Rebirth Counterattack with Space
Chapter 224 - 216: Encounter

Chapter 224: Chapter 216: Encounter

Was that a sneer?

Lu Yun looked amusedly at the somewhat haughty woman before her and scrutinized her in return. The woman was dressed in a white wool coat adorned with a diamond-studded dragonfly brooch on the collar. Beneath the coat was a red turtleneck sweater, and on her feet were a pair of black sheepskin boots.

The whole ensemble was simple and crisp, with an air of sharpness typical of modern career women.

In her hands, she carried a small bag along with several shopping bags, whereas Duan Muhong had nothing in his hands.

"Sister, what are you doing?" Before Lu Yun could respond, Duan Muhong’s face reddened with embarrassment as he looked at the woman, then he apologized to Lu Yun, "Xiaoyun, don’t take it to heart. My eldest sister can be a bit harsh with her words, but she doesn’t mean any harm. Go ahead and enjoy your shopping; we have to get going."

Without waiting for Lu Yun’s reaction, he pulled the woman along and quickly strode forward as if in a rush.

Duan Xin stumbled a bit from being pulled. She had intended to find an opportunity to humiliate Lu Yun. Although Lu Yun knew her place, refraining from shamelessly pursuing her younger brother despite her status, the fact that she dared to reject him so blatantly without giving him any face had infuriated Duan Xin for quite some time.

A mere merchant’s stepdaughter, who gave her the right to look down on their outstanding younger brother?

But she never anticipated that her attempt to avenge her brother’s face would be met with such a reaction from him.

"Muhong, why are you still defending her? Don’t pull me like this, let go--alright, alright, let me go so I can walk by myself, you’re making me uncomfortable by pulling me like this..."

As Duan Xin noticed her younger brother pulling her faster and faster, his handsome face clouded with frost, lips tightly pursed—it was clear he was suppressing his rage—she began to feel inexplicably guilty. Maybe it wasn’t right to do this in front of her little brother?

With that thought, her voice gradually quieted down.

"Eldest sister--"

Duan Muhong finally stopped and looked at Duan Xin with a complex expression in his eyes. He hadn’t sought Lu Yun in so long, hoping he could forget her, yet the moment he saw her again, he realized there was still a lingering reluctance in his heart.

Seeing his elder sister insult her, a nameless fury burned within him, unable to be contained. It turned out he still cared about her.

Duan Muhong looked aggrieved, knowing his sister was trying to stand up for him, and thus he couldn’t bring himself to blame her. He took a deep breath and said earnestly to Duan Xin, "Even if I have to beg you, please don’t make things difficult for Xiaoyun anymore, okay?"

"Little brother, do you like that girl so much? What about her is worth your defense?"

Duan Xin, who recalled her mother’s sighing words during a visit back home—

’That Lu Yun must have bewitched your brother with some sort of love potion to make him this infatuated. It’s fortunate she’s not interested in your foolish brother; otherwise, he’d soon be causing a ruckus, insisting on marrying that girl who has neither status nor family background. By then, not only would your brother’s in-laws not be of any help to him, but worse, he might even forget his own family after getting married.’

"I don’t know, but it’s an impossibility for us, so please don’t trouble her anymore, I beg you," Duan Muhong implored.

"Alright, I promise you. Given the gap between our families and hers, it’s nearly impossible for us to cross paths anyway. It’s not something to boast about, picking fights with a girl from such a humble household."

Duan Xin looked at her younger brother with a sigh. Seeing him like this, should she, too, thank her birth mother for being thankful that someone looked down upon her younger brother?

When Duan Muhong saw that Duan Xin agreed, he no longer said anything and silently walked ahead. Duan Xin caught up, "Where can’t you find beauty in this vast world? You are still so young, and you’ve seen so few girls. There will definitely be one who you will like and who also matches your status that will catch your eye."

Duan Xin tried to persuade him earnestly the entire way, but Duan Muhong pursed his lips and remained silent, his heart filled with boundless desolation. Yes, what use was his affection if the girl’s status did not match his own?

He needed a wife whose identity, status, and family background met his mother’s and sister’s standards; he needed the strong support of a powerful Yue Family. In college, his mother allowed him to have a few "girlfriends" to enjoy his youth, but that’s all it was, just for fun.

If he took them seriously, would his mother and sister, just like today, not hesitate to belittle them with such disdainful tones, humiliating people to the point where they couldn’t lift their heads?

For the first time in his life, Duan Muhong was deeply confused. At home, he always saw and heard his mother speaking to his sister-in-law with the same disdain, his sister-in-law always meekly nodding without protest.

He had never found anything wrong with it, and his brother never said anything. But today, seeing his sister treat Xiaoyun the same way, he suddenly found it particularly jarring and uncomfortable. What if his mother treated Xiaoyun in the same way?

Perhaps Xiaoyun was right not to like him. Indeed, he was not a good match.

.....

Compared to Duan Muhong’s complex emotions, Lu Yun was not affected in the slightest.

She was still happily wandering her streets, as if the encounter with Duan Muhong and his elder sister had never happened.

Is it any wonder that someone born into a prestigious family would be a bit arrogant? Just ignore them. Of course, if they were really obnoxious in front of her, she wouldn’t mind showing them some colors, letting them understand why ’the flowers are so red’.

But to let this affect her mood would be purely seeking trouble; it wasn’t necessary.

Checking her watch, there was still quite some time before her appointment with Uncle Xu, so Lu Yun walked slowly toward the food street.

...

"Luoluo, I saw that girl again." Across the street, Zhang Min gripped her granddaughter-in-law’s hand tightly, not blinking as she stared at Lu Yun, her eyes shining.

"Which girl?" Ding Luoluo followed her gaze across the street, looking blankly at Zhang Min, her face filled with confusion.

"It’s the girl we saw that day in Wangfujing Department Store with... the one who left with him, but today she’s alone. Luoluo, stay put, I’ll go over and have a look," Zhang Min said as she released Ding Luoluo’s hand and quickly walked towards Lu Yun.

"Grandma, slow down, wait for me," Ding Luoluo said, not comfortable with letting Zhang Min chase after the girl alone. She hurriedly followed closely behind.

Ever since that day in Wangfujing Department Store, when they encountered that young man who looked extremely similar to her grandfather—Ding Luoluo eventually learned about the incident where Zhang Min called the name of her elder uncle but saw a young man in his twenties.

Since then, Grandma had fallen in love with strolling around Wangfujing. Every day she would take the initiative to drag her out "shopping," most of the time without buying much, just specifically heading to crowded places, walking while paying attention to the passing pedestrians.