Wang Lu sadly hung her head low, unable to bring herself to retort. She could only blame herself for bringing a fool like Zhou Wen here. She had already told him not to shatter the cup, but great, he ended up smashing it to pieces. The water had spilled onto the table and it was an appalling sight.
“Uncle, I’ll head back first,” Wang Lu said as she stood up.
“Hold on.” Zhou Wen sat there motionless as he called out to Wang Lu.
Wang Guotao could not help but frown slightly as he looked at Zhou Wen. “Young man, although your surname isn’t An, you are still a part of the An family. You should know your limits when doing things.”
Zhou Wen didn’t explain himself because it wasn’t worth wasting his time explaining things to irrelevant people.
Pointing at the table, Zhou Wen said, “Uncle, it’s best if you give an evaluation. Tell me what standard this strike is for members of your Wang family’s younger generation.”
“The results are already very obvious. Do I still need to comment on it?” Wang Guotao asked.
“In that case, Uncle, are you allowing Wang Lu to stay on campus for cultivation?” Zhou Wen asked Wang Guotao.
Wang Guotao was amused by Zhou Wen. He looked at him and said, “It’s rare to have young people like you who can disregard their pride. However, if you are really doing this for the sake of Little Lu, you should let her return home for cultivation. Alright, both of you can leave.”
Wang Guotao’s words were clearly saying that Zhou Wen was shameless, but Zhou Wen remained unmoved. “I don’t know if going back to cultivate is a good choice for Wang Lu, but since we had an agreement, and I’ve done it already, shouldn’t you allow Wang Lu to make her choice on returning?”
A cultured person like Wang Guotao couldn’t help but have his expression turn cold when he heard Zhou Wen’s words. He said, “I originally wanted to leave you some dignity, but since you don’t want it, don’t blame me for being blunt. A standard like yours is only about the same level as a child who has just gained some initial mastery in the Wang family. At most, it can be considered brute force, so there’s nothing to be evaluated.”
Wang Guotao also felt somewhat vexed. He was wondering why Zhou Wen was so clueless. He got up and prepared to leave, having no wish to speak to the unreasonable Zhou Wen.
“Zhou Wen, let’s head back,” Wang Lu said as she walked to Zhou Wen. She was well aware of Wang Guotao’s temper, so it was impossible for them to fool him.
Zhou Wen didn’t move and continued sitting in front of the table. Then, he reached out his hand and pushed the teacup fragments on the table to one side. He looked at Wang Guotao and said, “Uncle, please hold your step. Are you sure that the beginners of your family can do this? Then, please demonstrate for me so that I’ll admit defeat wholeheartedly.”
Wang Lu had wanted to stop Zhou Wen from speaking, but when her eyes met the table, she immediately let out a cry as she looked at the table in surprise.
Wang Guotao originally didn’t want to bother with Zhou Wen. It was unbecoming for him to keep arguing with Zhou Wen, but when he heard Wang Lu’s exclamation, he couldn’t help but turn around and see her staring intently at the table. Even Wang Guotao followed her gaze.
With a single glance, Wang Guotao’s pupils contracted, but his eyes widened as they formed a strong contrast.
On the surface of the yellowish-brown wood grain on the table, were veins of tea leaves. On a closer look, one could see that there weren’t patterns. They were obviously the tea leaves that had been forcibly pressed into the table. The tea leaves were not damaged at all, and the leaf parts were clearly visible. They looked like the original patterns of the wooden table.
Impossible! Wang Guotao walked to the front of the table again. He stretched out his hand to pry open the fragments of the teacups. Soon, he discovered that there were no tea leaves in the teacup fragments. There were no tea leaves in the spilled tea.
Wang Guotao almost couldn’t believe his eyes. It was true that he was able to slam the teacup into the table using Yin forces, but the hardness of porcelain was not bad after all. However, tea leaves were brittle, and once they were soaked in water, just a slight nudge would rip them apart. How could they possibly be slammed into the wood?
The strength of Zhou Wen’s palm shattered the cup. Yet, pieces of tea leaves were slammed into the table without any damage. Regardless, Wang Guotao found it impossible.
Wang Guotao stretched out his hand to touch the tea leaves, and with a slight tug, the tea leaves immediately tore. He could clearly see the leaf marks on the table.
They’re not fake? Wang Guotao was dumbfounded again as he stared blankly at the table. He really couldn’t figure out how Zhou Wen had managed to do it.
Beside her, Wang Lu was surprised and delighted as she said, “You actually pushed the soaked tea leaves into the wooden table. Furthermore, the tea leaves aren’t damaged at all. How did you do it?”
“It’s not difficult. I just learned a little trick from school. I wonder what standard this trick is in the Wang family?” Zhou Wen spoke to Wang Lu, but his eyes were on Wang Guotao.
Wang Guotao looked at Zhou Wen with a complicated expression. He wasn’t able to accomplish this. He had never seen such usage of a Yin force before.
“Is this a technique you learned in school?” Wang Guotao took a deep breath before asking Zhou Wen.
“Yes, I just learned it from reading a thread on the school forum a few days ago.” Zhou Wen knew that even if he could do as Wang Guotao did—pushing the teacup into the table—Wang Guotao probably wouldn’t let Wang Lu stay.
He had to prove that the things he learned in school were better than what the Wang family had to offer. Only then would Wang Guotao consider letting Wang Lu stay.
“Uncle, I doubt any of my siblings can do something like what Zhou Wen did, right? You aren’t allowed to go back on your word,” Wang Lu said happily.
Wang Guotao looked at the tea leaves that had sunk into the table with a complicated expression. After a while, he said to Wang Lu, “You can stay, but I will send someone to test you every month from now on. If you can’t reach the assessment standards, you need to return immediately.”
“Uncle, thank you. You’re great.” Wang Lu was overjoyed as she pulled Zhou Wen to his feet and said, “Zhou Wen, let’s go.”
“Wait, Little Lu, go get the bill first. I have something to say to Zhou Wen,” Wang Guotao stopped Wang Lu.
Seeing Wang Lu look at him suspiciously, Wang Guotao said with a smile, “Don’t worry. I’m not that unreasonable. I just want to ask a few questions about you. I’m afraid Zhou Wen wouldn’t dare tell the truth in front of you.”
“Uncle, just ask me if you have anything to ask,” said Wang Lu.
“Go settle the bill.” Wang Guotao spoke again.
Wang Lu could only obediently settle the bill, but before she left, she kept winking at Zhou Wen, as though warning him to be careful with his words.
After Wang Lu left, Wang Guotao asked, “Zhou Wen, how’s your relationship with Little Lu?”
“Not bad,” Zhou Wen answered truthfully.
Wang Guotao nodded slightly before saying to Zhou Wen, “If you really have Little Lu’s interests at heart, I hope that you can maintain a certain distance from her in the future.”
“Why?” Zhou Wen frowned.
“Because you are Wang Mingyuan’s student,” said Wang Guotao simply.
“I understand. Uncle, don’t worry. Wang Lu and I are just ordinary friends.” Zhou Wen replied calmly.