Because in their hearts, they suddenly felt something similarâthey were taking a liking to this simple yet caring boy.
But their situation was even more serious than Chu Moâs, because they were Wang Yueâs cousins. For Chu Mo, it was just a matter of differing opinions between them and Wang Yue, but for them, the obstacles involved ethics.
After playing two games, it was already approaching noon. Wang Yue and the others were about to head upstairs to the restaurant for lunch when they saw several people walking towards them.
It was a group of young men, led by a man in his twenties who was dressed very elegantly.
"Mo Mo, what a coincidence! I never thought I would meet you here," the man at the head of the group said, greeting them with a smile.
"Zhang Qingtian," Chu Mo replied helplessly. This man was the fiancĂ© that her family had arranged for herâthe legitimate son of the Zhang family in Jinling.
Zhang Qingtian laughed and said, "Weâre almost getting married. Why do you still treat each other so formally?"
"Yeah, Mo Mo, thatâs really not right," Su Xiuâer said from beside them. "You should call him âZhang Lao Siâ instead."
"You..." Zhang Qingtian was instantly furious.
During a previous gathering, Zhang Qingtianâs father, in order to please an important person, had deliberately claimed that he was called Zhang Lao San and pointed at Zhang Qingtian, saying that he was his son Zhang Lao Si.
Later, someone must have spread this story, and it became known throughout Jinling. The nickname "Zhang Lao San" and "Zhang Lao Si" became the biggest taboo between the father and son.
"What about it? Itâs the names you gave yourselvesâso you donât allow others to use them?" Su Xiuâer snapped.
Although Zhang Qingtian was furious, he still took the Su family into consideration and ignored Su Xiuâerâs provocation. Instead, he looked at Chu Mo and said, "Mo Mo, come with me!"
"Why should I go with you?" Su Xiuâer stepped in front of Chu Mo. "Not to mention that Mo Mo hasnât married into your Zhang family yetâeven if she had, you donât have the right to restrict her freedom."
Zhang Qingtian was filled with anger, but he didnât dare to act out. He just stood in front of them, blocking their way.
Wang Yue stepped forward and said, "Zhang Lao Si, right? Weâre going to eat now. Please move aside."
"Stop calling me that!" Seeing that even a kid like Wang Yue was provoking him, Zhang Qingtian lost his temper and shouted, "Otherwise, donât blame me for being rude."
"How exactly do you plan to be rude?" Wang Yue dug at his ear with his little finger, acting like a ruffian.
"Wang Yue, others may be afraid of you, but Iâm not!" Zhang Qingtian roared.
"No one told you to be afraid of me. I just asked you to move out of the way. As the saying goes, a good dog doesnât block the pathâso youâre not even as good as a dog, are you?" Wang Yue said calmly.
Zhang Qingtian clenched his fists, but he didnât dare to attack Wang Yue. Instead, he glared at Chu Mo and shouted, "Chu Mo, Iâm asking you one last timeâwill you come with me or not?"
"Truly a dog that blocks the path... and a stubborn one at that," Wang Yue turned to his cousin and asked, "Jiao Jiao, what should we do when we encounter a stubborn dog blocking the way?"
Su Jiao Jiao, who wasnât afraid of causing a scene, immediately replied, "Of course, we should kick it away."
"Thatâs right," Wang Yue said, then suddenly kicked Zhang Qingtian in the chest.
Zhang Qingtian didnât expect Wang Yue to dare attack him in public, and the kick came so quickly that he couldnât dodge it at all. He stumbled back several steps, but fortunately, his companions helped him up so he didnât fall.
"Wang Yue, you dared to hit me!" Zhang Qingtian was both shocked and angry.
"Whatâs wrong with hitting you? Iâm just teaching you how to behave," Wang Yue said calmly. "In Jinling, itâs not your turn to act so arrogantly just because you have the surname Zhang."
There were many people in the video game arcade, and the commotion had already attracted quite a few onlookers. Hearing what Wang Yue said, they all secretly rolled their eyes.
From beginning to end, they hadnât seen Zhang Qingtian act arrogantly at allâhis request was simply for his fiancĂ©e to come with him. On the other hand, it was Wang Yue who had first provoked Su Xiuâer, and then actually hit someone. Now, he was accusing the other party of being arrogant.
But no matter what they thought, none of them dared to say anything.
Who were these two people?
One was the young master of the Zhang family in Jinling, and the other was the only descendant of one of the three major families in Jinling.
This was truly a battle between godsâit was better for ordinary people like them to stay away.
At this moment, Zhang Qingtian was so angry that he didnât dare to speak out. He felt extremely frustrated.
Although he also had the fifth level of the Qi Cultivation realm, from that kick just now, he could tell that Wang Yueâs strength had already surpassed what the Zhang family had recorded.
In other words, against Wang Yue, he couldnât win either in terms of background or personal ability. Even if he decided to risk everything and fight, he would only suffer losses at first and might face further consequences later.
"Fine, fine... letâs see what happens!" With no other choice, Zhang Qingtian left with a defiant remark. But before he walked away, his resentful gaze wasnât directed at Wang Yueâit was at Chu Mo, who was still standing behind Su Xiuer.
"See that? Such people bully the weak and fear the strong, and they also like to shift their anger onto others. They certainly arenât any good partners," Su Xiuâer took the opportunity to say.
Chu Mo smiled bitterly and said, "I already knew that, but this was arranged by my family. What can I do about it?"
"How can you do nothing?" Su Xiuâer replied. "My mom is rightâthere are many ways to repay the family. Why must one sacrifice oneâs entire life for it?"
Seeing that the onlookers still hadnât dispersed, Wang Yue suggested, "Letâs go. Letâs eat first."
On the upper floor of the video game arcade was an all-you-can-eat restaurant. After entering, Su Xiuâer said again, "Mo Mo, Xiao Yue, you two go find a table. I know what you like to eat."
Chu Mo nodded and, along with Wang Yue, found a table where no one was sitting. Suddenly, she asked, "Wang Yue, are you trying to pursue me?"
"Huh?" Wang Yue smiled sheepishly. "You noticed that?"
"With Xiuâer arranging everything so deliberately, it would be strange if I didnât," Chu Mo said with a smile, then suddenly became serious. "Thank you both."
Wang Yue was puzzled. "If Iâm trying to pursue you, why would you say thank you?"
"Because I know that you wanted to use this method to make me oppose the marriage arrangement with the Zhang family, and then you would step in to help me. Thatâs why I want to thank you."
"Donât say that. You are such a good friend to me and my two cousins. If not us, who else would help you?" Wang Yue laughed. "Moreover, this is also beneficial for all three of our families."
Chu Mo fell silent for a moment before suddenly saying, "So, pursuing me was just a task assigned to you by your cousins? You didnât really have such feelings yourself?"
"Well, itâs not that... actually... um... I donât really know how to put it," Wang Yue stammered.
This time, it wasnât that he was pretending to be innocent; he really didnât know how to answer.
To say that he didnât like Chu Mo would be absolutely false. After all, as a proper "little flirt," if he didnât like a beauty like Chu Mo, then he wouldnât be considered a proper one at all.
But to say that he liked her very much and wanted to pursue her desperately would also be an exaggeration. After all, they had just met and didnât know much about each other yet.
Moreover, although Chu Mo was indeed a peerless beauty, were there any of the beauties from the three major families who were inferior to her? In fact, there were quite a few who were even more beautifulâsuch as Wang Yueâs two cousins.