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After spending half the morning doing exercises in the little grove, Zhao Rui returned home.

Zhao Jincheng and his wife both had jobs without weekends, so they had already gone to work.

Only his younger brother, Zhao Ke, was curled up on the sofa watching TV.

He was only in his first year of high school, with relatively light academic pressure. Besides, he was not a Martial Arts Student, so he had plenty of leisure time.

"Have you eaten?"

Glancing at his brother, Zhao Rui asked casually.

"Yeah!"

Zhao Ke responded, his tone as cold as ever.

Zhao Rui hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat beside him.

Seeing this, Zhao Ke shifted his butt farther to the other side.

Zhao Rui shook his head and said speechlessly, "We're biological brothers. Is there anything we can't talk through? How did I offend you?"

"You didn't offend me!"

After saying that, Zhao Ke directly picked up the remote, turned off the TV, and headed for his bedroom.

Zhao Rui froze for a moment, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He could not be bothered to deal with this younger brother anymore.

After all, his consciousness was already that of an adult. He truly did not have the spare time to coax a little brat going through puberty.

The responsibility of educating children was better left to their father and mother.

After taking a quick rinse in the bathroom and changing clothes, Zhao Rui grabbed a small backpack, rode his multi-speed bicycle, and left home.

In his room, Zhao Ke pulled open the curtains and watched Zhao Rui's departing figure. His gaze could not help turning cold.

He took out an old, battered phone and dialed a number.

"Can that potion be any cheaper?"

"Five thousand. Five thousand is all I have at most."

"Fine. I'll find a way to scrape it together as soon as possible!"

After hanging up, Zhao Ke panted heavily, his fists clenched tight. His eyes narrowed as he muttered, "I can practice martial arts too. Why are you the only one who gets to do it!"

Wutongli Street, the largest commercial complex in Lin City, was packed with people and buzzing with excitement.

The dense crowd at the entrance held up all kinds of placards. Some bore photographs, while others displayed names.

Amid the dazzling array of colors, there was one name in common: Sun Boran.

This rising superstar of both music and film had delivered remarkable performances, whether in singing or acting.

More importantly, he was a newly risen martial artist with extraordinary strength. His martial arts attainments were impressive, far beyond those effeminate male internet celebrities who only had pretty faces.

"Sun Boran! Sun Boran!"

It was not even noon yet, but the entrance to the mall was already crammed full.

Looking at the sea of people, Zhao Rui could not help feeling a little envious.

Look at him. They both practiced martial arts.

Yet their ability to make money was worlds apart.

He did not think that having a cheat meant he was guaranteed to reach the pinnacle of martial arts. Even if he did reach that pinnacle, he still would not escape the words fame and profit.

He never shied away from admitting that he loved money and beautiful women.

Practicing martial arts to strengthen his body was not mere window dressing either.

One was his nature, the other his pursuit. There was no contradiction between them.

Just as he stared longingly at the youthful, graceful girls in short skirts among the crowd, his phone began to ring.

"Hello, where are you?"

It was Bai Xuening.

"I'm at the entrance to the complex."

Zhao Rui said.

"Turn back and come to Xinghe City next door..."

Listening to Bai Xuening, Zhao Rui turned his bike around and rode toward the place she had mentioned.

Five or six minutes later, Zhao Rui spotted Bai Xuening fiddling with her phone beneath an apartment building in Xinghe City.

"Come on, he's upstairs!"

When she saw him arrive, Bai Xuening smiled, revealing her pearly teeth.

"Upstairs?"

"Where else? Did you think he was in a hotel?"

"All right!"

Zhao Rui knew little about celebrities, so he did not ask further and followed her upstairs.

After winding through several turns, they stopped in front of an apartment door.

Bai Xuening knocked on it.

A moment later, the door opened, revealing the face of a stubbly, extremely fierce-looking man.

"I'm Bai Xuening. I made an appointment with Sun Boran!"

Bai Xuening said with a smile. The girl's smile was like flower buds blooming in spring, full of warmth and gentle brightness.

Upon hearing that, the man opened the door wider, glanced behind Bai Xuening, and said, "Come in!"

Bai Xuening made a goofy face at Zhao Rui, then walked inside.

Zhao Rui followed close behind and entered as well.

"Xue Ning, you're here! Long time no see. You've gotten even prettier!"

The moment he stepped inside, he heard a hearty young man's voice.

"Senior Brother Ran, it really has been a long time! In the blink of an eye, you've become a huge star!"

Bai Xuening grinned at the handsome young man before her, who had changed so much since childhood, doing her best to match him with the Senior Brother Ran in her memories.

"What star? If I could have stayed in the sect and continued forging myself, I wouldn't have become a star."

"Hehe, Senior Brother, you're too modest. Oh, right, Senior Brother, this is a good friend of mine. I told you about him before—his name is Zhao Rui!"

Bai Xuening did not forget to introduce Zhao Rui. She had already spoken with Sun Boran before coming; otherwise, Sun Boran's side would not have let him in.

"Hello, handsome guy!"

Sun Boran greeted Zhao Rui generously, his manner warm and friendly.

"Hello, Brother Sun!"

Zhao Rui returned the smile.

"Have a seat. We can chat for another half hour."

Sun Boran glanced at his watch and said with a smile.

"All right, all right!"

Bai Xuening took five notebooks from the bag she had brought along and handed them over.

"Let's not waste time. Down to business!"

Sun Boran: ...

Zhao Rui: ...

"You really fleece a sheep without any subtlety!"

Sun Boran laughed helplessly, took the notebooks, and signed his name on the first page of each one.

"Um, Brother Sun, I brought some too!"

Shamelessly, Zhao Rui took out two promotional photos of Sun Boran and handed them over awkwardly.

"Haha! Sure!"

Sun Boran was remarkably easygoing, without the slightest air of a celebrity.

"How has Martial Uncle been lately?"

After finishing the signatures, Sun Boran began chatting with Bai Xuening.

Because Zhao Rui was there, there was nothing special in their conversation. It was mostly simple small talk.

Zhao Rui was occasionally mentioned a couple of times and casually chimed in.

After chatting for around twenty minutes, Bai Xuening took the initiative to stand and say goodbye.

"Come find me in the capital when you have time!"

"All right, Senior Brother Ran!"

Bai Xuening agreed with a smile, then left the apartment building with Zhao Rui.

Once outside, Zhao Rui unlocked his multi-speed bicycle and patted the rear seat. "Want a ride?"

Bai Xuening shook her head. "No, I still need to go find my Master."

"All right. Thanks for inviting me and letting me meet a big star up close!"

Zhao Rui shook his backpack. Inside were two extremely rare personally signed photos.

"No need to be so polite!"

Bai Xuening smiled faintly, waved, and headed toward the east side of the apartment building.

Zhao Rui spread his hands, got on his bicycle, and rode away.

Not long after he left, a red sedan slowly drove out.

Sitting in the driver's seat was none other than Bai Xuening, who had just turned and left.

End of this chapter