Chapter 138 Western Federation - 3 The restaurant was large but very quiet...
The restaurant was large but quiet, with neatly dressed servants standing on both sides, while the three people sat around a wide and long table. When Tang Bufan and Lu Yi walked in, they all turned their attention to them.
Seated in the main seat was Hans. The man Tang Bufan saw in the portrait had changed from a young man to a middle-aged man, but he was still handsome, with his beautiful blond hair neatly combed back.
Tang Bufan had initially thought Lu Yi resembled Anna, but upon seeing Hans in person, he realized that Lu Yi did resemble him somewhat, perhaps because both were very handsome. Seeing Hans, who was beardless yet exuded a noble air, Tang Bufan felt a sense of relief.
Lu Yi was initially a stunningly handsome young man, but after being exposed to the elements with Tang Bufan, he visibly became much rougher, his features became more defined, and his physique grew taller, making Tang Bufan a little apprehensive.
But now that he sees the tall and handsome Hans Tang, he feels relieved. His Lu Yi probably won't turn into a rough, bearded man in the future.
Tang Bufan then looked at the other two people. Sitting on the left side of the table were Luther and his partner. Luther was very conspicuous, not because of his appearance but because of his size. He looked like a giant, at least 2.5 meters tall, but he had not turned into a beast. His facial features remained human, except that his face was a little red and the muscles in his cheeks were taut, like someone who was high on blood.
When Tang Bufan met Luther's gaze, he felt a little scared. Luther's eyes were also bloodshot... He looked dangerous.
Lu Yi pulled Tang Bufan behind him, his thoughtful cover making Tang Bufan feel more at ease. Instead of taking Tang Bufan over to hug and greet Hans and the others, he led Tang Bufan directly to the other side of the long table to sit down.
The male servant standing by the wall came over and pulled out heavy solid wood chairs for the two of them. Tang Bufan thanked him softly and looked up. Sitting opposite him was Luther's partner, a man with medium-length brown hair.
Tang Bufan remembered his name, Ethan. It was he who cried to Lu Yi about Lude's domestic violence against him, which led to Lu Yi and Lude's duel. Tang Bufan originally thought he would be very handsome, but now he saw him and found that he was only considered pretty, but his eyes were long and narrow with upturned corners, which made him look quite charming.
Tang Bufan sized him up, and he sized Tang Bufan up as well. Then his gaze drifted to Tang Bufan's stomach, and he gave a soft hum, picking up the cigarette case on the table.
"Ethan," Hans said calmly, "put down your cigarette."
"..." Ethan glanced at him, smiled in agreement, put the slender cigarette he had just taken out back into the cigarette case, and looked at Tang Bufan again.
"..." Tang Bufan didn't speak. He suddenly understood why Emma seemed so satisfied with him. Compared to Anna and Ethan, he seemed very honest.
“You seem to be doing quite well out there, Louis,” Hans said again, looking at Tang Bufan and suddenly smiling. “The Smith family welcomes you, Tang.”
He called Tang Bufan by his surname. Tang Bufan observed his expression without showing any emotion, unable to tell whether he minded that he hadn't changed his surname to Lu Yi.
After thinking for a moment, Tang Bufan said gently and politely, "Just call me Xiao Tang, Dad."
The word "Dad" stunned everyone in the restaurant, including Lu Yi, who stared blankly at Tang Bufan. Tang Bufan calmly continued, "In our Eastern culture, when you marry your loved one, you also call your partner's parents 'Dad' and 'Mom.' I hope you don't mind."
"...Isn't this a very old Eastern custom?" Hans realized, his fake smile disappearing, clearly not used to suddenly having such a big son.
“I’m a traditional person, Dad.” Tang Bufan looked at Ethan sitting opposite him with a deep gaze and said with a smile, “We have a tradition where brothers separate their households after they get married.”
Ethan stared at Tang Bufan and his face instantly darkened. He understood what Tang Bufan meant; he wanted to kick him and Luther out.
Tang Bufan was unaware of Ethan's background, but he met his gaze without fear. Everyone knew he was pregnant, yet this man had just picked up a cigarette case and tried to smoke right in front of him. Since he wasn't being polite to him, Tang Bufan wouldn't be polite to him either.
However, Tang Bufan's demeanor was still quite mild, and he spoke gently and slowly. Emma, who had entered the restaurant with them, covered her smile and spoke up from the side: "Everyone is almost here, let's start eating."
After speaking, he gestured to the male servants beside him.
"Sit down and eat with us, Emma," Lu Yi said to the old woman.
“That won’t do, little Louis. I know it’s your kindness, but please let me do my job.” Emma was clearly proud of her position as head butler, and she stood up straight, directing the servants to serve the dishes in an orderly manner.
"I heard Anderson came back with you." Hans picked up his knife and fork, his golden, beast-like eyes looking indifferently at his youngest son. "Why didn't you invite him to come over for dinner?"
“…He and General Angus haven’t seen each other for a long time and have a lot to talk about,” Lu Yi said. In fact, Anderson didn’t want to see Hans at all.
He was also afraid that Anderson's entry would make the situation more tense. His family was already difficult to deal with, and he didn't want Tang Bufan to have to worry about Anderson as well.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Yi added, "However, I arranged for him and Fick to be my partner's bodyguards. They will be staying with us for the time being until I return."
"To punish that Rebooters organization, right?" Ethan picked up his wine glass, swirled it, stared at Lu Yi who was now an adult and no longer naive, and lightly licked his lips: "I heard that the current unrest among the poisoned people around the world is caused by them."
“Yes,” Lu Yi said. “At first we thought they were the resistance faction from the underground city of the East District, but later we found out they were a group of humans who were left on the surface a thousand years ago. We haven’t found their base yet.”
“That sounds incredible.” Ethan rested his chin on his hand and leaned towards Lu Yi. “I’ll wait for you to return with your merits…”
Before he could finish speaking, Luther slapped him across the face, and Ethan's wine glass fell to the ground with a thud onto the table.
The table was covered with an expensive tablecloth, so the wine glasses did not break, but the dark red, fragrant wine was spilled everywhere. Tang Bufan, who was sitting opposite them, was startled by the sudden noise and subconsciously tried to stand up.
Lu Yi also reached out from the side to protect Tang Bufan. Tang Bufan's heart pounded as he looked at the other side. He observed his surroundings and was surprised to find that everyone except him was very calm.
It seems like nothing is surprising anymore.
Luther didn't actually use any force. Judging from his muscular physique, if he really used his strength, one slap could definitely turn a person's head 180 degrees. Ethan's face was only slightly flushed at this moment.
Ethan covered his face, gave Luther a gloomy look, then picked up the pack of cigarettes on the table and stood up.
"I'm going out for a smoke." Without waiting for Hans's consent, Ethan got up and left.
"Luther, go and comfort him," Hans said.
Luther pursed his lips, lowered his head slightly, and remained silent, breathing heavily through his nose. His face was even redder than before. He suddenly looked up at Tang Bufan and saw that Tang Bufan was looking at him nervously. He then slammed his huge hand on the table before standing up and leaving.
The restaurant fell silent again. Two male servants silently followed him out. Tang Bufan, still reeling from the turn of events, turned to look at Lu Yi with a somewhat bewildered expression.
"It's alright, let's continue eating." Lu Yi gently reassured Tang Bufan, straightened the napkin on his knees, and then picked up his knife and fork again.
He cut a very fragrant piece of beef for Tang Bufan.
"Madam, are you allergic to peanut butter?" Emma walked over to Tang Bufan and asked, both to reassure him and to help him eat the salad.
"...No, I can eat anything." Tang Bufan gradually calmed down, gave Emma a relieved smile, and picked up his knife and fork again.
Outside the window, there was a misty fog. Even though it was almost June, the air still felt chilly. Tang Bufan lowered his eyes and finally understood why Lu Yi wanted to escape from this home.
Luther and Ethan did not return, and the large restaurant, now occupied by only three people, was very quiet, with only the sound of knives and forks clinking against plates.
Although Hans was polite, his cold golden eyes revealed that he didn't really care about Tang Bufan. In this atmosphere, after confirming that Tang Bufan had filled his stomach, Lu Yi immediately took Tang Bufan away.
The first floor contains various function halls, the second floor contains the servants' rooms, the master bedroom and guest rooms are on the third floor, and the fourth floor contains the library, medical room, and so on.
Lu Yi led Tang Bufan up the wide, ancient staircase, introducing him to the world as they went.
“The elevator is on the west side, not near my room, so I usually take the stairs,” Lu Yi said, holding Tang Bufan’s hand. “There’s an art studio on the fourth floor, where the teacher can move your Xuan paper and brushes upstairs.”
Tang Bufan followed Lu Yi upstairs and felt that the castle was too big. Even the ceilings were higher than those of ordinary houses. With the addition of a thin mist, it looked gloomy.
However, he quite liked the huge crystal chandelier on the ceiling of the hall, which reflected a sparkling light and added a touch of romance to the ancient house, which was filled with mist.
Seeing Tang Bufan admiring the huge and exquisite chandelier, Lu Yi explained, "This was specially replaced by my father for my mother. My mother likes gemstones. She would throw other things my father gave her on the ground, but she wouldn't throw gemstones."
"Are you afraid of damaging it?" Tang Bufan said. After all, it's jewelry, which is different from flowers or clothes.
Lu Yi fell silent, while Tang Bufan belatedly realized that he had spoiled the mood.
"Um... I'm sorry." Tang Bufan apologized to him.
Lu Yi suddenly chuckled: "No, I feel that what you said is probably right."
Seeing Lu Yixiao, Tang Bufan smiled as well and casually took his arm.
Emma, who had been called away by the maid, was about to catch up with them when she saw this scene from behind. Touched, she looked up at the two people walking further and further away, hesitated for a moment, and finally decided not to follow.
She wanted Lu Yi to take good care of Tang Bufan.
The two went up to the third floor, which was a very long corridor. Peeking down from the side of the corridor, they could see a spacious hall. Lu Yi's room was at the end of the corridor, but he stopped when he led Tang Bufan to the second to last room.
“This is Anderson’s room.” Lu Yi pointed to the wooden door and said to Tang Bufan, “Although he had an accident later, I have kept the room for him. My father originally wanted to arrange for someone else to move in and replace Anderson, but I refused.”
"In that case, your father isn't entirely uncaring about you," Tang Bufan commented.
“If he leaves me to someone else, he can slack off.” Lu Yi’s voice lowered a few decibels.
"..." Tang Bufan patted his arm reassuringly.
The two arrived at Lu Yi's door. Lu Yi had been away from home for a year and a half. When he closed his door, he really thought he would never come back. So now, with his hand on the doorknob, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
He slowly opened the door, and light spilled out, allowing Tang Bufan to see inside. It was a very large and spacious room with three windows, and as Lu Yi had said, there was a corner window with a wide view. Next to it was a small round table and two lounge chairs, and the table had already been set with delicate pastries by the servants, clearly a corner for afternoon tea.
A rustic solid wood bed was placed in the center against the wall, and opposite the bed was a fireplace with a vintage feel... Tang Bufan's eyes lit up, and he could already imagine the scene of the fireplace being lit in winter, which must be very warm.
"Wow! There's a fireplace!" Tang Bufan walked in with delight. He loved fireplaces so much; he always thought they added a lot of ambiance, but unfortunately, they weren't available in China.
Seeing that Tang Bufan liked it, Lu Yi's previously complicated heart immediately leaped with joy.
"Does the teacher like fireplaces?" Lu Yi immediately became eager: "I'll have someone bring some wood over."
Tang Bufan quickly stopped him: "It's almost summer, who would light a fireplace at this time?"
After he finished speaking, he glanced around the room again and walked toward a small door with great interest.
There were two small doors in the room. One looked like a bathroom, and Tang Bufan didn't know what the other one was. When he went over and turned the knob, he found that it was a walk-in closet.
There were a lot of clothes inside. Tang Bufan rummaged through them and found that many of them looked like formal wear.
So many dresses?
“It’s needed for all sorts of occasions,” Lu Yi explained.
Tang Bufan's attention quickly fell on the dressing table by the wall. It was clear that the servants were diligent in cleaning, as there was not a speck of dust on the table. Many sparkling pieces of jewelry were displayed under the glass cabinet.
"These are..." Tang Bufan walked over, looking at the women's jewelry, and already had a guess in his mind: "Your mother's?"
"Yes." Lu nodded, readily admitting it.
"...You brought too much too." Tang Bufan couldn't help but complain. He already knew that Lu Yi would take some of his mother's jewelry to wear, but he didn't expect him to bring so much.
"No." Lu Yi blushed slightly and explained, "I originally only took one or two, but then Ethan came and wanted them. I didn't want him to take them all, so I brought these over."
Emma was the one who suggested this. She took one-third to Lu Yi's room, then another third to Hans's room, and finally gave the rest to Ethan, who modified it into a men's version.
Tang Bufan understood; he had noticed that Ethan was wearing a large emerald ring.
Thinking about how Ethan was suddenly slapped by Luther in the restaurant, Tang Bufan, despite his bad first impression of Ethan, still felt a little sorry for him.
Even if both parties are men, this is still domestic violence.
Now that everyone was alone, Tang Bufan lowered his voice and asked Lu Yi, "So your brother really does hit him?"
Lu Yi closed the door to the dressing room and sat down with Tang Bufan in front of the dressing table to chat.
“Yes.” Lu Yi pursed his lips, his expression a mixture of emotions.
"Why not get a divorce?" Tang Bufan didn't understand. If his partner slapped him in public, he would break their head.
“Ethan refused.” Lu Yi frowned and said, “He comes from the underground city of the West District. His crime is embezzlement. I heard that he embezzled more than ten million yuan from the company for his own consumption. Marrying my brother allowed him to live the life he wanted.”
Tang Bufan understood; so he was after wealth and status. Curious, he pressed Lu Yi for details: "What was his family background?"
“He comes from a poor family in the underground city. His parents had seven children in order to get the birth subsidy. He was the second one.” Lu Yi said, “Perhaps because he didn’t eat well when he was young, Ethan is particularly greedy. The ingredients must be high-end. During his pregnancy, he even had to import ingredients from the underground city.”
Tang Bufan was taken aback: "He's pregnant too?"
“I can’t get pregnant.” Lu Yi said, his voice laced with mixed feelings. “Part of it is because my brother has a genetic problem, and the other part… I heard from the doctor that Ethan has had multiple abortions in the underground city.”
Tang Bufan thought about it and became even more puzzled: "How did he come to your house in the first place?"
The head of state's family has very high standards for hiring servants. He Xing and He Yun are young and beautiful, and have graduated from high school. They are the object of many orcs' marriage proposals, but they are just ordinary servants in the Guo family. Tang Bufan saw that the elegant male and female servants in the Lu family were obviously carefully selected by Emma. Logically speaking, Ethan, who has a bad reputation, should not be able to get in.
Moreover, judging from the old woman's attitude, she didn't seem to like Ethan very much.
“My father brought him into the family.” Lu Yi leaned closer to Tang Bufan and lowered his voice a few decibels: “So at first, Ethan thought my father had taken a liking to him. He thought he could become the First Lady, but he was assigned to my brother’s side, which made him furious.”
Tang Bufan listened to the Smith family's inside gossip in shock, and after a moment of daze, he slowly understood.
He had heard that marriage could seduce some unstable men, and Luther was at the age where he needed to vent his frustrations. So Ethan, who was of bad character but experienced, came into the picture. Most people couldn't handle Luther's overdeveloped physique, but Ethan could.
And Ethan, who would embezzle more than ten million yuan of public funds for his own consumption, would definitely not easily divorce Luther... Tang Bufan thought of Hans, who had given him a faint smile, and felt a chill run down his spine.
All I can say is that he truly deserves to be called the terrifying man who shoved Anderson into a mental hospital.
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