Drunken Lotus: Fated With The Rogue Hidden Dragon.

Family Dinner (2nd)

fter leaving his cousin, Fan Zhu Xia to sleep; Fan Li Jie left the Blooming Phoenix Courtyard quietly and made his way to Xiong Jia Courtyard where he left his father, Fan Hui Zhong earlier to wait with his uncle, Fan Hui Zhong and brother, Fan Xian Liang while he went ahead to pick up Fan Zhu Xia.

Recalling the weird and awkward atmosphere back at the Xiong Jia Courtyard, Fan Li Jie couldn't decide if it was better for his cousin, Fan Zhu Xia to miss dinner and all the awkwardness or feel frustrated because of her absence which could possibly make the dinner be dominated by a lot of uncomfortable silences which he would very much like to avoid.

Thinking back to how his youngest brother, Fan Xian Liang was left alone with both his uncle; Fan Hui Zhong and his father; Fan Hui Liang made him feel a bit sorry for him.

When he left the Xiong Jia Courtyard, the whole atmosphere was uneasy and awkward with no one saying a word. Even when Fan Li Jie was there, he was the only one who explained and answered Fan Xian Liang's questions.

Shaking his head, Fan Li Jie picked up his pace a bit when he noticed a slight commotion up ahead of his path.

Narrowing his eyes a bit, Fan Li Jie saw his mother, Wei Rou Xiang along with a young maiden who had her back turned to him; dressed in bright, colorful silks that fluttered gently with the breeze as she looked around.

"Madam, you're family's gardens are really quite beautiful! It can really rival the ones I've seen at the palace!" the young lady exclaimed as she looked around.

Smiling slightly, Wei Rou Xiang hid her discomfort and laughed instead while replying, "Ahh... Princess Ning, you flatter us!"

"Please Madam, I have no need to flatter you, your home speaks for itself!"

Glancing around, the young lady, Ning Yan Mei drew in a sharp breath as her eyes landed on the figure of a young man with breath-takingly good looks, who was slowly making his way over to them.

Ning Yan Mei's chatter stopped and she fell silent as she eagerly took in the approaching man's appearance. His long dark hair, held up and away from his face by a single jade hairpin while some were left to frame his elegant face which further emphasized his handsome features. Long sharp eyebrows above deep brown eyes that seemed filled with a cold indifferrence as they glanced at her which made her breath hitch.

"Mother, you are back." Fan Li Jie said as he turned to look at Wei Rou Xiang and ignore the young lady who was unabashedly staring at him with blushing cheeks.

Hearing the man refer to Wei Rou Xiang as mother, Ning Yan Mei's eyes widened as realization sunk in as to who the man was.

Wei Rou Xiang was the current madam of the Fan family, the wife of the current head; Fan Hui Liang who is also a respected general in the Thunder Vale Country. This was one of the reasons why Ning Yan Mei had insisted on coming back with Wei Rou Xiang when she met her at the Thunder Vale Country's Imperial Palace which she was currently staying at as a representative of the Spirit Valor Country.

Another reason was because her father, the current emperor of Spirit Valor Country had wanted to make a connection with this particular family due to their fearsome reputation and the formidable power of their personal army.

What she didn't expect was for this handsome man to be one of the Fan Familiy's young masters!

This made Ning Yan Mei's eyes glitter as she slowly smiled as she stared at the mother and son in front of her before she gently coughed to draw their attention.