Otherworldly Companions: Every Handsome Man is Extraordinary

Lanny was somewhat surprised when he was told he needed to go to the lord's manor, because he knew Jiang Yu hadn't been in the territory these days.

The only person who could have summoned him was Jiang Yu's husband, the divine messenger Fan Qingyin.

Lanny didn't know what Fan Qingyin wanted to talk to him about, but he had a vague feeling that it couldn't be about the pearl.

It was still in the same conference room where he first formally met Jiang Yu. Only this time, the figure he longed for, sitting against the light, was no longer there.

He still remembered the first time he saw Jiang Yu on the beach. At that time, she was like the most beautiful cloud in the sky, accompanied by a young man as bright as the sun, while he was just a humble pearl diver hiding in the waves with his father.

He also remembered the first time he was led into this room by a servant. The beautiful lord sat at the table like a beautiful painting. He was so nervous, but he was greatly encouraged by the lord's incredulous joy and felt an unprecedented joy.

He also remembered that during this time, Jiang Yu treated him like a friend, and was very kind to him whenever they met. He also gradually became one of the actual power holders of the family through cooperation between the family and the lord.

The only regret was that he never saw the same ecstatic joy in Jiang Yu's eyes again.

He didn't know if Jiang Yu saw someone else in him when they first met, nor did he know if Jiang Yu had convinced herself of something later.

But it doesn't matter. As long as Jiang Yu stands still, he can get closer to her no matter how many difficulties and obstacles lie between them.

He only looked at the meeting room carefully on his second visit. The first time, he was very nervous, his mind was full of Jiang Yu, and he was thinking about how to respond.

The meeting room wasn't very big; an oval-shaped table occupied most of the space in the middle, and there were twelve chairs around it.

At the far end of the room was a wall of bookshelves filled with heavy books. On one side of the walls were two windows with milky-white curtains, and on the other side were some landscape paintings.

This time, waiting for him by the window was Fan Qingyin, a divine envoy from the Aurora Empire.

Lanny had never met Fan Qingyin alone. Jiang Yu had introduced them once, but Fan Qingyin's reaction was indifferent, which Lanny found strange.

The scions of wealthy and powerful families are always arrogant, and it's not surprising that Fan Qingyin, being aloof, had no interest in him. It would be strange if she met with him alone like this. However, since the other party's status was far superior to his, he could only act even more respectfully.

"Honorable divine messenger, greetings. May I ask what I may do for you?" After the servants withdrew, Lanni took only a small step towards the door, standing there with his hands at his sides, as if waiting for Fan Qingyin's instructions.

Fan Qingyin was originally standing facing the window, but turned around when she heard him come in. She just looked at him quietly after hearing what he said, without saying a word for a long time.

Because he was standing against the light, and Lanny didn't dare to look too closely, he didn't catch a glimpse of Fan Qingyin's expression. He didn't hear a reply, so he continued to stand there waiting with his eyes lowered.

Looking at Lanni's humble demeanor, Fan Qingyin couldn't help but sneer inwardly. If he hadn't sent people to investigate thoroughly and uncover some clues, who would have guessed that this young man had such high aspirations based solely on his perfect disguise?

It wouldn't do to just call someone over and leave them standing there. So he said, "Don't stand at the door, sit down first. I do have some things I want to ask you."

Lanny then looked up at Fan Qingyin and found that her expression was still indifferent, no different from when he had seen her before, which put him at ease.

When Lanny obediently walked to the chair and sat down, Fan Qingyin also walked to the head of the table and sat down. He sat leisurely, unlike Lanny's proper sitting posture, which made him stand out with his own style.

He gently propped his forehead with his hand, turned his head slightly to look at Lanny, and found that although the other was a little reserved, he did not show any fear, which made him somewhat appreciative.

When he went out to work these days, the locals he encountered always showed him some respect, and young people of Lanny's age were mostly timid and lacked confidence when they saw him.

"Xiaoyu has been away from home for a while now, and I've taken over some of her work. Inevitably, she's encountered some problems, so I called you here to ask for your advice."

"Please don't say that, I wouldn't dare accept such a thing. If there's anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask," Lanny said, waving his hands repeatedly.

“It’s also because we husbands haven’t fulfilled our duties. Lin Yi, as a soldier, needs to guard the border for the empire. Xiao Yu only has me by her side. These tasks should have been my responsibility, but Xiao Yu has been spending all her time on these trivial matters.” Fan Qingyin gave a faint smile.

Lanny's slightly relaxed heart jumped again. He had originally intended to ask her something, but now this was the topic of conversation...

"Now that Xiaoyu is away on her trip, I plan to take over these affairs. However, Xiaoyu has relied on your Wilman family for many of these tasks before, and you are the most outstanding son of the Wilman family, so I think it is most appropriate to ask you to take over."

After Fan Qingyin finished speaking, she seemed to suddenly remember something, "Look at me, I was so busy chatting with you that I forgot to serve you tea." With that, she shook a bell and ordered a servant to serve tea.

"This tea was brought from the royal city by Xiaoyu. It's not available in Hollandpur County. Perhaps Xiaoyu invited you to try it when she was entertaining you and discussing business with you before. I don't know if it suits your taste."

“I have had the privilege of tasting it before, and it is indeed a very good tea with an excellent flavor,” Lanni replied earnestly upon hearing Fan Qingyin’s question.

“I knew you were one of the few discerning people in the county,” Fan Qingyin said in a low voice, but Lanni heard it with an added layer of meaning.

However, he wasn't sure and didn't know how to respond, only to hear Fan Qingyin continue speaking:

"Tea from the capital is precious, and the county doesn't produce tea. The tea available here is just ordinary. Compared to that, the tea from the capital is naturally exceptional. Although it's incredibly expensive, once you have the chance to taste it, the flavor is unforgettable. Don't you agree, Mr. Lanny?"

Lanny froze for a moment. Hearing this, he was certain that the person in front of him already knew his secret thoughts and had probably found out something. Even if he denied it to the death, it would be meaningless now, because given Fan Qingyin's status, he could deal with him without even convicting him.

"Why are you so nervous?" Fan Qingyin seemed to notice him suddenly, and smiled slightly. "I was just talking about tea leaves."

Fan Qingyin placed her slender fingers on the table and gently tapped the surface. It didn't make much of a sound, but her fair and jade-like fingers were as pleasing to the eye as a carefully sculpted work of art.

Lanny clenched his fingers, but did not give up.

"We don't have top-quality tea in Hollandpur County, but if we were to make teacups from transparent coral produced in Hollandpur County, such materials would be extremely rare even in the royal capital." Lanny's voice was clear and resonant, as if he were also focused on discussing tea.

Fan Qingyin was surprised by Lanni's answer. His fingers, which were tapping on the table, stopped. He glanced at Lanni and said without showing any emotion, "You are quite confident."

In Fan Qingyin's view, there was no need to continue such a conversation. This young man was determined to go down a dark path, and his special probing and advice had lost its meaning.

But given Wilman's status and position, even without his intervention, if such signs become clear enough one day, Wilman himself will learn the hard way what it means to have ambitions that are too high for one's capabilities. There will be many who want to eliminate this person in the future; it doesn't have to be him.

It's not worth getting your hands dirty for someone like that.

So Fan Qingyin ended the conversation. He was always decisive; once he decided not to get involved in something, he would immediately put it aside and stop caring about it.

From his perspective, Lenny Wilman's desire to get close to Jiang Yu was simply a pipe dream, with an odds of less than one in ten thousand. Even if he were to succeed by sheer luck, he would eventually be eliminated, and it wasn't worth his time.

"With your intelligence, it seems we'll have to continue entrusting the pearl-harvesting business to you. However, you don't need to come to the manor anymore. I don't want Xiaoyu to worry about these mundane matters. If you need anything, you can come to the shrine where I work."

Fan Qingyin ignored Lanni's suddenly gloomy expression because of his words. He was only informing him, or even giving an order, not discussing it with him.

"It seems you don't have time to have tea here. I'll have someone wrap up the tea leaves so you can take them home and share them with your family."

When Lanny left the manor, he felt the usually damp sea breeze suddenly become somewhat cold. As expected of the son of the Fan family, a few words were enough to prevent him from ever seeing Jiang Yu again. With Fan Qingyin's abilities, it wouldn't be difficult for her to prevent Jiang Yu from seeing him again.

This noble-born divine messenger had barely met him, yet he had so quickly discerned his intentions. It was a pity that he was too concerned about his reputation and disdained to deal with him personally.

After clearly stating his stance, he surprisingly displayed a disdainful and indifferent attitude. This couldn't be considered a bad thing for him.

Lanny's demeanor shifted from humble to sharp and aggressive. He wanted to show these people living in the clouds what kind of determination someone who had climbed out of the trench could have to achieve their goals.

Fan Qingyin may be able to foresee everything, but there is one thing he cannot foresee: Lord Jiang Yu's inexplicable interest and concern for him, after all, even he himself is not quite clear about it.

Whatever the reason, let's take a gamble.