"Only the weak rush to bring out their backers after being offended!"
Chu Ran said sharply, "Besides, the backer you've brought out is a nobody, completely unknown. Don't you find that embarrassing?"
In terms of eloquence, how could Yang Li possibly compete with Chu Ran?
One was a gold digger who aspired to climb the social ladder through a man, while the other was Miss Chu, whom countless successful men wished to court.
The gap between them was simply immense!
"You..."
Yang Li knew she couldn't provoke the woman before her; all she could do was hold back her anger, shift her target, and furiously spat out, "Zhou Yuan, just you remember, this matter of injuring my brother isn't over."
"If it weren't for my husband being busy marrying me, you... you'd be finished!"
"You really are beyond help, hiring such a woman must have cost a pretty penny, huh?"
They'd broken up just yesterday, how could Zhou Yuan possibly have found such an immaculately beautiful girlfriend so quickly?
It had to be a sham, intended solely to infuriate her.
"Miss Chu is not like you, a woman who is vain and glory-seeking!"
"As for your brother's leg, it was I who crippled it. If you want revenge, bring it on!"
Zhou Yuan didn't deny it, as he no longer wanted to be a good-for-nothing!
"You just wait!"
Yang Li, quivering with rage, snarled her threats and stormed out of Tianyi Pavilion with humiliation.
And the crowd of onlookers quickly dispersed as well.
"Chu… Miss Chu, I…"
Zhou Yuan was so nervous he couldn't even speak properly, mainly because he didn't know how to face Chu Ran's kindness.
"Pfft…"
Chu Ran covered her mouth, giggling, "Look at you, no backbone at all, you can't even pretend. Just now, you should have called me 'Ranran' to infuriate that materialistic woman!"
"Ah?" Zhou Yuan looked bewildered, "So... can I call you 'Ranran' in the future?"
It was a nickname he dared not even dream of using, and yet it rolled off the tongue rather nicely.
Chu Ran smiled and said, "Not anymore!"
"Ow!" Zhou Yuan's eyes showed a hint of dejection, but he still expressed his gratitude, "Miss Chu's immense kindness, I will never forget. If you ever need anything from me in the future, just say the word."
"Just cure my frost syndrome. I believe in your abilities!" Chu Ran said with a smile, "By the way, what brings you here?"
To find Yang Li?
She didn't believe that for a second!
"I wanted to buy some herbal medicine!"
Zhou Yuan didn't want to deceive the girl who was kind to him, so he told her the whole truth.
"Then go buy it!"
"You're not short on cash, are you?"
Chu Ran found this man interesting; in front of her, he was clearly not as assertive as he was in front of others.
Was that special treatment?
To be honest, being adored and put on a pedestal by other suitors gave her no sense of achievement, and she even found it revolting.
But Zhou Yuan, who would blush when speaking, made her feel a strange sense of superiority.
It wasn't that she wanted to dominate over Zhou Yuan; he simply presented her with a different kind of amusement.
"No... no, no..."
Zhou Yuan waved his hands, denying it. In truth, he still had two hundred thousand yuan on him, so he couldn't really claim to be short on cash, even though the money was meant for his mother's retirement. His pride prevented him from admitting he had no money.
Under Chu Ran's watchful eyes, he quickly selected a few herbs needed for the Tempering Elixir, paid for them, and hurried out of the hall.
As clever as Chu Ran was, how could she fail to understand Zhou Yuan's predicament?
She stepped forward, placed her bank card on the counter, and said generously, "Whatever he needs, give him the best quality of each herb, ten portions each. Just make up a reason to send them to number eight, Li Zhuang Small District in the City Villages."
Even though she didn't understand why Zhou Yuan was purchasing those herbs, curiosity got the best of her, and she wanted to know what would happen next. Of course, helping him secretly was to avoid hurting his pride.
The cost of these herbs was nothing to her, and besides, there was a chance Zhou Yuan might really be able to cure her frost syndrome.
Although just thinking about that method of treatment made her face flush, for some reason, she didn't feel any discomfort, and even a strange sensation.
"Miss, rest assured, I will take care of it," said the shop owner, who, being shrewd, had picked up on a few clues and Chu Ran's extraordinary status. For such a customer, he was happy to fulfill any request.
Zhou Yuan stood at the entrance, his thoughts in turmoil. Why had Chu Ran, who wanted to call off their engagement just yesterday, not mentioned a word about it today and instead treated him so kindly?
But this inexplicable kindness left him at a loss; no matter how you compared them, Chu Ran was so much better than Yang Li, it was hard not to like her.
It was just that, a lady of such high status as Miss Chu seemed too far out of reach from his current level.
"What are you thinking about?"
Chu Ran's beautiful eyes surveyed the man in front of her, who was clearly preoccupied with his thoughts.
"I... I want to invite you to dine as a token of my gratitude, but I want to cook for you myself!"
Zhou Yuan was confident in his cooking skills; after all, Yang Li couldn't cook at all and had very picky tastes, so he had put a lot of effort into learning.
"You can cook too?"
Chu Ran's eyes widened with childlike curiosity, astonished, "My goodness, are you a treasure trove of a man?"
"Yes…"
Zhou Yuan blushed but mustered his courage and said, "You're from the Capital City, and I can cook dishes from there and from Shandong. I just don't know if they'll suit your palate."