Chapter 27: Wanting to Embarrass Ling Tian

"Yoran is my woman, which makes you my brother-in-law. Go on, I won't beat you up today!" With a wave of his hand, Ling Tian dismissed him, but Li Feng was furious. In his eyes, his gentle, kind, and beautiful sister was not to be insulted by anyone, and he certainly didn't believe Ling Tian's words were true.

"You dare slander my sister? I'll fight you!" Li Feng charged at Ling Tian, but this time Shi Xiaocai did not intervene. He thought this was a matter between Ling Tian and his future brother-in-law, and it wasn't their place to meddle—even if Ling Tian hadn't won Yoran yet, that didn't mean he never would.

"You could ask your sister first, see if I slept at her place two nights ago." Ling Tian easily caught Li Feng's swinging fist, holding him fast, making it impossible for Li Feng to move.

"You—you're making it up!" Li Feng struggled desperately, but his fist was tightly gripped. Though he was skilled, he found himself powerless against Ling Tian, as if an ant tried to shake a tree.

What startled Li Feng most was Ling Tian's absolute confidence—the smile of a man sure of his conquest, the expression of one who had already claimed the woman. Li Feng knew that look well; it had often appeared on his own face.

Could it be that his sister had already been claimed by this man? Worst of all, this scoundrel was now pursuing Lin Elegant as well. If he were simply his sister's boyfriend, Li Feng might have called him brother-in-law, but this bastard not only possessed his sister but also competed with him for Lin Elegant, courting both women Li Feng cared about. He deserved to die a thousand deaths!

Li Feng deeply despised Ling Tian's playboy ways, though he'd forgotten that he was even more of a philanderer—he’d courted hundreds of women, and those he'd slept with numbered at least in the hundreds, the classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.

He struggled a while longer, even launching a few kicks, all dodged by Ling Tian. Finally, Li Feng gave up, glaring hatefully at Ling Tian.

Ling Tian's lips curled in a smile. Once Li Feng stopped struggling, he let him go. As both Lin Elegant's pursuer and Yoran's cousin, Li Feng was someone Ling Tian would have to deal with often. Clearly, Li Feng was still unconvinced, but he would be handled in due time.

"Hmph! Ling Tian, I won't let you off!" Regaining his freedom, Li Feng rubbed his numb hand and spat out a threat before leaving in disgrace. He rarely suffered so humiliating a defeat—his family shielded him, but Ling Tian was not one to be intimidated.

He wasn't hurt; Ling Tian hadn't really acted against him. But in terms of presence, he had been utterly defeated. As Lin Elegant's suitor, he hadn't chased away his rival; as Yoran's dear cousin, he hadn't protected his sister. The grievance he felt was unlike anything he'd ever experienced.

"Ling Tian, you're going to have trouble ahead. I can't believe you've only been here a few days and you've already clashed so directly with that young master." Watching Li Feng walk away, Yuan Bao voiced his concern.

"Exactly. That young master is the hardest to deal with, and you happen to be interested in both women he cares about. Ling Tian, maybe you should give up—no need to go against Li Feng." Dai Jin was worried too.

Shi Xiaocai and Ling Tian were new, unfamiliar with the school's dynamics and Li Feng's reputation. Yuan Bao and Dai Jin, however, knew the situation very well.

"Didn't you see him slink away? Don't worry, he can't do anything to me. Come on, let's go find Elegant." Ling Tian patted his brothers' shoulders, reassuring them. He was confident: chasing women was like fighting battles; obstacles were inevitable.

"Alright, let's hope your luck holds." Dai Jin was helpless, seeing Ling Tian so unconcerned.

"It's not luck—it's strength!" Ling Tian added quietly. He trusted only in his own abilities; whether in work or love, strength was the most reliable asset.

Lin Elegant was indeed waiting at the villa. Early that morning, Song Xiaomei had told her all about last night's events, especially Dai Jin's rather silly plan.

Lin Elegant curled her lip dismissively. "A bunch of nouveau riche bumpkins. Do they really think wearing gold chains will earn them any respect?" If not for needing someone as a shield, she wouldn't bother with such people.

Yet what surprised her was that Ling Tian's family actually had money—enough to give their child tens of thousands in cash and several diamond rings, better than most families. However, if he hoped to win her heart, he was still far from qualified; some gaps could not be bridged with money.

"Cousin, I actually think Ling Tian is pretty good." Song Xiaomei tried to persuade Lin Elegant to accept Ling Tian, hoping he would create opportunities for her and Shi Xiaocai to become a couple—a temptation she found irresistible.

"Pretty good? In what way?" Lin Elegant saw nothing admirable in Ling Tian: slick-talking, vulgar, crude—nothing appealing.

"I think he's quite handsome, though a bit less than Shi Xiaocai. He's great in a fight, so he can protect you, and his family isn't poor, so he won't be a freeloader. Cousin, maybe you should try dating him."

Song Xiaomei strained to find compliments, but aside from his prowess in fighting, she struggled. Even his looks, she qualified as inferior to Shi Xiaocai. The more she spoke, the less confident she became.

"Xiaomei, there are many men more handsome than him, and many better fighters. Any decent man won't be a freeloader. If you want to sell me at a discount, don't pawn me off on someone like him, okay?" Lin Elegant glared at her beloved sister, infuriated at the suggestion to date Ling Tian. Her sister was truly eccentric—she liked monks, after all.

Just as Lin Elegant was stewing, the doorbell rang. Ling Tian and his companions arrived. Her villa had only one housekeeper, who opened the door, and the group entered smiling.

The villa was lavishly decorated, but these men were not unaccustomed to luxury. Yuan Bao had visited Dai Jin's similarly styled home, and Ling Tian, more worldly than most, came from a family built on wealth. So they sat calmly in the living room, perfectly at ease.

Their composure surprised Lin Elegant. She had expected these bumpkins to gawk at her villa, but they behaved as if nothing were amiss—perhaps they did have some family assets.

Nevertheless, Lin Elegant sneered at Ling Tian and Yuan Bao's attire—tacky!

Ling Tian didn't care how Lin Elegant looked down on him. Smiling, he took out the hundred thousand yuan from Shi Xiaocai's bag and placed it before her.

"I didn't expect you could actually come up with a hundred thousand. Seems I underestimated you." Lin Elegant glanced at the money without touching it; she had no need for it. She had only demanded it to make things difficult for Ling Tian.

Ling Tian smiled to himself—she truly had underestimated him. Lin Elegant, he vowed, would willingly become his woman. Pursuing her was his chief goal, and he'd spent much of last night pondering how.

"Wife, I've brought the money. As agreed, I can pursue you now. Where would you like to go? I'll accompany you." Ling Tian had heard that, during courtship, one must accompany the girl as much as possible.

Hearing Ling Tian offer to accompany her, Lin Elegant was hesitant. Being seen with this bumpkin would ruin her image. Yesterday, his cheap clothes merely made him look poor, but today, pairing similar-priced clothes with gold chains and diamond rings was simply tasteless.

If you're strapped for cash, don't flaunt flashy jewelry; if you're not, wear better clothes. What is this? Still, she wouldn't tell him so—if he looked ridiculous, it was his problem.

Ah, ridiculous? Yes!

Lin Elegant suddenly thought of a way to put Ling Tian in his place. With his mismatched outfit, he was sure to be laughed at by many—let him make a fool of himself. With that in mind, she parted her lips and said, "I want to go shopping!"

"Shopping! Great, great! I want to go too. With these four as porters, we can buy loads!" Song Xiaomei perked up instantly. Women are odd—most adore shopping, even if they buy nothing. Of course, Lin Elegant and Song Xiaomei were shopaholics.

"Alright, I'll be your porter then. Dai Jin, Yuan Bao, Shi Xiaocai, let's all go shopping!" Ling Tian quickly called his brothers. Truth be told, he'd never accompanied a girl shopping, nor shopped himself—he simply bought whatever he needed. Aimless wandering was new to him, but since he'd be courting women often in the future, shopping was a necessary skill to master.

"Shopping! Uh, no thanks. Yuan Bao and I have things to do. You and Shi Xiaocai can escort the ladies. We'll head out first!" Dai Jin dragged Yuan Bao toward the door; he'd suffered shopping with women before and wanted no part of that torture.

"Yes, we have things to do, so we'll leave first." Yuan Bao followed Dai Jin, eager to avoid being persuaded to stay. He hated shopping as much as anyone; these women weren't even his girlfriends—no reason to suffer.

"Hmph! Not very friendly, but at least Xiaocai is." Song Xiaomei hooked her arm through Shi Xiaocai's.

Shi Xiaocai had never accompanied a girl shopping either, but he'd heard that many girls loved it, and was curious about what they browsed. So, he didn't refuse Song Xiaomei.

As for Ling Tian, he had no idea Lin Elegant intended to embarrass him, so he followed along, carefree. He believed he could handle anything and anyone—including beautiful women.