Chapter 8
1440 Words
"The family restrictions have been lifted," Lu Yuan said, his tone resolute. "Now, I have full control over our resources and the family's power."
"Indeed," Elder Xiong replied with a hint of amusement. "I received the notice yesterday and was wondering when you’d finally call me. Didn’t expect the call to come so soon, ha!"
"Elder Xiong, I want to issue a warning to the Shengtang Group in Jinling," Lu Yuan said firmly.
"No problem. This is a minor task; let me check." Elder Xiong’s voice was calm and steady. "The Jiangnan office oversees Jinling for the family. I’ll notify them immediately and delegate the matter. What exactly would you like them to be warned about, Third Young Master?"
"Let them know that they must not interfere with Jiujiang Company."
"Understood."
"And make it fast."
"Consider it done; thirty minutes at most."
"Good."
As the saying goes, a command from above, and those below run ragged.
After hanging up, Elder Xiong used the family's internal communication to inform the Jiangnan office. In Jinling, an invisible force immediately sprang into action.
First, the phone rang in the office of the tax bureau’s director, Huang Yongqing. Seeing the caller ID, Huang put down his paperwork and answered promptly, "Hello, this is Huang Yongqing."
"It's Jiang Chunnan."
"Director Jiang! Hello, hello."
"Director Huang, there’s an issue. It seems the Shengtang Group has been rather restless lately..." Jiang hinted at Lu Yuan's instructions with subtlety.
"Rest assured, Director Jiang; I’ll handle it right away!"
Huang hung up and immediately ordered his staff to prepare a car. He intended to visit the Shengtang Group in person.
"But sir, Mr. Wang has been waiting to see you for nearly two hours,” his secretary informed him.
"Tell him to come back tomorrow,” Huang replied impatiently.
"Sir, Mr. Wang has already waited for—"
"I said tomorrow!" Huang snapped at the secretary, visibly irritated.
Can’t this guy see what’s important here? Mr. Wang is nothing. Jiang Chunnan is not just anyone; he’s a man of almost mythical influence—neither an official nor a businessman, yet he has the power to sway even Jinling’s mayor.
Jiang Chunnan had instructed him to warn Shengtang about their threats to Jiujiang Company. Huang didn’t understand why such a powerful figure would be concerned about a small company like Jiujiang, but he didn’t need to ask questions. All he had to do was obey.
It was time to give Shengtang Group a little reminder. With his authority over taxation, it would be easy to make things difficult for them.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan sat alone by the lake on campus. It was peaceful here—the lake’s clear surface reflected willow branches swaying gently, the white teaching buildings stood in the distance, and occasionally, a waterbird flew by. The sound of the wind filled the air.
Lu Yuan realized that being single wasn’t so bad after all. When he’d been dating Li Mengyao, she was clingy, and he’d been her go-to for everything.
He got her food, washed her clothes, even wrote her papers—he even bought her sanitary products. His life had revolved around her.
Now, he found himself suddenly at peace and free to enjoy the world on his own.
His phone rang.
It wasn’t Elder Xiong.
"Lu Yuan, come to the red clay tennis court in West Zone Four," a woman’s commanding voice said over the line.
"Um, I—"
"What ‘um’? You dare defy the president? Get over here, now. I’m only going to say this once!" The call abruptly ended.
Lu Yuan, immersed in the tranquility of the moment, didn’t really want to go, but eventually, he got up and brushed off his pants.
West Zone Tennis Court.
"Here he is—the ball boy has arrived!"
"Get over here! Took you long enough!"
"Hey, can’t you run a little faster?"
A group of boys and girls waved Lu Yuan over as soon as he appeared.
The girl at the center was strikingly pretty, wearing a baseball cap, Nike sportswear, pink shorts, and Converse shoes—radiant and full of energy.
"Why are you so slow? I called you ten minutes ago. This court costs fifty an hour, and we’ve been wasting time waiting for you," she complained, frowning at him.
"Sorry, President. My apologies," Lu Yuan replied.
This girl was Bai Ran, president of the tennis club. The rest, including Lu Yuan, were club members.
"Alright, enough talking. Just stand by and pick up the balls for us!" Bai Ran ordered, turning back to the others. "Alright, everyone, our ball boy is here. Let’s get started!"
"Alright!"
"Let’s go!"
So, while Bai Ran and the others played, Lu Yuan sat on the sidelines, watching and picking up any stray balls.
As Lu Yuan sat for a moment to catch his breath, a girl approached him and struck up a conversation.
"Why don’t you just play? Why are you only picking up balls?"
Lu Yuan didn’t recognize her; she was likely a friend of Bai Ran's but didn’t seem to be in the tennis club.
She was pretty, too, wearing a pair of AJs and track pants, her fair skin glowing under the sunlight, her eyes curving into crescents when she smiled.
"He doesn’t know how to play tennis," scoffed a nearby male club member who’d just finished a round. "That’s why he’s here picking up balls. Besides, we all chip in for the court, and he can’t afford it, so he should just be grateful we let him watch."
The guy, Wang Dali, had always looked down on Lu Yuan.
"Anyone can learn if they practice," the girl remarked, undeterred.
"Practice? He can’t even afford the court fees." Wang Dali gave a smug laugh. "I wonder why he even joined such an upscale club. A tennis racket alone costs hundreds. He can’t buy one, let alone play."
Grabbing his Under Armour racket, Wang Dali flashed it. "Check this out! Cost me over two grand. Tennis is for people who can afford it, not everyone."
Feeling buoyed by his boast, Wang Dali turned to the girl. "You came with Bai, right? Name’s Wang Dali. I’m also in the club."
"Oh, nice to meet you, Wang," she replied politely. "I’m Feng Ling. I’m not from this school—I came to hang out with Bai, who said we’d play some tennis. But I don’t know how, haha."
"Hey, it’s easy! I’ll teach you. You’ll pick it up in no time," Wang Dali said eagerly, brandishing his racket. "Use mine—it’s top-notch!"
"Oh, no thanks. I’ll just watch," Feng Ling declined, turning back to Lu Yuan. "By the way, what’s your name?"
"Lu Yuan."
"Well, Lu Yuan, you know my name now," Feng Ling smiled, her eyes bright. "How about we learn together sometime? I’ll cover the court fees."
Lu Yuan glanced at her.
She looked stunning, the sunlight filtering through the trees onto her hair. She smiled, her gaze sincere.
Just then, a loud voice interrupted them.
"Hey! Lu Yuan! Daydreaming? Go fetch the ball!" shouted Wang Dali.
Irritated that Feng Ling was ignoring him in favor of Lu Yuan, he’d purposely hit the ball over the fence into the bushes.
"Forget it," Feng Ling said, frowning. "It's dangerous in those bushes."
"It’s fine," Lu Yuan replied, annoyed but resigned to pick it up.
He waded through the dense, tangled bushes, eventually finding the ball and tossing it to Wang Dali.
"You’re bleeding!" Feng Ling exclaimed as he returned, pointing at the fresh scratch on his arm.
Sure enough, a long cut ran down his arm, dripping blood, his shirt torn.
"That’s enough. Don’t pick up any more balls for them." Feng Ling frowned. "There’s no reason you should be doing this."
"It’s alright," Lu Yuan said, wiping the blood on his pants.
"No, I’ll help you." Feng Ling took out a tissue and poured water from her bottle, gently cleansing his wound and patting it dry.
Lu Yuan couldn’t help but feel a surge of warmth.
This girl was truly kind.
"Hey, Feng Ling, what’re you doing?" Bai Ran approached, wiping her brow, and scowled at the sight of Feng Ling tending to Lu Yuan’s wound. "You’re not grossed out?"
"There’s nothing gross about it," Feng Ling replied without looking up.
Bai Ran stared, surprised. She hadn’t expected Feng Ling to be so kind to Lu Yuan, someone she’d barely paid attention to herself.
After all, there wasn’t anything about Lu Yuan that Bai Ran found appealing. She still couldn’t understand how he’d managed to join the tennis club at all.
- Writer
