Chapter 78: The Eighth Beauty

Observing this, Zu An couldn't help but wonder if his cheap father-in-law was at risk of being cuckolded. However, recalling how perversely Ji Dengtu had searched for women's undergarments, he figured Ji was merely a pervert at heart but a coward in action, probably just a shut-in. So, he dismissed the thought.

Since he was physically unharmed, his parents naturally didn't stop him from attending school. However, they still arranged for those bodyguards to follow him wherever he went.

Zu An was not like those brainless characters in movies who insist on ditching their bodyguards only to encounter various dangers. At this point, he was more than happy for the Chu family to send more guards to protect him. Who knew where Xue'er or that Mei Chaofeng would pop out from to kill him?

Unlike Zu An, who was looking around cautiously, Chu Huanzhao's face was relaxed and joyful—given her personality, it seemed difficult for her to ever be truly sad or upset.

"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, quickly tell me how you won so much money at the Silver Hook Casino that day! My mother dragged me away before I could finish asking." Chu Huanzhao's eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Zu An's face darkened. "Isn't gambling forbidden in your Chu family? If you keep pestering me about this, aren't you afraid your mother will make you copy the family rules?"

"I'm just asking, I'm not gambling myself, so my mother won't care," Chu Huanzhao said, pulling and shaking his arm. "Brother-in-law, come on, just tell me, brother-in-law..."

Feeling the soft touch of the girl's body on his arm, Zu An's heart skipped a beat. This little girl had absolutely no sense of personal boundaries between men and women. No, he thought, he needed to find an opportunity to properly educate her someday, lest some other scoundrel take advantage of her.

What happened that night was originally his proudest achievement, and not being able to show it off would be like wearing brocade robes in the dark. So, Zu An, seizing the opportunity, pretended to be reluctantly pestered and, with a show of reluctance, vividly recounted the events of that night in the style of "God of Gamblers."

From Ji Dengtu's reaction when he saw that booklet earlier, Zu An knew that while people in this world might be powerful, their entertainment culture was extremely impoverished, completely lacking the influence of so many films and TV shows from his previous life.

They were soon captivated by the exaggerated, tumultuous plot, completely engrossed. Even the Chu family guards nearby occasionally glanced over, thinking that although their young master-in-law had no real abilities, his storytelling skills were truly impressive. Even if he were to be kicked out of the Chu family someday, he could always survive by telling stories under a bridge.

Chu Huanzhao listened with constant exclamations of awe, finally letting out a long sigh. "It's a pity I didn't see such an interesting thing with my own eyes! Brother-in-law, if anything like this happens again, you must take me with you, okay?"

Zu An nodded. "Alright, alright." He couldn't afford to offend this little missy; although she had been a bit fierce towards him initially, she was quite good to him now.

Chu Huanzhao, still not reassured, said, "Then let's pinky promise, it's a deal!" She extended her finger as she spoke.

Looking at the fresh, tender finger before him, Zu An thought to himself that this girl was truly a beauty in the making. It was a pity she dressed like a tomboy all day; it was quite a waste of her natural charm.

"Alright," Zu An said, somewhat helplessly extending his hand and linking pinkies with her.

"Pinky promise, hang yourself if you break it, don't change for a hundred years," Chu Huanzhao chanted, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she smiled.

The Chu family guards nearby watched, their eyes wide with surprise. They wondered what charm this useless son-in-law possessed, first chosen by the eldest daughter, and now even the second daughter seemed to have such a close relationship with him.

Should they find a chance to ask him for tips? While the young ladies were out of reach, there were still plenty of pretty maids in the manor.

Only Cheng Shouping, who was following behind, looked somewhat dispirited, lamenting in his heart: "Xue'er, my beautiful Xue'er, how could you be a spy? My sorrow has become a surging river; I fear I will never love again in this life."

Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted nearby:

"Clear the way, clear the way! The horses are spooked!"

The group turned to look and saw a carriage careening wildly down the street. The coachman made various attempts to stop the horses, but the two horses in front seemed to have gone mad, completely out of control.

"Young Miss, Young Master-in-law, be careful!" Several Chu family guards hastily shielded the two, while Cheng Shouping quickly retreated behind them.

Just as the carriage was about to crash into them, one of the guards darted forward, grabbing the horses' reins directly from the side. His muscles bulged instantly, and he forcibly brought the two spooked horses to a halt.

Applause gradually erupted from the surroundings; clearly, those who witnessed his bravery were filled with admiration.

"Oh dear!"

At that moment, a soft cry rang out, and a graceful figure tumbled out of the carriage. Evidently, the sudden stop caused by inertia had made the person inside lose balance.

The entire incident happened too quickly; the Chu family guards nearby hadn't even reacted before the figure fell directly towards Zu An.

Zu An was startled and instinctively embraced the person. A powerful force hit him, causing him to stagger back several steps. Fortunately, Chu Huanzhao behind him pushed against him desperately, preventing him from falling to the ground.

"Tha...thank you, young master, for saving me," a timid voice spoke, each word like a pearl, soft yet clear and utterly delightful.

Zu An looked down and saw a beautiful young woman in his arms, her cheeks flushed, her skin fair and smooth, and her eyes sparkling brightly.

She wore a light blue long dress, embroidered with patterns of water and flowing clouds. It was evident that every stitch and thread was made from extremely precious silk, making it clear at first glance that she came from a very wealthy and noble family.

Despite her lavish attire, the young woman showed no hint of vulgarity. She possessed an elegant, classical aura that instantly evoked sympathy and admiration.

Cheng Shouping, who was standing by, now clearly saw her appearance and was instantly thunderstruck. "I'm going to die, I'm going to die! How can there be such a beautiful woman in this world? I can't take it, I can't take it, I've fallen in love with her!"

At this moment, Chu Huanzhao on the side scoffed, "Zheng Dan, what are you doing?"

Zheng Dan?

Zu An was momentarily stunned, remembering how Wei Suo had mentioned the Top Ten Beauties List of Mingyue Academy. This Zheng Dan was ranked eighth, and since they attended the same school, Chu Huanzhao naturally knew her.

This Zheng Dan truly was beautiful. Observing her up close, Zu An could even clearly see her gently trembling eyelashes, her captivating eyes, and her luscious red lips, which made him feel an irresistible urge to kiss her.

He wondered which 'wolf-friend' had compiled this Top Ten Beauties List; so far, every one he had encountered possessed absolute stunning beauty, truly living up to their reputation.

"Hey, how much longer are you going to hold her?" Chu Huanzhao, seeing them gazing at each other with lingering affection, immediately became displeased.

Zu An then snapped out of his daze and quickly released the young woman from his embrace. "Young lady, are you alright?" At the same time, he secretly marveled at how truly light and soft her body was, as if boneless.

"Thanks to you, young master, for saving me." After steadying herself, the young woman tucked her slightly disheveled hair behind her ear and gave him a gentle smile.

Cheng Shouping on the side was filled with regret. If only he had known, he should have rushed forward earlier. Not only could he have shown his loyalty to the young master-in-law and young miss, but he could also have embraced such a great beauty, enacting a heroic rescue and earning her gratitude.

Chu Huanzhao, however, snorted. "If I hadn't been pushing against you two from behind just now, you would have already fallen to the ground! Why aren't you thanking me?"

Zheng Dan smiled slightly and curtsied to her. "My thanks to you too, Young Miss Chu."

"You're welcome, there's no sincerity in that," Chu Huanzhao said, crossing her arms over her chest and turning her face away.

Zheng Dan wasn't annoyed. Instead, she turned to Zu An and said, "The horses from my manor got spooked and lost control just now. Thankfully, young master, you caught me. Otherwise, I would have fallen directly to the ground, and the consequences would have been unimaginable."

"Any man would have stepped in to save you," Zu An said with a smile. "After all, if such a beautiful face were to fall and leave a mark, it would truly be a loss for all men in the world."

Zheng Dan gave a charming smile. "Young master, you flatter me."

Chu Huanzhao on the side immediately became indignant. "Hey, hey, hey, aren't you two being a bit too much, exchanging glances right in front of me?"

Zheng Dan paused, then instinctively asked, "Does Young Miss Chu already have a sweetheart? How come I didn't know?"

Chu Huanzhao's face flushed. She snorted, "Pah! He's my brother-in-law. I don't believe you don't know his identity!"

Only then did Zheng Dan look at Zu An with surprise. "So, you're the husband Young Miss Chu chose! I'd only heard your name but never met you."

Zu An couldn't help but say, "Is it true that meeting is better than hearing about me?"

Zheng Dan shook her head, pursed her lips, and smiled. "Young master, you are handsome and have a chivalrous heart. You are much better than what the rumors suggest."

Zu An immediately beamed with delight. Although he knew there was an element of flattery in her words, being praised so softly by such a great beauty would make anyone happy.

Ever since he arrived in this world, everyone had called him either useless or a good-for-nothing. It was rare to find someone who saw him in a different light, especially a stunning beauty.

Too bad there's no keyboard to check my romantic luck index. I guess I must be quite popular with women.

"I have a few matters to attend to, so I won't disturb you any longer," Zheng Dan said with a slight smile, then curtsied and departed, leaving only a faint, lingering fragrance in the air.

Seeing Zu An and Cheng Shouping both staring blankly at Zheng Dan's retreating figure, Chu Huanzhao became furious. "She's gone, why are you still looking?"

Rage value from Chu Huanzhao: 100!

Zu An couldn't help but say, "Little sister-in-law, it's not just me, but you should really learn from her. You're clearly just as beautiful, yet her every gesture and movement exudes femininity, making people want to linger."

Cheng Shouping on the side nodded in strong agreement.

Chu Huanzhao was so incensed she felt her lungs might burst. "Me, learn from her? Her affected, pretentious demeanor makes me nauseous just looking at it!"

Rage value from Chu Huanzhao: 348!

Zu An frowned. "You can't just speak ill of someone just because they're prettier and more gentle in their words and actions, can you?"

Chu Huanzhao snorted. "Only lecherous men like you would be deceived. Do you know she's already engaged? Since she's engaged, she shouldn't be so unreservedly pulling and tugging at you, and exchanging suggestive glances. She's clearly not a good person."

"She's engaged?" Zu An couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. That's how men are; even without any real feelings, they wish all the beautiful women in the world would revolve around them.

Cheng Shouping on the side felt as if he'd been struck by lightning. Had his burgeoning love just ended so abruptly, without a chance to blossom?