Chapter 101: My Little Sister Teaches Me How to Be a Heartbreaker

After seeing everyone off, Han Hanxue returned once more to her grandfather’s side.

“Grandpa, why did you suddenly act today...?”

Old Master Han chuckled from the rocking chair, humming softly under his breath:

“I take up my pen for this vast realm,
its bloodline stretches for tens of thousands of miles.”

Hearing the tune her grandfather was humming, Han Hanxue seemed to understand why he had stepped in to help Su Bai.

“Grandpa, was it because you liked that song that you helped him?”

“That doesn’t really match your usual way of doing things.”

Old Master Han nodded, then shook his head.

“Yes and no.”

“The one who could write lines like these—
‘Every scale carries an inch of resolve,
I cannot bear to hear the tale sway in the wind.
When people keep to propriety, the heart stays still;
a lingering zither plays the spirit of a gentleman.
I wait awake for the echo,
circling the boundless civilization of China’—
must surely be a person of broad mind and great vision.”

“Only someone who carries the nation’s cause in his heart, and who feels a deep devotion to the motherland, could possess such breadth of spirit.”

“You young people today—I have told you more than once: without the country, there is no home. First comes the greater cause; only then does the smaller family exist.”

“But look at what all of you are chasing every day.”

“Of course, in these peaceful times, I do not want to say too much.”

“The overall climate is what it is, but look at the scale of this young man named Su Bai.”

“He donated the song to the Palace Museum free of charge, to be used for the cultural promotion of its six-hundredth anniversary.”

“Is that something any of you could do?”

“When my student Zhang Mingke came to my courtyard with that song, he asked me, ‘With such an outstanding work, are we really going to let it be shelved just because capital interfered?’”

“At the time, I chose not to interfere and simply watched. Later, I spent a long time wondering whether that was the right thing to do.”

“Because once we bind our own hands and feet with rules, we end up letting petty people become endlessly arrogant, completely forgetting the original purpose for which the Great Xia was founded, and the vows everyone made at the very beginning.”

“Everyone is only calculating their own little schemes.”

“So this time, Su Bai’s matter has become an opportunity. It is time to strike at a few people and remind them who they are.”

Han Hanxue looked at her grandfather in disbelief, as though she could hardly believe he would say so much to her.

It had been a very, very long time since her grandfather had ever voiced an opinion on anything.

It seemed this matter had truly stirred the old man’s displeasure.

“By the way, Xiaoxue.”

Han Hanxue turned back to look at her grandfather, wondering what else he had to say.

“That young man Su Bai is not bad. Keep in touch with him more often.”

“He has a noble and upright spirit.”

Han Hanxue was somewhat puzzled by what her grandfather meant by that noble and upright spirit.

But since he had said it, and she did not want him to worry about her, she would try to keep in contact with Su Bai.

“All right, Grandpa, I understand. You must be tired today too, so lie down and rest for a while.”

Old Master Han slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep in the rocking chair.

The moment he drifted off, a middle-aged man emerged from the shadows.

Han Hanxue said to him, “Uncle Gu, please take good care of Grandpa. I’m leaving.”

On the way back, Yang Xiaomi was still somewhat baffled.

She still did not understand what Old Master Han had meant by saying that the Zhao family’s interference was not quite appropriate.

Was he going to intervene or not? She could not tell, and her heart remained uncertain.

“Su Bai, Yang Mengke, the two of you should still be careful for the next little while. I still can’t figure out what attitude that old Mr. Han really has.”

“But judging from Han Hanxue’s reaction, it seems she doesn’t want to meddle any further.”

“Sorry. I didn’t manage to help you.”

Su Bai shook his head to show that it was nothing.

Yang Mengke, however, said, “It’s fine, Sister Xiaomi. My brother and I have been through things like this more than once.”

“You don’t need to worry too much about us.”

“But I do approve of you, Sister Xiaomi, hee hee.”

“From now on, when my brother looks for a girlfriend, I’m going to take a really careful look and see whether she’s as good as Sister Xiaomi.”

After Yang Mengke finished speaking, Yang Xiaomi’s face reddened, and she awkwardly replied, “What are you talking about? How did this get tied to your brother finding a girlfriend?”

Seeing that both of them looked somewhat unnatural, Yang Mengke quickly changed the subject.

After seeing Yang Xiaomi off, Yang Mengke looked at Su Bai with unusual seriousness.

“Brother, are you serious?”

“Huh?” Su Bai looked at her in confusion, not understanding what she meant.

“You and Yang Xiaomi—are you serious?”

Su Bai was so exasperated by her question that he nearly laughed.

“What are you even talking about? Serious about what? We’ve only known each other for a few days.”

Yang Mengke shook her head and said, “No. If she really only saw you as an ordinary friend, do you think she would have risked being blacklisted to take you and find Han Hanxue?”

“Especially in this circle—if you offend one of those top young masters by accident, do you even understand what the consequences can be?”

“The moment Yang Xiaomi took us to see Han Hanxue, it meant she had already stood on the opposite side of Zhao Hongbing.”

“If she were just an ordinary friend, then after learning Zhao Hongbing’s identity, she would normally have kept far away from us. She would not have come rushing forward and thrown herself into our mess.”

“I really can’t think of any reason for her to help us. The only reason I can think of is you.”

After Yang Mengke finished, Su Bai fell into deep thought at once.

Did she like him?

That seemed unlikely.

They had only known each other for a few days.

Even though they had accidentally filmed a kiss scene together, it hardly seemed enough to make her risk her own future for him.

Su Bai had never thought this through very deeply before, but after Yang Mengke’s reminder, he suddenly realized something: an ordinary friend really should not have made such a choice.

At the same time, his gratitude toward Yang Xiaomi only deepened.

“Still, Brother, Yang Xiaomi is a good person. I accept that.”

“But I have to say this: if all you want is to date her, I won’t interfere. Date however you want. But if you want to marry her, no.”

What on earth?

Su Bai stared at Yang Mengke in complete bewilderment.

He had not even entertained the thought of dating anyone, and she had already leapt straight to marriage.

And what did that sentence she just said mean?

It was fine to date her, but not to marry her. What was that supposed to be? Wasn’t that just being a scoundrel?

His little sister was personally teaching her own brother how to be one?

The whole thing sounded utterly unreliable.

Although Yang Mengke had not given the reason, Su Bai could still guess why she was against it.

It was because Yang Xiaomi had been divorced.

Even without children, she was still a divorced woman.

Su Bai smiled and said, “Where did that come from? Do you know what that’s called?”

“Compulsive speculation.”

“It’s like what people say online: the first time I saw her, I was already thinking about what to name our child.”

“You’ve only met me a few times, and you’re already thinking about marriage. Can you not make such a fuss?”