Chapter 14

Chapter 14

After dinner, Luo Qianjian had the driver take Shen Dongyi back to her school.

Arriving at the school gate, the driver called out to Shen Dongyi and handed her a bag that had been placed in the front passenger seat: "Miss Shen, Young Master Three said that formal attire is required for tomorrow's banquet. Worried about your tight schedule, he had someone fetch an unworn outfit from his wardrobe for you to make do with."

Shen Dongyi was taken aback, subconsciously wanting to decline, but after hesitating for a few seconds, she accepted it: "Thank you... Qianjian is truly thoughtful."

The driver agreed, "Isn't that so? Young Master Three has the best character."

Shen Dongyi walked across the campus, holding the clothes bag, feeling a mix of emotions.

The grandeur of the Luo family's castle, even the homely dish of scrambled eggs with tomatoes tasted better than usual, the exquisite delicacies, the elegance and luxury evident everywhere, the luxurious car seats incomparable to public transportation, and the new clothes casually given away from the wardrobe...

Scene by scene, Shen Dongyi pursed her lips, then recalled the looks Luo Hefeng gave her during their few meetings.

Mainly during their first meeting.

At that time, Luo Hefeng's eyes flickered, staring at her face in what could be considered an offensive manner for quite a while. Then, although his demeanor returned to normal, he invited her to the Luo residence.

Although the invitation at the time was under the guise of visiting the ailing Luo Qianjian...

But Luo Qianjian had mentioned several times that his eldest brother had a cold personality and wasn't one to take the initiative...

Shen Dongyi bit her lip.

...

The next afternoon, after finishing classes, it was already six o'clock.

Getting into the car at the school gate, Luo Qianjian looked at Shen Dongyi: "Why haven't you changed your clothes?"

Shen Dongyi hugged her backpack: "Wearing such formal attire on campus feels a bit strange, so I put the clothes in my backpack first. Besides, I saw that you, Qianjian, haven't changed into something more formal either, so I thought I'd wait until you change and then use the dressing room to change as well."

Luo Qianjian chuckled softly: "I didn't plan on changing clothes; formal wear is too restrictive."

Shen Dongyi was taken aback, looking at Luo Qianjian's very casual attire: "But... But didn't you say we need to wear formal attire?"

"Social etiquette does require it, so my elder brother will dress more formally, and others probably will too? Anyway, you don't have to worry about standing out too much inside." Luo Qianjian said nonchalantly.

"Then, Qianjian you..." Shen Dongyi quietly let out a breath of relief, then asked with concern, "Wouldn't it be inappropriate to go like this?"

Luo Qianjian replied in the tone of a second-generation heir: "No one dares to say anything to me."

Shen Dongyi was stunned, then slowly nodded: "Oh... I really envy how carefree you are, Qianjian."

Luo Qianjian smiled.

Dying suddenly at the age of twenty-six in his previous life, with an unknown cause of death and a recent health check-up showing everything to be normal, Luo Qianjian didn't know how to prevent it in this life and might still die young.

Not living recklessly and doing as he pleased would be a disservice to himself, who lived among a circle of mentally challenged people in his previous life.

With the main event of the banquet about to unfold, Luo Qianjian now had great patience with Shen Dongyi, his future sister-in-law.

He answered with a smile: "Don't worry, when we arrive, the driver and I will get out of the car, and you can change directly in the vehicle."

Shen Dongyi calmed down and nodded: "Okay, I'll trouble you and Qianjian to wait for me later."

Luo Qianjian replied leisurely: "It's no problem, take your time."

Luo Hefeng had sent the banquet venue to Luo Qianjian in advance and arranged to meet directly at the destination.

Luo Hefeng arrived a few minutes late, and when he got out of the car, he only saw Luo Qianjian and the driver standing outside.

"Qianjian, why are you standing here? By the way, didn't you say you were going to bring that Miss Shen along?" Luo Hefeng approached.

Luo Qianjian glanced at the privacy-protected window and said: "Dongyi is changing clothes."

Luo Hefeng was taken aback, subconsciously following his gaze to the privacy-protected window, then avoiding his eyes, his gaze fell back on Luo Qianjian's attire, and he couldn't help but frown: "Qianjian, you're dressed far too casually."

Luo Qianjian was dressed in black and white, and in terms of color scheme, it wasn't too different from formal attire. A white slim-fitting inner layer, plus a thin and spacious black embroidered outer garment, simple, but exceptionally complementary on Luo Qianjian.

The black on top made Luo Qianjian's usually warm temperament appear slightly sharper, but his exquisite features could handle this sharpness, making him stand out even in the common pairing of black and white.

Impressive as it was, it wasn't formal attire, nor was it a flashy evening gown, and it would inevitably stand out in the banquet hall, especially considering his identity as the third young master of the Luo family, who rarely attended banquets, attracting attention.

"But it's comfortable," Luo Qianjian replied.

Seeing that he had no intention of changing clothes, and they were already outside the banquet venue, it wouldn't be appropriate to argue about clothing, which also wasn't Luo Hefeng's style.

Luo Hefeng said, "Forget it, do as you please, at least it's not odd."

As he spoke, the rear door of the car they had arrived in opened, and Shen Dongyi, now dressed in formal attire, stepped out of the car.

She was already somewhat nervous, and upon seeing that Luo Hefeng had also arrived, she became even more anxious.

"Qianjian... Elder Brother Luo, sorry for keeping you waiting, I... I feel a bit strange wearing this..." Shen Dongyi said awkwardly.

Shen Dongyi wore clothes specially made for Luo Qianjian by the Luo family, tailored to fit every detail of Luo Qianjian's figure. Although Shen Dongyi was roughly the same size as Luo Qianjian, the clothes were inevitably ill-fitting.

At first glance, it didn't seem too inappropriate, but as the person wearing them, Shen Dongyi naturally had a more acute sense of discomfort, and being already nervous, her expression became even more restrained.

Looking at her like this, Luo Hefeng inexplicably recalled the youth in his memories...

"It looks good," said Luo Qianjian. "Shall we go in?"

Luo Hefeng came back to his senses and nodded in agreement: "Let's go in."

Shen Dongyi followed.

Most of the guests had already arrived at the banquet hall.

Luo Hefeng led the way, and as they entered the banquet hall, the host, who had organized the gathering, quickly approached them: "Chief Luo has arrived, what an honor! And these two are?"

Luo Hefeng introduced them with a gesture: "My younger brother, Luo Qianjian, third in line at home, not young anymore, I've brought him out to gain some experience. And this is his friend, Shen Dongyi, she's come along to broaden her horizons. It's crowded, please excuse us."

"The Chief is too modest. It's an honor to have the Third Young Master and his friend as guests, truly an honor," the host smiled, then warmly greeted Luo Qianjian.

Luo Qianjian responded politely, his social etiquette impeccable for the moment.

After dealing with the host, Luo Hefeng continued leading Luo Qianjian and Shen Dongyi around to greet others—the Luo family was powerful, so it was mainly others coming over to greet them. Luo Hefeng, following his nature, responded coolly but without neglecting courtesy, introducing Luo Qianjian and Shen Dongyi by his side.

Invariably, people would engage more with Third Young Master Luo Qianjian, yet pay little attention to the accompanying Shen Dongyi, even though she was dressed more formally and looked more like she belonged with Luo Hefeng in his formal attire.

Shen Dongyi, initially nervous but eager to try, gradually became awkward and dispirited, barely maintaining a smile on her face.

"Third Young Master Luo looks quite dashing. I actually don't like wearing tuxedos either, they're too tight, but alas, I can't defy my parents, ha ha ha."

The one saying this was Qian Ziyu, the eldest son of the Qian family. He was about the same age as Luo Qianjian, speaking in a lively tone that clearly aimed to establish rapport.

Qian Ziyu was there with his father, Chief Qian, and another son of the Qian family, Qian Ziling.

Qian Ziling was rather quiet, only speaking when prompted by Chief Qian, greeting Luo Hefeng and Luo Qianjian.

"I heard that the second son of the Qian family only recently returned to the Qian household. Today, it's clear that Second Young Master Qian isn't as outgoing as Big Brother Qian, he doesn't seem very familiar with Chief Qian, his father." Luo Qianjian suddenly replied.

His previously flawless social etiquette was now discarded by Luo Qianjian himself, as he began to poke at sensitive topics.

All three members of the Qian family fell silent instantly.

Other guests around, who were watching and wanted to greet the Luo family, were secretly amazed. They didn't expect the "newcomer" Third Young Master Luo to not only bring up something the Qian family wasn't keen on discussing, but also to do so in such a heart-piercing manner.

Even Luo Hefeng and Shen Dongyi were taken aback, surprised by Luo Qianjian's sudden lack of decorum.

Luo Hefeng was about to speak, but Qian Ziyu, the eldest son, took the initiative, answering nonchalantly: "My second brother did indeed return home recently. Don't be misled by our different appearances, Third Young Master Luo; we are indeed twins born on the same day. Unfortunately, when we were born, something happened, and my second brother was stolen by a villain. We only found him again recently. My second brother has suffered much hardship during his years away, and he's still adjusting to being back home. Things will get better soon, thank you for your concern, Third Young Master Luo."

At this point, unless someone had a grudge against the Qian family, it was time to smooth things over with some conciliatory words.

Unfortunately, Luo Qianjian intended to make the Qians uncomfortable.

He raised an eyebrow: "Is that so? Twins, huh? Different-looking twins aren't uncommon, but... why do I hear rumors that Big Brother Qian and Second Brother Qian are actually half-brothers?"

Chief Qian and Qian Ziyu's expressions changed once again, while Qian Ziling remained unperturbed.

Luo Hefeng tried to intervene: "Qianjian, it's not appropriate to..."

But Luo Qianjian ignored him, continuing on his own: "I've heard that Chief Qian had an affair when he was young. When Mrs. Qian found out, she threatened divorce, but then discovered she was pregnant. She decided to give Chief Qian another chance for the sake of the child, but demanded he end the affair."

Chief Qian and Qian Ziyu tried to interrupt, but Luo Qianjian was determined to stir up trouble, his words flowing without pause.

"And the mistress, after being dumped, realized she was pregnant too. Coincidentally, she gave birth on the same day as Mrs. Qian, in the same hospital. Fueled by resentment and jealousy, she secretly switched the babies."

"The child of the mistress and Chief Qian grew up pampered as the eldest son in the Qian household, while the child of Mrs. Qian and Chief Qian was taken home by the mistress and mistreated, enduring hardships throughout his life."

"Recently, the mistress fell ill and began to regret her actions. Feeling guilty towards Mrs. Qian's child, she wanted to see her biological son, so she revealed everything to the Qian family."

"The Qian family confirmed their true heir, but couldn't bear to part with the impostor they had grown fond of, so they passed them off as twins, right?"

Luo Qianjian finished, satisfied, looking at the ashen faces of Chief Qian and Qian Ziyu before lightly tutting: "Look at me, so gossipy, remembering these rumors so vividly. Please don't mind, Chief Qian, Big Brother Qian, and Second Brother Qian."

Chief Qian and Qian Ziyu gritted their teeth, but due to the status of the Luo family, they dared not retaliate or cause a scene with the Luos. They could only force a smile, hoping that Luo Hefeng, the new head of the Luo family, would discipline his younger brother.

However, Luo Hefeng had no intention of publicly disciplining Luo Qianjian.

While Luo Hefeng also felt that Luo Qianjian had gone too far with his unfiltered speech, what was the Qian family compared to the Luos? Why should he publicly embarrass his own family member to apologize to the Qians?

So Luo Hefeng simply said, somewhat helplessly: "Qianjian, you're too gossipy."

Luo Qianjian chuckled softly.

Qian Ziling, the quiet second son, also smiled, suddenly speaking: "Third Young Master Luo is quite interesting. Listening to you talk is refreshing."

Luo Qianjian modestly curved his lips in response.