Chapter 323 - 162: Madam, Please Behave Yourself

Chapter 323: Chapter 162: Madam, Please Behave Yourself

"I didn’t expect Sister Piaopiao to be here. I can’t have her make tea for me; that wouldn’t be right. Sect Leader Liu, please take a seat while I go say hello."

Sect Leader Liu was very pleased by Su Ran’s show of consideration.

In the kitchen.

Liu Piaopiao stood there in an apron, dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans and a trendy sweatshirt, her hair tied in a ponytail. She looked very young but lacked her usual vitality. Instead, she was staring blankly into space, mechanically scooping tea leaves into a cup, lost in thought. Judging by her expression, she was mulling over something unpleasant. She would occasionally lower her head to sigh or sniffle pitifully, cutting a truly heart-rending figure.

"Sister Piaopiao." Su Ran walked up and waved a hand in front of her. Liu Piaopiao murmured an "Oh," and seemed to snap out of it. "You’re here," she said, her voice flat. She put down the spoon, picked up the kettle, and poured water into the cup.

Uh...

Su Ran stared at the cup, which was now filled almost entirely with tea leaves. ’One sip of that would be impossibly bitter,’ he thought. He had to point out that the water was overflowing before she finally stopped pouring. She was completely out of it.

"Here, you drink it. I’m tired."

She untied her apron, left the kitchen, and went to her bedroom. It was the first time Su Ran had ever seen his normally bubbly Sister Piaopiao in such a state. He carried the cup of tea back to the small courtyard and sat down, asking Liu Buqun what had happened. Only then did he learn that Liu Piaopiao was here because she’d had another fight with Shan Zhentian. This one was more serious, though. A few days ago, Shan Zhentian had gone to a calligraphy and painting event in Xi’an. He got too drunk at a dinner party that night and missed Liu Piaopiao’s calls. When she tried calling again the next morning, a woman answered the phone. That was the fatal blow.

Shan Zhentian had rushed home that very day to explain. He told Liu Piaopiao that he had gotten drunk and left his phone at the restaurant. The person who answered the call the next morning was the restaurant’s female manager. "It’s not what you think! You know what kind of man I am, don’t you? Don’t you trust me?" But the more he tried to explain, the more suspicious he sounded. It was an impossible situation.

Even Shan Weizi and the old man were privately skeptical. ’Was it really just a coincidence?’ But they still did their best to console Liu Piaopiao. In her fury, Liu Piaopiao had stormed back to Spirit Sword Mountain to cool off alone. Shan Zhentian didn’t dare show his face, knowing he’d only make things worse—courting disaster and possibly even risking a complete breakdown of their relationship. He decided to wait until she was in a better mood before trying to explain again. In the meantime, Shan Weizi had been calling constantly to comfort her mother. But Liu Piaopiao was stubborn. She accused Weizi of "singing the same tune as her father," and after a few more calls, she blocked her daughter’s number as well.

This was a private family matter, so naturally, Shan Weizi hadn’t mentioned it to Su Ran.

So Su Ran was only finding out about all this now?

’How outrageous!’

’My Sister Piaopiao is so beautiful and so cute! How could he not cherish her?’

"This is definitely a tricky situation. It’s about a crisis of trust in a marriage. Hmm..." Su Ran mused for a moment before continuing. "To be honest, looking at it objectively, Uncle Shan really messed up. He knew he was on a business trip and his wife would be at home worrying, but he still drank himself into a stupor and missed her calls. She was worried sick all night, and when she finally gets through the next morning, some strange woman answers. If you flip the situation—if she called her husband and some man picked up the next day—she would be absolutely furious. No explanation in the world would be good enough."

"Su Ran, it’s good to see all of Sister Piaopiao’s affection for you hasn’t gone to waste."

Right or wrong, Liu Buqun was on his daughter’s side. Hearing Su Ran’s take on the matter, his opinion of the young man improved considerably.

"Sister Piaopiao has always been very good to me, but I’m not just saying this to take her side. I’m just stating the facts," Su Ran said. "Hmm... Right now, nobody knows the truth of whether Uncle Shan actually did anything wrong. It’s not a question of whether we believe him or not. Our trust doesn’t mean anything. What matters is that Sister Piaopiao trusts him."

"Yes, her trust is the only thing that matters..." The old man paused, then added, "Zhentian is a good man, really. He just takes his career far too seriously. He’s out early and back late every day, busy with work. The only time he gets to spend with Piaopiao is right before dinner. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Between family and career, one always has to take priority. So, which type are you?"

The old man turned the question on Su Ran. He was clearly worried that after graduation, Su Ran would also become a workaholic and neglect his granddaughter.

"I’m a family man," Su Ran replied. "I don’t place too much importance on my career. As long as I have enough to get by, that’s all that matters. Spending time with the people I care about is what’s truly important."

’A Divine Rich person talking about a career? My career is enjoying life without having to work for it. The system gives me money to live lavishly; if I buried my head in hard work, I’d be doing a great disservice to the Divine Wealth System.’

"Life is all about one thing: enjoyment. I like living a life free of constraints. As long as I have enough money to support a wife and kids, I’m happy. I don’t care about becoming some prestigious or high-status person. A happy wife and a warm home are all I need."

’It’s just that I might have quite a few of those ’warm homes’... and probably quite a few wives, too.’

"Good answer." The old man appreciated people who didn’t take their careers too seriously—though this was, of course, predicated on knowing Su Ran was already wealthy. "Alright, let’s stop talking about her. She’ll cool down in a few days. Since Piaopiao has gone on strike for lunch, I’ll whip up a few dishes for you myself. I picked some fresh matsutake mushrooms on the mountain this morning. I’ll make you a nice plate of stir-fried pork with matsutake."

"Stir-fried pork with matsutake? Isn’t that a bit too extravagant?"

"What’s so extravagant about it? The mountain is covered in them. City folk might consider them a rare delicacy, but for us here on Spirit Sword Mountain, they’re just another side dish."

"Alright then, let me give you a hand."

"No, no, that’s not necessary. You should go and comfort Piaopiao."

"I’m not going."

Su Ran said stubbornly. Liu Buqun chuckled. "What’s the matter? Piaopiao adores you, and right now she’s the one who needs comforting. You’re so good at talking to people and cheering them up. Why aren’t you willing to go and have a word with her?"

"I’m not going. She’s... formidable. If I go poking the bear right now, it’s not going to end well for me."

’I’m not ready to die just yet. Going to comfort a woman who’s looking for a punching bag? I’d be trampled to death under her high heels for sure.’

And so, the two men, neither wanting to test their luck, headed to the kitchen to cook.

It’s never a good idea for outsiders to meddle in a couple’s business. You try to mediate, and before you know it, you’ve accidentally talked them into a divorce. It happens more often than you’d think.

...

At lunch, the table was filled with all of Liu Piaopiao’s favorite dishes.

Liu Piaopiao: "You guys go ahead. I don’t have an appetite."

Su Ran: ...

Liu Buqun: "Sit down and eat! Sit down!"

Liu Piaopiao sat down reluctantly but didn’t pick up her chopsticks. She propped her head up with one hand and listlessly poked at the rice in her bowl with the other.

Ahem...

Liu Buqun coughed twice, pointedly reminding Su Ran to cheer up Sister Piaopiao.

After a moment’s hesitation, Su Ran said, "Sect Leader Liu, let me ask you a riddle. How many steps does it take to put an elephant in a refrigerator?"

"Three steps: open the fridge, put the elephant in, close the door. Then for a giraffe, it’s four steps: open the fridge, take the elephant out, put the giraffe in, close the door. And when all the animals in the forest had a sports day, the giraffe didn’t show up because it was still locked in the fridge. It’s an old joke. You can stop now. Just eat your food," Liu Piaopiao recited absentmindedly, finishing the entire chain joke in one breath.

"Alright then." Su Ran could only lower his head and eat in silence.

BEEP BEEP BEEP...

Just then, Liu Piaopiao’s phone rang. The call was from Shan Zhentian. She rejected it.

Su Ran sighed. ’Shan Zhentian is actually pretty lucky,’ he thought. ’At least he only has to pacify one woman. If I were in his shoes, and the women at the other end of my six Red Dust Lines all called and had their calls picked up by another woman... now *that* would be a nightmare. Trying to placate six women at once? I’d have to talk until my lips bled and run my legs off going from door to door to explain. It would be the death of me.’

BEEP BEEP BEEP...

Su Ran’s phone rang as well. The caller ID read: [Shan Zhentian].

"Don’t you dare answer that!" Liu Piaopiao’s reaction was huge. She threatened him directly, "If you answer that phone, you can forget you have a Sister Piaopiao."

"But it wouldn’t be right not to answer, would it? I don’t want to lose an Uncle Shan either."

"...Hmph. Just as I thought. Your heart isn’t with me; it’s with that man."

CLICK.

Su Ran hung up immediately.

"See? Now your heart is back with me."

"..."

’Childish.’

After a lunch spent with Su Ran and Liu Buqun trying to coax her from both sides, Liu Piaopiao barely managed half a bowl of rice before retreating to her room. Liu Buqun then told Su Ran to call Shan Zhentian back.

"Leave the dishes. I’ll wash them after I make the call."

"Don’t worry about it, I can do them. It’s no big deal."

"Alright, I’m going to make the call then."

Su Ran didn’t dare make the call in the courtyard. If Liu Piaopiao found out, there would be blood. So, he snuck off to a secluded spot on the mountain behind the house and dialed Shan Zhentian’s number.

RING RING RING. After a few rings, the call connected.

Shan Zhentian: "Su Ran? Weizi said you were at Spirit Sword Mountain?"

Su Ran: "Yes, I am. Just now, Sister Piaopiao wouldn’t let me answer. Please don’t be angry, Uncle Shan."

Shan Zhentian: "I knew it was her. Sigh... You know about the situation, right? I really didn’t cheat on her. I was completely drunk. My friends took me to my hotel room, and I slept straight through till morning. I didn’t even take off my pants. I..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." Su Ran cut him off. "Uncle Shan, what’s the use of explaining it to me? I believe you, but Sister Piaopiao doesn’t. You need to explain it to her. Why don’t you come to Spirit Sword Mountain and beg for forgiveness?"

"If I show up now, her father will probably run me through with a sword! She’s furious right now. My coming over would be useless. It would only make the misunderstanding worse and create a bigger mess that’s harder to clean up."

"Hmm, it is a tricky situation, but you can’t just do nothing."

"I am doing something! Aren’t you at Spirit Sword Mountain? You can help me coax Piaopiao back to Hangzhou."

"Coax her back to Hangzhou? About that..."

"What, are you trying to negotiate terms with me?"

"It’s not about negotiating... It’s just that... you’re afraid to die, and I’m afraid to die. You can’t just send me to my death for the sake of your lifelong happiness, can you?"

Shan Zhentian finally understood. ’He’s looking for a sweetener. He’s not going to help unless there’s something in it for him. The nerve of this kid, threatening his future father-in-law!’ Shan Zhentian gritted his teeth and decided to let it slide for now. Getting his wife back was the top priority.

"How about this: if you can coax Piaopiao back, I have an authentic work by Tang Yin here. I’ll give it to you."

"I’m not interested in Tang Yin."

Su Ran possessed ’Tang Yin Mastery.’ His paintings were indistinguishable from Tang Yin’s own. ’Why would I want a painting by ’myself’?’ he thought. ’What’s the point of that?’

"Don’t tell me you want to start haggling with me over the bride price?"

Su Ran was taken aback by the question. He hadn’t expected his future father-in-law’s mind to go there. With a grin, Su Ran asked, "Well then, Uncle Shan, what exactly is the bride price for your daughter?"

"The bride price isn’t an issue. It’s just a symbolic gesture. All I want is for you two to be happy. Money is irrelevant."

’Su Ran is a rich man. You don’t talk about money with other rich people; you talk about relationships. You only talk about money with the poor.’

"Su Ran, you and my daughter will be happy, but you can’t just stand by and watch me and your Sister Piaopiao be miserable, can you? You get her back to Hangzhou for me, and if you ever get into trouble in the future, I’ll have your back."

Su Ran almost died laughing.

’Me get into trouble, and my father-in-law will have my back? Only a ghost would believe that. He’d probably be the first one to turn on me.’

"Uncle Shan, you’re exaggerating. I won’t get into trouble. I’m a faithful man."

"What a coincidence. So am I."

"..."

"So, why can’t we two faithful men form an alliance and stand united? Right?"

"Sigh. Alright, fine. I’ll see what I can do to help you get Sister Piaopiao back."

"I’m counting on you."

After hanging up, Su Ran turned around and froze. Liu Piaopiao was standing right behind him, radiating pure killing intent. ’Holy shit!’ He was so startled he nearly fell off the cliff. Swallowing hard, he stammered, "S-Sister Piaopiao, when did you...?"

Liu Piaopiao advanced on him step by step. "I saw you sneaking off to the back of the mountain with your phone. I knew you were going to make a call. And just as I suspected, you were colluding with Shan Zhentian. Using me as a bargaining chip? To be ’coaxed back’?"

Su Ran retreated, saying, "It’s not like that! Sister Piaopiao, please, let me explain."

"I don’t want to hear your excuses."

"..."

"Su Ran, I dote on you, I adore you, I spoil you, and you go and betray me like this? Have you no conscience? All my affection for you was wasted. Do you have any idea how much it hurt to see you calling him behind my back?"