Chapter 65: A True Talent!

Qin Chuan was convinced that Lan Tian was a true talent. Unlike the typical love-struck fool, Lan Tian’s mind was exceptionally agile—so agile, in fact, that it tended to veer off in strange directions.

Take, for example, the conversation they’d just had. Qin Chuan’s words were clearly meant to persuade him to give up pursuing Qin Youyou, yet somehow Lan Tian twisted them into encouragement, and what’s more, he argued his point so convincingly that even Qin Chuan found himself at a loss for words.

“Lan Tian, come with me!” Qin Chuan felt he needed to further advise this child, lest he continue down this road of no return, doomed to end in disappointment.

Lan Tian obediently followed Qin Chuan downstairs. Born into a prominent family, Lan Tian naturally possessed some discernment, and he could easily see the respect that Lan Weimin, the patriarch, held for Qin Chuan.

So, despite his inner resistance, Lan Tian could only listen respectfully to this important figure’s guidance.

Lan Jin sidled up and whispered, “Brother Chuan, how do you plan to persuade this stubborn mule?”

“Secrets of heaven shall not be revealed!” Qin Chuan paused and then instructed, “Prepare a pot of hot water and a glass cup for me.”

Lan Jin clicked her tongue, puzzled by the request but dutifully complied.

Lan Weimin, curious, followed them to the first floor hall, eager to see what method Qin Chuan would use to advise Lan Tian. Among the younger generation of the Lan family, Lan Tian was considered highly intelligent, but he did have a tendency to become fixated on things.

To put it kindly, he had remarkable perseverance; less kindly, he was stubborn and inflexible.

Soon, Lan Jin had everything ready. Qin Chuan handed the glass to Lan Tian and told him to hold it tightly, then slowly poured boiling water from the kettle into the cup.

At first, Lan Tian managed to endure, but as the water level rose and finally overflowed, he could no longer stand the heat and slammed the glass onto the table.

Qin Chuan immediately asked, “Do you understand my meaning?”

“I think I do!” Lan Tian ventured, “Mr. Qin is telling me that when the pain becomes unbearable, I should learn to let go, right?”

“Indeed, you are teachable!” Qin Chuan gave him a thumbs-up, genuinely impressed by the boy’s talent and perception. If only his sister didn’t dislike him so much, he would have gladly played matchmaker.

“Mr. Qin, please wait a moment.” Yet before Qin Chuan’s admiration had fully dissipated, Lan Tian turned and left.

He soon returned, holding a finely crafted glass cup, though its rim was chipped—a clear sign it had been dropped before.

“And what does this mean?” Qin Chuan asked, puzzled as Lan Tian held the glass forward.

Lan Tian’s face was earnest. “Mr. Qin, please pour some hot water.”

Qin Chuan, still mystified, obliged. The kettle’s steaming water filled the delicate cup, rising until it overflowed. Lan Tian’s hand trembled violently, clearly suffering from the searing heat, but he did not let go.

Eventually, Qin Chuan could not bear to pour more—the blisters on Lan Tian’s hand were already evident.

“Are you stupid?” Qin Chuan scolded.

Lan Tian puffed his chest out, his face full of pride. “Mr. Qin, this cup was a gift from Professor Qin.”

“And?”

“No matter how much it hurts, I won’t let go.”

Qin Chuan’s mouth twitched violently. He suddenly felt the frustration of being schooled rather than schooling.

Talent! An absolute talent!

Qin Chuan sincerely gave Lan Tian another thumbs-up.

Lan Jin couldn’t help but burst into laughter, the sound echoing like a goose’s call. Lan Weimin, too, was left speechless, his face lined with exasperation. As the family head, he felt more and more that the Lan family had no promising successors.

“Oh dear, Lan Tian, hurry and put the cup down!” Lan Jin recovered quickly and rushed off to find medicine for burns.

Lan Tian, after casting a triumphant glance at Qin Chuan, reluctantly placed the cup on the table, as if afraid that too much force might damage it.

A moment later, Lan Jin and Qin Youyou descended the stairs together. When Lan Tian saw his goddess—the one he dreamed of day and night—the pain in his scalded hand vanished completely.

Qin Youyou had finished changing, now wearing a white, form-fitting dress that perfectly accentuated her graceful figure. A doll-like face, lightly adorned with makeup, made her look even more delicate and charming.

“Teacher Qin, you’re here!” Lan Tian hurried to stand, waving his swollen right hand in greeting, his eyes ablaze with passionate admiration.

Qin Youyou smiled and nodded, a simple gesture that, in Lan Tian’s eyes, was the greatest catalyst to his pursuit.

Lan Jin shot her cousin a glare, her mind full of complaints. She herself was chased by many, yet somehow she ended up with a brother who acted like a sycophant.

What a curse!

Especially when she applied burn ointment to Lan Tian—he didn’t spare her a single glance, his eyes unwaveringly fixed on Qin Youyou.

“Apparently you’re not in pain after all.” Lan Jin, annoyed, poked the blister on his hand with her fingernail, but Lan Tian didn’t react at all, still staring at Qin Youyou as if she were a priceless treasure.

Qin Youyou, naturally, noticed Lan Tian’s odd behavior and felt helpless. She had rejected him many times, but he only grew more determined, embodying the spirit of someone who, after hitting a wall, insists on breaking it down.

Seeing Qin Youyou look his way, Qin Chuan sighed inwardly and signaled to Lan Weimin, passing on his helplessness like a relay baton, until it finally reached Lan Weimin.

If not for Qin Chuan’s approval, Lan Weimin would never dare play the part of the “old cow eating young grass,” even so, he felt anxious and chose his words very carefully.

“Little Tian, Grandpa has something to tell you, but first you must be mentally prepared. Don’t take it too hard,” Lan Weimin said, pausing deliberately to glance at Qin Chuan, then continued, “Actually, Youyou and I have been close for a long time. We called you here to let you know, to avoid any misunderstanding in the future. Do you understand?”

Even knowing this was all an act, Lan Jin felt odd—just moments ago, Qin Youyou was her peer, now she was publicly elevated to grandmother status.

“Impossible, absolutely impossible!” For Lan Tian, the news struck like a thunderbolt, leaving him scorched inside and out. He quickly turned to Qin Youyou, hoping for a denial.

But Qin Youyou, choosing the principle of short pain over long, played the role of a gold-digger to perfection.

“Lan Tian, I’ve told you before, I like mature and steady men. Among the entire Lan family, only Old Mr. Lan fits that description. So… that’s my choice. But in private, we can each call the other as we wish—I’ll call you brother, you call me grandmother.”

“No… no… this can’t be true!” Lan Tian cried out in anguish.

Qin Chuan thought that if he could add the background music of “A Cut of Plum Blossom,” the moment would be even more fitting.

“There are plenty of flowers at the ends of the earth.”

“A true man need not fear being without a wife.”

“There’s someone better waiting for you in the future.”

Qin Chuan, Lan Jin, and Lan Weimin all tried to comfort the poor child, hoping he would pull himself together.

Instead, Lan Tian cried harder, like a child abandoned by the whole world, standing alone in the swirling snow, his misery palpable.

No one knew how much time passed before Lan Tian finally emerged from his sorrow, murmuring as if in a trance, “Ah Wei said that no matter how unhappy you are, if you go to the Immortal Realm or the Mortal World, you’ll become happy. Where is Ah Wei? Quickly, bring Ah Wei…”

Oh dear!

Everyone’s sympathy for Lan Tian diminished instantly. It was Ah Wei who was truly pitiful—after all, it seemed everyone had forgotten he was still lying unconscious.