Chapter 283 - Long Night (III)

The atmosphere in the room sank into freezing temperatures after Guan Gao Huan made the unpleasant joke.

It was an obvious mockery meant to insult Linfeng and Jang Shin.

After a brief silence, Linfeng nonchalantly leaned back on his headboard. He sarcastically said,

"I never knew you have such a hidden yearning of having us serve you personally. Unfortunately, you have to go against the Xiong and the Tang families if you wish for us to serve you." 

"Oh?"

"It appears you seem to not know, but according to the rules of our family, even the Xiong family could never force the Zhou family's first in line, which happened to be me, to serve another person outside the Xiong family's main branch."

Guan Gao Huan went to his bed and flopped on top of it.

"Is that so? Then, you also might not know of it, so let me tell you a secret." He lazily propped up his head on top of his arm, looking up at Linfeng with a mysterious smile. 

"The Xiong family and the Guan family have been close for generations. As someone surnamed Zhou serving the first in line of the Xiong family, you must have an idea who my fiancée will be."

Linfeng's hands under the blanket slowly clenched into a fist.

The hateful Young Master Guan lazily drawled out, "I will soon be part of the main branch, as the spouse of the first in line. You would be calling me 'Master' soon. So, why not let us get to know each other now, to save some time in the future?" 

Linfeng's peach blossom eyes narrowed down, killing intent faintly rising behind their depths. His face remained expressionless.

Jang Shin, on the other hand, had stiffened on his bed at this sudden bomb.

Guan Gao Huan tilted his head on top of his arm and continued to look at Linfeng, challenging him. 

"Unless, you have some 'hidden' motive for your 'Young Miss'."

Silence reigned over the room as the two men stared at each other without any of them backing down. Jang Shin who sat frozen on his bed began to sweat nervously.

Why the hell did he choose the middle bed?!

Over his dead body were these two guys staring down at each other, shooting laser from their eyes. What kind of f***king awkward position is this?!

Suddenly, Linfeng mockingly laughed. All tension seemed to disappear from his face as he suddenly relaxed.

"What a nice story you have there. I almost believed it. Unfortunately, my Young Miss is so special and assertive. Her personality will never let her like someone who was sent to tie her down," he meaningfully said with a smile on his face. "My Young Miss happened to be very smart, more than enough to make a way out for herself from the elder's arrangements. It seems Young Master Guan would be disappointed." 

Guan Gao Huan's brownish gold eyes flashed. 

'So it is true. It is Xiong Zhi who put a stop on our supposed engagement.'

Old Guan had never told him nor confirmed who his fiancée was. He put him in TIHS with a task of letting him find out who his fiancée was by himself, but all of a sudden, his grandfather changed his mind and said that Guan Gao Huan did not need to bother himself with it for a while. 

Nonetheless, his grandfather assured him that his fiancée was still the same person, it was only that the announcement would have to be postponed for a while.

At first, he thought it was because of Old Xiong. He thought the old man suddenly wanted to haggle with his old man, thus, resulting the two old masters to not come in agreement and put a temporary hold in his engagement. 

However, with his observation on Xiong Zhi's actions and in their interactions, he began to doubt. The young miss was so repulsive of him. He began to have ideas that maybe the young miss of Xiong doesn't like him. Like how a person doesn't like the taste of cheese or a certain food. 

Now, he was sure it was because of Xiong Zhi. 

But how did she manage to change the elder's mind? That was quite a feat. It was an accepted fact within their circles that the ladies of the families in high society were to be used as bridges to build up the power of their respective families. Normally, these delicate ladies would never disobey when an arrangement was already made for them by their elders. 

Of course, despite all those discoveries he gathered before, Guan Gao Huan had still been very confident that Xiong Zhi would still end up with him.

However, just recently, he got a sniff of something from the Xiong family...

He was bothered by the news he had gathered from the Xiong mansion and the Zhou mansion in these past few days. That was why he came here, to confirm if it was true.

This left a bad taste on his tongue. He slowly sat up and leaned on the headboard, raising his arm to unbutton the cuffs of his long sleeve.

"Oh, is that so?" he said indifferently. "Speaking of 'arrangement', shouldn't you be the one most troubled by it? After all, yours is just around the corner." 

"I didn't know I have a stalker."

"I didn't know a butler could be so malicious to take advantage of his master."

"I didn't know a certain young master could be so vicious as to hurt his own brother just to get a seat of power." 

"..."

"..."

Linfeng glared at Guan Gao Huan. 

Guan Gao Huan glared back. His usual smile was not on his face.

They both have the same thought. 

'This person knows too much.'

One thing became apparent, they were investigating each other.

The silent Jang Shin stealthily laid his stiff body down on the bed, praying that the two bulls on his either side would not notice him.

"I didn't know you can be such a stalker," Guan Gao Huan said after a while.

"Likewise, I feel the same way," Linfeng shot back. "Why, is there something you are afraid about that people might uncover?"

Guan Gao Huan tightly sealed his lips and continued to change into comfortable clothes. 

Linfeng also no longer said anything. He lied down on the bed to sleep.

After, a while, just when Jang Shin thought everything was finally over, a voice sounded out.

"Be careful of what you say. As far as I know, there was a certain master who has forbidden you from coming near to Xiong Zhi. And I believe that this time, you wouldn't be able to request for pardon anymore," Guan Gao Huan's voice was gentle, but the malice within it could be felt seeping into one's bones.

Linfeng calmly closed his eyes, no longer caring about him. "As if you can do something about it. Go ahead and try me." 

Guan Gao Huan bit his lips. His eyes glanced sideways at the insolent, lowly butler who had long forgotten his station. Then, he smirked.

Such a person would not have a good ending anyways.

"Good luck, then."

Both man finally turned quiet after much bickering.

One minute... Two minutes... Five minutes later.

Finally really over!

Jang Shin secretly let out a sigh of relief. He hoped that this night, as well as tomorrow would end soon.