That hypocritical bastard. The third son of the Luo family cursed inwardly.
Luo Jialin really was a carbon copy of his father—if he didn't want to help deal with the Mu family, he could've just said so. What was the point in stabbing at his sore spot?
Anyone familiar with the development of Luo Family Hospitals knew that their current scale was deeply tied to the decline of the Mu Family's medical enterprise.
If the Mu family hadn't shifted focus and shut down all their hospitals one by one, would he have ever had the chance to rise?
Hmph! Luo Jialin was trying to bait him into making the first move, but he wouldn't fall for it. He'd already looked into it—recently, the Mu family had invested in He Xin's research. And He Xin wasn't a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner.
His work was practically indistinguishable from Han Weicheng's. There was no way Luo Jialin wouldn't be feeling the pressure!
He wanted to see what Luo Jialin would do when the Mu family rose to power again. What would happen to this heir of the Luo Corporation then?
Resolved, the third Luo son turned around with a glass of wine in hand, his eyes sweeping over Shu Lanzhou with ill intentions—an orphan, huh? Easy prey.
…
"Miss Dong, would you honor me with a dance?" Luo Jialin set his wineglass down on a nearby waiter's tray and reached out to Dong Anlan with a gentlemanly smile.
A noble lady, out of politeness, rarely refuses a dance request from a gentleman—especially when the Luo and Dong families had existing business ties, and their elders quite favored this potential match.
Luo Jialin was confident that Dong Anlan wouldn't turn him down. He looked at her with a face full of certainty.
"I mind," Dong Anlan replied with a soft, polite smile. "Young Master Luo should ask someone else—I'm keeping a friend company, and it's not convenient."
Polite—but unmistakably a rejection!
Luo Jialin's expression darkened slightly. His eyes flicked toward Shu Lanzhou standing at Dong Anlan's side, a calculating glint flashing through them. "Since you mind, Miss Dong, surely you wouldn't object if I invited someone else?"
He turned to Shu Lanzhou. "Shu Lanzhou, long time no see—you've become even more beautiful. That dress suits you; you look like a sweet little princess."
"Would you like to dance with me?"
Luo Jialin brimmed with confidence. More than he was sure Dong Anlan wouldn't refuse him, he knew Shu Lanzhou wouldn't.
After all, girls like her—country bumpkins—rarely got the chance to attend events like this. Back when they were part of the same team, Shu Lanzhou had been practically at his beck and call, her eyes full of admiration.
Sure, they'd had a bit of a falling out, but he chalked that up to her throwing a childish tantrum, wanting his attention so he'd coax her.
All he had to do was lower himself a little, and she'd cling to him like a leech.
That was precisely why he'd never shown her a kind face in the past. Girls like Shu Lanzhou—without an ounce of self-awareness—didn't know their place!
But today was different. If flattering her could get Dong Anlan's attention, he didn't mind doing it.
He conveniently forgot how, back at school, she and Dong Anlan had teamed up to publicly embarrass him.
Shu Lanzhou was so stunned by his sudden invitation that she nearly laughed out loud.
She pointed at her head. "Luo Jialin, is there something wrong up here? Memory issues? Hmm… no, that can't be—you remembered my name, after all, so your memory must be fine."
"Since that's the case," Shu Lanzhou said coldly, her face frosty:
"How could you forget that we're not that close? At least from my point of view, I'm in no position to dance with you as if nothing ever happened."
Luo Jialin's expression cracked—how dare she talk to him like that? It was one thing for Dong Anlan to turn him down.
But Shu Lanzhou? A backwater nobody? Daring to humiliate him? She clearly didn't know how good she had it—did she really think he wanted to dance with her?
"Heh… You actually took me seriously?" Luo Jialin forced a polite smile. "I figured you probably didn't know how to dance. I was just being courteous—so you wouldn't feel left out and embarrassed."
"After all, it's probably your first time at a formal event like this, right? Likely no one's ever asked you to dance."
A blatant insult.
Dong Anlan could barely hold it in and was about to speak up—when someone beat her to it.
"Isn't it your first time too?" Mu Side walked over to Shu Lanzhou's side.
"Young Master Luo, not only do you lack self-awareness, but you're also arrogantly presumptuous. If Shu Lanzhou wants to dance, I'll dance with her."
"If she doesn't know how, I'll teach her. There's no rule saying a person has to be good at everything. Shu Lanzhou's already so beautiful, smart, kind, and adorable—why can't there be one thing she's not good at?"
"But you—seems like there are quite a few things you can't do, huh?"
Mu Side stared coldly at Luo Jialin.
"Sure, you can learn skills, but what's truly frightening is someone who doesn't know shame, doesn't know they're being unreasonable, doesn't know they're wrong, and doesn't know when they're making others uncomfortable."
Dong Anlan was fuming.
"Young Master Luo, I've already clearly rejected you. If you don't understand plain language, I don't mind repeating myself—I'm not interested in you. Please stop pestering me."
"I will not dance with you. I will not accept your flowers. I will not take any of your invitations. In fact, I'd rather not speak to you at all. Can you please stay far away from me?"
Dong Anlan had always been poised and polite—but now she was truly angry.
Originally, she only came to this banquet to accompany her father and maybe network a bit for her fledgling company. Who would've thought Luo Jialin would pester her so inappropriately?
She couldn't believe she'd ever thought he was decent.
This man was the very definition of a grade-A hypocrite.
"You were the one who pursued me first!" Luo Jialin scowled, frowning deeply. "Since you liked me, you should've stayed loyal. Why are you so indecisive?"
"I admit I was wrong to turn you down before, but I'm not even holding your thing with Ke Beichen against you. Why can't we just start over?"
"My family likes you, and I think you're perfect to be the lady of the Luo house. Our families match in status, and we're equally accomplished—why not give it another thought?"
Everyone around was floored.
What era did this guy think it was? Did he still believe women had to obey "feminine virtues" and blindly submit after marriage?
Even Dong Anlan was left speechless by how confidently absurd he was being.
"In terms of family background, the Dong and Ke families actually match better," Shu Lanzhou interjected sharply. "And as for 'ability,' the current top student is Ke Beichen. He's also the school heartthrob—whereas you're just the most popular guy in your department. Reaching a bit, aren't you?"
She knew Luo Jialin all too well—privileged by birth, good grades, good looks—he'd always felt superior, always looking down on others with an air of smugness.
It was fine when he looked down on her, a girl from the countryside—but now, in front of Ke Beichen, Mu Side, and Dong Anlan, who all came from comparable backgrounds, where did his arrogance come from?
Shu Lanzhou knew exactly how to hit him where it hurt—strip him of the things he valued most and make him lose so badly, he'd be utterly humiliated.
"Pfft…" Mu Side didn't bother hiding his laughter.
"Our Lanzhou really knows how to speak the truth! Sorry, Luo Jialin—she's young, a bit too blunt. Don't take it personally!"
He reached out to take Shu Lanzhou's hand, casting a brief glance at the ashen-faced Luo Jialin. "I'll be taking her away now—wouldn't want to ruin your fun at the party."
"Dong Anlan, care to join us?"
Dong Anlan was more than happy to.
She had only come because she was bored, hoping to expand her company's connections a little.
She never expected that bastard Luo Jialin to be so obnoxiously persistent!
"Let's go!" she turned swiftly. "I'm with Shu Lanzhou."
Luo Jialin, unable to contain his fury, grabbed Dong Anlan's wrist.
"Dong Anlan! Ke Beichen isn't even qualified to inherit the Ke Corporation—you really think he's on par with me?"