Zhang Han released a light chuckle and shook his head at Zi Yan.
He knew that Zi Yan was far from ready to have that conversation. Her father’s call had come way too suddenly.
In that case, it would be better for them to table this discussion for some other time in the future. The sight of Zi Yan panicking transformed Zhang Han into a warm and soft-hearted family man; once again, he shook his head at Zi Yan caringly.
Zi Yan pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.
“I, I was just saying that I have a good job. I signed with a good company. It’s a three-year contract,” Zi Yan said into the phone. “So, yeah. I guess I’m saying that life over here has been pretty good. So, you guys don’t have to worry about me.”
As the phone conversation went on, Zi Yan and Zhang Han stopped in front of the washroom’s door.
Zi Yan shot a glance at Zhang Han and then raised herself on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. After that, she walked into the washroom while keeping the phone conversation going.
Zhang Han leaned against the wall beside the door and watched Zi Yan quietly.
The phone conversation went on for five minutes. After bidding her parents goodbye and ending the call, Zi Yan walked back towards Zhang Han. She stopped beside him and lifted her chin slightly. She pressed her red lips together and began to speak in an apologetic tone.
“I’m sor—”
Zhang Han pressed his index finger to Zi Yan’s lips, stopping her words. He smiled gently at her.
“You don’t have to apologize. In fact, don’t ever apologize to me again. You’re my wife. Whatever it is that you do from now on, I’ll understand, and I’ll support you.”
Liquid warmth poured into Zi Yan’s heart in torrents. Right now, as she gazed at Zhang Han stupidly, she felt as if her heart were melting into a puddle of goo.
Her legs moved on their own and she was once again on tiptoes. Her lips brushed across Zhang Han’s lips in a gentle kiss.
Zhang Han had other ideas; he wrapped both arms around Zi Yan’s slender waist and pulled her tightly to him.
A long, passionate kiss ensued.
“Hmm,” Zi Yan said when the kiss ended.
A rosy tint colored Zi Yan’s cheeks as she leaned into Zhang Han’s embrace.
There was a yearning look on her face when she spoke next. “I’m still worried. I’m worried that my parents would come and take me away if I tell them. You only just confessed your love to me, and we only just got together. I’m scared. I’m not brave enough to tell them,” she grumbled. Her voice sounded so fragile and delicate right then that he thought it might actually break.
“I understand,” Zhang Han said. He raised his right hand and ran his fingers gently through her hair. “Don’t worry, okay? No one can take you away from me. I’ll make sure of that.”
“But they’re like tyrants,” Zi Yan said, pouting like a child. Then, she dropped her head onto Zhang Han’s shoulder. “I was born in the Zi Clan of Singapore. Zi Clan is a business clan that had over centuries of history,” Zi Yan said slowly.
“From what I heard, the Zi Clan originated from the Hua nation back in the olden days. But due to various disputes among the prominent clans back then, my ancestors left the nation. At the time, Singapore had only become a country for a several years. My ancestors traveled to Singapore and decided to establish themselves there. Even now, my clan still possessed a deep-rooted influence on Singaporean politics. I suppose you could say that my entire clan is filled with the aristocratic vibe. Do you know that I wasn’t even allowed to date back then? Yeah, my clan forbade me from dating because of my good looks. They thought my good looks would be an asset to secure arranged marriages in the future. But after that, I insisted on leaving. I rebelled against my clan, and it wasn’t pretty. We nearly severed ties.”
“From what I heard, the elders had nearly announced to kick my family out of the clan. After that, it was my grandfather who had managed to calm things down. I was still with Royal Entertainment Company at the time, and my clan planned to send someone to drag me back. But that plan didn’t work out because I was still under contract with the company and the penalty for a breach of contract was too costly. Besides, one of the members of the clan’s council stepped in and intervened on my behalf.”
“It’s also possible that my young age had given my clan the incentive to bully me around back then. When my popularity rose, my relationship with Zi Clan took a better turn. They did order me to return a few times, but I ignored them. Even so, they didn’t take any extreme measures to force me back. You have to know that they value benefit and self-interest above anything else. They thought they could use my increasing popularity to the clan’s advantage. It’s also possible that they think my status as a superstar might increase their chances of securing a good marriage for me.”
“Anyway, the point is that there isn’t much familial bond within my clan. If they find out about us, I…” Zi Yan trailed off, fear and worry filling her eyes.
Zi Yan had given Zhang Han a rundown of her clan’s history.
Although things were going fine right now, but if she really told her parents, and if they were to have an official wedding ceremony, all kinds of problems would ensue. Her family knew that. Would her parents even agree?
“Hahaha,” Zhang Han laughed blandly.
He had kept very quiet and listened to Zi Yan’s account from start to end.
Gently, he placed a hand on Zi Yan’s shoulder. Then, he pushed her slightly so that her head was no longer leaning against his shoulder. He shifted their positions so that they were staring into each other’s eyes.
In that moment, Zhang Han’s expression was calm.
Something shifted in his aura right then and there; one moment, he was all caring and tender, and then the next, he had this otherworldly and spiritual air about him. It was like he had just transformed into some kind of deity. Just like that, waves upon waves of transcendental aura radiated from him, assaulting Zi Yan’s senses.
Then, a tiny, slighting smile formed on the corner of Zhang Han’s lips.
Other than the warmth and tenderness in his eyes as he gazed at Zi Yan’s face, his entire aura and presence had changed; right now, he was like an emperor who ruled over the entire world!
This was the first time that Zi Yan had seen this side of Zhang Han, which was why her eyes had glazed over slightly. In her heart, she felt only one thing: Zhang Han’s presence was growing larger and larger.
All these feelings made Zi Yan associate Zhang Han with a powerful general back in ancient wartime. His grit and tenderness had utterly bewitched her, so much so that she felt as if she was intoxicated.
Just like that, Zhang Han held Zi Yan’s gaze. When he finally spoke after a moment, he did it in an indifferent tone.
“It’s just a clan. Trust me, no one will be able you snatch you away from me. Even if there are hundreds, thousands, or even millions of clans like yours who are trying to take you away from me, it’s still not possible. One day, you and I will soar into the heavens, hand in hand. We will spread our wings and fly, and it won’t be just a dream!”
The extreme indifference carried in his tone really allowed Zi Yan to feel the disdain and scorn that Zhang Han had towards prominent clans.
“Mm,” Zi Yan said, nodding her head obediently.
To normal ears, Zhang Han’s words might be regarded as one of the many delusions of an idiot, or even just empty talk; however, to Zi Yan, his words contained a truth that she had deep faith in.
Had Zhou Fei been there to witness the exchange, she would undoubtedly say, “Oh boy, she’s nuts. She has truly gone nuts. How could Elder Sister Yan believe him when all brother-in-law did was make a mockery of everything? Could it be that a woman’s IQ would drop so rapidly when she’s in love?”
Then again, anyone who was not aware of the true depths of Zhang Han’s hidden knowledge would never believe his words.
To an ordinary person, “cultivation” was a word associated with the absurd; however, the truth was standing right before Zi Yan’s eyes.
As an expert in the tribulation overcoming stage who had once shifted mountains and parted oceans with a mere wave of his hand, Zhang Han’s temperament was far from ordinary. How could such a man yield to the rules of the Last Dharma age?
The Cultivation World had always been about the survival of the fittest. The strong shall feed on the flesh of the weak; that was an immutable law of the Cultivation World. It was a world in which the weak practically led an ant-like existence. Obviously, if Zhang Han were to be reborn into a world without Mengmeng and Zi Yan, this would be a different story altogether; even if he did not leave a bloodbath or massacre behind, at least half of the world’s authorities would be terribly afflicted by his presence. That said, there was a fundamental tenet of the world that should never be doubted: beneath the feet of every great emperor, the road to his throne would always be paved with countless corpses and dry bones.
If they were to see things from God’s point of view, if they could foresee the future, then the members of a lot of prominent clans would feel thankful to Zi Yan; because Zi Yan and Mengmeng had mellowed Zhang Han’s heart to the point that he was entertaining ideas of living quietly and peacefully for the rest of his life.
Right now, that was exactly Zhang Han’s attitude towards life; he would stay away from any form of dispute and just lead a quiet existence. But of course, if he saw people he liked, he would take them under his wing. After all, if a man attained enlightenment, everything associated with him, friends or pets, would rise to heaven too.
“Ahem.”
All of a sudden, the soft noise of someone clearing their throat sounded from the end of the corridor.
Turning their heads, they saw Zhou Fei standing there with a look of relish on her face. “Elder Sister Yan, brother-in-law, I’ve been waiting for quite a while, you know,” Zhou Fei said. “You guys done with all the hugging and kissing yet? I need to use the bathroom. What say you two lovebirds stop torturing a lonely, single woman, like me, eh?”
Swish!
Zi Yan flushed a deep shade of scarlet. She shot Zhou Fei a glare. “Are you asking for a beating?”
“Haha.” Zhang Han laughed and released Zi Yan from his hold. His right hand clasped Zi Yan’s left hand tightly. “Then let’s head back and finish our dinner,” he said gently.
In that moment, Zhang Han had transformed back to the warm and gentle man as he led Zi Yan back to the lobby by hand.
Zi Yan chuckled lightly. “I’m actually a little full, but I suppose I could have some more.”
“You should eat more and put more flesh onto your body. You’re so skinny right now,” Zhang Han remarked casually.
“Skinny? Please. I’m already weighing in 105 pounds.”
“Only 105 pounds? Look at you and your skinny legs and thin arms. Then again… You are pretty curvaceous in the right places…”
“Shut up!”
Zhang Han and Zi Yan kept on walking, engaging each other in light banter all the while.
Zhou Fei glared at the pair and grumbled, “Hey, hey, hey! You’re getting more and more out of line there. Now you’re just flirting with each other!”
The pair ignored Zhou Fei’s grumbling and walked back to their table hand in hand.
At their table, everyone was pretty much done with the food. For the people at other tables, however, the feast had barely begun.
There were still a lot of ingredients left for the hot pot: fatty beef, high-grade mutton, tendons, ligaments, and various vegetables, you name it. Nobody was having enough.
Mengmeng, on the other hand, showed very little interest in the hot pot.
Her bright and large eyes were fixed upon the huge piece of cake in front of her.
Once in a while she would mumble a “so delicious” while she ate.
Then again, Mengmeng did not have a huge appetite; she could barely finish a third of the huge piece of cake before her.
“Urrp…”
“Eh?” Mengmeng froze. “Did I just burp?”
“Well, let me have one final bit of cream, then.”
Mengmeng picked up her spoon and was just about to dig in when she belched again.
“Urrp…”
“Eh?” Mengmeng froze again.
Just then, Zi Yan turned her head to look at Mengmeng.
Zi Yan laughed and said, “Mengmeng, you’ve had a big piece already. You shouldn’t be eating any more, okay?”
Mengmeng pouted. “But, but there’s still a lot left. If I don’t eat it today, I won’t get to eat it again tomorrow.”
Zhang Han reached out and stroked Mengmeng’s head. “I’ll bring back a piece for you later. You can still have some tomorrow.”
“Hmm, then I’ll stop eating for now.” Mengmeng set her tiny spoon on her plate. Her eyes darted all over the room before they landed on Dahei and Little Hei’s table. Then, she stretched out her tiny arms and said, “PaPa, PaPa, carry me down. I want to play with Big Heihei and Little Heihei.”
“Mm,” Zhang Han said, picking Mengmeng up and then carrying her over to the other table. After that, he placed Mengmeng in the chair beside Dahei.
Meanwhile, Dahei and Little Hei were having the time of their lives!
It was as if Dahei and Little Hei were playing a game of morra; Dahei’s smacked its palm against Little Hei’s paw after which they both took two sips of their drinks. Then again, you had to give it to Dahei for being a good buddy; using a huge ladle, Dahei served up the meat from the hot pot to itself and Little Hei.
Little Hei had finished three bottles of beer. Right now, it was feeling a bit light-headed. It shook its head and released two cries. It stopped drinking after that. Its protective instinct had compelled it to stop drinking. It wanted to preserve its senses and reaction time.
Dahei, on the other hand, was starting to show signs of losing self-control like a typical drunk.
Luckily, that was the moment when Zhang Han placed Mengmeng on the chair beside Dahei.
