Chapter 21: The Chosen One vs. The Chosen One

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"Who are you?"

Tang Jun stopped, coldly staring at the young man who had suddenly appeared before him.

He could clearly feel the powerful aura emanating from the other man.

Upon hearing this, the young man replied in an equally cold tone, "My name is Fang Fan."

"Fang Fan?"

From the name, Tang Jun knew that the other man was Fang Chang's older brother, and that today's banquet was to announce Fang Fan's return to the Fang family.

At this moment, the conflict erupted, and everyone present turned their gazes towards him, their eyes filled with confusion, wondering what had happened.

Because he was Fang Chang's brother, Tang Jun instinctively felt a surge of disgust.

"This has nothing to do with you. I heard you just got back recently, so you probably don't like this spoiled brat either, right?"

Hearing Tang Jun's words, Fang Fan's face showed a mocking expression: "Whether I like him or not is none of your business, but I won't just stand by and watch you hurt him..."

At this point, Fang Fan seemed to remember something, turned to look at Fang Chang, and said seriously, "Let me make this clear, I'm not helping you, I just don't like him. Don't misunderstand."

"???"

Fang Chang was stunned.

What's with this arrogant little brat vibe? Wait, is this your usual persona, bro?

Fang Fan seemed to realize that saying more would only make things worse, so he quickly turned his head away, pretending nothing had happened.

Seeing that Fang Fan didn't intend to dodge, Tang Jun's muscles tensed, and after a few cracking sounds from his fist, he slammed it towards Fang Fan.

He hadn't used his full strength in that punch; he merely wanted to force Fang Fan back.

Feeling the incoming force of the punch, Fang Fan's expression turned serious. He didn't dodge and threw a punch in return.

Boom!

A deafening roar rang out.

Their fists collided, causing cracks to appear on the smooth, sturdy tiles of the ground. A shockwave swept outwards, ruffling Fang Yajun and Liu Ruyan's hair.

A master's skill is evident from their first move.

Feeling the immense force from Fang Fan's punch, Tang Jun's eyes flashed with surprise.

He hadn't expected Fang Fan to be so strong, especially considering Fang Fan's young age.

Tang Jun's eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous glint in them.

He knew there was no way things would end peacefully today.

With this in mind, he decided to stop holding back and go all out.

Crack!

Just then, a crisp sound rang out.

Tang Jun tilted his head slightly, a blush creeping onto his face.

It was Liu Ruyan's mother!

Liu's mother had been chatting with her girlfriends the whole time, and by the time she learned what had happened, it was too late. Seeing Tang Jun actually attack Fang Fan and Fang Chang, she couldn't hold back any longer.

She strode forward and slapped Tang Jun across the face.

This slap brought Tang Jun's rising arrogance to an abrupt halt.

Tang Jun touched his face, feeling the burning sensation, and looked at Liu's mother in disbelief.

"Mom!"

Liu Ruyan cried out, "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing?"

Mrs. Liu's face was icy: "What do you think? Since when has a bodyguard been allowed to disregard his employer's orders? He even attacked your aunt's family! Ruyan, I want to ask you, do you even respect me as your mother?!"

"I..."

Liu Ruyan was speechless; she truly hadn't expected things to escalate like this.

Mr. Liu, standing to the side, grimaced as he looked at Tang Jun. He'd been startled when Mrs. Liu slapped him.

Even seeing Liu Ruyan's pleading eyes, he chose to ignore them. Leaving aside the fact that their Liu family was in the wrong, even normally he wouldn't dare interrupt when Mrs. Liu was speaking.

"Aunt Liu..."

"Don't call me Aunt!"

Before Tang Jun could explain, Mother Liu impatiently interrupted him: "You're just a bodyguard, when did you become qualified to call me Aunt?"

"And what did I just hear you say? You said you wanted to be with Ruyan?"

"That's right!"

Tang Jun's face was resolute: "I want to be with Ruyan! I will make her happy!"

"Impossible!"

Mother Liu refused without hesitation: "Don't think that just because you're a bodyguard, or even if you're the descendant of some important person, it's useless. I've already arranged a marriage for Ruyan!"

"Xiao Chang can break off the engagement with Ruyan; after all, young people always have their own preferences, but you absolutely cannot break off an engagement because of something so stupid!"

"If Liu Ruyan dares to do this, I'll break her legs today and then throw her into my Liu family's ancestral hall to fend for herself!"

"You want to be with her? Fine, when she's cremated, I'll give you a share of her ashes."

Everyone present was stunned by Liu's mother's words.

Even tigers don't eat their cubs!

Wasn't Liu's mother's statement a bit too exaggerated? And judging from her serious expression, she didn't seem to be joking.

The Fang family members' expressions softened somewhat after hearing Liu's mother's words.

Whether Liu's mother was telling the truth or not, at least she gave the Fang family an explanation.

"Mom!"

Liu Ruyan's beautiful eyes welled up with tears, two crystal tears streaming down her cheeks: "Why did you watch me fall into the fire pit?"

"What?"

Mother Liu sneered, "Are I making things difficult for you, Miss Liu? As the heir of our Liu family, have you ever considered your family's future?"

"Your father and I gave birth to you and raised you. You enjoyed all the resources of the Liu family. Now that it's your turn to give back, it's us making things difficult for you?"

"Let's not even talk about whether you'll be happy after marrying Xiao Chang. Even if you're not, that's your fate!"

"You enjoyed the benefits, but don't want to fulfill your obligations?"

"I don't remember raising you like this! If you didn't want your father and me to arrange a path for you, why didn't you say so when you were old enough to understand?! At that time, you could have chosen to give up your status as the eldest daughter of the Liu family. Even if you eloped with a beggar, I wouldn't have cared!"

"Now you're putting on this pitiful act, who are you trying to fool?"

When Mother Liu saw Liu Ruyan crying, a hint of heartache flashed deep in her eyes, but she still finished speaking forcefully!

The Liu family had always been ruled by Madam Liu, so she understood social dynamics better than Madam Liu. If they didn't give the Fang family an explanation for what happened today, what would become of the Liu family?!

People outside would say the Liu family was ungrateful. How could they possibly survive in Suzhou?

"Auntie, your words are a bit harsh."

Seeing Liu Ruyan's tearful face, Tang Jun felt a pang of heartache.

He was going to take Liu Ruyan away from here today! No one could stop him!

With this in mind, Tang Jun continued, "Ruyan is your daughter, that's true, but she's not an object; she's a living, breathing person. You have no right to control her life!"