A graceful lady is a gentleman's desire.
For a stunning beauty like Lu Yao, it was impossible for Yang Jian to be completely unmoved. When he first knew her, she had a boyfriend, so he didn't have any romantic thoughts. Later, after a breakup and accumulating too much debt, he didn't harbor any feelings for Lu Yao.
Now, with Wei Xia's encouragement, Yang Jian's heart fluttered. Such a good opportunity had to be seized; perhaps he could win the beauty's heart.
Without receiving Yang Jian's promise of help, Lu Yao, feeling dejected, left with Wei Xia after dinner, as they both had to work in the afternoon.
It was still early, so Yang Jian spent an hour drinking tea in a booth. He called Song Jianhao and told him he had some family matters to attend to and would be unable to visit for a few days.
The Emperor Company wouldn't be affected by the absence of one or two people, so Song Jianhao naturally wouldn't rush him.
Around two o'clock, Yang Jian went to a brand-name clothing store and picked out a black suit, two white shirts, a silk tie with a red background and gold thread pattern, and a pair of leather shoes, spending over two thousand yuan.
It was the first time in his life he had spent so much money on clothes; it felt a bit extravagant, but he felt it was worth it to pursue the beautiful girl.
After buying all the necessary attire, he went to a barber shop to get his hair styled and then ordered a bouquet of flowers from a flower shop.
Seeing that it was only four o'clock, Yang Jian drove back to his sister's house again.
At half-past four, Yang Jian began to get dressed, putting on his suit and tie, preparing to go out.
"Whoa, second brother, you look so different after dressing up, I almost didn't recognize you. Are you going on a date or a blind date?"
When Yang Jian walked out of his room, Yang Hui was shocked. She had never realized her younger brother could look so dashing in different clothes.
"Sister, I'm planning to pursue a girl, and I'm not sure if I'll succeed. I'll be staying here for a few days."
"Of course, you'll succeed! With your handsome, dashing, and charming physique and appearance, no young lady can resist you. As long as you can find a partner, you can stay here as long as you want. By the way, where is that girl from, and what does she do?"
Yang Hui naturally supported her brother's lifelong happiness with all her heart.
"She's from Chengguan, a teacher. I wonder if she'll look down on me, a country bumpkin?"
Yang Jian still lacked confidence.
"What's wrong with being a country bumpkin? You'll be a Chengguan resident soon. I've saved the foundation for you here. Hurry up and earn some money, and I'll help you build your house in the second half of the year. Then you'll have a house and a car, and your conditions will be better than most people your age in Chengguan. Why would she look down on you?"
In Yang Hui's eyes, her brother was the most handsome and capable person.
With his sister's words, Yang Jian regained his confidence and excitedly drove to the Experimental Middle School.
At five-thirty, Lu Yao and three female colleagues finished work and walked out of the school, preparing to take the bus home.
Ever since she was extorted and harassed by Wu Laizi, she hadn't ridden her scooter. She either took the bus or a taxi to and from work every day, preventing Wu Laizi from finding any opportunities.
"Wow, that handsome guy is so dashing! Is he a movie star?"
A colleague walking with her suddenly screamed, startling the others nearby.
"My goodness, he really is a super handsome guy, and he drives such a nice car. He must be a second-generation rich kid."
"Look, he's holding flowers. He must be here to pick up one of the teachers from our school. Who could it be? I'm so envious and jealous."
The three female teachers chattered like infatuated fans.
Lu Yao was completely stunned. Didn't Yang Jian agree to help her with the act? Why did he show up so suddenly? And why did he have to dress so formally?
The problem was, he looked really good dressed so formally, making her heart pound. She had never thought he was so handsome before.
"Yao Yao, I'm here to pick you up after work."
Yang Jian walked over with a smile, handing her the flowers.
A wave of masculine pheromones hit them, and the three female teachers stared, mesmerized. Yang Jian looked even more handsome up close, and he was pursuing Lu Yao. It seemed that anyone who looked good was either a rich second-generation or the child of an official.
"Yao Yao, is this your boyfriend? I've never seen him before."
"Yao Yao, you've been hiding him well! You have such a handsome boyfriend."
"Handsome guy, you need to be careful. Being Yao Yao's boyfriend comes with risks."
Before Lu Yao could respond to Yang Jian, the three teachers started gossiping.
Since they were going to act, Lu Yao decided to play along. She thought Yang Jian had come to his senses and was here to help her. She immediately accepted the flowers and then linked her arm with his, playfully complaining, "Why didn't you let me know before you came? There are so many students and teachers here, it's embarrassing."
Yang Jian, however, called out to the three teachers, "Hello, teachers. I'm Yang Jian, Yao Yao's boyfriend. I'm here to take her out for dinner. Would you like to join us?"
"No, no, we won't be a third wheel on your date. We'll wait for your wedding invitation."
A female teacher, around thirty, waved her hand dismissively, clearly a married woman who had been through it all.
"You'll definitely be invited to my wedding. Teacher, what did you mean just now when you said being Yao Yao's boyfriend comes with risks?"
Yang Jian asked a teacher who was around Lu Yao's age.
The situation felt a bit awkward. Lu Yao quickly introduced them, "Yang Jian, this is Teacher Fan, Teacher Liu, and Teacher Li. They were just joking. Let's go, I'm starving."
"Goodbye, teachers."
Yang Jian didn't ask any further questions. He opened the car door for Lu Yao like a gentleman, waved goodbye to the three teachers, and drove away.
"Brother Jian, didn't you say you were in a hurry to go to Hancheng to earn money? Why did you come to help me?"
Sitting in the passenger seat, Lu Yao asked curiously.
"Earning money isn't a matter of one or two days. If you get bullied, I won't be able to explain it to your brother. He specifically told me to take good care of you."
Hesitating at the last moment, Yang Jian suddenly lost the courage to confess his feelings to her. All the lines he had prepared were wasted.
"But you didn't have to dress so formally. These look like new clothes, and they're branded too. You must have spent a lot of money."
"Since I'm pretending to be your boyfriend, I naturally have to play the part convincingly. If I don't make it grand, others won't believe it. I think that Teacher Fan might have been bribed by Wu Laizi. The way she looked at me was not right."
"Really? No wonder every time a man approaches me, Wu Laizi beats them up. I thought Wu Laizi had people watching me twenty-four hours a day. Now that you mention it, Teacher Fan is indeed suspicious. She's in the same class as me and we're usually together. She knows my whereabouts best and always inquires about my family matters intentionally or unintentionally."
"Then it's perfect that I showed up in front of her today. Let's see if Wu Laizi dares to lay a hand on me."
Lu Yao sounded a bit nervous, "Brother Jian, you have to be careful. That scumbag is a lunatic. Even if he doesn't show up himself, he might arrange for others to cause trouble for you. Those kinds of people are unpredictable."
"It's fine, I'm just afraid he won't come looking for me."