Chapter 19, Chapter 19, what's your cry? Let's hear it.

At the appointed time, Ruan Xingzhu followed Gu Qingxu to the opera house. This opera house was quite different from any she had seen before; it was not just a simple stage. Stepping into the opera house, one could immediately feel a unique elegance.

The stage, located slightly higher up, is furnished with elegant and exquisite seating areas. The stage is decorated with lifelike dragon and phoenix carvings along its edges, making the audience feel as if they have stepped into the world of the play.

"Qing Su, Miss Ruan, over here." Lou Hongyi had been waiting there and waved to them as soon as he saw them.

Ruan Xingzhu looked up and saw that Lou Hongyi was wearing a moon-white robe with a dark belt around his waist, making him look very elegant.

Following Gu Qingxu upstairs, Lou Hongyi's reserved private room was in a superb location, offering a clear view of the stage while remaining relatively quiet.

After inviting the two to sit down, he had tea served and then said, "This theater is owned by a friend of mine, which is why I invited you to come and support me."

As he spoke, he handed a cup of herbal tea to Ruan Xingzhu, saying, "Here, please, Miss Ruan."

"Thank you." Ruan Xingzhu nodded slightly and thanked her softly.

Soon, the gongs and drums sounded on the stage, and the melodious singing began, opening the curtain on a wonderful opera performance. Gu Qingxu was a restless person by nature, and after a short while, she couldn't help but get up.

"I'm going out for a walk. You stay here and enjoy the show."

Before leaving, she looked at Lou Hongyi with a warning in her eyes and solemnly instructed him, "You must take good care of Xingzhu."

Ruan Xingzhu originally wanted to go with Gu Qingxu, but as soon as she got up, she realized that this might be an opportunity for her and Lou Hongyi to spend time together, which Gu Qingxu had specially prepared for her. After hesitating for a moment, she slowly sat back down.

After Gu Qingxu left, the air inside the theater seemed to suddenly become thinner, and the atmosphere became somewhat subtle.

Lou Hongyi was the first to break the silence. He frowned slightly, his face showing guilt, and said softly, "I was negligent that day at the horse farm. I really feel bad for you, young lady."

That day, he was drawn to a wild horse that suddenly went berserk. When he handed Ruan Xingzhu over to his younger brother, he completely forgot to tell her that she couldn't ride a horse, which led to her being carried away by the horse.

"It's alright," Ruan Xingzhu said softly, pursing her lips.

Lou Hongyi was about to say something more when suddenly a sharp, loud voice shattered the tranquil atmosphere.

"Hey, isn't this Lou Dongjia's house?"

Lou Hongyi looked up and saw that the speaker was Huang Shunyi, the man with whom he had a grudge several days ago. He was fat, wearing a gaudy but tacky brocade robe, his face was full of fat, and his small eyes revealed cunning and ill intent.

This person went to his racecourse for a horse race a few days ago. In order to win, he did not hesitate to use despicable means to break the rules. In the end, he was ruthlessly kicked out of the racecourse. Therefore, he held a grudge against him and had been looking for an opportunity to take revenge.

Seeing this, Lou Hongyi did not want to cause a conflict. Although he was unwilling, he still politely replied, "Young Master Yuan."

"Instead of keeping an eye on your horse farm, Mr. Lou has the leisure to watch a show?" He said with a slight upturn of his lips, a hint of mischievousness in his voice.

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Ruan Xingzhu, who was sitting next to Lou Hongyi, and his eyes lit up as if he had discovered something interesting.

"And who is this young lady?" He smiled maliciously, staring intently at Ruan Xingzhu, his eyes filled with greed and lewdness.

Seeing this, Lou Hongyi felt a sudden unease. He glanced at the servants behind him, his brows furrowed, and he quickly stood up, a hint of wariness on his face. He politely said goodbye, "We have other matters to attend to, so we'll take our leave first."

Ruan Xingzhu felt extremely uncomfortable under that blatant gaze, and a wave of fear washed over her. Seeing this, she quickly stood up and instinctively hid behind Lou Hongyi, intending to leave with him.

But they had only taken two steps when their path was blocked by the servants they had brought with them.

"Where are you going?" A smug smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he ordered someone to stop the two of them, his voice carrying a hint of smugness.

He never expected that Lou Hongyi would actually meet such a charming and lovely girl as Ruan Xingzhu. Since Lou Hongyi had made him lose face at the horse farm, he might as well vent his anger by messing with the people around him.

Thinking this, she approached Ruan Xingzhu with ill intent, her face plastered with a nauseating smile.

"It's still early, why don't we play a little longer, young lady!"

Ruan Xingzhu turned pale with fright, her body trembling slightly, and she involuntarily took a half step back. Seeing this, Lou Hongyi quickly stepped forward, blocking Ruan Xingzhu's path, his eyes fixed on her warily.

"what you up to?"

"What are you doing?" He smiled disdainfully, looking at Lou Hongyi in front of him, not taking him seriously at all.

"Of course, we should settle the score for the humiliation we suffered that day!" The grinning face suddenly turned into a gritted teeth as he said this, and the fat on his face trembled uncontrollably with anger.

“You broke the rules first, so you can’t blame anyone else,” Lou Hongyi retorted firmly without backing down. He was both angry and anxious, clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Seeing Lou Hongyi still trying to reason with him about the rules, he was furious. If it weren't for Lou Hongyi, he wouldn't have lost so much face in front of everyone.

Now that he finally had a chance, he originally just wanted to teach Lou Hongyi a lesson to vent his anger, but when he saw Ruan Xingzhu beside him, he came up with a new plan to make Lou Hongyi regret it.

"Then today I'll show you what rules really are."

His face was full of anger as he roared loudly in dissatisfaction. Then, a wicked smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he looked at Lou Hongyi.

"However, if you offer this young lady to me, then I won't hold it against you." The fat on his face jiggled with excitement, and his small eyes gleamed with lewdness as he stared at Ruan Xingzhu with ill intent.

Hearing such vulgar words, Lou Hongyi's face turned red with anger, his eyes widened, and he shouted, "Why should my business involve the young lady?"

As he spoke, he tried to forcibly take Ruan Xingzhu away. However, as soon as he made a move, the servants beside him rushed forward and pulled him back tightly.

Seeing this, Lou Hongyi was extremely anxious. He knew that his rudimentary skills were no match for these servants. If the stalemate continued, these people might do something even more outrageous to Ruan Xingzhu.

His mind was in complete chaos, and in his utter confusion, he suddenly thought of Gu Qingxu. Gu Qingxu was backed by the Gu family, a powerful force in the capital. If she were to arrive, she probably wouldn't dare to be too presumptuous. With a firm resolve, he mustered all his strength and angrily shook off the servant who was holding him.

Seeing this, Ruan Xingzhu thought Lou Hongyi would come back to help her, and a glimmer of hope ignited in her heart. However, the next second, she saw Lou Hongyi run away without looking back. Her eyes widened, filled with disbelief and fear, and her lips trembled slightly.

The servant who had been watching Lou Hongyi was stunned for a moment. Seeing this, the servant kicked the servant in annoyance and cursed, "What are you standing there for? Chase after him!" After saying that, the servant hurriedly chased after Lou Hongyi in the direction he had run.

He narrowed his small eyes, a smug smile appearing on his face. He turned to look at Ruan Xingzhu and began to sow discord between the two, "Look at you, look at you, they've run away on their own. They're really a disgrace to us men."

As he spoke, he slowly approached Ruan Xingzhu, saying, "Young lady, wouldn't it be better to be with me than with this spineless man?"

As he spoke, he reached out his greasy hand, intending to touch Ruan Xingzhu's delicate face.

Ruan Xingzhu was so frightened that she retreated repeatedly, her back pressed tightly against the wall, with nowhere left to go. Her lips trembled uncontrollably, her voice trembling with tears as she cried out in terror, "Don't come any closer, don't come any closer..."

Her eyes were filled with tears, and her gaze was filled with fear and helplessness.

However, her fear seemed to excite him even more, and his smile grew increasingly lewd. "I will definitely love you more than that bastard."

Seeing this, the people around quickly moved away, fearing they would get into trouble. Even the few remaining people were driven away by the servants. At this moment, Ruan Xingzhu felt as if she were in a desperate situation with no one to turn to, and her heart was filled with extreme fear.

"Get away from me! If you dare touch me, my fourth brother will not let you get away with it!" Her mind was filled with panic and fear. In her terror, she could only think of Gu Yun'an, as if he were her only lifeline at this moment.

Hearing this, he scoffed dismissively, "What fourth brother? Come on, call me Brother Yuan."

As he spoke, his greasy hand reached out to touch Ruan Xingzhu's face again.

Ruan Xingzhu stared wide-eyed in horror, instinctively closing her eyes tightly and screaming.

She panicked, but the next second she heard a pig-like scream, her face contorted in pain, her features scrunched up together.

Ruan Xingzhu was startled and slowly looked over. When she saw that it was Gu Yun'an, her pale face instantly regained some color. She exclaimed with surprise and relief, "Fourth Brother!"

At this moment, Gu Yun'an's face was as cold as frost, and his eyes were filled with endless chill, as if they could freeze the surrounding air. He gripped his fingers tightly, with a strength that seemed to break his fat fingers.

My hand was twisted and it hurt terribly. "It hurts, it hurts like hell!"

He spoke out angrily, and raised his eyes to order the servant to seize Gu Yun'an, but the next moment he stared wide-eyed.

"Gu...Gu...Lord Gu..." He was so frightened that his face turned pale and he could barely speak. He never expected that the person in front of him, whom Ruan Xingzhu called Fourth Brother, was actually Gu Yun'an, whom he could not afford to offend.

He was in a state of extreme panic, and his legs began to tremble uncontrollably.

Gu Yun'an's expression was gloomy. He increased the force in his hand and snapped his fingers with a sharp crack, which was particularly jarring in the silent space.

Then, expressionless, he took the handkerchief Sheng Que handed him and methodically wiped his fingers, as if he had just touched something extremely dirty.

He spoke casually, his voice still icy and chilling: "What did you just say you wanted to say? Let's hear it."

Trembling with fear, he no longer dared to display any arrogance. He knew full well how formidable Gu Yun'an was, and his heart was in turmoil, like an ant on a hot pan.

He quickly tried to appease him, saying, "I was wrong. I didn't recognize your greatness. I was wrong. Please forgive me this time, Lord Gu."

Gu Yun'an lowered his head slightly and looked at the person kneeling before him. His dark eyes revealed a dangerous aura, as if any further inappropriate action would completely devour him.

He immediately understood and scrambled to his knees before Ruan Xingzhu, kowtowing repeatedly, his forehead hitting the ground with a loud thud.

"Girl, please forgive me, I'll never do it again."

Ruan Xingzhu was slightly taken aback by this situation. At this moment, she didn't know what to do, so she could only look at Gu Yun'an.