Chapter 1470 — Xiaoning's Brother
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
He had no wish to bicker with Yu Shan over such trifles, and in truth there was nothing worth saying between them. Since childhood Yu Shan had made a point of thwarting him and his sister at every turn; had Yu Bing not held the family's greater interests in mind, they would have come to blows long ago.
And yet, look at it from the other side: Yu Shan's provocations, again and again, had only one purpose — to make him fight. If Yu Bing won, Yu Shan could say he had used his greater age to bully a lesser; if Yu Bing lost, Yu Shan could say he was not even the equal of his younger brother. Either way it was Yu Bing who came off the loser. So why would Yu Bing ever take the bait?
"You are the legitimate son, the legitimate grandson. This little brother would not dare lodge in the same room as the future head of the Yu family — if word of it got out, people would think I don't know my place!" Yu Shan said, neither warm nor cold. "I'll open a room of my own."
"As you like." Yu Bing wasted no further words on him and strode into the inn, taking a room of his own — Room 203, right next to Wei Zhao's. Few guests had checked in as yet, so he had his pick of room numbers.
By this time Zhao Qilei and Zhao Qiwu had heard the clamor from below as well. The two of them stepped out of their rooms and made for the head of the stairs, pretending they were just on their way out.
The first to come up was Yu Bing, who had been quickest to finish the registration and get his room card.
The Yus and the Zhaos were bound by marriage, so the younger generations of both families naturally knew one another. When Zhao Qilei saw that the man coming up was Yu Bing, he could not help but knit his brows. He and Yu Bing were men of different roads. If it were his own younger brother — Zhao Guangyin's son — who had come in person to take part in the trial, he would surely have formed a team with Yu Bing; but Yu Bing was a man he could probably never win over.
"So it's Yu Bing. Where's Yu Shan?" Outwardly Zhao Qilei gave nothing away, greeting Yu Bing with all warmth.
"Yu Shan's downstairs. He'll be up in a moment." Yu Bing understood well enough what Zhao Qilei was driving at. He had guessed at once that Zhao Qilei would throw in his lot with Yu Shan — the two of them were birds of a feather, each a non-direct-line power within his own family, each nursing ambitions for the young heir's succession.
"Tonight it's on me. Shall we brothers get together?" Zhao Qilei knew perfectly well that Yu Bing would never agree, but he played the part of courtesy to the hilt.
"No need. I've already made plans with a friend." Yu Bing smiled. "You and Yu Shan go ahead — he should have the time."
"Fine, then. We'll get together another day." Zhao Qilei had known all along that Yu Bing would say exactly that, and felt not the slightest surprise. Only, when he saw Yu Bing go upstairs and knock on the door of Room 201, he could not help but frown.
Could the friend Yu Bing spoke of be Ling Yi? If so, matters had just turned rather difficult. These past two days he had only just built up a decent friendship with Ling Yi; if Ling Yi truly was Yu Bing's friend, then he would certainly never join Zhao Qilei's team and become his ally.
Yu Shan and Yu Bing plainly could not coexist.
"Young Master Tan, Yu Bing knows Ling Yi?" Zhao Qiwu had seen it too, and it sat ill with him.
"So it would seem." Zhao Qilei's expression was sour as well. "All that effort courting him for nothing. Who would have thought he knew Yu Bing!"
"Never mind. A thing like this can't be forced, and no one blames you, Young Master Tan. Who can help it if the Yu brothers don't get along?" Zhao Qiwu consoled him.
"True enough. Come, let's go down together and see Yu Shan." Zhao Qilei nodded, put his displeasure behind him, and went downstairs with Zhao Qiwu.