The night is quiet and the courtyard is deep.

The sound of firecrackers and bright fireworks on the busy streets in the distance illuminate the night sky, making the hutongs and alleys that have existed for thousands of years become even more peaceful.

The layout of Courtyard No. 19 is square and upright. There is an old locust tree with tangled roots in the courtyard, with lush branches and leaves, creating a beautiful shade.

Today is New Year's Eve, and red lanterns have been hung in the courtyard, adding a festive feel.

The floor is paved with green bricks, which are mottled and shiny, giving it a sense of historical depth accumulated over time.

Chen Lan and Mu Qing walked side by side, feeling slightly ←←←,☆.＄↖.∞ surprised along the way.

"What's wrong?"

Because she had been worried that Chen Lan would feel uncomfortable, Mu Qing kept catching Chen Lan's expression along the way, and this slight hint of surprise was naturally caught in her eyes.

"This courtyard layout has a hint of tranquility in the midst of chaos, attracting wind and gathering water."

Chen Lan said casually.

Mu Qing was startled and said with a smile: "Do you still know the art of Feng Shui?"

Chen Lan said: "I know a little bit about it."

When Zhao Zhicheng, who was leading the way, heard this, he couldn't help turning his head and said: "Classmate, what you said is wrong. What does it mean that there is only a hint of smell? This courtyard is the residence of the former Prince Yun. When he originally designed this residence, Yun

The prince once spent a lot of money to hire an expert to help him look at the Feng Shui. The pattern he adopted was "the dragon swallows water and gathers clouds, and the purple energy comes from the east to absorb the universe". It is definitely a first-class precious treasure in the world.

"

There was a vague disdain in his words, and he immediately smiled and said: "But having said that, it is not easy for you to see this."

This sentence seemed to be a compliment, but in fact it had the flavor of a condescending comment. Mu Qing could certainly hear it, but Zhao Zhicheng had no trace of what he said, and there was no trace in his words, so she couldn't directly refute it.

As for Chen Lan, he just nodded and made no move.

Seeing that Chen Lan didn't show any reaction to being provoked, Zhao Zhicheng felt helpless. He couldn't help but feel unwilling and said with a smile: "By the way, I suddenly remembered that this classmate Chen Lan was not in the Royal Empire."

Are you studying science and engineering in the college? Why are you going to study Feng Shui again? This is a bit unprofessional. Chen Lan, you should be careful in the future and don't go astray."

Mu Qing frowned and was about to say something when she saw that she had arrived at the door of the main room and Zhao Zhicheng had already walked over a few steps ahead.

Mu Qing curled her lips in frustration, turned to look at Chen Lan, and found that his expression was as usual, and was secretly relieved.

Zhao Zhicheng's grandfather, Zhao Guangpu, was one of the seven founding generals of the empire. He was an absolute power figure. Even though he has now been relegated to the second line, he still has great power and great influence in the empire.

His father, Zhao Pingbo, is currently the commander of the "Xinghai Fleet". He was awarded the rank of lieutenant general last year. He is a strong figure of the Young Zhuang sect with two gold stars on his shoulder straps. When he is in his prime, he will definitely be able to take one step further and ascend to the rank of admiral if he does not travel in the future.

With such a strong military background, one can imagine how dazzling Zhao Zhicheng, the third generation direct descendant of the Zhao family, is. He is definitely a well-known figure in the entire circle of nobles in the imperial capital. He is known as Mr. Zhao, and has been quite popular since he was a child.

There is a scheming mind and a very deep city. The words spoken by such a person, no matter how depressing and disgusting they are, cannot be found at all.

Regarding Zhao Zhicheng's sudden appearance in her home, Mu Qing vaguely understood something in her heart, and couldn't help but feel a headache.

She was originally worried about her parents during the New Year's Eve dinner, but she never thought that a third-generation playboy like Zhao Zhicheng would show up again.

For no reason, Mu Qing sighed in her heart.

…

The main room, also called the main room, is where the host entertains guests.

At this time, the door of the main room was opened, and the lights were brightly lit inside. Some men and women were already sitting next to the Eight Immortals table made of red sandalwood.

The person sitting at the top was a thin, middle-aged man with a fair face, gentle manner, and some crow's feet at the corners of his eyes. The whole person sitting there had a wise and mature charm.

Sitting next to the thin middle-aged man was a beautiful woman with long hair in a bun. She was dignified and virtuous. Mu Qing's beautiful face was very similar to hers.

In addition to them, there was a middle-aged fat man at the dinner table, smiling and sitting on a plate of yellow rosewood beads. He looked quite amiable.

After Zhao Zhicheng entered the room, he said with a smile: "Qingqing is back, everyone can finally have dinner." Then he sat down, looking very casual, as if to show that his relationship with the Mu family was not a familiar one in the ordinary sense.

Of course I did this for Chen Lan to see.

After Mu Qing entered the room, she smiled and called the middle-aged man and woman "Mom and Dad". When she saw the fat middle-aged man, she seemed a little surprised and said, "Uncle Ning is here too. I haven't seen you for a long time.

You can stay longer this time."

The fat middle-aged man laughed, pointed at Mu Qing and said, "Old Mu, look, your little girl's mouth is getting sweeter and sweeter."

The thin middle-aged man smiled, and immediately looked at Chen Lan beside Mu Qing. There was a quiet power in his calm gaze, which made people feel a sense of awe involuntarily.

At this time, the beautiful woman also looked at Chen Lan.

"Mom and Dad, this is the Chen Lan I told you about."

Mu Qing quickly introduced.

Chen Lan stepped forward and said, "Hello, uncle, hello aunt."

He had already heard from Mu Qing that her father's name was Mu Tianyuan and her mother's name was Liu Xiuzhi. They were both businessmen, and it was said that their business was quite big.

As for the rest, Chen Lan didn't know, and Mu Qing didn't say anything about her family in detail.

"This is Uncle Ning, who grew up with my dad."

Mu Qing introduced the middle-aged fat man again.

"Hello, Uncle Ning."

Chen Lan shouted again.

The middle-aged fat man laughed loudly and said: "You're welcome, sit down quickly, sit down quickly, it's New Year's Eve, the most important thing is to be happy, don't be restrained."

"sit."

At this time, Mu Tianyuan also withdrew his gaze from sizing up Chen Lan and motioned for Chen Lan to sit down. From the outside, it was impossible to tell what his mood was at this moment.

After Chen Lan and Mu Qing sat down, the New Year's Eve meal began.

The food is ordinary, with both meat and vegetables, but the taste is quite unique and the workmanship is very particular. It is obviously not cooked by ordinary people.

At the dinner table, Chen Lan was silently immersed in eating, Mu Tianyuan was talking to Fatty Ning, Zhao Zhicheng was chatting with Liu Xiuzhi about health care, and he also said something to Mu Qing from time to time.

Intentionally or unintentionally, Chen Lan seemed to be ignored and neglected.

Mu Qing saw all this and felt quite uncomfortable for a moment. She had already prepared herself. If her parents asked Chen Lan some tricky questions, she would step in to block them one by one. Who would have thought that at this dinner party,

Such a situation would appear.

This is obviously a silent attitude to exclude Chen Lan, and it is the hardest blow to people.

The first time you visit the girl's house, the girl's parents don't bother to make things difficult for you and just ignore your existence. Who can bear this blow?

Mu Qing bit her lip lightly, looked at her parents, and then at Zhao Zhicheng. The anger in her heart could no longer be controlled. She threw away her chopsticks, took a deep breath, and said, "Dad, Mom, Ning

Uncle, I have brought him back and you have seen him, what do you want to say?"

The voice was calm, but there was a sense of risk-taking.

The conversation in the room stopped suddenly, and all eyes turned to Mu Qing.

At this time, Chen Lan finally stopped using the chopsticks in his hand, wiped the corners of his mouth, and sat there quietly without moving.

Mu Tianyuan frowned, took a sip of tea, and was silent for a moment.

Seeing that something was wrong in the atmosphere, Zhao Zhicheng said quickly: "Qingqing, don't be ridiculous. Today is New Year's Eve. How can you talk to your parents like this?"

Mu Qing glared at him: "Zhao Zhicheng, don't pretend to be a good person. Don't think that I don't know what you are thinking!"

These words were not polite, and were no different from breaking up. You can imagine how angry and aggrieved Mu Qing was at this moment.

Zhao Zhicheng's expression was stagnant and uncertain. As a well-known dandy in the imperial capital, who dared to talk to him like this?

When it comes to other people, Zhao Zhicheng has countless ways to kill them, but after these words came from Mu Qing, he was a little embarrassed.

"Nonsense!"

Mu Tianyuan frowned and scolded, his expression became majestic and his eyes were sharp.

"Okay, the child is not sensible, why are you arguing with her?"

Liu Lingzhi advised from the side.

"Yes, I did do something wrong just now. Uncle, please don't blame Qingqing."

Zhao Zhicheng smiled and returned to normal. This man could change his mind easily.

Only Fatty Ning looked at Mu Qing and Chen Lan with interest, smiled and said nothing, and didn't know what he was thinking about.

"Since you want to know, then I will tell you directly." Mu Tianyuan said calmly, "It is impossible for you and him."

Impossible, just three words, already showed a firm force field.

Mu Qing had already prepared for the worst, and even prepared many means to try her best to convince her parents, but she still didn't expect that her father would directly sentence her with "impossible" before the negotiation even started.

.

Mu Qing's face suddenly turned pale, and her heart felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She was a little dazed, biting her lips to prevent herself from losing control on the spot.

Zhao Zhicheng seemed a little surprised by Mu Tianyuan's directness, and soon a faint smile appeared on the corner of his lips. Although this result was announced in advance, it was undoubtedly a victory for him, worthy of joy and celebration.

He couldn't help but turn his eyes to Chen Lan, wanting to see how this bumpkin-like guy would react at this moment.

Did he leave the table angrily?
To be continued...