1 0th Break: Laughingstock

In a quiet room beside a clear but cold lake filled with lotus flowers floating on the water's still surface, a servant's voice could be heard speaking, breaking the tranquil silence of the place.

"Young master." The servant called from outside the room after he gently knocked on the open door. "The Lin family announced the breaking of your and second young master Lin's engagement." He said.

The young man sitting behind the folding screen suddenly paused from what he is doing. "The Lin family did?" He asked with his voice filled with surprise.

"Yes." The servant answered and bowed.

"Who decided to break the engagement?" the young man asked.

"It... it is..." the servant hesitated.

"Second young master Lin?" The young man guessed.

"Yes." The servant answered as he broke into a cold sweat.

"What did the family say?" The young man asked, referring to his family.

The servant fell silent. The young man behind the folding screen didn't speak and just looked at the opened letter on the table where the words "you became a laughingstock" can be seen written.

"So it is." The young man muttered with a sigh. Then, he dismissed the servant, who immediately ran away, scared.

The young man smiled and picked up the brush before he resumed writing his unfinished letter. He assumes that his parents who are about to arrive in half an hour to visit him, this shameful son of theirs, will be fuming mad because the engagement between the two families were broken. Not only they lost the opportunity to be a family with the Lin family, but they also lost face (reputation)!

But, the young man doesn't care, as he looked at the words that he wrote.

"It depends on who is the second young master Meng."

Then, blowing on the paper to dry the ink, the young man whistled. Suddenly, a black figure appeared inside the room with a pigeon on his hand, and a tie with his other hand.

"Boss." the person in black clothes called and respectfully bowed to the young man behind the screen.

"Send this letter to Jiang Xu." the young man spoke. He is referring to the person who sent him the letter about him becoming a laughingstock.

As expected, Jiang Xu is always fast in receiving the news. Well, this also had to be attributed as to how popular the second young master of the Lin family, Lin Ze, is. For Lin Ze is not only the second young master of the Lin family - one of the wealthiest and influential families in the imperial capital, but Lin Ze is also the number one in jianghu after he made his name in jianghu these past five years. So, both men and women liked Lin Ze, this popular guy in both the capital and in jianghu. Many wanted to marry him. But, they were beaten to it by the second young master of the Meng family five years ago.

So, now that the engagement was broken, everyone cheered since Lin Ze is single again. They also ridiculed the second young master of the Meng family because of this. He already snatched Lin Ze from them before, but after five years, he wasn't able to keep Lin Ze. This shows how incompetent the second young master of the Meng family is! No wonder he has never shown his face to the public, since he lost his face (ashamed)! And so, he now has become a laughingstock!

But, if not for the second young master of the Meng family unable to keep Lin Ze, how could the others have the chance again to marry Lin Ze?

The 'second young master of the Meng family' yawned, feeling bored. "Ai... all that everyone do is gossip..." he muttered as he slumped on the table, watching as his silk veil covering the lower half of his face slid on the table. "Is there anything interesting for me to do?" he asked, ignoring the loud news of the breaking of his engagement with Lin Ze today.

As they said, be careful of what you wish for. Since the night of the very same day, someone died, and he didn't know yet that this would be the end of his boring days, and the start of the chaos in the capital, as well as the jianghu.