The Mightiest Little Peasant c1-799

by Watermelonian, 西瓜星人

All the bars were on the same street. Tang Hao had been there before, so it was not an unfamiliar place to him.

  He found Golden Dreams Bar and went inside.

  Once inside, he was assaulted by strobing lights and loud music. Tang Hao furrowed his brows. He was not very fond of chaotic places like those.

  He scanned the area and soon noticed Ling Wei sitting at the bar counter.

  She was not hard to miss. She wore a long, fitting red dress and black stockings that hugged her slender legs. She was utterly captivating.

  Her impeccable face was illuminated by the shifting, colorful lights.

  She did not carry her usual dignified and modest pose. Rather, her tightly locked brows and melancholy gaze reflected the sorrow in her heart.

  Tang Hao walked over and sat down next to her.

  He furrowed his brows as he examined her closely. She seemed disturbed. Evidently, something must have been troubling her.

  He thought that his break up with Tai An Group would not have troubled her that much. It must have been something else.

  “A drink for you?” Ling Wei turned around to look at him.

  “I’m fine!” Tang Hao shook his head.

  “You’re already here. Why don’t you drink something?” Ling Wei smiled. She called the bartender over and ordered a dozen beers for Tang Hao and a cocktail for herself.

  Tang Hao opened a can and drank a sip. “Why are you here today, President Ling?”

  “Why? Are you surprised?” Ling Wei smiled.

  “A little!” He said, then turned to look at his surroundings.

  “I understand how you feel… By the way, that was how I met you in the first place. That encounter last time was dangerous. It still scares me when I think about it,” Ling Wei said with a smile.

  “I don’t usually come to these places. I’ll only go to a bar whenever I’m feeling frustrated. Every time, Uncle Ming would accompany me.”

  As she spoke, she turned to look toward the other side.

  Tang Hao followed her gaze and saw a familiar face. It was the Uncle Ming whom he had met before.

  Uncle Ming looked at him, then raised his mug as a greeting.

  “So, last time…?” Tang Hao was surprised.

  Ling Wei stuck out her tongue. “I forgot! When I went to Westridge last time, I forgot that Uncle Ming wasn’t with me. Unfortunately, that happened.

  “But it’s not all bad news though! That was how I got to meet you! This must be fate!” Ling Wei said mischievously.

  Tang Hao was speechless.

  The mood quickly died down. Ling Wei’s smile faded away and she looked lonely. She continued drinking her cocktail in silence. She soon finished the drink and ordered another one.

  “You should drink less!”

  “I know!”

  They were silent again.

  “Your restaurant seems to be doing well.” Eventually, she broke the silence. She sounded a little dejected.

  She had grand ambitions for growing Magical Kitchen into a big brand, but she did not expect things to turn out that way. All her effort had gone to waste.

  She understood that it was not her fault, but she could not help but feel sad about it.

  She wanted to prove to everyone else that she could be successful as a president even though she was female. She was ecstatic when things were starting to get on track, but she found out the hard way that her position was not respected at all.

  “It’s doing fine!” Tang Hao said after staying silent for a while.

  “I hope you don’t hate me,” Ling Wei said, “I know that our Ling family is at fault.”

  Tang Hao drank another mouthful of beer and smiled. “I don’t blame you. I know that you were stuck in a tough spot.”

  Ling Wei laughed drily when she heard that. “Yes, I’m still stuck in a tough spot. Do you know that because of this incident, my brother is still attacking me and is blaming me for everything?”

  Tang Hao narrowed his eyes.

  ‘That Ling Rui is a total bastard.’

  “My father is also siding with him. He is the son after all. My brother had been a playboy before this, and that was why my father had no other choice but to pass the position of president to me.

  “I’ve spent so much effort in running the company. I’ve given my all so that I could further develop the family business, but what did I gain in the end?

  “Nothing. Nothing at all. They were the ones who forged ahead with their plan, but they’re blaming it all on me.

  “My father doesn’t appreciate all that I’ve done. Meanwhile, my brother pretends to be repentant and he’s over the moon.”

  Ling Wei’s tone of voice was agitated. She even sounded accusatory.

  Tears were brimming in her eyes.

  She sobbed, lifted her head, then drained the glass of its contents.

  She slammed the glass on the table and coughed violently. Her fair face was intensely red in an instant.

  Tang Hao was silent.

  He was helpless. In a traditional, wealthy family like Ling Wei’s, it was still the norm for parents to favor sons more than daughters.

  “Another!” Ling Wei shouted as she pushed her glass toward the bartender.

  The bartender took the glass and started mixing her another drink. He stole glances at Ling Wei while he did that.

  Tang Hao noticed that but did not mind it too much. After all, Ling Wei was a very attractive woman.

  The bartender handed Ling Wei another cocktail, which she took and drained it. She became more agitated and angry than ever.

  “Don’t you know, Tang Hao? I’ve tolerated all that. I can tolerate it if they want to replace me with my brother. What’s the worst that could happen? I know that my position in the family isn’t as important as my brother anyway.

  “But, don’t you know that they’ve gone overboard this time? They’re arranging a marriage for me. They treat me like a tool to gain power and don’t give me any freedom at all.

  “So what’s the point of me working so hard? I’m still only a puppet in their eyes. I don’t get to choose what I want.”

  Ling Wei became angrier than ever as she spoke. She was losing her composure.

  “The reason why I was drunk the last time was because of the same reason. That was the first time. I fought back with all my might and they called it off.

  “Now they’re doing the same thing. They don’t care that I don’t want it. They’ve already gone ahead and arranged the marriage. I’ve seen the guy before, and I don’t like him at all.

  “What did they treat me as? I’m not a human, but only an object.”

  Ling Wei started sobbing. Her shoulders trembled as tears streamed down her face.

  Tang Hao could only remain silent.

  He thought arranged marriages were stupid. They were an ugly relic of the past and had no place in modern times.

  “Here, wipe your face,” Tang Hao handed her a napkin.

  Ling Wei took it but cried even harder. She suddenly leaned over and fell onto Tang Hao’s shoulder.

  Chapter 363 - Set Up

  The beautiful woman sobbed quietly in his embrace.

  Tang Hao could feel her frail frame trembling. She was not the strong, capable businesswoman like before. She seemed helpless and pitiful.

  Tang Hao’s shoulder was drenched in tears, but he did not mind it.

  He could feel a tug on his heartstrings.

  For a woman, it was a great tragedy to be not able to pursue her love life and marriage. No matter how wealthy she was, she was still trapped in a gilded cage.

  Perhaps it was the same case for a man too.

  “Don’t cry. If you don’t agree to the marriage, then don’t agree to it. Fight until the end. I don’t think your family would hold a knife to your throat and force you to marry!

  “A marriage lasts a lifetime. You need to be sure that you love your partner before marriage. Otherwise, how would you live for the rest of your days?”

  L
ing Wei was shocked. She stopped sobbing and looked at Tang Hao with puffy eyes.

  She suddenly burst out laughing.

  “I didn’t expect that you’re so wise even though you’re still young!”

  Tang Hao rolled his eyes. “I’m not young. I’ll be nineteen soon.”

  “You’re only nineteen! You can’t even get married yet. Otherwise, you could marry me! That sounds like a good idea!” Ling Wei said nonchalantly.

  Tang Hao choked. He could not tell whether she was telling the truth.

  “Why, you don’t like me?” Ling Wei was indignant. She wrinkled her nose.

  “No! You’re so pretty, President Ling, how would I…” Tang Hao explained himself frantically.

  “So what is it then?” Ling Wei pressed the question with a glint of mischief in her eyes.

  “I don’t dare to!” Tang Hao said sheepishly.

  “Tch!” Ling Wei glared at him, then continued drinking from her glass.

  Suddenly, she furrowed her brows. “So warm!” She mumbled and panted as she tugged her collar.

  “You’re feeling warm?” Tang Hao was surprised. It was in the middle of winter. The venue was heated, but it was not too warm.

  “A little!” Ling Wei said. Her cheeks were blushing and her gaze was unfocused.

  She could feel her body heating up.

  “What’s wrong?” Tang Hao noticed that something was amiss.

  Ling Wei turned to look at him. Her gaze was unfocused.

  Tang Hao’s heart sank. He knew that Ling Wei had been drugged.

  Who was the one who drugged her though? He had been sitting next to her all this while.

  He thought about it and realized that it must have been the bartender.

  No wonder the bartender had been stealing glances at Ling Wei. He must be harboring evil thoughts.

  Why did the bartender drug Ling Wei though? Unless… someone was interested in her and had bribed the bartender?

  When he thought of that, he immediately pushed Ling Wei away. He flicked his wrist and a small bottle appeared in his palm. He twisted open the bottle cap and poured its contents into Ling Wei’s mouth.

  Tang Hao carried many medicines with him. Naturally, he would have one to counter the effects of such drugs.

  After feeding Ling Wei the medicine, Tang Hao narrowed his eyes and scanned the room.

  He looked behind the bar counter and could not find the bartender. He must have run away.

  Tang Hao could feel that something bad was about to happen.

  He looked around the bar but could not find the bartender.

  He was going to exit the place to look for him, but there was a commotion at the entrance.

  A group of people rushed into the bar. They were dressed in black suits and shades. They were bodyguards.

  The bodyguards shooed away the crowd, then stood in attention at both sides of the entrance.

  A group of people walked in. The person in front was none other than Ling Rui. Behind him were Ling Mingshan and a few other middle-aged men.

  Ling Rui was evidently very happy. He could not hide the glee on his face. Meanwhile, Ling Mingshan and the other people were seething.

  Tang Hao immediately understood when he saw that.

  He and Ling Wei must have been led into a trap.

  That guy was too evil. He even entrapped his own sister.

  Tang Hao was livid. He reflexively clenched his fists tightly.

  “Ah!” Uncle Ming screamed. He jumped from his seat as though his butt was on fire.

  “This is bad!” His expression changed drastically.

  Lil Ling was already in an arranged marriage. The man was an important figure in the Capital. The marriage would influence the Ling family’s future. How could they tolerate Lil Ling ruining their plan?

  They obviously looked like they had planned to catch them in the act.

  Unfortunately for the two, Ling Wei had indeed been untoward.

  Ling Wei slowly lifted her head. Her hands were pressing on her temples as she slowly regained consciousness. Her face was blushing red.

  She could remember what happened earlier but did not understand why she would do something like that.

  She knew that she liked the boy, but she would not do something so intimate.

  She was confused when she saw the group of people barging in.

  “Father!” Her face turned ghastly pale.

  “Hmph! And you still dare to call me your father? You shameless, unfilial girl! Don’t you know that you’re already engaged to another man?

  “I thought that you are a good and obedient girl, but now I finally know that you’re actually immoral and depraved… I’ve seen everything earlier through the phone. Do you think your actions are befitting of a Ling family heir? Don’t you know that you are bringing shame to the family name?

  “If not that your brother told me, I wouldn’t have known all this! Do you have any self-respect left?”

  Ling Mingshan pointed a finger at her as he walked over and shouted.

  Ling Wei stood there. Her face was ashen.

  She wavered and almost collapsed on the floor.

  Her lips trembled as though she wanted to say something, but eventually said nothing. The fire in her eyes died down, and her gaze became hollow.

  She knew that her brother had set her up.

  Whatever happened had already happened. There was no use arguing.

  Chapter 364 - I’d Rather Die Than Marry

  The entire bar descended into silence.

  The other people had been driven out of the bar by the bodyguards, including the waitstaff.

  Ling Wei stood there at the bar counter, stupefied.

  Each of those words was like a knife that cut deeply into her heart.

  Ling Rui saw that and could not help but grin gleefully.

  He was planning to add fuel to the fire, but the current scene had satisfied him.

  His sister was utterly finished. Even though she was engaged, she was caught having a tryst with another male, even making out with him in public. In their father’s eyes, she was immoral and frivolous.

  Furthermore, the male was Tai An Group’s enemy.

  How could she continue as Tai An Group’s president? Once she fell from grace, it was his turn to take over.

  He had planned the arranged marriage and the incident at the bar.

  He was the one who pulled the strings and called for the arranged marriage. Once she married into another family, her influence in the Ling family would be diminished and she would have to give up her president’s position.

  He could also use her marriage to forge connections with the Song family in the Capital.

  That was like killing two birds with one stone.

  Whatever happened today was only to hasten the process. He could get back at his sister at the same time.

  He never liked his sister. He thought that she, as a woman, had no right to claim the president’s position that was supposed to be his. He was the better sibling after all.

  Every time other people talked about the children of the Ling family, they would praise his sister and ignore him.

  He wanted to reclaim what was supposed to be his, and at the same time ruin his sister’s reputation.

  He glared at Ling Wei coldly, then turned to look at Tang Hao.

  He gritted his teeth. His gaze was brimming with resentment.

  ‘This is just a small lesson for you. When I have the Song family’s favor in the future, you’ll suffer a much worse fate. That’ll teach you!’

  Meanwhile, Ling Mingshan looked at his own daughter, then at the detestable Tang kid. He became angrier than ever.

  “Say something! Are you mute?” Ling Mingshan roared.

  He was livid. His daughter was already engaged, yet she made out in public with another male. What would happen to the Ling family reputation if news got out?

  The Song family was one of the most powerful families in the Capital. If they called off t
he engagement because of this incident, it would be a great loss to the Ling family.

  Furthermore, if they blamed it all on the Ling family, that would have been a disaster.

  “You unfilial girl, I thought you would know how to behave. Look around you, why would you ever come to this place?” Ling Mingshan roared as he pointed at the surroundings.

  “And that person, too! Don’t you know that he’s an enemy of the Ling family? How could you be friends with him?

  “I would have turned a blind eye on that before, but you are engaged now. How can you be seen in public with another man?”

  Ling Mingshan’s face was contorted as he roared.

  Ling Wei stood there without saying a word. Her face was paler than ever.

  Her gaze was hollow.

  She did not have the strength to fight back. How could she say that her brother had set her up?

  Her father would not believe it. No one in the Ling family would believe it.

  Furthermore, she was the one who invited Tang Hao. Tang Hao was the enemy of the Ling family. No one would stand on his side.

  “I say, Sister, how can you behave that way? You’ve been silly. Know your place and stop bringing shame to the family! It’ll be bad for us if news got out,” Ling Rui said sarcastically.

  Ling Mingshan’s expression became worse when he heard that.

  Uncle Ming walked up to him. “Old Master, Young Miss… indeed made some bad choices. Furthermore, you should know that Young Miss doesn’t agree with the engagement. She’s still trying to process this turn of events.”

  Ling Mingshan grunted angrily. “So what if she doesn’t like it? It’s not up to her to decide. She is my daughter. It’s not up to her to decide who she should marry.