Chapter 1: Young Master, Young Master (Part 1)

Original Title: The Extraordinary Butler ("极品家丁")

Original Author: Yu Yan

Translator: Junyin_Pan

Contact for Copyright or Conflict of Interest Issues: 1085740859@qq.com

The following is the main text:

The autumn breeze was gentle, the shadows of the trees were graceful, and the vast Xuanwu Lake resembled a massive, smooth mirror, sparkling with golden light under the sunset.

The spacious lake surface glimmered with ripples, boats shuttled back and forth, and laughter could be heard constantly from the boats, likely from the young ladies of noble families on their outings, creating a lively scene.

Numerous scholars and officials stood at the bows of the boats, gazing at the flower boats carrying the young noble ladies with wolfish desire. As they approached the flower boats, their expressions suddenly changed, feigning a demeanor of righteousness and integrity, fanning themselves lightly while reciting poetry to appear cultured and charming.

Several official boats with curtains drawn were also cruising on the lake. Hidden behind the curtains, the noble ladies secretly observed the passing scholars, choosing their favored ones.

Standing by Xuanwu Lake, if Lin Wanrong had to describe his feelings in one word, it would be—unlucky, extremely unlucky.

He had been here for a month, and bad luck had never left him. Perhaps from the moment he decided to join his company's tour to Mount Tai, bad luck had been with him. Especially when he saw the name of that girl on the travel list, he had a feeling of unease.

And the facts proved his suspicion.

Lin Wanrong spat into the lake, feeling slightly better, a sense of relief washing over him. Spitting felt incredibly refreshing; it had been a long time since he felt so good. Damn it, in this era, there shouldn't be any old ladies with red armbands coming to fine me fifty yuan.

Lin Wanrong looked at his reflection in the clear water: sword-like eyebrows, starry eyes, a nose like a hanging gall, and a friendly smile. If he changed into a scholar's attire, he would probably look even more dashing than those so-called talented scholars who liked to recite a few broken poems in the lake.

Unfortunately, he was dressed in a blue cloth long robe and wore a pair of worn-out cloth shoes, which looked shabby compared to the attire of those stylish scholars. Moreover, his short hair, unlike the traditional styles, made him stand out even more in this setting.

The young ladies passing by took one look at Lin Wanrong's attire, didn't even bother to look at his face, and immediately passed him by, directing their gaze towards the shivering scholars standing on the boats in the cold wind.

Suddenly, the young ladies by the roadside crowded towards the lake, looking into the distance, their excited cries sounding sweet.

"Wow, look, look, it's Jinling's number one scholar, Hou Yuebai—"

"Wow, he's so handsome—"

"Wow, he's so romantic—"

"Which young lady is so lucky—"

Lin Wanrong followed their gaze and looked ahead.

Three decorated boats were floating downstream. Each boat was two stories high, about six or seven meters tall, with high-hanging lanterns and flying eaves, exuding grandeur.

The three decorated boats had flags flying, with large banners hanging down from the tops of the left and right boats.

The right banner read "Spring Breeze Caresses My Heart," and the left banner read "Only For You."

On the middle boat, a young nobleman stood at the bow, his face like jade, fanning himself lightly, with a gentle smile and a dashing demeanor.

Opposite the three decorated boats was an even larger and more exquisite decorated boat, more majestic than Hou's three boats, with flying eaves and an imposing presence. Unfortunately, the curtains were deeply drawn, obscuring the people inside, but the large lantern at the bow, with the gilded character "Luo" on it, fluttered in the wind.

"It's Miss Luo, Jinling's number one beauty and talented lady—" a woman standing next to Lin Wanrong shouted excitedly, clearly a fan of Miss Luo.

Lin Wanrong didn't care about the so-called number one scholar of Jinling, and he was even more disdainful of the number one beauty and talented lady. In his time, there were many so-called beautiful writers who wrote with their bodies, more than lice on a cow's head, so he was not surprised.

"I heard Hou has been pursuing Miss Luo for two years. As the son of the Jinling prefect and a renowned scholar, with his family background and literary talent, if I were Miss Luo, I'd be over the moon," a lovesick woman said.

"Ha, Miss Luo, known as Jinling's number one talented and beautiful lady, is not inferior to Hou in terms of literary talent, and as the daughter of the Jiangsu governor, her family background is even higher. So, she might not fancy Hou," another woman, evidently a die-hard fan of Miss Luo, analyzed.

"In my opinion, Jinling's number one scholar and the number one talented lady are a perfect match. It's hard to find such a well-matched couple not only in Jinling but in the entire Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces," the lovesick woman replied.

Lin Wanrong shook his head helplessly. Women love gossip, regardless of the era.

Hou, the dashing scholar on the lake, had already moored his boat beside Miss Luo's boat and was bowing deeply, evidently saying something to those on Miss Luo's boat.

After a long while, a pretty maid came out from Miss Luo's boat, stood at the bow, and said something to Hou. His expression changed from disappointment to joy.

Lin Wanrong, standing too far away, couldn't hear what they were saying. But seeing Hou's strange expression, he wondered if Miss Luo had accepted or rejected him.

The lovesick women and fans around him were equally puzzled. Seeing Miss Luo's boat slowly moving towards the center of the lake, Miss Luo's fan joyfully said, "See, I told you, Hou might not win Miss Luo's heart."

The lovesick woman snorted, "I doubt it. Look at Hou's happy face; maybe there's a date later under the moon."

True, given the customs of this world, courting was done in secluded places at night.

Hou, still shaking his feather fan and smiling at Miss Luo's boat, made Lin Wanrong feel irritated.

Kid, what's there to be proud of? When it comes to wooing girls, my skills are a thousand times better than yours. Lin Wanrong thought indignantly.

It was late autumn, almost winter, and the cold wind blew over the lake. Hou shivered slightly.

Lin Wanrong, with sharp eyes, noticed this and couldn't help but laugh coldly. Freeze, you fool who only cares about style over warmth. I thought spring came early, but it's just you and the girls being amorous.

Lin Wanrong's cold laugh drew the attention of several women. They looked at Lin Wanrong, saw his shabby attire and short hair, and covered their mouths, laughing. When they saw his face, they blushed and dared not look again.

Lin Wanrong, at 177 cm tall, with a fit and strong body from years of consistent exercise, had a healthy wheat-colored complexion that was more attractive than the pale scholars of this era.

No wonder the women couldn't look him in the eye; his charm was overwhelming.

Back in his Beijing University days, Lin Wanrong was a popular "black horse prince" with many secret admirers.

"Where did this country bumpkin come from…"

"Look at his shabby appearance…"

"Huang, standing with this guy degrades your status, let's stay away from him…"

The scholars nearby, already demoralized by watching Hou, were further frustrated when the women ignored them and focused on Lin Wanrong, making them angry.