air conditioning, it's no use!"
"So that's what happened. I thought it was because of the influence of this brother here," the long-legged beauty said, looking towards Yang Haoran, smiling sweetly and childishly, but her words were clearly directed at Yang Haoran.
It was normal for her to say it's cold if she felt the Yin Qi in the house was heavy, but now, she suddenly said something else, which didn't match up.
Yang Haoran understood that her words were specifically aimed at him. It didn't matter that her words were inconsistent; what was strange was the hint of provocation in her smile.
She had previously provoked the man who had come with her, and now she was provoking him. What was she up to?
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