Chen Hong's face tightened at the gossip. He felt Lu Jue had made his side lose face, so he leaned closer again and lectured in the tone of someone who had been through it all. "Lu Jue, did you hear that? You really need to watch your image in situations like this. The girls are all watching."
Just then, the private room door was pushed open again, and a fragrant breeze drifted in before its owner did.
Everyone's eyes were instantly drawn over.
Zeng Qian had finally arrived.
She had clearly dressed up with care. Her eye-catching red dress made her skin look snow-white, while her exquisite makeup and meticulously styled hair made her radiant enough to immediately become the center of attention.
A delighted smile blossomed across Liu Ga's face, and he rose to greet her.
Yet the smile on his face froze the very next second.
Zhang Yang, who had been keeping the gathering running, beat him to it and familiarly wrapped an arm around Zeng Qian's waist.
Zeng Qian showed no resistance whatsoever. Instead, she turned her head with a flower-bright smile and said something to him, her posture incomparably intimate.
Liu Ga seemed nailed to the spot. His outstretched hand froze in midair, and the color drained visibly from his face, leaving only stunned disbelief.
Lu Jue swallowed the last bite of jerky, glanced at the rigidly standing Liu Ga, then at the intimately posed pair, and silently picked up a tissue to wipe his hands.
"Everyone!"
Zeng Qian raised the wineglass handed to her by a friend. Her voice was crisp and pleasant, carrying just the right amount of warmth. "Thank you all for helping me get so many votes. I invited everyone here today for two reasons: first, to thank you; second, to let everyone get to know each other. Maybe someone will even find a match."
Her gaze drifted lightly across the room. The instant it met Liu Ga's eyes, it did not pause in the slightest, as though he were nothing more than an irrelevant decoration in the corner. Her eyes naturally moved away and returned to Zhang Yang beside her, her smile growing sweeter.
Zhang Yang naturally noticed Liu Ga as well. The corner of his mouth curled into a faint arc, carrying the victor's contempt.
He did not regard Liu Ga as worth his attention. With an arm around Zeng Qian, he calmly walked toward the seat of honor. "Qianqian's right. Everyone, have fun. Put all the expenses on my tab!"
The words immediately drew a round of deliberately flattering cheers, and the atmosphere in the private room instantly reached its peak.
Yet amid all that noise, Liu Ga, still standing stiffly where he was, looked especially conspicuous.
His rigid body swayed slightly. The hand that had been hanging in the air for so long finally dropped weakly, clenching tightly into a fist.
Lu Jue accurately tossed the used tissue into the distant trash can. Rising to his feet without another glance at the man and woman now at the center of the room, he walked straight to Liu Ga's side, his voice as calm as ever. "Hey, let's go."
But clearly, he had underestimated Liu Ga's stubbornness.
"Z-Zeng Qian!"
Liu Ga abruptly lifted his head. His voice was hoarse and warped by emotion, yet it forcefully overwhelmed the surrounding clamor. "Didn't you—didn't you say on Feixin that you weren't seeing anyone right now and wanted to focus on preparing for the Martial Arts Examination?!"
That sudden question was like a cold stone crashing into a boiling vat of oil.
In an instant, all cheers and laughter ceased.
The entire private room fell deathly silent.
Everyone's eyes, full of surprise and undisguised eagerness for a show, turned in unison toward Liu Ga's flushed face.
Zhang Yang's arm tightened around Zeng Qian's waist, signaling for her not to speak.
Then he turned and looked down at Liu Ga from the corner of his eye, as though watching a clown grandstanding for attention.
"Hey, have you had too much to drink? Can't even recognize your own status? You're just a commoner. Is Qianqian someone a person like you can date?"
Liu Ga's face instantly went from red to white. His chest heaved violently, and his mouth opened and closed, but beneath that cold, arrogant gaze, he found himself unable to say a single word.
"But whoever you are, since Qianqian invited you, I'll give you some face."
With that, Zhang Yang actually pulled a stack of cash from his pocket and threw it at Liu Ga's feet in front of everyone.
"I'll give you a chance. There's two thousand yuan here. Go buy a box of balloons outside the school—make sure they're ultra-thin. Keep the rest as your tip. How about it? Hahaha!"
The moment he said that, Zeng Qian immediately puffed out her lips and lightly tapped Zhang Yang's chest with her delicate fist. "You're awful! What are you saying?"
The smiles on several people's faces quickly faded. They were commoners too, and the sight filled them with the sorrow of rabbits mourning a dead fox.
But very soon, when they saw Liu Ga's expression, made somewhat ridiculous by rage—
They naturally drew a line between themselves and Liu Ga, as though merely being able to sit safely here meant they were no longer in the same class as him. Then they laughed without restraint.
This was the truest and cruelest portrait of this world.
Everyone hated the Privileged Ones who stood high above them, yet everyone longed to become one of them.
Yet just as everyone thought Liu Ga would collapse under this ultimate humiliation and slink away with his tail between his legs—
The fury he had suppressed to the limit finally burst through the dam of reason.
This youth, usually somewhat timid, now had veins bulging across his neck, his entire face swelling purple with fury.
He suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Zhang Yang as he roared with every ounce of strength in his body:
"Buy your fucking mother's pussy!"
The roar seemed to make the entire private room fall silent for a moment.
The mockery on Zhang Yang's face instantly vanished, replaced by the rage of someone offended.
He had clearly never expected this seemingly meek commoner to dare defy him like this.
"You're courting death!"
Zhang Yang's face darkened. With an angry shout, he took a fierce step forward and raised his right hand high, swinging it straight at Liu Ga's face with a vicious rush of wind!
The slap was fast and ruthless. Liu Ga was still immersed in grief and froze where he stood, utterly unable to react in time.
Just as the slap was about to land solidly on Liu Ga's face, a hand suddenly shot out from the side and seized Zhang Yang's wrist with precision and force, forcibly stopping its descent.
At some point, Lu Jue had stepped in front of Liu Ga. His eyes, however, were cold as ice as he stared directly at Zhang Yang. "That's enough!"
Zhang Yang's expression turned ugly. He abruptly pulled back his hand as though it had touched something filthy, then took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the spot Lu Jue had grabbed with extreme disgust.
"And who are you? Want to stand up for him?"
From the crowd, Jin Nan spoke up. "He's Lu Jue from Fist Arts Class 6!"
Zhang Yang's wiping paused slightly. A flicker of realization crossed his face, but the contempt did not fade in the slightest. "Oh? Lu Jue? I know you. You're the one who beat Zhang Tie a few days ago?"
"Heh, you do have some skill. But is that why you dare stick your neck out? You're just a commoner. No matter how talented you are, you're still nothing but hired labor!"
Though he spoke lightly, he knew Lu Jue was not someone to provoke. He took two steps back in succession while pulling Zeng Qian even tighter into his arms, as though that could add a few more layers to his show of superiority.
"What? You came here today too—don't tell me you're a toad lusting after swan flesh, hoping to find yourself a girlfriend?"
Several deliberately ingratiating snickers happened to rise from the crowd.
"Young Master Zhang, just look at how shabby he is. Who would ever fancy him?"
"Pfft, exactly. His Training Clothes have been washed white. He's just a poor bastard. So what if he's strong? Can strength put food on the table?"
Just then, the private room door was violently pushed open, and an unexpected figure rushed in.
Su Li!
Unlike the carefully dressed girls in the private room, she wore only a clean, crisp set of white Training Clothes. Her face was free of makeup, and several strands of hair, damp from her haste, clung tightly to the smooth corner of her forehead.
Yet despite such an utterly simple appearance, the moment she stepped into the private room, she seemed to carry a cool, clear halo of her own, instantly crushing the roomful of fluttering beauties, gaudy splendor, and cloying fragrance beneath it.
Zhang Yang's expression abruptly changed. He subconsciously pushed Zeng Qian from his arms, quickly smoothed his hair, and piled on what he considered a proper smile before hurrying forward. "Su Li? Please, come in! What a rare guest!"
Yet Su Li did not even spare him a glance.
Her eyes swept quickly through the private room before settling precisely on Lu Jue.
Under countless astonished gazes, she walked straight toward Lu Jue, her voice clear and calm. "Lu Jue? Can we go outside and talk?"
Before you continue