It all started when Zhang iyan was dating Tang De, only for her own sister, Zhang ilan, to secretly climb into his bed. This left Zhang iyan deeply resentful, and she had loathed her second sister with a passion ever since.
"Alright, iyan," a sonorous voice called out. It was Zhang ilan’s father, Old Master Zhang. Despite being nearly seventy, he looked hale and hearty.
"Father, this is the gift ilan brought for you," Zhang ilan said, looking at Old Master Zhang with respect. She signaled for Tang De to present the gift.
"Sit down, ilan." Old Master Zhang felt a asure of disappointnt toward his cleverest second daughter. What a waste of an opportunity to marry into a wealthy family. Now, she’s the worst-off among all my children. This made him view his second daughter with considerable displeasure.
"Tang Xuewu, why are we letting a fool ruin our family banquet?" a few of the younger relatives demanded, glaring angrily at her. "Hurry up and call a taxi to send him away. I’ll cover the fare!"
"That’s not necessary. We have a car; I was just dropping my parents off," Tang Xuewu sighed helplessly, helping Qin Long toward the main entrance. "I was just about to take Qin Long for a tour of the Xiajiang District anyway."
"Haha, Dad, we’re not late, are we?" a familiar voice announced as Zhang ide’s family arrived. "Our Mingjie insisted on buying you a jade Buddha, so we got held up."
"Ah, ide is here! Quick, find her a seat!" a guest called out. "And Mingjie, you ca too! We were just hoping to ask a favor of you!"
Zhang ide instantly beca the center of attention. After all, her son-in-law, Li Mingjie, was a governnt official. In the eyes of the Zhang family, he was a powerful dignitary they absolutely could not afford to offend.
Dressed in a blue suit, Li Mingjie swaggered in, basking in the adoration of others. But when he saw Qin Long walking toward him, his expression changed abruptly, and he froze in his tracks. At that instant, the surrounding mbers of the Zhang family stood rooted to the spot.
"Hey, you fool! Get out of Brother Mingjie’s way!" yelled Tang Xuewu’s cousin, Zhang Xiaoran.
But Qin Long ignored her completely. I’m only stuck shoveling manure at a dog farm because I offended this man, Li Mingjie knew.
"Young Master Qin, you’re here as well..." he grit his teeth, stepping forward to approach Qin Long with a fawning expression.
That address—"Young Master Qin"—made Zhang Xiaoran’s jaw drop. The surrounding Zhang family mbers looked on in disbelief.
Who was Li Mingjie? He was an influential official from Jiangzhong, a big shot with real power. This was the very reason the Zhang family curried favor with him; his status was completely out of their reach.
And Qin Long? He was a fool. A disabled one, at that. He was a poor wretch who relied on Tang Xuewu for everything, freeloading off the Tang family for his food and shelter.
The two were worlds apart—one the brilliant moon, the other a faint flicker of light. Qin Long couldn’t hope to reach Li Mingjie’s status in ten lifetis. Yet, this powerful figure was bowing so humbly before him.
What in the world? This is unbelievable.
"Ah, Brother Mingjie, you must be joking around with the fool, hehe!" Zhang Xiaoran chid in, quickly trying to make sense of the situation.
Hearing this, the younger mbers of the Zhang family erupted in laughter. "That’s right! This fool is actually good for a laugh!" one of them said. "He really does have the air of a ’Young Master Qin,’ doesn’t he? HAHAHA!"
But Li Mingjie remained utterly serious, his eyes fixed on Qin Long. Even Zhang ide’s usually boisterous children were silent. Monts ago, they had been swaggering with arrogance; now, they were as quiet as mice that had spotted a cat.
Zhang ide’s eldest brother, Zhang Daojun, frowned and waved urgently at her. "ide, what are you all standing over there for? Hurry and co in! Ignore that fool and co have a drink."
"This..." Ignoring everyone else, Zhang ide seed to co to her senses and walked over to Qin Long’s side.
"Qin Long, a friend of mine’s grandfather is an acupuncture master. Perhaps he could help heal your right leg," she said, looking at him with utter respect. "When the ti cos, how about I drive you there to see him myself?"
This scene stunned the Zhang family once again. First Li Mingjie, and now the perpetually proud Zhang ide were acting this way.
"It seems your new job has changed you quite a bit," Qin Long said with a faint smile, looking at Li Mingjie.
"I now understand the aning of hard work, and I appreciate the lesson you’ve taught , Young Master. It’s just that the environnt is a bit... pungent," Li Mingjie replied, looking embarrassed.
"Qin Long, we’re all family. Now that Mingjie has been punished, could you perhaps..." Zhang ide whispered from the side, trying to seize the opportunity to have Qin Long help restore Li Mingjie’s position.
"Young Master Qin, I truly, deeply regret my actions..." Li Mingjie lowered his head, admitting his fault once more.
The Zhang family couldn’t hear them, but Tang Xuewu heard every word. Comparing Zhang ide’s previous attitude to her current obsequious manner, Tang Xuewu found it incredibly satisfying. She was also discovering that Qin Long could be truly formidable at tis; the man had many strengths.
"Keep working hard for now. We’ll talk about it after so ti has passed," Qin Long said, giving Li Mingjie a slight, dismissive wave.
"Thank you, Young Master Qin! Thank you so much!" Li Mingjie was so excited he looked like he was about to jump for joy. Qin Long’s words clearly ant there was hope.
"Alright, you can go now," Qin Long said nonchalantly, gesturing for them to clear the path.
"Right away!" Li Mingjie chirped, following Zhang ide and his group toward the main table for drinks.
Seeing this, the Zhang family was utterly baffled. Normally, Zhang ide would have greeted her father first, yet she had gone out of her way to greet Qin Long instead. What the hell? Isn’t this a slap in the face to the entire Zhang family? Is she saying the old master is less worthy of respect than a cripple?
As the rest of the shocked and confused Zhang family looked on, her eldest brother, Zhang Daojun, muttered angrily to himself, "Has she lost her mind? How could she do sothing so stupid?"
"Alright, Xuewu, just go and sit down," Zhang Daojun called out, sounding resigned.
Not wanting to cause her grandfather any more embarrassnt, Tang Xuewu simply nodded and helped Qin Long to a seat at a table in the farthest corner, where they were completely ignored by everyone. Qin Long, however, didn’t seem to care in the slightest as he dug into the delicious food with relish.
"Qin Long, here’s your favorite roasted lamb leg," Tang Xuewu said, personally bringing a large platter over to him.
"Mm, not bad. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside." Taking a bite, Qin Long grinned, flashing his white teeth.
From across the way, Zhang Xiaoran watched them and sneered. "That cripple is truly shaless. How can he have the heart to eat roasted lamb leg?" her icy voice cut through the air. She then turned to Li Mingjie. "Brother Mingjie, it seems you know that cripple. Are you two good friends?"
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