Chapter 456: Chapter 456: The City’s Schemes Run Deep, I Want to Go Back to the Countryside
"Sob... Third Cousin, you’re not going to believe them, are you? Don’t you know what kind of person I am?" Xu Lin said, sobbing.
The Xu family’s third daughter: ...
’She actually knew her cousin’s character all too well. Arrogant, domineering, and completely mercenary.’
’She looked them over, but she couldn’t see anything about these swarthy, burly men that her cousin could possibly profit from.’
’Her cousin always went for the pale, scholarly types. Could this burly man have really assaulted her?’
’She, on the other hand, wouldn’t mind dating a man like this at all. She had no interest in pale-faced scholars.’
Just then, the eldest grandson of the Xu family arrived home from work. Seeing his cousin sobbing, his heart ached for her and he asked, "Linlin, what’s wrong?"
"SOB... Eldest Cousin, a hooligan assaulted me! What am I supposed to do now? SOB..."
"What hooligan has the nerve to come to the Xu Family’s doorstep and cause trouble?" the eldest cousin demanded furiously.
"I’m no hooligan. Xu Lin, if you really don’t want to date me, you could have just told me. You didn’t have to string me along while plotting to send me to prison. Do you really have to be this ruthless?"
Filled with a mix of regret and indignation, Wang Yuejin had paradoxically calmed down. His expression was as still as water as he looked at Xu Lin and asked earnestly.
"Sob... You hooligan, what nonsense are you spouting? I don’t know you! Eldest Cousin, help me beat him up!"
"Xu Lin, your parents and your older brother all know us. Unlike you, they aren’t so cruel and ungrateful."
Wang Yuejin spoke, enunciating every word. His voice was calm, but as the last syllable fell, a piercing pain shot through Xu Lin’s heart, making it clench violently.
The fingers hidden in her coat clenched so tightly that her veins bulged. She knew her father and brother were capable of choosing justice over family.
But her father and brother weren’t home from work yet. So, she said through gritted teeth, "You hooligan. I don’t know you."
Xu Lin was convinced she had the three of them right where she wanted them. They didn’t know anyone in the Imperial City, and this time, she was dead set on sending them to prison.
That would stop them from bothering her all the time, which not only hindered her prospects of finding a proper boyfriend but also caused her immense embarrassment.
"Xu Lin, do you really think we don’t know anyone in the Imperial City? That you can just push us around? I’ll prove I’m not a hooligan. You just wait."
Wang Yuejin said menacingly. He stood six feet tall, his body honed into a mass of sinewy muscle from years of farm work, making him look particularly formidable.
The eldest Xu grandson was at a loss. ’This is absolutely something my cousin would do.’
’But his current job was arranged by her maternal grandfather, so he couldn’t exactly call her out on it.’
’Should he go and fight the "hooligan" his cousin was pointing at? But he was sure he’d lose. He was in such a tough spot!’
’Still, he prepared to step in. His cousin might be terrible in a thousand ways, but he couldn’t let an outsider push her around.’
Xu Haifeng, who had just gotten home from his job at the electronics factory, overheard a few snippets of the conversation. No one knew his sister’s true character better than he did.
He knew Wang Yuejin and his two friends; they had often helped him with farm work back in their village.
He hurried forward, stepping in front of his eldest cousin. "Eldest Cousin, I know Wang Yuejin and his friends. They’re not hooligans."
"Brother! SOB... How could you side with an outsider against me? SOB... Do you have any idea? They show up at my school gates all the time! SOB... I’m too ashamed to even live..."
"You’re too ashamed to live, Xu Lin? If you didn’t want us looking for you, why didn’t you say so sooner? Then why did you accept the woolen coat our big brother gave you?"
Wang Dashu continued furiously, "We spent all the money we brought on gifts for you, and you took every single one! You’re the reason we’ve been sleeping under an overpass every night!"
"That’s right! If you weren’t interested in our brother, you should have just said so! It’s not like he can’t find a wife. Plenty of girls would love to marry him."
"Those are just village girls! What’s there to brag about?" Xu Lin blurted out in a panic.
"They may be village girls, but at least they’re kind-hearted and hardworking!"
"Unlike you! How could you be so vicious as to frame our brother as a hooligan? Has your conscience been eaten by a dog?"
At this point, all Wang Gousheng wanted was to go back to his village. People in the big city were just too terrifying.
If Gu Jiaojiao were here, she would have quipped: "The city’s full of traps, I’m heading back to the farm!"
"Enough talk, Xu Lin," Wang Yuejin said. "As of this moment, we’re through. Dashu, Gou Sheng, let’s go."
Without giving Xu Lin so much as a glance, Wang Yuejin swung his leg over the motorcycle Gu Jiaojiao had given him.
The infatuated gaze he usually reserved for Xu Lin was gone. The way he looked at her now was completely different.
His sharp, dark eyes had become as deep and vast as the ocean, concealing a bottomless hatred that threatened to surge forth at any moment.
When the Xu family’s third daughter saw that they even had a motorcycle, she ran after them a few steps and said shyly, "I’m willing to date you."
"Get lost," Wang Yuejin snapped, his anger boiling over. "I’m not interested in dating right now."
"Hold it right there! You think you can just walk all over a girl from the Xu Family?"
The eldest Xu grandson lunged forward to grab Wang Yuejin. Just as Wang Yuejin was swinging his leg over the motorcycle, he pulled it back.
As soon as Wang Yuejin steadied himself, the cousin grabbed his wrist and attempted a military-style shoulder throw, intending to slam him onto the ground.
But Wang Yuejin was no pushover. He brutally headbutted the cousin.
The move not only broke the cousin’s hold but was followed by a direct punch that left the cousin’s mouth bleeding.
The two men then started trading blows, each punch landing with a solid, meaty thud.
Wang Yuejin didn’t dare use his full strength. After all, they were just country folk. If he badly injured one of the Xu family, he’d be sent to prison for sure.
The eldest Xu grandson, however, fought with abandon, attacking recklessly and landing kicks and punches on Wang Yuejin.
Seeing the two locked in a vicious struggle, Xu Haifeng immediately rushed to break them apart. He didn’t want to see either of them get hurt.
"Eldest Cousin, Wang, stop fighting! Let’s talk this out properly."
Wang Yuejin was the first to stop. "Fine," he said. "Let’s clear the air once and for all. Forget about dating, forget about hooligans. The Xu family is clearly out of our league."
Xu Haifeng: ...
The Xu family’s third daughter said bashfully, "I’m serious about wanting to date you."
"I’m flattered that a lady like you would spare a country bumpkin like me a second glance, but I’m not interested in dating you," Wang Yuejin said icily.
The Xu family’s third daughter stomped her foot in frustration and ran back inside, crying.
Xu Lin, however, started crying again. "SOB... You made my eldest cousin bleed..."
"Hmph! Xu Lin, are you trying to get our brother sent to prison again?" Wang Dashu demanded furiously.
"We’re official employees of the Jiaoci Medical Equipment Factory now. If the Xu Family wants to cause trouble, you can take it up with our factory director."
Wang Yuejin had no desire to waste more words on the Xu family. He decided to bluff, hoping the factory’s name would intimidate them.
"What? You’re employees at the Jiaoci Medical Equipment Factory?" the eldest Xu grandson asked in disbelief.
