Chapter 288: Wu Daochang comes knocking, Qin Ruan is provoked

 Chapter 288: Wu Daochang comes knocking, Qin Ruan is provoked

Over the many years in the capital, where power and privilege reigned supreme, Rong Jing had experienced a fair share of suffering. He was looked down upon as a nouveau riche, a plaything for others to amuse themselves with. But he had learned to be shrewd and adaptable, speaking the language of those around him and slowly establishing himself in the circle. Now, his father had told him that their family was related to the Rong family, one of the distinguished clans in the capital. Rong Jing's heart was like a rollercoaster, excited and anxious all at once. Rong Changting rubbed his forehead wearily and replied, "It's not that simple." "Is there more to it?" Qin Ruan was curious. Rong Changting spoke slowly, "Our branch of the family moved to the south while my grandfather was still alive. Although we are a branch of the Rong family, we were never included in the family tree, and there is a significant gap between the main branch and the branches." "But as descendants of the Rong family, we are duty-bound to respond when called upon. That is the legacy of our bloodline." Over a decade ago, Rong Changting had received an olive branch from the Rong family and brought his family to the capital to make a living. With the support of the main branch, they had prospered. Qin Ruan couldn't help but laugh at Rong Changting's words. "So the Rong family wants to plan something?" Rong Changting's face was somewhat embarrassed as he explained, "At that time, the main branch appeared to be thriving on the surface, but in reality, it was just a shell. Most of the active members of the Rong family in the government were in the Ministry of Personnel, and they were the most miserable among the aristocratic families. None of the main branch members had entered the lucrative business world, and their influence in the imperial court was limited. In short, the Rong family was in an awkward position, without much power or money." "At that time, I was doing some small business in the south, and I learned about the olive branch that the main branch had extended to those below them. I came to the capital with my family, and they provided me with convenient paths in exchange for my financial assistance. It has been more than a decade now, and we have coexisted peacefully." Qin Ruan was shaken by Rong Changting's words. She had never realized that even among the six major aristocratic families, there were families that could barely make ends meet. It was pathetic that they needed help from the branches, but upon reflection, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement. "Thank you for your hard work," Qin Ruan said dryly. She had not yet come into contact with Hou prominent families, and had only seen the main mansion of the Hou family among the four great clans. As for the inner core of the Hou family, she knew better than to touch anything that was off-limits. However, seeing how the Rong family was struggling opened her eyes to a new world. Noticing the sympathy and complexity in Qin Ruan's eyes, Rong Changting's pale face revealed a hint of a smile. "This all happened more than ten years ago. At that time, the whole world was in a financial crisis, and the Rong family was hit the hardest. However, the main branch has already recovered after so many years." "Is that so?" Qin Ruan couldn't recall her memories from ten years ago. The financial crisis didn't have a significant impact on her when she was eight or nine years old. Back then, she was in the west city, worrying every day about how to fill her stomach and guarding against the homeless people and perverts in the area who would lay their eyes on her. It could be said that she was always in a state of fear, with no time to pay attention to any financial crisis. Suddenly, a strange wind blew through the room, and a foul smell accompanied it. Qin Ruan covered her mouth and nose with her hand, her eyebrows furrowing in disgust. She knew that the person behind the scenes had arrived, but they were faster than she had anticipated. "Where did the wind come from?" Rong Jing, who had a carefree nature, thought the window was left open and walked towards the balcony. "Don't go over there!" Qin Ruan stopped him with her voice. Unfortunately, it was too late. Rong Jing was very close to the balcony, only a few steps away. Qin Ruan witnessed him standing in front of the window, frozen in place. Rong Jing was staring at a blood-red-eyed, hideous and terrifying monster pressed against the window, and was too frightened to move. The blood-red eyes fixed on him were not human at all; they were sinister and full of evil spirits. He could still clearly see the subtle movements of the red eyes turning in their sockets, and the grotesque flesh on the monster's cheek jumping up and down. The scene was chilling, and the coldness that surged from the bottom of his feet rushed straight to his heart. A curse was posted on the window and hit the window forcefully. It appeared to be using a lot of force, but it was just making a lot of noise. With each strike, the opponent's bloody handprints were left on the glass. The dark red blood on the glass gradually increased, and the transparent glass became increasingly blurry, blocking almost half of the curse. Qin Ruan frowned, feeling that something was not right. The curse could not have come alone. Who was manipulating it in the shadows? What was the purpose of this provocation? In Qin Ruan's opinion, everything the curse was doing outside the window seemed more like a provocation. With a calm and serene expression on her face, she had a bloodthirsty and fierce glint in her eyes. Whoever came knocking on the door would not leave alive. "Bang! Crash!" Perhaps sensing Qin Ruan's indifference, the curse suddenly smashed the glass. Glass shards scattered on the ground inside the room, some even falling at Qin Ruan's feet. "Oh my god! That's bulletproof glass!" Rong Jing, standing next to Hou Chuan, exclaimed. (The end of this chapter.)