Chapter 006: I Have a Sweetheart.

As Fang Baiyu was about to strike Huarang with his folded fan, Wen Meng suddenly stepped forward and blocked him. Fang Baiyu abruptly stopped, and Huarang emerged from the shadows.

After coming out, Huarang bowed to Wen Meng and Fang Baiyu, saying, "Young Master Fang, Miss Wen!"

Fang Baiyu looked at Wen Meng, his eyes filled with disbelief, anger, and humiliation. He asked, "Who is he? Is he your sweetheart?"

Originally, Fang Baiyu thought Huarang was just someone who happened to be hiding there and had nothing to do with the two of them. However, when Wen Meng blocked him and Huarang mentioned their names, he suddenly thought of Wen Meng's sweetheart.

In the past, Wen Meng had been very dependent on him. Every time he visited the Wen family, she would always cling to him and play. But recently, since he expressed his intention to propose, she had suddenly become distant. If Wen Meng didn't have a sweetheart, why would she act this way?

Huarang stood behind Wen Meng, unsure of what to do. If he were really Wen Meng's sweetheart, it would be great, but he knew that was absolutely impossible. They had only met once.

But at that moment, Wen Meng suddenly said, "That's right, his name is Huarang, and he is my sweetheart!"

Huarang was startled, and so was Fang Baiyu. After his shock, Fang Baiyu glared at Huarang and said, "You like him? From his appearance, he's just a scholar, and a poor one at that. When have people from our martial arts family ever liked scholars?"

Wen Meng, seeing that the matter was out in the open, smiled faintly. "Who says people from martial arts families can't like scholars? Huarang risked his life to save me from three villains. For his devotion, I can like him." As she spoke, she gave Huarang a meaningful look.

Although the look was subtle, Huarang understood. Wen Meng didn't want to marry Fang Baiyu and was using him as a shield. Realizing this, Huarang quickly smiled and said, "I like Wen Meng too. We are in love. I hope you won't make things difficult for us, Young Master Fang."

At this, Fang Baiyu's face turned purple, his eyes filled with hatred. He glared at Huarang and said, "Fine, fine!"

After saying these two words, Fang Baiyu turned and left, his folded fan creaking in his grip.

After Fang Baiyu left, Huarang hurriedly asked, "Miss Wen, will Fang Baiyu cause me trouble? You have to protect me since you helped me!"

Wen Meng glared at him and said, "I saved you, and you helped me reject Fang Baiyu. That's enough repayment. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other. Goodbye."

Wen Meng was about to leave, but Huarang quickly said, "Miss Wen, this is like crossing the river and then destroying the bridge. No matter what, I helped you. You should at least tell Fang Baiyu not to come after me!"

At this, Wen Meng suddenly stopped and smiled at Huarang. "I was just scaring you. Don't worry, Fang Baiyu is a decent person. He won't do anything to you."

"But... but his eyes when he left were terrifying. A man will do anything for the woman he loves," Huarang quickly countered.

Fang Baiyu's eyes had indeed been frightening, a look Wen Meng had never seen before. After hearing Huarang's words, she hesitated.

After a long pause, Wen Meng said, "Don't worry. I'll explain to him and make sure he doesn't come after you."

Huarang nodded repeatedly, but he didn't really believe it. Huarang was not unintelligent. He thought that if Wen Meng went to explain to Fang Baiyu, it would only increase Fang Baiyu's hatred towards him.

However, Huarang didn't say anything. He wanted Fang Baiyu to hate him because if Fang Baiyu came after him, he would have a chance to get closer to Wen Meng. Then, he could ask Wen Meng to protect him.

Seeing Huarang nod in agreement, Wen Meng said no more and left the alley, heading home. After today's events, Huarang was no longer eager to make money. He thought it was better to start a family first. As the saying goes, "Establish a family before starting a career."

When he returned home, it was already dark, and the cool evening breeze was quite pleasant. As Huarang walked, he suddenly felt that he was in danger. Based on his years of experience in solving cases, Zhou Siping would not let him off. He would surely try to take back the six hundred taels of silver and even take his life.

But since ancient times, commoners have not fought against officials. Could he, a commoner, stand up to County Magistrate Zhou Siping?

When he got home, the sky was full of stars. But as Huarang approached his house, he found that his already dilapidated home was even more run-down, and faint sobs could be heard from inside.

Huarang rushed into the house and saw that it was in disarray. His father, Huaxingyi, lay on the ground, barely alive, and his sister, Huawanie, was hugging their father, sobbing pitifully.

"What happened?" Huarang lost his composure and rushed to Huaxingyi, tears welling up in his eyes.

Seeing her brother return, Huawanie cried, "You were gone for too long today. The medicine at home ran out, so I went to buy more. When I came back, I found Father beaten like this. He has been waiting for you to return."

Huarang looked at Huaxingyi, tears streaming down his face. Huaxingyi looked at his son and said, "I... held on... to wait for you to return, to tell you... our ancestors' teaching: if... if you cannot pass the imperial exams, you must never... enter the government. Do you... understand?"

Huarang understood, but he was puzzled. Why could one only become an official by passing the imperial exams?

"Today, the court... values scholars over warriors. Warriors are often... distrusted by the court and rarely... have good endings. I don't want you to follow the old path of our ancestors. That's why I've always made you study to become a scholar. Unfortunately, despite your continuous studies, you've never achieved much. In the future... just be a butcher and stay out of politics."

After saying this, Huaxingyi passed away. Huarang looked at his father's body, filled with sorrow and anger. He hated the murderer who killed his father and understood that this was likely related to Zhou Siping.

He wanted revenge. He wanted the murderer to pay a terrible price. But to make the murderer pay, he needed money and power. Being a butcher was not enough. He needed to have both.

But his father had forbidden him from entering politics.