Chapter 317 Why should only I like him?

"!!!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Liancheng's eyes widened in disbelief.

Brother Su, how could you say such a thing?

From the very beginning, when Brother Su approached him, they knew each other's family backgrounds. Brother Su's father and brothers held official positions of the sixth rank in the imperial court, while he himself came from an ordinary family of scholars.

His family background was not prominent. His father passed the county-level imperial examination but never passed it again. He stayed in the county town to teach at the academy. His mother was a merchant's daughter, who was ranked last among the social classes of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.

Although his family was not poor, they were still far behind those students whose families had officials.

In the past, when they were interacting, Brother Su never looked down on his background, so why is he doing this now...?

Zhao Liancheng couldn't understand it at all, and a hint of sadness appeared on his face.

Su Liluo glanced at his expression and clicked her tongue twice, "Even after all this, you're still sad instead of angry."

This person is far too soft-hearted!

However, at least he saw Su Xuanlang's hypocritical side, which can be considered a small crack.

Afterwards, they continued to secretly follow Su Xuanlang for a few more days. He was still busy trying to please the dean, the great scholars of the academy, and Lu Shuangdie and the others.

The dean and the great scholar were impressed by the article he stole and considered him the most outstanding student in the academy after Zhao Liancheng. They had basically accepted him completely.

The dean even personally held an apprenticeship ceremony, accepting him as his last disciple.

On Lu Shuangdie's side, despite his efforts to help her overcome her grief and to please her, Lu Shuangdie never reciprocated his feelings.

"What's so good about that bookworm? He's stupid and pathetic. How could Lu Shuangdie be so ungrateful? He's been dead for so long, and she's still hung up on him!"

Su Xuanlang looked at the flowers he hadn't given away and saw Lu Shuangdie's departing figure. He couldn't help but clench his fist in anger and curse.

He sent flowers to Lu Shuangdie for many days in a row. She accepted them a few days ago because of Zhao Liancheng, but later Lu Shuangdie realized that Su Xuanlang might be interested in her, so she began to reject him.

Today, Su Xuanlang picked a bouquet of fresh flowers to give to her, but Lu Shuangdie not only immediately refused to accept them, but even said:

"Young Master Su, thank you for helping me through this time, but my heart belongs only to Young Master Zhao. Now that he is gone, I have no mood to think about anything else. Please take back your affections and don't send me flowers anymore."

Then, she hurriedly abandoned him and ran away.

Su Xuanlang stared ahead with a sinister look. He had already gained the dean's trust and been accepted as a disciple, but he still wanted Lu Shuangdie.

The first reason was that he was attracted by Lu Shuangdie's beauty and temperament the first time he met her, and he fell in love with her at first sight. He really liked her.

The second reason is Lu Shuangdie's family background. She is not only the daughter of the dean, but more importantly, her mother is extremely wealthy and her maternal grandfather is the number one merchant in Hongzhou.

The second branch of the Su family is currently short of money. If he could marry Lu Shuangdie, it would not only be a matter of prestige, but it would also solve their financial crisis.

Therefore, he must get Lu Shuangdie.

"See? I told you his motives towards Miss Lu weren't pure. Do you still believe him now?"

In the shadows, Su Liluo turned to Zhao Liancheng and mocked him.

"This... This Miss Lu is such an outstanding woman, it's not unusual for Brother Su to like her."

Zhao Liancheng said somewhat awkwardly.

Actually, when he first saw this side of Su Xuanlang, his feelings were also complicated, especially when Su Xuanlang scolded him.

But then he realized that he was already dead in their eyes at this point, so there was nothing wrong with him pursuing Miss Lu.

Why should I be the only one who likes Miss Lu?

Seeing that he was still deceiving himself, Su Liluo couldn't help but roll her eyes again.

At this moment, Xiao Ye suddenly said quietly, "Stay close to Su Xuanlang, he will definitely make another move against Miss Lu in the next few days."

He was a man, and he knew the obsession a man had for the woman he wanted, especially the look in Su Xuanlang's eyes—he wasn't someone who would give up easily.

"But... but Miss Lu just rejected him, what else can Brother Su do? He can't force someone to do something against their will!"

Zhao Liancheng's eyes widened again, clearly he didn't believe Xiao Ye's words.

Xiao Ye rolled his eyes at him: "Just watch, but don't forget your bet."

*

Sure enough, Lu Shuangdie encountered danger two days later.

"Young lady, don't even think about running away. You'd better come with us obediently! You're so delicate and beautiful, we brothers will definitely treat you very gently!"

In the mountains, two men with sleazy appearances and burly clothes surrounded Lu Shuangdie in the middle of the mountain path.

Lu Shuangdie and her two maids were so frightened that their faces turned pale and their lips trembled, unable to utter a word.

Today, she only planned to take two maids down the mountain to the street to buy some things, never expecting to encounter local ruffians on this road she often travels.

"Get out of the way! Our young lady is the daughter of the headmaster of Qishan Academy. If you dare to touch her, you'll be in deep trouble!"

Two maids stood protectively in front of Lu Shuangdie, trying to appear calm, but their bodies were still trembling uncontrollably.

"No, Miss Lu is in danger, I have to go down and save her!"

At this moment, Zhao Liancheng, who was hiding in the shadows, saw this situation and couldn't help but step out to save the person.

Fortunately, Xiao Ye acted quickly and immediately struck his pressure points, rendering him unable to move or make a sound.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine!"

Su Liluo gave a light rebuke.

When the two thugs came out, she guessed what had happened.

Zhao Liancheng glared angrily at Su Liluo and Xiao Ye, his eyes full of resentment.

If anything happens to Miss Lu, he will never be able to forgive himself for the rest of his life!

As the two thugs slowly approached Lu Shuangdie, even reaching out to tear off her clothes, Zhao Liancheng's eyes practically spit fire.

But then, a familiar voice suddenly appeared.

"Let her go!"

Su Xuanlang suddenly appeared from behind Lu Shuangdie, holding a long sword in his hand.

"You brat, get out of my way! Don't ruin my good time!"

The two thugs started cursing at Su Xuanlang.

"You're the ones who should get out of here! If you don't leave, I'll hand you over to the authorities!"

Su Xuanlang ran up to Lu Shuangdie with a righteous expression and said fiercely to the thug.

"Hey kid, you dare threaten us! Come on, we'll beat you to death today!"

The thug sneered, then took out his knife and started fighting with Su Xuanlang.

"Young Master Su, be careful!"

Lu Shuangdie stood by, deeply worried.

Zhao Liancheng, who was hiding in the shadows, also breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Brother Su has arrived!