Regarding Yang Jian's ruthlessness, Wu Laizi had personally experienced it and knew he would follow through on his threats.
"Mr. Yang, I swear to heaven, no, I swear by my ancestors for eighteen generations, I absolutely did not arrange for anyone to smash and loot your house. Our business was already settled then, and I took thirty thousand yuan. Why would I do such a thing?"
Wu Laizi raised his right hand, his expression firm. He likely wasn't lying.
Before Yang Jian could speak, Wu Laizi continued, "Besides, I didn't know you at the club that day. If I had known Jianmin was gambling for you, I would never have clashed with you. Even at your grandfather's funeral, Brother Gui actively went to pay respects, which shows we had no intention or motive to oppose you."
"Alright, I'll believe you about this for now. If it's later found out that you were involved, don't blame me for being unforgiving. My grandfather was forced to his death, and this is an irreconcilable hatred. I will kill anyone, even the King of Heaven, who is responsible."
"Crack."
The teacup in Wu Laizi's hand fell to the ground and shattered. His body trembled slightly as he saw the intense killing intent in Yang Jian's eyes.
"Mr. Yang, you can investigate all you want. It definitely wasn't me. You mentioned the second matter."
"The second matter is about Lu Yao. You should know about my relationship with Lu Feng. He has now surrendered himself and was taking refuge with me before that. I don't care what grudges you had with Lu Feng before, but don't settle the score with his family. If you have the guts, wait until he gets out and kill him yourself."
"Mr. Yang, I didn't."
"Let me finish. Lu Feng is not only my brother, but I am also his father's disciple, so Lu Yao is also my sister. I will protect her safety. I won't pursue your past despicable acts of staging accidents and playing the hero to save the damsel with her. But from today onwards, stop bothering her."
"Mr. Yang, you're misunderstanding. I just wanted to pursue her. I never truly harmed her."
"You're talking nonsense with your eyes open! You just beat up her boyfriend and extorted over twenty thousand yuan. Do you dare say you have nothing to do with this?"
"Mr. Yang, I genuinely like Yao Yao. My methods were just a bit extreme, but I truly didn't harm her. I admit defeat to you in a fight, and I'll listen to you in matters of the underworld. But you can't strip me of my right to fall in love, can you?"
Wu Laizi revealed his rogue nature again. He could tell that although Yang Jian hated evil and acted ruthlessly in a fight, he wasn't an overbearing and brute force kind of person. He reasoned things out first, and as long as his bottom line wasn't crossed, he wouldn't act rashly.
"Who wants you to like me? Look in the mirror! With your disposition, even if I became a nun, I wouldn't fall for you. Dream on!"
With Yang Jian by her side, Lu Yao gained confidence and unleashed a torrent of abuse at Wu Laizi. She was furious about the day's events, not only had her idol been driven away, but she had also been misunderstood and resented.
Wu Laizi dared not retort, only lowering his head to endure the scolding.
After Lu Yao finished her tirade, Yang Jian refilled her tea.
"Wu Laizi, you and Yao Yao are not from the same world. Stop having ideas about her. I warn you, if you dare to harm her, I will make you regret it for the rest of your life."
Yang Jian felt a headache dealing with someone like Wu Laizi. They had their own tactics for being unreasonable. Like today, he had targeted someone around Lu Yao, but without substantially harming Lu Yao, how could Yang Jian stand up for her? He couldn't just beat him up for no reason, or he might end up in jail again.
"Mr. Yang, rest assured, I will absolutely not harm Yao Yao."
"Alright, you can go. I don't want to see any more staged accidents targeting Yao Yao. She wouldn't dare to hit someone head-on, but I would. My car has a million yuan in insurance, enough to compensate for a life."
"No, no, this won't happen again. Mr. Yang, I'll be going now. I'll treat you to a meal sometime."
Wu Laizi got up and left. He felt immense pressure in front of Yang Jian.
Lu Yao looked displeased. "Brother Jian, you're just letting him go like that?"
"What else? Beat him up?"
"People like him deserve to be beaten. Why didn't you cripple him last time? Then he wouldn't be out here causing trouble."
"If he were crippled, I'd probably still be in jail. Don't worry, he shouldn't dare to openly harass you anymore. Shall I take you home?"
Yang Jian was in a bad mood, still reeling from the breakup. After the matter was resolved, he seemed a bit listless.
Lu Yao noticed this. "Brother Jian, what's wrong? Are you sick? It's dinner time. Let's eat before you go back. My treat."
"I'm not eating. I have no appetite."
Yang Jian got up and left.
Lu Yao had no choice but to follow him out.
On the way to send Lu Yao back to the teacher's village, Yang Jian didn't say a word, and Lu Yao didn't dare to ask.
Upon returning home, Yang Jian slept for two days straight, eating only one meal a day and even neglecting his usual rigorous morning exercises.
Yang Shuanglin and his wife thought their son had a cold and didn't pay much attention. It wasn't until the third day that he was still sleeping that they felt something was wrong.
The couple walked into his room together.
"Second child, what's wrong? Are you sick?"
Yang Shuanglin felt his son's forehead. He didn't have a fever.
Yang Jian, groggy from sleep, replied, "I'm not sick. What's wrong?"
"If you're not sick, why are you lying in bed all day? You've scared your mother."
"Dad, Mom, I'm fine. I have something to tell you. Chen Xiaoli and I broke up."
Liu Xingzhi was anxious upon hearing this. "Broke up? Why? Did you bully her?"
"Mom, I didn't bully her. She turned off her phone and cut off contact with me. Big sister knows about this. I don't even know why."
"Can't you go to her house and ask? Xiaoli is a good girl, I like her very much."
"Mom, what's the use of you liking her? Since she's blocked me, there's no need to ask. Her mother already looks down on us rural people, and my sister also disagrees with me going to find her."
"How could this happen? I was planning to ask the matchmaker to come over to propose marriage the day after tomorrow."
Liu Xingzhi sighed. A promising marriage was nipped in the bud, and she had been hoping to hold her grandchild next year or the year after.
Yang Shuanglin was also a little annoyed. "If you broke up, you broke up. If she looks down on us rural people, even if we got married, you'd still have to watch her face. Second child, there's no need to be sad. You have a car now, and once the houses in the town center are built, your conditions won't be worse than city dwellers. You're not afraid of not finding a better wife than her."
"Dad, I'm not sad. It's just that my first relationship ended after only a few months, and I'm a bit disappointed. I'm fine now. I'll take you shopping tomorrow to buy New Year's goods and get you some new clothes."
"Second child, the matchmaker is coming tomorrow to discuss the proposal. Why don't you let her introduce someone else to you?"
Liu Xingzhi was unwilling. Her son was so outstanding, yet he was dumped. If this got out, it wouldn't be good for his reputation. The most pressing matter was to arrange another engagement for him.