69novels Chapter 237 Chen Xueru's Shattered Dao Heart
Chapter 237 Chen Xueru's Shattered Dao Heart
Fan Jinyou slunk away, but the atmosphere in the tavern was even more lively than before. Everyone was talking about the good show that had just happened, and the focus of the conversation was naturally the handsome young man who had managed to drive Fan Jinyou away with just a few words.
Just as they were talking animatedly, the curtain was lifted again, and a fragrant breeze wafted in. Everyone looked up and saw a beautiful woman with a graceful figure and alluring eyes, wearing a deep purple embroidered cheongsam and a thin woolen overcoat, walk in. It was Chen Xueru, the owner of the silk shop across the street. Her attire was quite eye-catching in those days, but in Xu Huizhen's little tavern, no one found it strange.
Chen Xueru had heard that Xu Huizhen had acquired a batch of fine wine, so she came specifically to "compete" with him and take a couple of bottles home. As soon as she entered, she sensed something was off. Then she overheard everyone talking about "Fan Jinyou getting his comeuppance" and "the capitalist guy." Her shrewd almond-shaped eyes immediately scanned the shop and instantly locked onto Lin Yan, the most eye-catching person at Niu Ye's table.
"Wow! Where did this extraordinary figure come from?" Chen Xueru thought to herself. Just his profile and demeanor alone were different from the men of Beijing! And looking at the material of his overcoat, even from a few steps away, her old silk merchant's eye could tell that it was no ordinary product. Even imported goods might not have such a good quality!
She immediately forgot about arguing with Xu Huizhen, swayed her hips, and put on her most charming and alluring smile as she walked towards Master Niu's table.
"Uncle Niu, Uncle Pian, what a lively scene here today!" Her voice was crisp and sweet, but her eyes, like hooks, were fixed on Lin Yan. "This young man looks unfamiliar. Where did this distinguished guest come from?"
Before Master Niu could even introduce them, Chen Xueru's attention was completely drawn to Lin Yan's clothes. Having developed a habit from doing business, she couldn't resist the urge to touch fine fabrics. She instinctively reached out to touch the sleeve of Lin Yan's coat: "Oh, young man, the fabric of your coat is really nice, let me see..."
Before her hand even touched the fabric, Lin Yan frowned slightly. The chopsticks he was about to use to pick up food casually twirled and, with a "snap," lightly tapped the back of Chen Xueru's outstretched hand.
"Ouch!" Chen Xueru cried out in pain, quickly pulling her hand back. A faint red mark had already appeared on the back of her hand. She stared at Lin Yan in disbelief. When had she, Chen Xueru, ever been humiliated like this in this Qianmen Street area?
Lin Yan slowly raised his eyelids, glanced at her, his eyes showing no surprise, only impatience at being disturbed: "Excuse me, ma'am, are we that familiar?"
Chen Xueru almost choked. "Big Sister"? She hated being called "Big Sister"! She suppressed her anger, a smile returning to her face, but with a hint of defiant defiance. She leaned forward, almost touching the table, and lowered her voice, carrying a mature woman's alluring charm:
"Young man, you've got quite a temper, haven't you? I'm just curious, with your build, you really make this material look good... Making friends isn't going to cost you anything." Her eyes darted around, trying to find a hint of unease on Lin Yan's face.
Unfortunately, Lin Yan's eyelashes didn't even flutter. Instead, because of her proximity, he smelled the strong fragrance of perfume, his brows furrowed even more, and he leaned back slightly, making no attempt to hide his disgust, coldly saying:
"Stay away from me."
"Your smell is overpowering."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xueru froze on the spot, her smile completely shattered, and even the onlookers, Uncle Niu and Uncle Pian, choked on their saliva and coughed! Good heavens! This young man really dares to speak his mind! Chen Xueru is the most beautiful woman on Qianmen Street; countless men would love to smell her fragrance but can't even get a whiff of her!
Chen Xueru's pretty face instantly flushed red, a mixture of anger and embarrassment. Pointing at Lin Yan, her chest heaved violently, her voice rising several decibels, filled with sharp fury:
"You...you little brat who hasn't even grown a beard yet! What do you know, spouting nonsense like that! This is a woman's charm! What do you know?!" She had never been subjected to such a blunt, merciless humiliation in her life!
Upon hearing this, Lin Yan was not annoyed at all. On the contrary, it seemed as if he had heard something interesting. He raised his eyebrows slightly, put down his chopsticks, leaned back slightly, glanced at Chen Xueru from head to toe, and then slowly spoke:
"Oh?"
"My pubic hair hasn't fully grown in yet..."
"Why don't you come over and give it a try?"
He paused deliberately, his eyes filled with undisguised disdain.
"Oh, never mind. I don't want to try it with you."
"..."
These words were like pouring a bucket of cold water on boiling oil!
With a deafening roar, Chen Xueru felt all the blood rush to her head. Her ears rang, and her carefully made-up face flushed crimson before turning deathly pale. Her finger trembled violently as she pointed at Lin Yan, struggling to utter a single word. This blatant disdain and contempt was far more humiliating and infuriating than any vicious curse!
The tavern was deathly silent; everyone was stunned by Lin Yan's outrageous and reckless words! Old Niu stared wide-eyed for a long while before taking a big gulp of wine to calm himself down, inwardly shouting: This little devil really dares to say anything!
Xu Huizhen listened from behind the counter, and couldn't help but rub her forehead, feeling both amused and helpless.
Lin Yan completely ignored Chen Xueru, who was so angry she was about to faint. He picked up his chopsticks again, took a piece of meat, and said to Xiao Qi, who was tilting her head and watching the commotion, "Our Xiao Qi is the best. She's clean and doesn't have that many messy smells."
Chen Xueru couldn't stand it any longer. She stomped her foot and forgot to say "You just wait" in her anger. She stumbled out of the tavern, her back view showing a disheveled and broken state.
"Pfft—" Someone couldn't help but laugh out loud first, and then the tavern erupted in a burst of suppressed laughter.
"My goodness! This young man is really something!" one of the drinkers exclaimed, slapping his thigh. "This is the first time I've ever seen Chen Xueru get such a big slap in the face! Her face is practically turning purple with anger!"
"Serves her right! She's always flirting with those eyes, and she can't even walk past any handsome young man! She's finally met her match!" Another proprietress, who was clearly used to being verbally attacked by Chen Xueru, chimed in gleefully.
Uncle Niu also shook his head, raised his glass and clinked it with Lin Yan's, clicking his tongue in amazement: "Young man, you're something else!" He gave a thumbs up, "Chen Xueru is the famous 'thorn rose' on Qianmen Street, beautiful, but prickly! So many men, young and old, have tried to get away with it, but you managed to defeat her in no time! That's satisfying!"
Pian'er added in a low voice, "It's just...it's just...her perfume is a bit overpowering..."
Lin Yan paid no heed to the surrounding chatter and laughter. He calmly sipped his wine, even carefully removing the bones from the pig's trotters and placing the pure meat on Xiao Qi's plate. After this incident, Lin Yan's "reputation" in the Qianmen Street area was firmly established.
"Boss lady, four more pig's trotters, please!"
A moment later, Xu Huizhen came over with a tray and a freshly warmed pot of wine. With a meaningful smile on her face, she arranged the pig's trotters and poured wine for Lin Yan while saying, "Young comrade, you really are... Our little shop is unusually lively today because of you. Fan Jinyou and Chen Xueru are both well-known figures in our area, and you've 'offended' them both in one day." There was no blame in her words; instead, there was a hint of teasing and reminder, as if she were watching a show.
Lin Yan glanced at her and said calmly, "When you open a business, you want peace and quiet. If there's too much trouble, your business will probably be difficult to run."
Xu Huizhen was incredibly astute and immediately understood the meaning behind his words—if he felt he had caused trouble, he would simply not come again.
She quickly smiled and said, "Look at what you're saying! Our little tavern is a place where all sorts of people gather. Where there are people, there are bound to be disputes. We're used to it! We can't even invite a customer like you! Please come, and don't worry about all that gossip!" She didn't want to offend this seemingly unfathomable God of Wealth.