Chapter 141 — Old Buffon's Origins

He had seen these two that afternoon at No. 6 High School. It was they who had summoned Brother Snake. With that, everything that had puzzled him now made perfect sense.

Brother Snake had no quarrel with any of them; he had merely been called in by Wang Cheng'en or Young Master Ouyang to teach someone a lesson. What Brother Snake never expected was that he and Sun Jie would be there. And so, instead of teaching anyone a lesson, he had fled in utter disgrace.

After Brother Snake ran off, he must have told Young Master Ouyang and Wang Cheng'en who Sun Jie was. That was why the two of them had come looking here tonight.

If nothing unexpected happened, the two of them had surely come for Sun Jie. What struck Yang Mo as odd was that this Young Master Ouyang seemed to carry considerable weight—enough to dare come looking for someone at Sun Lin's door.

Yang Ce's role now was Sun Jie's boyfriend, so with something like this unfolding, it stood to reason he could not simply sit by. He rose and said with a smile, "Uncle Sun, let me go out with you."

Sun Lin looked at Yang Ce in surprise. He could not understand why Yang Ce would make such a request, but after a moment's hesitation he nodded. However you looked at it, Yang Ce was a candidate he was grooming; letting him see how things were done would do him good. "All right, then come along with me—but don't go shooting your mouth off."

Yang Ce nodded with a smile. "Don't worry, Uncle Sun," Yang Lanxu said. If this Young Master Ouyang and Wang Cheng'en still had a shred of self-awareness, then of course he wouldn't shoot his mouth off. If not, then it would no longer be a matter of words—he would simply go straight to blows.

Yang Ce followed Sun Lin to the sitting room, where Young Master Ouyang and Wang Cheng'en were already waiting.

"Two honored guests at my door—Sun has been remiss in not greeting you sooner." Sun Lin offered the customary pleasantries, then instructed the servants, "Bring tea for our two guests."

"Boss Sun, your reputation precedes you," Wang Cheng'en said, rising to his feet. "This is the second young master of the Ouyang family of P Province—Ouyang Junyuan."

"Hello, welcome, welcome." Hearing that this was the Ouyang family's second young master, Sun Lin's tone immediately grew more courteous. They were Ouyang family, after all; he could not afford to offend them lightly.

"Mm." Ouyang Junyuan gave the faintest nod, wearing an expression of lofty self-regard. He did not even bother to rise from his seat.

Watching Ouyang Junyuan's manner, Sun Lin frowned inwardly. This Ouyang Junyuan was far too full of himself. Even if your family holds absolute power in P Province, this is Donghai, not P Province—this is not your family's territory. Do you not know the principle that a guest follows his host and does as the locals do? This is showing me no respect at all.

Sun Lin was rather angered by it, but he was an old hand in this world, and nothing showed on his face. He merely sat down calmly on the sofa opposite and said, "May I ask what business has brought the two of you so far from home to see me?"

"We didn't come especially for you." Ouyang Junyuan waved a hand with an air of arrogance. What a joke—who did this man think he was? Even if he was not the Ouyang family's heir, he was still the second young master of the Ouyang clan. In P Province, if he wanted to see the bosses of any city, a single word was enough—they would come scurrying to him. Why would he ever need to call on anyone in person?

So Sun Lin's question made Ouyang Junyuan feel utterly humiliated.

Wang Cheng'en, however, was not so arrogant as Ouyang Junyuan. He had clawed his way up from the bottom of society, and he understood the ways of the world far better than Ouyang Junyuan did. In the past, Ouyang Junyuan could summon wind and rain, and no one dared refuse him face—and the reason was simple: that was in P Province, and P Province was the Ouyang family's territory.

But the situation was different now. Setting aside the question of Sun Lin's standing, this was Donghai, not P Province. So Ouyang Junyuan's words were really rather out of line.

The moment Ouyang Junyuan said it, Wang Cheng'en sensed the mood turning sour. Sure enough, Sun Lin's face darkened at once, and he said coldly, "In that case, if there's nothing else, the two of you may go as you please. Sun is still entertaining guests at dinner."

"There is something, as it happens." Ouyang Junyuan was utterly oblivious to the fact that his manner had already provoked Sun Lin's displeasure. But even if he had known, what of it? What did another man's displeasure matter? He was Ouyang Junyuan, second young master of the Ouyang family—he had never once cared about anyone else's feelings.

"Then out with it, if you please," Sun Lin said, reining in his temper. They were Ouyang family, after all; he could not be brusque with them.

"Mm—Little Wang, you tell him." Ouyang Junyuan felt it would be better to let Wang Cheng'en do the talking.

"Very well, I'll explain." Wang Cheng'en genuinely feared that Ouyang Junyuan would speak too bluntly and ruin everything. "Here's the matter, Boss Sun. We hear you have a daughter named Sun Jie."

"That's right. Might I ask how my daughter has offended the two of you?" Sun Lin asked, puzzled. After all, with Ouyang Junyuan's nose-in-the-air attitude, everything about this looked like a demand for an accounting.

"Oh, it's not that—actually—" Wang Cheng'en had barely opened his mouth when he was cut off.

"She hasn't offended me—it's this kid here." Ouyang Junyuan suddenly broke in. "What does he do?"

Sun Hongjun frowned. Ouyang Junyuan was far too arrogant—this was his own home, not their P Province. A trace of displeasure crept into his voice. "This is my daughter's boyfriend, Yang Ce. I wonder how he could have offended your Second Young Master Ouyang?"

"We wanted—" Ouyang Junyuan was about to spill out the whole business of inviting Sun Jie to be a star and being thwarted by Yang Ce. Wang Cheng'en saw trouble coming and hurriedly cut in to stop him. "It's like this: our Young Master Ouyang has taken a fancy to your daughter. I'm here as a matchmaker—my young master wishes to take Sun Jie back to P Province."

Yang Ce's face went cold at once. Was this not plainly treating him as though he did not exist? He was sitting right here, and Sun Lin had already introduced him as Sun Jie's boyfriend, yet this fellow still meant to carry Sun Jie off to P Province. Yang Ce's patience had its limits, and he was on the verge of fury.

But this was Sun Lin's house, and Sun Lin was his elder. Until the old man spoke, Yang Ce could not be too presumptuous.

Hearing Wang Cheng'en out, Sun Lin regarded him with interest, glanced at Ouyang Junyuan as well, then smiled. "Has my daughter agreed to go back with you?"

"Heh heh, so long as you agree, isn't that enough?" Wang Cheng'en said with a smile. "Look—your family and the Ouyang family are a match in standing, both kings of the underworld. Once your daughter marries our Second Young Master Ouyang, it will be a union of the strong."

A union of the strong—what nonsense. Never mind how far the Ouyang family was from East Sea; take this Second Young Master Ouyang alone. He held no real power in his own household, and Sun Lin had heard a little of his sordid doings. The man was a thoroughgoing spoiled brat, a wastrel pure and simple. Marrying his daughter to such a creature was out of the question.

Sun Lin was about to refuse when Ouyang Junyuan spoke up. "Little Wang, don't talk nonsense. Who says I'm marrying her? Hasn't my father already arranged a match for me? Heh heh—I hear the girl from that family is fresh and pretty as anything. Ga-ga, just thinking about it feels good."

Wang Cheng'en silently cried disaster. His face was a mask of black lines. How could you say such a thing?