Chapter Four: Conflict

Although he accepted such a lavish meal, Sky Blue was a person of considerable restraint. After sitting down, he merely ordered two small dishes before handing the menu to Wang Ling.

"You're such a grown man, how can you eat so little?" Wang Ling glanced at him with amusement. "Don't try to save your sister money. I can afford this meal."

“How did you suddenly become my sister? Hey, order less—we’re only two people!” Sky Blue was rather dissatisfied with Wang Ling’s self-appointed status as his elder sister and tried to protest, but saw her finger busily ticking off dish after dish. He hurried to stop her.

“From the moment we walked in, you’ve swallowed at least five times. So either your sister is a feast for the eyes, or you’re genuinely starving,” Wang Ling teased, hiding a laugh behind her hand as she continued to order.

"You ought to be a detective. It’s a shame you’re a lawyer with that kind of observational skill," Sky Blue remarked helplessly.

"Ha, it’s not out of the question," she replied.

While the two joked, they paid no attention to the arrival of two figures whom Sky Blue knew all too well.

Zou Tao was enjoying a streak of good fortune lately. Not only had his father agreed to provide fifty million for his start-up venture, he'd also won over his dream girl. With both blessings, he was smiling even in his sleep.

Except for one thorn, lodged in his throat, that dampened his spirits. Though he'd won his goddess, Zou Tao knew her feelings for him were not entirely pure. Especially when she sometimes wore a melancholy expression—he was certain she was thinking of that penniless boy!

Even after last night's events, which surely tarnished that boy's image in her mind, Zou Tao knew she hadn't been able to forget the one called Sky Blue.

"It seems I need to set a trap, make sure that pauper is utterly disgraced in Li Mei’s eyes..." As he brought his newly promoted girlfriend out for dinner, Zou Tao made up his mind.

People always seem to appear when you think of them. As they stepped into the restaurant, Zou Tao was surprised to see that very thorn reappear before his eyes.

And, astonishingly, the pauper was dining with the woman Zou Tao had picked up outside the bar last night!

It was as if fate had handed him a pillow just when he needed a nap. Zou Tao was elated.

Let’s see how you maintain your place in Li Mei’s heart now!

Truth be told, Zou Tao genuinely cared for Li Mei. For other women, as long as he could have them, he never cared who lingered in their thoughts. But Li Mei was different.

He pulled Li Mei along, heading quickly toward Sky Blue’s table.

At that moment, Sky Blue and Wang Ling were deep in conversation. As the discussion deepened, Sky Blue grew more and more astonished at Wang Ling’s breadth of knowledge. He didn’t know about others, but he himself had grown up in libraries; while he couldn’t claim mastery of astronomy and geography, it was rare to encounter a true equal.

A strange sense of harmony gradually grew between them—first surprise at the other’s eloquence, then a touch of competitiveness, and finally mutual recognition and respect.

"I never expected that last night I rescued not just a beauty, but a talented woman," Sky Blue laughed.

"I also didn’t expect that the man who saved me last night wasn’t just handsome, but younger than me too!" Wang Ling burst into laughter.

Sky Blue was speechless. Faced with someone so unconventional, there was nothing he could do.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, I never would have guessed. Li Mei, your ex-boyfriend is quite the ladies’ man. Picked someone up last night, and today they’re already together?” Suddenly, a voice sounded behind them, full of contempt, interrupting their harmonious atmosphere.

Sky Blue frowned, turned around, and stared for a long moment at the silent Li Mei before replying coldly to Zou Tao, “Excuse me, do I know you? What business of yours is my life?”

He was beginning to lose his temper. This damned bastard had not only stolen his girlfriend, but continued to nauseate him again and again, as if Sky Blue were some pushover to be bullied at will!

"Tsk, tsk, such a temper. I just want to ask this lady, what possessed you to share a meal with someone who assaulted you?" Zou Tao looked at Wang Ling and was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t really noticed last night, but she was indeed strikingly beautiful.

His jealousy was inflamed, and his envy of Sky Blue burned even hotter.

"Who is this guy? Is he mentally ill?" Wang Ling glanced at Zou Tao as if he were an idiot, then turned to ask.

"No idea—he probably is," Sky Blue shrugged in perfect agreement.

"You pair of shameless scoundrels! Now you’re even getting romantic?" Zou Tao, born with a silver spoon, had never endured such scorn, and he immediately flew into a rage, his words tumbling out unchecked.

His shout silenced the entire hall, as diners turned to stare.

“Publicly slandering me, I could sue you for defamation. Here’s my business card—wait for your summons from the court,” Wang Ling, her face red with anger, pulled out a card and tossed it at Zou Tao.

Zou Tao instinctively caught the card and glanced at it in surprise. Was this improper woman really a lawyer?

But what did it matter? Even if she was a lawyer, she was probably just some insignificant attorney.

He sneered, “A lawyer, so what? You think I don’t know the law? Even if what I said was slander, do you have evidence? The court won’t bother with such trivial disputes.”

“I think you’ve forgotten there are security cameras here,” Sky Blue snorted. His fists were already clenched; if not for forcing himself to stay calm, he’d have already thrown a punch.

“Cameras? You obviously don’t know this restaurant belongs to my family,” Zou Tao replied with a contemptuous smile.

Hearing this, Sky Blue felt a chill and an inexplicable sense of defeat.

In today’s society, money ruled all. Faced with such an overwhelming disparity, he felt powerless.

"Zou Tao... Enough, let’s just eat," Li Mei interjected, seeing the situation spiraling out of control.

Zou Tao, enraged that she didn’t defend him but instead stepped in to smooth things over for the pauper, lost his temper completely and slapped her. "Who said you could speak?"

"Bastard!" Sky Blue, seeing Zou Tao strike Li Mei, lost all reason and landed a punch, his well-trained muscles finally put to use. Zou Tao collapsed, blood streaming from his nose.

“Are you all dead?! Why aren’t you doing anything?!” Zou Tao, sprawled on the floor, shouted at the security guards in the hall, “Beat him! If he dies, it’s on me!”

As Sky Blue braced himself for a desperate fight, a soft, smooth hand gripped his arm tightly.

“Are you stupid? Run!”

Wang Ling grabbed Sky Blue’s arm and pulled him toward the exit.

The security guards gave chase, even pursuing them outside. The two raced to Wang Ling’s car, jumped in, started the engine, and sped away.

In the car, they looked at each other, still shaken, and burst out laughing.

"Sometimes, breaking up with a woman like that is the best outcome," Wang Ling remarked after a long pause.

"I know. I just need a little time," Sky Blue nodded.

"Let’s go eat," they said in unison, exchanging smiles.

This girl truly was a marvel.

So Sky Blue thought.