C5 I Won't Screw You Over!

"The old man has an impeccable eye; he would never let you leap into a fire pit," the noblewoman Lu Xuan reassured her daughter, her voice betraying a hint of self-comfort as well.

Yet, she herself wasn't convinced.

The young man betrothed to Xu Yuwei was due to arrive shortly to formalize their engagement.

Strangely enough, Lu Xuan felt none of the excitement and joy that should accompany her daughter's impending marriage.

Yu Beigu was a name that everyone in the Xu family, except for the patriarch, preferred to avoid.

Notorious for his frivolous ways, this young man was also known for his frail health, often described as sickly. Rumors from the Yu family even suggested that Yu Beigu wouldn't live past the age of twenty!

He suffered from a rare illness that modern medicine was powerless to cure.

Yet the patriarch insisted on honoring an old agreement, refusing to consider breaking it.

He had been saved on the battlefield by Yu Beigu's grandfather. The two families had intended to become in-laws, but fate had it that both men only had sons.

Eventually, the two old war buddies decided their grandchildren would marry.

Thus, the engagement between Yu Beigu and Xu Yuwei was settled.

Decades passed, and the Xu family's power and wealth grew, while the Yu family's fortunes waned.

Everyone believed that Xu Yuwei's betrothal to Yu Beigu was a clear disservice to their granddaughter.

But when the elder spoke, the entire Xu family, despite their reservations, dared not contradict him.

"Yuwei, please, try to keep your composure. Don't get upset or do anything rash," Lu Xuan implored, her gaze fixed on her daughter with concern.

Xu Yuwei looked into her mother's eyes, filled with helplessness, and sighed, a wave of frustration rising within her.

The rumors about that young man only intensified her sense of resistance.

"Ms. Lu, my apologies for keeping you waiting! We encountered a slight delay on the way here and were held up for twenty minutes. I'm terribly sorry."

A polite and smiling young man appeared at the entrance to the living room, greeting both mother and daughter with warmth.

"Is this Yu Beigu? The one who's not expected to live past twenty?"

Xu Yuwei appraised him with an impassive gaze.

Standing at a medium height, roughly 170 centimeters, she reckoned that with high heels on, she might even tower over him.

His features were delicate, attractive in a nondescript way that would blend into any crowd. His demeanor was akin to the boy next door, a stark contrast to Xu Dengjun, the boy she fancied, who was in a league of his own.

His attire was even more nondescript than he was. Even by her standards, which were far from critical, it was clear that his outfit was a dime a dozen, straight off the rack.

Her friends would have undoubtedly teased him mercilessly had they been there.

Xu Yuwei's initial verdict was that he simply didn't measure up.

"Grandfather must really be losing his touch, setting me up with someone like this!" she thought, her eyes betraying a flicker of contempt.

Xu Dengjun, her classmate, had been quietly pursuing her since their freshman year of high school. A prominent figure at school, he was handpicked for the Edochester Military Academy at nineteen and was now hailed as the young Soldier King there.

He stood a good chance of joining the elite forces of the Edochester military in the future, a breeding ground for Soldier Kings. Graduates from there were destined for greatness.

Moreover, standing over 1.8 meters tall with a commanding presence, Xu Dengjun easily eclipsed the somewhat timid and introverted young man before her.

Lu Xuan observed the young man, managing to muster a polite smile.

This young man simply couldn't hold a candle to Xu Dengjun. The more she compared them, the more she believed that only Xu Dengjun was a suitable match for Xu Yuwei.

Yet, this was the young man the elder had chosen, and she felt rather powerless to change that.

"You must be Beigu, right? Come, have a seat. This is Yuwei," Ms. Lu said warmly, "She's also in her senior year of high school. You can call her Weiwei. From now on, please take good care of her."

Yu Beigu nodded with a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, Ms. Lu. From now on, Yuwei will be like a sister to me. I won't let anyone bully her."

Xu Yuwei's eyes flashed with disdain. You think you can protect me with that frail look of yours?

Seemingly oblivious to the scorn in her gaze, Yu Beigu extended his hand, speaking with an ease that suggested deep familiarity, "Yuwei, I'm looking forward to your company in the future."

"No thanks, I'm not up for that job," retorted Xu Yuwei, lips pursed and arms crossed defensively across her chest, exuding a 'keep out' vibe.

As she scrutinized the young man before her, she couldn't shake the feeling that he seemed to know her well. His gaze, his smile, even the subtle expressions on his face all conveyed the warmth of an old friend, rather than the awkwardness typical of a first encounter.

His presumptuous familiarity only intensified her aversion.

"Since Beigu has arrived, I should inform Yuwei's father and the patriarch right away," interjected Lu Xuan, attempting to alleviate the tension.

"There's no need, Ms. Lu. I'm sure the patriarch is already aware of my arrival," Yu Beigu said with a smile. "The driver should be here in about thirty seconds."

Xu Yuwei rolled her eyes at his comment, thinking to herself, "As if you have some sort of psychic powers..."

Despite maintaining a constant smile, Ms. Lu couldn't hide a flicker of contempt in her eyes. She considered the young man's arrogance misplaced. The patriarch was a man of considerable stature—without the influence of Yu Beigu's grandfather, the young man wouldn't even register on the patriarch's radar.

Would someone of the patriarch's standing pay any attention to an immature youth like him?

True to Yu Beigu's prediction, thirty seconds later, an Audi A4 with a white license plate pulled up at the villa's entrance.

"Ladies, Mr. Beigu, the patriarch has sent me to escort you to the family estate for a reunion dinner!"

"What? Grandfather really intends to marry me off to this Lu Se?" Xu Yuwei exclaimed, her reaction akin to a startled cat leaping to its feet.

Initially, Xu Yuwei harbored some illusions about Yu Beigu, spun from her grandfather's tales. However, upon meeting him, those illusions were utterly dashed.

A man like him was simply not a match for her, Xu Yuwei!

The Xu family's standing in Edochester was not something this young man could hope to live up to.

Ms. Lu, meanwhile, regarded the young man with astonishment.

She was well aware of the Xu family patriarch's status and discerning eye. If this young man didn't possess some exceptional qualities, he would never have garnered such favor, to the point where the patriarch was eager to finalize Yuwei's marriage with him.

Throughout their encounter, she noted that the young man maintained a demeanor of serene indifference.

For the average person, this situation would be akin to a windfall, yet this young man didn't show the slightest ripple of emotion!

Despite her continued disapproval of him, Ms. Lu was no fool; she recognized that his composure was genuine, not a facade.