It was just a love letter; I'm really no great writer!

This was the first time I'd ever seen her so panicked.

Lu Ran peeked out from under the thin blanket, his eyes clear: "Phew~ It's fine if your dad comes back."

Are you going to eat people?

Zhao Yishuang's cold gaze swept across the windowsill: "Jump down from there."

"No, sis, I'm still injured!"

Lu Ran smiled, then realized she was serious and couldn't help but shudder. "Your dad... surely he wouldn't be like that..."

No matter what, I'm not some young punk who drives a ghost fire.

Zhao Yishuang said quietly, "Do you know why no boy dares to approach me?"

I understand what you mean.

Without saying a word, Lu Ran grabbed his leg and rolled off the bed, limping awkwardly towards the windowsill, looking just like the Monkey King running away in A Chinese Odyssey.

While combing her hair, Zhao Yishuang prepared to delay at the door.

Pong!

The door opened.

Zhao Zheng, the Grand Chancellor of Qingdu, strode into the room.

"Yishuang, look..."

Zhao Zheng's beaming expression froze.

I watched the handsome boy who was about to climb out the window.

His once calm and composed heart was stirred by a complex mix of emotions, including shock, anger, and heartache, which ultimately manifested as an extremely somber expression on his face.

It was a sense of oppression from those in power, as if a single word could decide the fate of countless people, the majesty ingrained by long-term immersion in power.

Pierced by that gaze that seemed so solid.

Lu Ran's mind went blank for a moment, then he calmly sat down at his desk and gently turned his head: "Hello, Uncle."

Zhao Zheng ignored him.

He slowly looked at his favorite daughter, a cold smile playing on his lips, his voice like a guillotine: "What did you promise me last time?"

The pale moonlight, like a light veil, shone on Zhao Yishuang's lifeless and cold expression.

"You, go back." Only then did Zhao Zheng look at Lu Ran properly.

The tall figure blocked out all the light behind the door, casting an even taller and larger shadow.

Lu Ran's heart skipped a beat. Suppressing his unknown fear, he tried to keep his voice steady: "Uncle, please don't misunderstand. Zhao Yishuang is just tutoring me."

Zhao Zheng said coldly, "Yi Shuang, you tell me yourself."

"It's...tutoring..." Zhao Yishuang said with difficulty, her head down.

It's tutoring! Lu Ran felt a surge of anxiety.

"You didn't like this boy, so you invited him over?" Zhao Zheng's face showed some disappointment. "Have you forgotten our agreement from last time?"

Zhao Yishuang's shoulders trembled, like a small white flower shaking in a storm, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Uncle..." Lu Ran stood up, ready to self-destruct.

"You wrote that love letter, didn't you?" Zhao Zheng interrupted casually.

"We didn't pursue the matter that time because you were still young. Yishuang promised us that she would cut off all contact with you as compensation..."

"At your age, to have a work published in a textbook means your future is limitless."

Lu Ran paused.

The inclusion of "The Song of the Pipa" in textbooks was actually orchestrated by the Zhao family behind the scenes.

"Can……"

He looked at the sobbing Zhao Yishuang, his heart ached, and dragged his injured leg to meet Zhao Zheng's gaze, "What you did was wrong."

Zhao Zheng squinted.

His rage at discovering a strange boy in his daughter's room had not subsided.

However, what surprised me even more was the boy's composure; an ordinary boy would have been terrified or shown his fear.

But this young man possessed a fearless and composed demeanor.

After a moment's thought, a conclusion was reached: it was nothing more than early fame that inflated his confidence to an unprecedented level.

He smiled faintly: "Are parents who don't allow their daughters to have early relationships wrong? If I remember correctly, according to the school rules of Huaicheng No. 1 High School, expelling you would be more than enough."

"We didn't have a puppy love relationship."

Lu Ran slowly said, "Besides, Huaizhong isn't that conservative. Our physics teacher is a graduate of Huaizhong."

"Back then, she and her boyfriend encouraged each other and got into Tsinghua and Peking Universities together. Now they are married. She told us about those times, and that love during youth is very beautiful."

"Uncle, are you still thinking from decades ago? This is a new era..."

Zhao Zheng's face twitched, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

—It's over!

Zhao Yishuang quickly pushed Lu Ran, saying, "Stop talking, go back now."

She knew her father's temperament all too well; he seemed magnanimous and unyielding, but in reality, saving face was more important than anything else.

It is utterly unacceptable for a mere high-ranking official to be lectured so eloquently by a group of high school students.

There's a saying circulating in Qing Dynasty officialdom: "You think you can get ahead after offending the Grand Chancellor? Go home and grow potatoes!"

Maybe it wasn't a big deal to begin with.

Now, it seems unlikely that things will end well...

Lu Ran has a vast collection of books in his dreams, but those are just dreams and cannot be directly transformed into life experience.

Being loved by his uncle, Zheng Qianyun, Aunt Shen, Aunt Song and other elders made him naively believe that he could persuade Zhao's father by reasoning with him.

Zhao Zheng listened silently to Lu Ran finish speaking, then said, "That's right, I'm not a young person, so I'll let a young person talk to you."

He took out his phone and made a call. "Qingqing, are you in Huaicheng? Yes, come home."

"Dad—!" Zhao Yishuang's face turned pale.

Judging from her expression, this was clearly a more troublesome person...

Lu Ran's head throbbed even more.

Zhao Zheng concluded: "Whether it's tutoring or puppy love, I'll only say one thing: it's absolutely impossible for you to climb up the Zhao family's social ladder."

"You only have a bit of eccentric talent. To be worthy of my daughter, one must have extraordinary talent."

"Kid, you're way off."

"Return the Zhao family name to its former glory? I'm not in a romantic comedy like Tang Bohu and Qiu Xiang..." Lu Ran thought to himself.

This old man always thinks he's incredibly awesome, probably because there are too many people flattering him.

So what if I don't pursue a career in government? I come from the people and I will go back to the people. The people like what I do, don't you?

He chuckled.

"Your bodies and names will perish, but the rivers will flow on forever."

……

This unexpected meeting naturally ended unhappily.

Lu Ran paid the price for his recklessness.

Zhao Zheng announced that Lu Ran would be transferred from Huaizhong and that he would be strictly forbidden from having any further contact with Zhao Yishuang.

Lu Ran reluctantly agreed to the first condition.

He discovered that he was not incapable of understanding Zhao Zheng's vigilance.

If a young boy tried to get close to Lu Zhuozhuo, she would probably be even more aggressive than Zhao Zheng, at least she wouldn't be as shrewd.

The moonlight was beautiful when I walked out of the Zhao family villa.

Lu Ran glanced back at the classical and luxurious building, thinking to himself that in the end, his reputation was too small and his strength too weak.

No wonder novels always depict young people achieving extraordinary success; in reality, ordinariness is the norm. That's why the tale of mortals cultivating immortality is so moving.

Have you not seen how the river changes direction every thirty years, sometimes flowing west and sometimes east...?

Don't bully young poor!

Don't underestimate the poor middle-aged!

Don't underestimate the poor!

Under the hazy moonlight, a Lamborghini convertible sports car gleamed with a dark purple pearlescent light, and a short-haired woman gracefully beckoned with her finger.

Lu Ran limped closer and looked at Zhao Yishuang's aunt, Zhao Qingqing.

She had a pair of captivating eyes that seemed to gaze affectionately at even a dog, but her expression was one of unrestrained sarcasm: "Lu Ran? He's not all that great."

Okay, even worse than Zhao Zheng...

"Excuse me, Auntie, could you please take me home? It's the East Court of Century Community." Lu Ran got into the passenger seat without any hesitation.

"Little brat." Zhao Qingqing pouted and started the sports car.

"Old auntie".

"Little brat!"

"Old auntie".

"Little brat! Little brat! Little brat!..."

Zhao Qingqing was driving fast on the winding mountain road, dappled shadows of trees brushing past her profile. Suddenly, she let out a maniacal laugh, "Hahaha, don't think that transferring schools is the end of it. I'll be keeping an eye on you."

"Until I determine that you've given up your desire for Yishuang. Otherwise... I'll keep spying on you."

"Hmm~"

She licked her lips, a hint of arrogance in her eyes. "Don't blame me for being ruthless; it's your own fault for talking back to my brother."

"He's notoriously petty."

You're insane!

Lu Ran began to regret arguing with Zhao Zheng.

That's truly the law.

That old man is so stubborn and inflexible, and he even sent this crazy woman to torment me...

……

Meanwhile, Shuangliu Avenue.

The editorial team from the People's Publishing House in Beijing traveled to the Four Seasons Hotel with a mixture of hesitation and excitement, accompanied by Li Kangze from Lingran Culture.

"Will I be able to meet Mr. Lu Ran tomorrow?" Editor-in-Chief Wu Qiaosong, who is over sixty years old, could not hide his anticipation.

"Uh, tomorrow won't work yet," Li Kangze said awkwardly.

"And the day after tomorrow?" Wu Qiaosong pressed.

"The day after tomorrow won't work either, Lu Ran's final exams are three days long." Li Kangze wiped his sweat. "Our book launch was scheduled for the 12th, but we didn't expect all the teachers to arrive early."

The editorial board members looked at each other in bewilderment.

Final exams?