Volume 1 Chapter 6: Breaching the Fortress from Within Without Worries

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  Peng Yuanzheng had learned Tai Chi from a Taoist in his hometown for five years due to boredom, and it became a hobby afterwards. He practiced every day without interruption, accumulating more than ten years of foundation, and even represented the city in national competitions.

  Having received the blow, Peng Yuanzheng's mind was calm and his spirit at ease; he bowed again in respect.

  Ming Xin Daoren's eyes flickered with doubt as he looked at Peng Yuanzheng, furrowing his brow and asking, "May I ask, sir, who did you learn this Taiji from?"

  Peng Yuanzheng smiled silently, but had no way to respond.

  He came to the countryside today mainly to return to his village and open a proof, and coming to Baiyun Temple was just on the way. He wanted to visit his old friends from his past life, but people and things have changed. After seeing Ming Xin Dao Ren, he no longer had a calm heart.

  After a moment of silence, Peng Yuanzheng did not respond to Ming Xindao's words, but instead turned his head and walked back, beckoning Cao Ying with a surprised expression to leave the mountain.

  Ming Xin Dao Ren opened his mouth to shout, but hesitated and closed it again.

  On the way down the mountain, Cao Ying asked while walking, "Peng Yuanzheng, when will you practice Tai Chi again? Did you learn it in college?"

  Peng Yuanzheng sighed and nodded, could only default to this.

  Fortunately, Cao Ying didn't ask further questions either.

  Two people rode a motorcycle back to the city, and as soon as they entered the living area of the mechanical factory, a black Red Flag sedan drove by beside them, which was the vehicle driven by Cao Ying's father, Cao Dapeng.

  Xin'an Machinery Factory is a state-owned large enterprise, a provincial-level enterprise, and the factory leaders are all deputy department-level cadres. There are three Red Flags in the factory, one of which belongs to Cao Dapeng.

  Cao Dapeng got off the car, holding a black briefcase in his hand. He stood in front of the car with a frown on his forehead, looking at his daughter who was riding a motorcycle with Peng Yuanzheng, and said in a low voice, "Xiaoying, where are you going? Come here!"

  Cao Ying pushed the cart and looked at Peng Yuanzheng with a pleading gaze.

  Peng Yuanzheng let out a long sigh and walked over with him, taking the initiative to greet Cao Dapeng, saying "Uncle Cao, hello!"

  Cao Dapeng did recognize Peng Yuanzheng. However, Peng Yuanzheng's mother, Meng Lin, was just an ordinary cashier in the factory's finance department, while he was a high-ranking leader of the factory, with thousands of employees under him and a huge difference in status. If Peng Yuanzheng called him "Secretary Cao", he might still nod his head hypocritically, but upon hearing this "Uncle Cao", his face turned somewhat indifferent.

  Cao Dapeng ignored Peng Yuanzheng and immediately turned his head to glare at Cao Ying, "It's scorching hot today, why aren't you staying home? What are you running around for all day? Hurry back home! We have guests coming over today!"

  After finishing speaking, Cao Dapeng carried his briefcase and walked towards the building in a steady gait.

  Cao Ying's face turned red, and she looked at Peng Yuanzheng with some embarrassment, explaining in a low voice, "Peng Yuanzheng, my dad is just this kind of temper, don't be angry... come on, let's go to my house and sit for a while!"

  Peng Yuanzheng smiled calmly, shook his head and said, "No, I'm going home. Goodbye!"

  Peng Yuanzhen turned and left.

  Cao Dapeng's indifferent and disdainful attitude did not actually anger Peng Yuanzheng, but the slightest hint of arrogance in his eyes deeply hurt Peng Yuanzheng's heart.

  Cao Ying looked at Peng Yuanzheng walking away with a somewhat melancholy gaze, and her heart sank. It wasn't until this moment that she vaguely realized that the fervent feelings she had for Peng Yuanzheng would be extinguished by the cruel reality.

  At this thought, Cao Ying's heart was filled with anxiety and sadness, her eyes reddened as she struggled to hold back tears. She yearned for love and happiness, but lacked the power to change reality.

  Peng Yuanzheng's footsteps faltered for a moment, but then he steeled himself and strode away with large strides.

  If you can't change the trajectory of fate, don't talk about romantic love affairs. Even this rebirth would lose its meaning. If there wasn't a brand new future, the deep regret in his heart wouldn't be just about Cao Ying alone.

  ……

  ……

  When Cao Ying returned home, her mother Liu Fang was cooking in the kitchen, while her father Cao Dapeng was chatting with a young man who was dressed neatly on the sofa in the living room.

  When Cao Ying entered, this young man immediately stood up and smiled, "Cao Ying!"

  Cao Ying glanced at the young man, furrowed her eyebrows slightly, and nodded slightly as a greeting before entering her own room and closing the door without coming out.

  The young man's face stiffened, but he still smiled with some elegance and slowly sat back down.

  Cao Dapeng's face didn't look too good, and he said in a low voice, "Xiao Ying! Xiao Zhang has finally come home for a visit, hurry up and change your clothes to come out and chat with him!"

  "Uncle Cao, it's okay, don't worry. Cao Ying might be tired, let her rest for a while."

  The young man smiled and made excuses on the side.

  Cao Dapeng withdrew his gaze and looked at the young man with a hint of approval in his eyes.

  The young man in front of her is Zhang Kai, a university classmate of her daughter Cao Ying. He has been pursuing Cao Ying for some time now.

  At first, Cao Dapeng didn't take it to heart, but later when he found out that Zhang Kai was the only son of Zhang Chengye, the director of the Municipal Agricultural Machinery Bureau, and the nephew of Zhang Meiqi, the wife of Vice Mayor Meng Qiang, he immediately changed his mind.

  In Cao Dapeng's view, Zhang Kai came from a family of high-ranking officials and had an impressive background. He was also exceptionally talented and worked at the Education Bureau, making him a perfect match for his daughter Cao Ying.

  As a result, Zhang Kai's pursuit of Cao Ying had no effect, but because he often came and went with Cao Dapeng and his wife, they became extremely familiar. He was also very good at socializing, and every time he came, he would bring some small gifts that Cao Dapeng and his wife liked, winning their favor.

  Zhang Kai chatted and laughed with Cao Dapeng while glancing at Cao Ying's door, seeing that it was tightly closed without a single movement. Although he felt uncomfortable in his heart, he didn't show it.

  He knew that Cao Ying didn't have feelings for him, and it seemed like she had someone else in mind. But he wasn't flustered, having ample patience to wait. He was extremely confident, with his talent and family background, the Cao family would definitely agree to marry their daughter off to him.

  The fortress is often breached from within - so the time and energy he spent on Cao Dapeng's wife over the past year far exceeded that of Cao Ying.

  It wasn't until dinner time, under his parents' repeated urging, that Cao Ying reluctantly came out to accompany Zhang Kai and exchange a few words. After finishing dinner, Zhang Kai felt it was really boring and stood up to bid farewell.

  He was still a young man in his 20s, having just graduated from college, and although he had some reserve and patience, he couldn't continue to fawn over Cao Ying's coldness.

  "Xiao Ying, go see Zhang Kai off! Hurry up!" Cao Da Peng said in a low voice.

  Cao Ying let out a sigh of relief and didn't want to go against her father's wishes too much, so she sent Zhang Kai off at the door. However, this sendoff was quite dull. Cao Ying walked in front, with Zhang Kai closely following behind her from the building where Cao Ying lived to the entrance of the residential area, without a single word being spoken along the way.

  Cao Ying stopped at the entrance of the living area and didn't say a word, implying that Zhang Kai could leave.

  At this time, Peng Yuanzheng and his mother walked towards them.

  Peng Yuanzheng had dinner with his mother and went out for a walk together. They turned around on the road and came back, just running into Cao Ying and Zhang Kai.

  Peng Yuanzheng glanced at Zhang Kai, his expression calm and collected, with no hint of emotion on his face. But it was precisely this calmness that made Cao Ying feel a inexplicable pain in her heart.

  "Aunt Meng! Peng Yuanzheng, have you gone out for a walk?" Cao Ying forced a smile as he greeted Meng Lin.

  Meng Lin smiled and walked over to pull Cao Ying's hand, saying, "Yes, little Ying, let's mother and daughter take a walk together - are you seeing off a friend?"

  Before Cao Ying could say anything, Zhang Kai had already smiled politely at Meng Lin and extended his hand to Peng Yuanzheng, "Zhang Kai, Cao Ying's university classmate. Nice to meet you."

  Peng Yuanzheng smiled calmly and stretched out his hand to shake Zhang Kai's, "Hello."