Everyday Romance After Becoming a Billionaire

In the back garden.

At a stone table.

Liu Piaopiao brewed a fresh pot of tea and pushed it in front of Elder Shan and Su Ran.

"Su Ran, try this tea. What do you think?"

"Thank you, Sister Piaopiao." Su Ran nodded politely, picked up the delicate Cyan Flower teacup, and took a sip. "It’s fragrant and rich, with a slightly sweet aftertaste. This is the best cup of tea I’ve had all autumn."

"Hee hee hee~"

Liu Piaopiao covered her mouth with a delicate gesture, clearly charmed by Su Ran’s sweet words.

"This is West Lake Longjing Tea from those eighteen imperial trees gifted by Emperor Qianlong. It’s more expensive than gold, so of course it’s good!"

Upon hearing this, Elder Shan spat out a mouthful of tea with a PFFT, his heart aching with both pain and regret. He turned to look at his daughter-in-law, opened his mouth to speak, but then just sighed.

This tea was the old man’s pride and joy; he usually couldn’t even bear to drink it himself. And now, just because a stranger showed up, his daughter-in-law had taken it out and brewed it without even asking?

’Just because he called her ’Sister Piaopiao’?’

Liu Piaopiao noticed his stingy expression and said, "Dad, it’s just tea. We have plenty of good tea on Spirit Sword Mountain. I’ll have my dad send you twenty or so pounds. Besides, Su Ran did our family a huge favor. What’s the big deal about brewing some good tea? Don’t be so petty."

The tea was indeed good, but this was a bit *too* good. It was the kind of thing that was difficult to buy even with money. Moreover, Liu Piaopiao had enthusiastically brewed more than half of it in a large teapot. A fortune was gone, just like that.

The open-handed generosity of Martial Heroes versus the pettiness of a Scholarly Family.

Elder Shan sighed again. ’Are twenty pounds of tea from your Spirit Sword Mountain as expensive as a single leaf of this?’ he thought. But while thinking this, he just chuckled and said, "It’s no big deal." He had no choice. He couldn’t afford to offend his daughter-in-law. If he angered her, she’d go on strike from cooking, and he’d be stuck eating takeout tonight.

Er...

When Su Ran heard that Liu Piaopiao was treating him to the West Lake Longjing Tea from the eighteen trees personally planted by Emperor Qianlong, he felt truly humbled and overwhelmed. After all, he was just a stranger. Was there a need to be so extravagant?

What made Su Ran even more humbled and overwhelmed was the look in Liu Piaopiao’s eyes. ’Is it affection? No, that can’t be it.’

’Could it be that Sister Piaopiao thinks I’m handsome? No way, no way. I wouldn’t dare have designs on the granddaughter of the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, not even if you beat me to death.’

A wave of doubt washed over him.

He glanced at Elder Shan, whose conversation with him was perfectly normal.

Su Ran set down his cup. As Liu Piaopiao refilled it, he tapped his fingers gently on the table to express his thanks.

Liu Piaopiao shot Su Ran a look. "Su Ran, didn’t you have something you wanted to ask my dad?"

"Right! There is something I’d like to ask Teacher Shan to help me with..."

Su Ran explained to Elder Shan that he was hoping for a painting of the ’Victorious Fighting Buddha’ to use for a carving.

"A painting, huh? Well..." Elder Shan said, looking conflicted. "To be honest, you did the Shan Family a great service by getting rid of a menace, so we owe you a favor. It would only be right for me to paint something for you. However... I have indeed sealed my brush and no longer paint for outsiders. If I break that vow and word gets out, everyone will come asking, and how could I refuse them?"

Elder Shan had many connections; he wasn’t about to break his vow just for one Su Ran.

"Oh..." Su Ran was a little disappointed, but it was what he had expected. The man had, after all, retired from painting.

"Dad..." Liu Piaopiao shook Elder Shan’s arm. "Just paint one for Su Ran. He won’t tell, I won’t tell, who’s going to know?"

"It’s not a matter of telling or not telling. It’s a matter of principle. Don’t you people of the Martial World prize principles above all else?"

"Principles can be flexible."

"No, Piaopiao, today you..."

Elder Shan looked up at Liu Piaopiao, then looked again, stopping himself mid-sentence. He felt it was inappropriate to ask in front of a guest why she was pushing him, her own father, to break his vow time and time again just for some guy named Su Ran.

Liu Piaopiao’s lips moved, seemingly mouthing one word: "Weizi!"

’Weizi?’

It suddenly dawned on Elder Shan, as if he’d just thought of something. He turned back and asked with a smile, "Su Ran, let me ask you something."

"Please, go ahead, Teacher Shan."

The old man actually had a very good impression of this polite young man.

"What is your relationship with our Weizi?"

"We don’t have one."

"Then how did you recognize at a glance that the painting was Weizi’s? Very few people knew about that painting. Unless... Weizi told you herself?"

"Well..."

Su Ran was in a tough spot. Apart from the Shan’s, only Wang Changyue knew Shan Weizi had painted it. Su Ran had recognized her work in a single glance thanks to his system, so it made sense for the Shan Family to assume he knew her. But as for explaining *how* he saw through it... Su Ran had no idea.

"Er..."

Seeing Su Ran at a loss for words, Elder Shan smiled and said, "Alright, you don’t need to explain. I understand."

Su Ran: "You understand?"

Elder Shan: "Yes, I understand."

Su Ran: "Then... about the painting, Teacher Shan?"

Seeing Su Ran was still insistent, Elder Shan couldn’t bring himself to refuse him outright. He stood up and said casually, "It’s not a complete dead end. I can paint for you, but on one condition... Find something that is your absolute favorite, and also happens to be my absolute favorite. If you can do that, I’ll paint for you."

’Something I like best that he also loves best?’

’I like my teachers from the mountain, but he might not.’

’I like girls, but he might not.’

’I like long legs in black stockings, but he might not.’

And so, Su Ran understood. The old man had just come up with a ridiculously difficult condition to make him back down. It was a polite refusal.

"Oh, alright then. I won’t disturb you any longer, sir."

Su Ran stood up to leave. Elder Shan offered a few polite words, and Liu Piaopiao walked Su Ran to the door.

"Su Ran, that’s just how my dad is. I’m really sorry. How about I find another painter for you?"

"No, that’s alright. Thank you, Sister Piaopiao. You should go back and look after Elder Shan. I’ll be on my way."