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{Chapter: 196 Take responsibility?}
Upon hearing the prompt and the reward it brought, Lin Yuan's lips curled into a faint, satisfied smile.
The Mei Family Banquet truly lived up to its reputation as one of the most significant climatic events in the original storyline. Not only did it grant him a massive surge of counterattack points during the commotion, but even now, after everything had calmed down, another hefty bonus had been awarded.
A total of 3,000 counterattack points had just been credited to his system.
Without wasting a moment, Lin Yuan mentally opened his status panel to assess his current strength and situation.
[Host: Lin Yuan]
[Counterattack Points: 8,000]
[Wealth Value: 6.5 Billion Yuan]
[Attributes:]
Strength: 200
Speed: 130
Reaction: 130
Charisma: 200
Physique: 150
[Skills:]
[Medical Skills: Divine Level, Piano: Divine Level, Singing: Divine Level, Equestrianism: Divine Level, Fighting: Divine Level, Pistol: Divine Level, Stocks: Advanced, Antique Appraisal: Advanced, Tai Chi: Advanced, Chess: Advanced, Car Skills: Intermediate, Violin: Intermediate, Calligraphy: Intermediate, English: Elementary,ā¦ ]
[Favorability Panel: ]
[Yan Ruyue: 70, Qiu Wanxi: 99, Qiao Siying: 0, Chi Qian: 12, Gui Qingtong: 92, Mei Yuxian: 40]
[Loyalty Panel:]
[Wang Ergou: 95, Shi Shengnan: 80]
Just from attending this single banquet, Lin Yuan had earned tens of thousands of counterattack points. Earlier, he had spent 5,000 of those points to raise his Strength from 150 to 200āan impressive leap in physical might. Yet that still left him with 8,000 points remaining.
After some consideration, he decided to allocate another 5,000 points, this time to boost his Physique stat to 200 as well. After all, raw strength alone wasn't enough. A body needed the necessary endurance and resilience to handle the increase in power. Otherwise, it could lead to internal damage or instability in high-pressure scenarios.
Especially since Lin Yuan had some big plans for the night, plans that would require both power and stamina.
With 3,000 counterattack points remaining, Lin Yuan chose to hold onto them for now. You never knew when a new situation would call for an emergency upgrade or a sudden skill unlock.
Once Lin Yuan finished enhancing his attributes, Cui Yunrong walked over with the chess manual Lin Yuan had written for him, looking rather satisfied but also a bit conflicted.
It wasn't that Cui Yunrong had suddenly lost interest in chessānot at all. In fact, he loved chess deeply. However, playing multiple rounds with Lin Yuan had left him feeling utterly defeated. No matter how many strategies he tried or tactics he changed, Lin Yuan effortlessly crushed him every time.
Now that the two had grown close, Lin Yuan showed no mercy on the board, and Cui Yunrong was left with the unsettling realization that his proud chess skills were like a toddler's compared to Lin Yuan's mastery.
The sting of constant defeat was too much to handle for now.
So, Cui Yunrong extended his hand to Lin Yuan with a hearty laugh. "Little Friend Lin, I think it's time I take my leave. I'll return to challenge you again after a few years of hard training. Until then, I won't risk embarrassing myself any further."
Lin Yuan chuckled in response. "Actually, Old Cui, I think your skills have improved quite a bit already."
Hearing that, Cui Yunrong beamed with joy. "If you say so, then it must be true. Although I'm still far from beating you, I can feel the progress. I'm confident I'll be able to thrash those old fogeys in my usual circle!"
And he wasn't wrong. With Lin Yuan's divine-level chess guidance, Cui Yunrong had made substantial progress in a short time, enough to outmatch most regular players easily.
As Cui Yunrong prepared to leave, his granddaughter Cui Susu seemed extremely reluctant to part ways. Before he could step away, she dashed toward Lin Yuan and clutched his hand tightly.
"Brother Lin Yuan, wait for me! I'm going to ask my dad to go to Jiangbei and propose a marriage alliance with you!"
Her voice was firm, filled with sincerity and a bit of innocent boldness.
Off to the side, Yan Ruyue observed the scene quietly. Cui Susu's actions were clearly flirtatious and affectionate, but given her youth and inexperience, Yan Ruyue refrained from saying anything. She couldn't help but feel a tinge of irritation though.
However, someone else couldn't stay silent.
Gui Qingtong, unable to bear the sight any longer, walked over swiftly and grabbed Lin Yuan's other hand.
"Brother Lin Yuan, I must marry you too! I'm going to talk with my mother tonight and get engaged to you tomorrow!" she declared with determination.
"You!" Cui Susu glared fiercely at Gui Qingtong.
A moment of tense silence passed between the two girls.
Cui Susu had known Lin Yuan only for a little while earlier, and that knowledge gave her a sense of seniority in this small rivalry. But even she couldn't deny that Gui Qingtong's cuteness scoreāand her boldnessāput her in a strong position.
However, as the two young girls exchanged glances, there were unmistakable sparks flying between themāan unspoken rivalry beginning to simmer.
Lin Yuan, noticing the rising tension, gave a lighthearted laugh to defuse the moment.
"Alright, alright. I'm waiting," he said playfully. "But Qingtong is just joking."
His words brought a blush to Gui Qingtong's cheeks and a smile to Cui Susu's lips. Even Cui Yunrong chuckled heartily at the scene.
With that, Cui Susu finally let go of Lin Yuan's hand and left happily with her grandfather, her heart beating fast with excitement and anticipation for the future.
After a somewhat reluctant farewell, both Cui Susu and her grandfather, Cui Yunrong, finally departed. Though she smiled on the surface, Cui Susu continued to glance back at Lin Yuan multiple times as she walked away, clearly not wanting to leave.
With their departure, the Mei Family Banquet began drawing to a close.
Most of the distinguished guests had already taken their leave, their conversations fading into the night along with the clinking of wine glasses and the last remnants of laughter.
At this moment, Yan Ruyue also prepared to leave, accompanied by her mother Song Xuan.
As she reached the grand entrance of the Mei Family estate, Yan Ruyue couldn't help but turn back and glance at Lin Yuan. Her gaze lingered on him longer than it should have, her expression filled with hesitation.
She gently touched her lips.
That kissā¦ that gentle brush of lips earlier in the eveningā¦
It was her first kissāher first ever experience of such intimacy.
Her thoughts spiraled as she quietly repeated to herself:
'My first kissā¦ it was stolen today.'
'Will Lin Yuanā¦ take responsibility for that?'
A storm of emotions stirred within her heartāconfusion, anxiety, and a tinge of reluctant longing. Her beautiful eyes clearly reflected the inner conflict she was struggling to contain.
As she saw Lin Yuan still calmly standing within the Mei Family mansion, smiling confidently as if nothing had happened, she felt her instincts tingle. Something about his demeanor made her suspicious.
'Could he be planning something reckless?'
'Is he going to do with Gui Qingtongā¦ what he did with me?'
'No, noā¦ that's impossibleā¦'
Shaking her head, Yan Ruyue quickly dismissed the thought.
'He's not into girls like herā¦ flat-chestedā¦ no way he's interested.'
She reassured herself internally.
With a final glance toward Lin Yuan, she mustered a bittersweet smile, waved quietly, and turned to leave.
Meanwhile, Qiao Siying, whose eyes were still red and puffy from crying, followed behind her father, Qiao Jianye.
Even after multiple attempts to coax and comfort her, Qiao Jianye couldn't cheer her up. She remained furious.
Every time she thought of Lin Yuan, her irritation flared up again.
Why does he always get under my skin? Why does he enjoy making me mad so much?
And worse yet, she hated the fact that she couldn't stop thinking about him.
Someone who's such a scoundrelā¦ can't even console a girlā¦ how can he possibly be good at playing the piano?
She huffed, still red-eyed, and stormed off.
"That jerk Lin Yuanā¦ he's nothing but an infuriating, arrogant rascal!"
As Qiao Siying disappeared into the distance, Lin Yuan's parents, Lin Jianjun and Meng Yuelan, finally approached their son.
"Xiao Yuan," Meng Yuelan called warmly, "it's time to head home."
They had witnessed everything tonight with stunned expressions.
Their sonāthe boy who once seemed so ordinary in their eyesāhad dazzled everyone tonight.
He played the piano like a world-class musician.
He told fortunes that impressed even the skeptical elite.
He even had a personal relationship with someone as influential as Cui Yunrongānot just anyone from Jiangbei, but a true heavyweight from Yanjing!
How their son had formed such connections remained a mystery to themā¦
Just as Lin Yuan was about to respond, someone beat him to it.
Gui Qingtong suddenly stepped forward and said sweetly, "Auntie, why don't you let Brother Lin Yuan stay over at my house tonight? I still have some schoolwork I need his help withā¦"
Her voice was soft and innocent, but the glint in her eyes betrayed her true intentions.
Lin Jianjun and Meng Yuelan exchanged an amused glance.
It was clear to them that Gui Qingtong wasn't really interested in schoolwork tonight.
At this point, it didn't really matter whether Lin Yuan went home or notāhe was, after all, a grown man, capable of making his own choices.
With a gentle smile, Meng Yuelan asked, "Xiao Yuan, do you want to come home?"
Lin Yuan didn't answer right away.
He simply gave a faint, knowing smile.
Because he knew someone else was going to speak on his behalf.
And sure enough, before the moment could grow awkward, Mei Yuxian briskly walked over. She had been organizing the banquet cleanup and issuing instructions to her household staff, but the moment she noticed Lin Yuan preparing to leave, she wasted no time in stepping in.
"Why don't you just let Xiao Yuan stay at my place tonight?" she said casually.
Her tone was calm and composed.
(T/N: That escalated quicklyā( Ķ”Ā° ĶŹ Ķ”Ā°) )
*****
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