A Famous Young Master Has Made His Appearance.

Haoyu felt a flutter in his chest as he met the girl's gaze. He had never seen someone so captivating before. Her smile was warm and genuine, and he felt as though she was looking straight into his soul.

"Senior Sister Hua, your playing was beautiful," Yao Yin said, breaking the spell that had fallen over the group.

The girl, who must be Senior Sister Hua, nodded graciously. "Thank you, Yao Yin. It's always a pleasure to play for an appreciative audience."

"I'm Haoyu, by the way," Haoyu introduced himself. "I couldn't help but follow the sound of your music."

Senior Sister Hua's smile widened. "It's nice to meet you, Haoyu. I'm Hua Ning Chang."

"I've never heard music like that before," Mei Qi chimed in. "What kind of instrument is that?"

Hua Ning Chang's eyes lit up. "It's a guqin, an ancient zither. It's one of the oldest musical instruments, and it's said to have been played by the legendary scholar Confucius himself."

"Wow, that's amazing," Haoyu said in awe. "Do you play any other instruments?"

Hua Mei nodded. "I also play the erhu and dizi, two other traditional instruments."

Haoyu was impressed. "That's incredible. You must be really talented."

Hua Mei shrugged modestly. "I've been playing since I was a child. It's just something I enjoy."

There was a moment of comfortable silence as the four of them stood by the pond. Haoyu couldn't help but feel drawn to Hua Ning Chang, and he wondered if he would ever have the chance to hear her play again.

Yao Yin cleared her throat, breaking the silence. "Well, shall we go find a table and order some food?"

The others nodded, and they made their way back into the restaurant. As they walked, Haoyu couldn't shake the feeling that he had just experienced something magical, something that would stay with him for a long time to come.

As they settled at their table and perused the menu, Haoyu couldn't help but steal glances at Hua Ning Chang. Her elegance and poise were undeniable, and he found himself captivated by her every movement. When their food arrived, Haoyu watched in fascination as Hua Ning Chang delicately picked up her chopsticks and began to eat, savoring each bite with an air of refinement.

Mei Qi noticed Haoyu's infatuation and nudged him playfully. "You're smitten, aren't you?" she teased.

Haoyu blushed and looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about," he muttered.

Yao Yin grinned. "It's okay, Haoyu. We can all see it written all over your face."

Hua Ning Chang looked up from her plate and gave Haoyu a quizzical look. "Is something the matter?" she asked.

Haoyu felt his heart skip a beat at her attention. "No, nothing's wrong," he stammered. "I'm just...enjoying the food."

Hua Ning Chang smiled, seemingly satisfied with his answer. "Yes, the food here is quite good. Have you been here before?"

Haoyu shook his head. "No, this is my first time."

Hua Ning Chang's eyes lit up. "Then you must try the dumplings. They're the restaurant's specialty, and they're absolutely delicious."

Haoyu nodded eagerly and turned to signal the waiter. As they waited for their dumplings to arrive, the conversation turned to other topics, and Haoyu found himself enjoying the easy banter between the group.

As they chatted, the restaurant's atmosphere suddenly changed. Haoyu noticed a group of rowdy young men entering the restaurant, their voices raised in an argument. He tensed up as they approached their table, their eyes locked onto him.

"What are you looking at?" one of them sneered.

Haoyu tried to keep his cool, not wanting to start any trouble. "Nothing, just waiting for our food," he replied.

The men laughed, and one of them shoved Haoyu's shoulder, saying, "You think you're better than us, don't you?"

Haoyu didn't seem affected by the shove, but its force nearly knocked over the table.

"Zu Sheng! What are you doing? Ask your underling to stop! Leave him alone!" Yao Yin suddenly shouted.

"Surname Zu? Is he from the four family?" Haoyu wondered.

Zu Sheng laughed at Yao Yin's words, finding her protectiveness of Haoyu amusing. "What's the matter? Can't your friend speak for himself?" he taunted.

"Zu Sheng? Isn't he the Young Master Zu Sheng from the Zu Family?" Hua Ning Chang suddenly asked.

"He was even ranked in the top 10 of the outer court ranking, right?" she added.

Haoyu turned confused, "Outer court ranking? What's that?" he suddenly asked.

Hua Ning Chang was surprised by Haoyu's question. "Eh, you didn't know?" she exclaimed. "As disciples, we have our own ranking system. To climb the ranks, we must defeat opponents who are ranked higher than us. For instance, I was ranked 21st on the inner court ranking. If I want to move up to rank 20th, I have to defeat the person who was ranked 20th," she explained.

Haoyu looked surprised and said, "Wow, ranked 21st? I didn't expect that. You're quite impressive," he chuckled.

"Enough with that. If he really is the same person, Yao Yin could be in trouble," Hua Ning Chang said with a serious expression. "Zu Sheng has always had an interest in her, but Yao Yin has rejected his confession multiple times before. However, he hasn't given up. Since his first rejection, he has continued to pester her and even caused trouble for those who try to get close to her. This time, it could be because of you."

Haoyu looked at Zu Sheng with a mixture of annoyance and amusement. He couldn't believe this guy was still hung up on Yao Yin after being rejected so many times.

Haoyu spoke in a calm tone, trying to defuse the situation. "Listen here, Young Master Zu or whatever they call you. We don't want any trouble, we're just here to eat."

Zu Sheng smirked, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Oh, so you've finally decided to speak up for yourself? I thought you were just another scaredy-cat. Let's have a little fun. Why don't we spar on the Myriad Training Ground? If you win, I'll leave you alone and stop pursuing Yao Yin. But if I win, she'll have to date me," he challenged.

Haoyu raised an eyebrow and taunted, "You want to spar with me? With your meager skills?" He then continued, "Fine, I accept. But let's make it clear, I don't want anything to do with your personal affairs. Win or lose, Yao Yin's feelings are her own, and she can make her own choices. I won't be a part of your childish game."

"Well, I'm not going to let this guy snatch my fiancée away from me either." he said inwardly.

Zu Sheng felt his pride had been attacked. However, he maintained his composure and grinned. He was also pleased that Haoyu had taken the bait. "Excellent! We'll fight tomorrow at the training grounds near the city gate. Be there at noon sharp."

With that, Zu Sheng and his underlings left the restaurant, their laughter echoing through the first floor.

Yao Yin was furious. "I can't believe he's still doing this. He just won't take no for an answer."

Haoyu shrugged. "Well, I don't mind fighting him. It'll be good practice. And who knows, maybe I'll teach him a lesson."

Yao Yin sighed. "Just be careful, okay? He's a skilled fighter and he won't hesitate to use dirty tricks to win."

Haoyu nodded, a determined look in his eyes. "Don't worry, I'll be ready for whatever he throws at me."

As they finished their meal, Haoyu couldn't help but wonder what he was getting himself into. But he knew one thing for sure - he wasn't going to let Zu Sheng get away with harassing Yao Yin any longer.

Just before they prepared to depart for their homes, Hua Ning Chang voiced her thoughts. "Yao Yin, I was a bit surprised that you didn't show any reluctance in allowing Haoyu to fight Zu Sheng. How are you so confident that Haoyu could win, especially since you know that Zu Sheng is ranked in the top 10 of the outer court ranking?" she asked out of her curiousity.