Madam Chen curled her lips and waved her hand holding the handkerchief with a hint of disgust, showing no interest in the silver offered. "Oh, come on. Do you think I'm that kind of person? Not everything in this world can be bought with silver."
She raised her sharp eyebrows and gave Shu Yao a meaningful look. "Just like such a stunning beauty, how could silver alone be enough?"
Madam Chen's greedy gaze made Shu Yao feel uncomfortable all over, like being pricked by a hedgehog. He inadvertently lowered his eyes and eyebrows, looking as graceful as a warbling oriole.
This only strengthened Madam Chen's determination. Without a word, she stepped forward and grabbed Shu Yao's hand, dragging him outside.
"What are you doing? Let go of me!" He panicked and tried to break free. The pungent perfume made his brows knit tighter.
Shu Yao disliked being forced. Not to mention the incident with the hunter before, even now he was extremely resistant.
"Hey, Madam Chen, you can't do this. You can't take him away," the landlady stepped forward to stop Madam Chen. If Shu Yao was really taken away, she would be in big trouble.
She regretted her eagerness to help. Now she was in a difficult situation.
Madam Chen was clearly unhappy. She waved at Nong Yu beside her. Nong Yu nodded understandingly and stood menacingly in front of the landlady.
"Landlady, if you don't want any trouble, you'd better be smart."
The warning sounded. The landlady was torn between hesitation and fear. Just this burly man in front of her could smash her shop at any time.
The landlady was too scared to say a word. Madam Chen smiled satisfactorily and forcibly dragged Shu Yao outside.
"Come on, beauty. Come with mom to Young Master Jiang's place. I guarantee you a life of wealth and glory. This is a good thing that many girls would beg for."
"I, I'm not going! Let go of me..." Shu Yao struggled while casting a pleading look at the landlady. But the landlady was already blocked by the burly man and was unable to help.
He was even ready to use his magic if she didn't let go.
"Humph, you don't have a choice," Madam Chen said confidently. She had never failed in finding girls.
"What are you doing!" Just as a flash of light passed through his eyes, a deep voice like the ocean floor stopped this farce.
A glimmer of joy flashed in Shu Yao's eyes. Madam Chen, who was still holding Shu Yao's hand one second ago, was suddenly pulled away by a strong force and staggered backward a few steps.
"Shu Yue..." Shu Yao looked up at the tall man. The sense of security when being held in his arms seemed to pull him back from the edge of a cliff.
A hint of warmth flashed across Shu Yue's cold eyes. He tightened his grip on Shu Yao's slender shoulders. Then his eyes turned cold again as he looked at Madam Chen.
Shu Yue had a well - defined face, handsomely evil. His prominent browbones were adorned with sharp sword - shaped eyebrows slanting into his temples. His phoenix eyes were slightly squinted, and a cold light flashed through them, like a black vortex ready to suck in people's souls!
Compared with Shu Yao's peerless elegance, he had an invisible air of arrogance that made people in awe.
Madam Chen was stunned for a moment. For some reason, she didn't dare to take a step out of line towards this suddenly appeared handsome man.
The landlady heaved a sigh of relief, relieved of her previous worries.
"Sir, who are you to this girl?" Madam Chen quickly adjusted herself and put on an arrogant air again.
Nong Yu clearly regarded Shu Yue with caution. The muscles on her face were completely stiff.
Shu Yue frowned slightly, glanced at Shu Yao, and said lazily with a half - smile, "You call him a girl?"
Shu Yao blushed involuntarily. With his charming bashful look, one might really mistake him for a girl if they didn't know.
Facing Madam Chen's confusion, Shu Yue hooked his lips, showing his unruly charm. "Who said he's a girl? He's my man."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was stunned!
Shu Yao was the most shocked. He never expected Shu Yue to claim such an absurd sovereignty in public. He was angry, anxious, and extremely ashamed, wishing he could find a hole to hide in.
Shu Yue, however, seemed to be stating the simplest thing. He lost patience with the stunned people.
"Everyone, if you have nothing else to do, please leave," he said in a cold, emotionless voice, the chill seeping into everyone's bones.
Madam Chen and Nong Yu closed their dropped jaws and showed a faint look of disdain, which Shu Yao saw clearly.
He glared at Shu Yue fiercely, but the man still smiled in a dissolute and unruly way.
Madam Chen waved her hand and said with disgust, "What a crazy world. It's so disgusting. I've wasted my time."
She swayed her hips under the silk dress, waved her hand, and walked out of the door without looking back, followed by the burly man.
The landlady was brought back to her senses by Shu Yue's cold look and left with a fake smile.
The door closed. The only sound was the silence, and there was a raging fire in the air.
Shu Yao pushed Shu Yue away angrily and pointed at him, scolding, "Shu Yue, how could you say that just now!"
Seeing his adoptive father's angry and blushing face, Shu Yue quickly comforted him, "Father, please don't blame me. Given the situation just now, what other choice did I have?"
Then his eyes darkened, and his tone was a bit jealous. "But seeing you like this, do you actually want to be sold as a woman to another man?"
"Shu Yue, is this how you talk to your father? You're becoming more and more outrageous."
Shu Yao was so ashamed and angry that he simply sat on the couch and turned his head away, ignoring Shu Yue.
"Is father angry?"
There was no response...
Shu Yue slapped his own mouth. He should have known that his father couldn't take jokes and shouldn't have been so reckless.
So he sat down next to Shu Yao, pressed his back against Shu Yao's from behind. His deep voice brushed past Shu Yao's ear, and his warm breath hit his neck, making Shu Yao tremble and his ears turn red.
It wasn't that he had never had physical contact with Shu Yue, but this sudden voice and breath were like a hand gently plucking at his heartstrings.
"Father, I know I was wrong. Please don't be angry," he said coquettishly, leaning on Shu Yao's shoulder. The cold fragrance on Shu Yao was refreshing.
Shu Yao moved aside to avoid Shu Yue's strong body and kept a certain distance from him, still silent.
Shu Yue's eyes lit up. He took out a box of pastries from his pocket, waved it in front of Shu Yao's nose, and said softly, "Father, this peach kernel pastry is very delicious. I bought it specially for you. Try it."
Shu Yao didn't even look at it and said coldly and firmly, "I won't eat it."
"Just take a bite."
"Don't bother me." Thinking of the embarrassing scene just now, Shu Yao took a deep breath to suppress the urge to beat Shu Yue.
"Father, I've already apologized. What else do you want me to do?"