Chapter 328: Strutting Like a Rooster
Translator: Pika
Xu Qinsong calmed down when he heard Zu An’s statement. “Go ahead!”
He was already panicking, but figured that he should be all right playing defense. He could still redeem the situation as long as he matched two of them in a row.
How could a drafted son-in-law possibly have any scholarly knowledge? I refuse to believe that he has any tricks!
Zu An gave Sang Qian a look. You were the one who started this, so don’t blame me for what’s about to happen.
He looked straight at Zheng Dan and said, “One day, one dawn[1], one morning, one drought, one sunrise!”[2]
Xu Qinsong sighed in relief. A drafted son-in-law can only be a drafted son-in-law in the end; one such as you can only come up with such an easy phrase. ‘One day, one dawn, one morning...’
He was just thinking to himself how he was going to deal with it when he heard Sang Qian erupt in rage. “What are you looking at Miss Zheng for?!”
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 666 Rage points!
Xu Qinsong was shocked. If the young miss’ given name was Dan, then wouldn’t this word association of his have other meanings?
He broke out into cold sweat. He actually felt helpless before this opponent who was supposed to be easy to deal with.
Zu An only shrugged his shoulders at Sang Qian’s angry roar. “Miss Zheng is so beautiful. Isn’t it normal that I desire to look at her? Commander Sang cannot steal our right to admire a beauty just because the two of you are engaged, can he?”
“The meaning of your phrase is clearly... clearly...” Sang Qian was furious, but how could he actually say such a thing out loud?
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 250 Rage points!
Even Xie Daoyun gave Zu An a look of rebuke. Wasn’t he going too far, involving Zheng Dan like this?
“Hey, I’m just posing a phrase to be matched! I’m not targeting anyone! Even Miss Zheng doesn’t mind. What are the rest of you hollering for?” Zu An snorted.
Sang Qian walked over to Zheng Dan’s side. “Don’t be afraid. As long as you give me the word, I’m going to discipline this damn brat even if I have to offend the Chu clan today!” he said quietly.
Unexpectedly, Zheng Dan blushed and shook her head. “Student Zu’s literary pairing skills are so exquisite!” she sighed. “Even I cannot help but admire his ability.”
She might be the only one here who understood the meaning hidden behind this phrase. Wasn’t he referring to what had gone on between the two of them in that cave for half a month?
Her entire body heated up when she thought of this, and a wave of weakness flooded her body.
While everyone else was taking offence at his suggestive words, Zheng Dan not only felt no anger, but instead grew even more stimulated.
Sang Qian was completely stupefied when he looked at her. In that instant, his fiancée seemed faintly unfamiliar to him. However, after giving it some thought, he agreed with how she was dealing with this situation. If she acknowledged his insinuations, she would only be jumping straight into his trap. The damage to her reputation would be much greater at that point!
Having reasoned it out for himself, he allowed himself to relax.
Zu An noticed the expression in Zheng Dan’s bright and beautiful eyes. His heart skipped a beat. Perhaps he should assign her some missions in the future...
As the host of the gathering, Wang Yuanlong finally spoke up. “Since young master Xu has failed to match the phrase after so long, we shall be heading upstairs first. Of course, if young master Xu thinks of a matching phrase, you can come straight upstairs. I will take care of all of the costs.”
Zu An felt a great admiration for Wang Yuanlong. He was indeed worthy of being the heir of a great clan! His words left no room for questioning, and he had even saved Xu Qinsong a great deal of humiliation.
From the back of the room, Wei Suo excitedly applauded Zu An. “Boss, you really are incredible! You are a master at everything! I prostrate myself in admiration for you!”
Zu An laughed and said, “You flatter me!”
Xu Qinsong’s brows climbed upwards. Every single flattering word felt like a slap that struck him in the face. He hurriedly said, “It’s one thing for Zu An to be allowed upstairs, but why is this guy allowed to go as well?”
He had already noticed how close Wei Suo was to Zu An, and surmised that the two of them should be friends.
Since he couldn’t deal with Zu An, for better or for worse, he had to bring down this friend of his to reclaim some dignity.
As he pointed at Wei Suo, everyone’s eyes fell on him.
Wei Suo’s mind went blank. I’m done for! I don’t have the skills to rival my boss! I’ll really be a laughingstock if I get kicked out of the Four Way Restaurant today!
He really wanted to slap his own mouth. Why couldn’t he have kept a lower profile? Why did he have to jump out like that and piss others off?
Xie Daoyun’s beautiful brows knit together, but she refrained from saying anything. She wasn’t close to Wei Suo. If it wasn’t for Zu An, she might have never even appeared in the same place as him.
Wang Yuanlong didn’t say anything either. He hadn’t planned to invite Wei Suo today. He had only been invited at Zu An’s request.
There wasn’t really a need to stick his neck out for someone like Wei Suo.
Even though the Wei clan had a relative who served as an official in the capital, he was only an official in the imperial court. He might not even come to Brightmoon City once a year. The Wang clan and the Wei clan didn’t share much of a relationship.
Wei Suo clearly understood this as well. He didn’t want to trouble Zu An, or make a joke of himself. As such, he said to Zu An, “Boss, in that case, I’ll head home first.”
Seeing the forced smile on his friend’s face, Zu An frowned. He pulled him back. “You’re my friend. How can I let you go like this?”
He took a step forward and addressed the crowd. “If I recall correctly, the top talents in any field are welcome on the top floor. Am I correct?”
Wang Yuanlong nodded. “This is indeed the case.”
Zu An continued to ask, “Are there specific provisions that set out which fields are allowed?”
Wang Yuanlong said, “No, not at all. Usually, however...”
Before he could even finish his sentence, Zu An roared with laughter. “In that case, my friend obviously has the right to head upstairs!”
Everyone was stunned when they heard this. There didn’t seem to be anything special about this pervy-looking fellow at all!
Even Zheng Dan and Xie Daoyun looked at Wei Suo curiously.
Wei Suo was stunned. Do I really have some amazing talent even I am not aware of?
Xu Qinsong snorted. “Your word isn’t enough. What sort of skill does this brother have? Please tell us, so all of us can judge for ourselves.”
“Tell me, what color stockings does Principal Jiang love wearing the most?”
Wei Suo’s eyes lit up. “Both black stockings and nude stockings appear most often, at about the same frequency. But I like the black ones more,” he replied instantly without thinking.
Everyone was stunned. How could such a ridiculous thing count?
Zu An probed further, “How long are Principal Jiang’s legs?”
All the men present suddenly grew interested. The fact that Principal Jiang liked black stockings wasn’t a secret, but the length of Principal Jiang’s legs was something unknown to them.
Wei Suo blurted out, “Three feet and seven inches, I guarantee that the margin of error is less than an inch!”[3]
Everyone was convinced. This guy really was a talent!
The crowd turned their attention to Xie Daoyun and Zheng Dan. All of them had curious expressions in their eyes.
Zu An went with the flow and asked, “What about that miss Xie’s chest size...”
Xie Daoyun covered his mouth to stop him from finishing his sentence. “Enough, enough, I can guarantee that he is a genius in this field. He definitely has the qualifications to head upstairs. What do you say, young master Wang?”
Xie Daoyun’s entire face was red. She didn’t want her measurements to become public knowledge! Just what kind of friends did Zu An have at his side?
Now that the City Lord’s daughter had spoken, Wang Yuanlong naturally took advantage of the situation. “Of course, of course! Everyone, this way!”
No one else tried to stop them.
Wei Suo strutted forward and ascended the stairs, his head held high and chest puffed out like a proud rooster.
He had always had an inferiority complex since birth, and this novel feeling was truly refreshing.
All this was given to him by his boss! His eyes even became slightly moist when he thought of this.
...
The top floor was decorated in a very extravagant manner, but it wasn’t the least bit tacky, like the homes and properties of the nouveau riche. The Wang clan had clearly invested a lot of their time in designing this place.
The party took their seats one after another. Soon afterwards, Qiu Honglei arrived as well.
Given their close relationship, Zu An tried to speak with her, since it had been a while since they had last chatted. Unexpectedly, she alienated him, treating him the same way she treated the rest of the other guests.
Zu An grew crestfallen. What the heck was this girl playing at? Was she deliberately playing hard to get?
Zheng Dan grew slightly jealous when she saw Zu An approach Qiu Honglei. After all, Qiu Honglei was just too beautiful. As a woman, she sensed a powerful aura of danger surrounding her.
However, when she saw how his approach was rebuffed, the corners of her lips curled upwards. Serves you right!
Sang Qian felt a sense of inner relief at Qiu Honglei’s arrival. “Lady Qiu has arrived slightly later than the rest of us. I fear that you’ve missed brother Zu’s incredible display of literary talents. He really made a tenacious effort to fight off a great talent from Starfire City!”
Zu An was confused. This guy clearly hates me, so why did he suddenly speak on my behalf? Something is wrong!
“Oh? Something like that actually happened?” Qiu Honglei was somewhat surprised. Could it be that Ah Zu was talented in the literary arts as well? “It truly is a pity that Honglei wasn’t able to witness that.”
“It’s easy enough for you to catch a glimpse of his talents. Why don’t we have Zu An display his skills again? I believe brother Zu won’t disappoint such a gorgeous beauty, isn’t that right?” A malicious intent burned in Sang Qian’s eyes as he looked at Zu An.
1. The character for dawn is ‘Dan’, which is the same ‘Dan’ as the one in Zheng Dan’s name.
2. Probably a morning wood joke. Much of the meaning and interest is lost in the translation.
3. Chinese units of measurement are used here. Three feet is about equivalent to a meter.