C1 Young Master of the Countryside

In the midst of a sweltering summer, Jiuzhou Airport was bustling with passengers dressed lightly to beat the heat. Young and attractive women flaunted their fair legs, leaving Su Wen completely captivated. Clutching a bun in his mouth, his gaze wandered aimlessly.

"Ugh..."

Su Wen choked on the bun, his eyes rolling back in distress.

"Handsome, here's some water for you."

A sealed bottle of mineral water was offered to him. Gratefully, Su Wen accepted it and gulped it down, the timely hydration saving him from becoming a rare statistic of bun-induced fatalities.

"Ahem, thank you, thank you."

As Su Wen turned to see his benefactor, he was momentarily taken aback. The woman who had handed him the water was a stunning beauty in her twenties, with a slender waist and long legs, her casual attire accentuating her youthful charm.

"Hey, handsome, you're so adorably shy! It's quite entertaining to see you blush!"

The girl, Qingqing, was evidently full of zest, which only made Su Wen, a man accustomed to the solitude of the mountains, turn even redder.

"Qingqing, why bother with this country bumpkin? Just look at his raggedy clothes. He's going to reek up the place soon enough. I can't fathom how he even afforded a plane ticket!"

Qingqing's male companion, dressed in a crisp suit and gold-rimmed glasses, had a point. Su Wen's attire was indeed conspicuously out of place in the airport setting.

"Why should it matter to you? You're not my boyfriend! I'll talk to whoever I want. Are you just intimidated because he's better-looking than you?" retorted Qingqing, her free-spirited nature leaving the bespectacled man at a loss for words.

"Handsome, what's your name? Forget about that bun, it's too dry and tough. Let me buy you something to eat."

Su Wen shook his head with a wry smile, realizing he was being pitied.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I have a fondness for buns."

With a dismissive tone, she remarked, "Well, if you're poor, you're poor, but you still pretend to enjoy it. I bet you can't afford anything but buns, you simpleton!"

The man with the glasses appeared to be Qingqing's admirer. Irritated by her attentiveness towards Su Wen, he couldn't help but ridicule him.

"Can you just shut up! What business is it of yours whether someone can afford their meal or not?"

The girl spoke out, yet in her heart, she had already pegged Su Wen as a rural youth experiencing the city for the first time. These days, even the less fortunate made an effort to look presentable. Su Wen's disheveled appearance was certainly a rarity.

Su Wen felt a sense of resignation witnessing their spat. He didn't wish to be so unkempt. Treating prominent figures who sought his medical expertise in the mountains annually, he could have amassed a small fortune in fees alone. Yet, the elder had strictly forbidden him from accepting any payment. It was no surprise he was scorned, wearing the elder's old clothes from his younger days.

"Thank you, Miss Qingqing. You're as kind-hearted as you are beautiful. Surely, you're destined for great fortune. Unfortunately, I'm short on time and need to head to the security check. Goodbye."

Her face lit up with a smile at Su Wen's compliment. What woman wouldn't bask in such praise? She now saw Su Wen in a slightly more favorable light.

"Where did this country bumpkin spring from? Qingqing, we should be going. It's almost our time to enter."

Jealousy brewed in the bespectacled man as Qingqing's gaze lingered on Su Wen's departing figure. He wished he could obliterate the unsophisticated man with a glare.

"Ugh, why do you have to insult him? You're just better at being born into the right circumstances," the girl retorted with an eye roll.

Su Wen chuckled to himself. This girl had a sharp tongue, colder and harder than any steamed bun.

The airport was bustling with travelers, and long lines snaked around the security checkpoints. The crowd was a dense mass, but the two of them, with their distinct status, took the quiet VIP lane. The stark contrast gave the bespectacled man a sense of superiority.

Yet, his mood soured when he saw Su Wen, with his grubby snakeskin bag, heading towards the same lane. Did he really think he could just waltz through as he pleased?

"Stop right there! Who gave you permission to walk here?"

Su Wen paused, perplexed. "Why can you walk here and I can't?"

The man with glasses sneered with contempt. "Are you kidding me? We're VIPs! And you? You should take a good look at yourself in the mirror! See this? Our tickets aren't the same!"

He flaunted his special ticket with a smug grin.

"My ticket looks just like that. Maybe you've had too much breakfast?" Su Wen sighed. It seemed this guy had it out for him from the start.

"Hah? You? Hahaha, that's hilarious. You're trying to be something you're not! Show me your ticket, then!"

"Why should I show it to you? Are you airport security?" Su Wen gave him a sidelong glance, amused.

"If you don't have a ticket, get back in line like a good little pauper! This lane is for people like me. And look at your shoes, covered in mud. You'd ruin the carpet and couldn't even afford to clean it!"

Su Wen simply smiled. "My butler has the ticket."

"Damn, kid, you're full of it, aren't you? Qingqing, did you hear this guy? Hahaha, a butler, as if there's anything in your hick life worth managing. Why don't you just claim you're a wealthy heir while you're at it?"

The man with glasses seemed to think he'd caught Su Wen in a lie and began to jeer at him.

Just then, a distinguished white-haired gentleman hurried over, sweating but exuding an unmistakable air of wealth and status. It was clear to anyone that he was no ordinary man.

The gentleman approached Su Wen, bowing slightly. "Young Master! Weren't you supposed to wait for me in the lounge?"

Su Wen grinned, "This is my first flight; I wanted to take in the sights of the terminal..."

The old man glanced at the bespectacled man and Qingqing with a resigned expression. "And who might these two be?"

"Just some new friends I've made. They even gave me a bottle of water," Su Wen replied nonchalantly.

"Ah, Young Master, we should hurry. We're running short on time."

Without any intention of engaging further with the pair, the old man took Su Wen by the arm and they departed.

The man with glasses and Qingqing exchanged bewildered glances as they watched Su Wen and the old man stride through the VIP passage. While Qingqing remained composed, the man's jaw nearly hit the floor in astonishment.

...

"Young Master, you had me worried sick just now. If I had lost you, the young lady would have my hide for sure."

Su Wen felt a surge of warmth in his heart. The 'young lady' he referred to was Su Xia, the sister who, though not related by blood, was closer to him than any biological sibling. Over the past decade, while Su Wen devoted himself to rigorous training in the mountains, she had single-handedly upheld the vast family business. Concerned for his well-being, she had arranged for a butler to escort him on his journey.

"Su Xia still has that fiery spirit. She's had to endure so much..."

Back then, both siblings were just children, inexperienced in the ways of the world. Following their father's death, Su Wen faced scorn within the Su family. An old wanderer took a liking to him and took him to the mountains. The extent of Su Xia's efforts to reclaim control of the family enterprise remained a mystery.

"The young lady had no choice but to be tough, Young Master. You're well aware of your relatives' greed. Without Su Xia's decisive leadership since taking over the company, the Su family name might have remained, but it would have no connection to your branch of the family."

Su Xia, the adopted daughter of the Su family and current president of Su's Group in Shengjing City, was renowned for her intelligence and efficiency. Yet, few were privy to the personal struggles she faced behind her formidable facade.