A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man In Rage)
Chapter 1900

"Zixi, from now on, you will serve Mr. Chu day and night," Zhang Jiuling ordered in a serious tone.

Zhang Zixi bowed elegantly. "Yes, Grandpa."

Meanwhile, the corner of Lu Ziming's eyes twitch at the sight.

Zhang Jiuling, you old fox. You are trying to ingratiate yourself with Ye Fan by offering him a beautiful girl.

On the surface, it looked as if Ye Fan was the one who benefited from the arrangement.

After all, anyone under normal circumstances would be ecstatic to have such a stunning beauty.

However, the true beneficiary of the arrangement was the Zhang family.

Regardless of whether Ye Fan was interested in Zhang Zixi, everyone would assume she was Ye Fan's woman as long as she stayed by his side all the time.

By doing so, the Zhang family would inadvertently be linked to Ye Fan.

On top of that, there was a chance sparks might fly between them after spending so much time together.

Two or three years later, the Zhang family would have struck gold once she carried Ye Fan's child. As a result, Ye Fan's descendants would carry the Zhang family's blood.

If it had happened duringancienttimes, Zhang Jiuling would already be considered a monarch's uncle. Therefore, Zhang Jiuling's legacy would be to plant the seeds for the future glory of the Zhang family. "About that, Mr. Chu. Given your distinguished status, having Zixi serve you alone wouldn't be enough. Hence, I have a niece who's about seventeen. She too has exceptionally good looks and an alluring figure. Why don't..."

Lu Ziming began to set his agenda in motion by offering his niece to Ye Fan.

At that very moment, Zhang Jiuling's expression drastically changed.

"Lu Ziming, are you trying to cause trouble? Mr. Chu has many important tasks at hand. How can you just let an ordinary girl serve him? I'm afraid she would end up being a burden instead. Mr. Chu certainly has no time to be a babysitter for you!" Zhang Jiuling asserted grimly.

"Damn it, Zhang. How could you say that? As if you gifting Mr. Chu a girl isn't causing him trouble? When I do, it becomes as such? You old fogey, aren't you being unreasonable here? I can't let you have all the benefits, you know," Lu Ziming expressed his displeasure.

"How is that the same? Zixi is both pretty and capable. Not only does she have the looks, but she also has the skills to back it up. Anyone below the rank of Grandmaster will be no match for her. Beyond giving Mr. Chu pleasure, she can also help him solve his problems."

When he saw both old men about to quarrel, Ye Fan felt his eyes twitch. He was naturally stumped by their response.

"Enough, stop arguing. I appreciate what you want to do for me. However, I'm used to traveling alone and have no need for any company at all. Therefore, Lu Ziming, there's no need for you to try and push your niece. And you, your granddaughter doesn't need to come with me either. Besides, I don't like forcing others to do things they don't like."

With that, Ye Fan turned around and looked at the charming maiden.

He smiled at her. "Zhang Zixi, am I right? You have a beautiful-sounding name and the looks to go with it. Furthermore, you are very talented and courageous at the same time. In fact, I still can't believe that the Zhang family, a martial arts family that has fallen from grace, can still produce such an exceptional young lady. However, young miss, there's no need for you to betray your own will to ingratiate yourself with others. Instead, you should just be yourself.

"The next time your grandpa wants to give you away to someone, you should break his nose with a punch instead. On top of that, you should tell him to go serve that someone himself. Regardless of whether one is a boy or girl, it's important to be with someone that you like. Hence, I hope that you will meet the boy of your dreams and bravely pursue him without a care for worthless things like conservatism or pride for if you missed the opportunity, you will regret it for the rest of your life."

As Ye Fan spoke solemnly, his words were tinged with an inexplicable hint of emotions.

At that moment, the images of Qiu Mucheng, Tang Yun, and Eigetsu flash across his mind.

Despite all the wonderful girls by his side, he still ended up alone.

Perhaps that's how life is supposed to be. Being with someone is just temporary. Only loneliness and separation are permanent.

Shaking his head with a smile, Ye Fan turned and left.

However, Zhang Jiuling wasn't going to give up that easily. Cognizant that Ye Fan was going to India, he took out a letter that he had prepared and gave it to him.

It appeared that Zhang Zixi had a cousin who was coincidentally in India.

Therefore, Zhang Jiuling requested Ye Fan to pass her the letter.

Ye Fan didn't decline, as it was just a simple task.

With that, he finally left.

Watching Ye Fan's silhouette go, Zhang Zixi gritted her teeth while being overwhelmed by conflicting

emotions. Struggling with them caused her entire face to redden.

Finally, she made a decision and steeled her resolve.

Dashing out of the hall and into the courtyard, she yelled in the direction of where Ye Fan had gone, "Mr. Chu, Grandpa didn't force me to do it. I willingly want to follow you and stay by your side."

As the gentle breeze blew across the humid land of Westlake, Zhang Zixi's words seemed to be shattered by it.

At the same time, the budding leaves and tiny gravel on the ground rustled together with the wind.

"Silly gal, stop shouting. Mr. Chu is already long gone," Zhang Jiuling murmured as he walked out. Looking out at the horizon, Zhang Zixi could no longer see any signs of that scrawny silhouette. At that moment, a sense of emptiness descended upon her soul.

It felt as if something had been stolen from her.

Before she knew it, tears were already flowing.

Nuzzling herface in her grandpa's arms, she bawled like a child. "Grandpa, M-Mr. Chu will still return, right? I'll still be able to see him, right?"

When Zhang Jiuling heard her sorrowful voice, he felt as if he was stabbed in the heart.

Suddenly, he was filled with regret.

He felt as if he shouldn't have told her so much about Ye Fan and let her get to know him.

Perhaps, she wouldn't have fallen for him then.

Zhang Jiuling couldn't help but let out a sigh.

He wanted to advise her to forget Ye Fan, for he was way out of her league.

Compared to him, they were nothing but dust.

All they could do was worship the sun, as getting close to it would cause them to be burned.

Nonetheless, Zhang Jiuling decided against saying anything in the end.

After all, he knew that whatever he said was useless.

It was impossible for any girl not to fall madly in love with someone like Ye Fan.

To them, it felt as if they had met the love of their lives.

I'm afraid that it will be very hard for her to fancy anyone else after this.

"Mom, look at how high the swallow is flying!"

It was a weekend that day.

Underneath the glorious sunlight of spring, a mature and charming woman brought a child to fly his kite by Westlake.

As if he had spent too much time in the urban jungle, the child laughed and sprinted forward like a young pony that had lost its reins.

"Fan Junior, slow down and wait for me," Qiu Mucheng yelled as she ran after her son with his jacket in hand.

However, she was still in heels which was terrible for running.

Given how stiff her shoe was, it already cut into the flawless white skin of her feet.

Unfortunately, Qiu Mufan was already pulling away from her.

Worried for his safety, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and pursue him.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, an accident happened.

After stepping on a small rock with her heel, she let out a scream before stumbling toward the ground.

Closing her eyes, she braced herself for the impending pain upon impact.

Suddenly, something unexpected happened.

A figure emerged within the empty surroundings, just like the breeze.

All Qiu Mucheng could feel was a strong hand reaching out to her.

The very next moment, she felt her body falling into someone's warm yet muscular arms.

To her, she was like a ship that had finally found a harbor.

The sense of security that overwhelmed her brought her to the brink of tears.