Why Was Each One More Forward Than the Last?

Inside the Iceberg Lounge's meeting room.

Penguin, dressed in a tailcoat, watched Li Ang with his tiny eyes.

Very little that happened in the Diamond District escaped his notice.

Li Ang and Harley Quinn had been seen together often, so naturally Penguin knew about it.

That left Penguin somewhat puzzled.

Li Ang was an ordinary guy, still young and already raising a child. Harley Quinn might have been crazy, but why had she taken a liking to him?

Was it just because he was handsome?

Penguin had never experienced what it was like to be handsome, so he had no idea how proactive women could be.

"She has her own things to take care of."

Li Ang said calmly.

Penguin tapped the armrest. "I've treated you well, haven't I?"

"Of course. Without Mr. Cobblepot, I wouldn't have survived in Gotham."

Li Ang replied with a smile.

Competition in Gotham was fierce. There were too many people and too little land, to say nothing of job openings.

Other than those employed by Wayne Enterprises and its various subsidiaries, ordinary people faced enormous pressure.

"If there's a need, we can cooperate."

Penguin smiled. "There's no end to making money, especially in Gotham, and particularly with Batman around."

Li Ang smiled at that. Batman was not his enemy.

But for now, whatever Penguin said went.

After leaving Penguin's meeting room, Li Ang returned to the bar. It was too noisy, so he moved somewhere farther away.

After quite a while, Frank came looking for him.

"Someone's here to see you."

"Who?"

Li Ang asked casually.

"A beautiful woman."

Frank grinned.

He truly admired Li Ang's charm.

Not only had he won over Harley Quinn, but now another one had shown up.

From the beginning, Frank had admired Li Ang's skill at picking up girls. Back when Li Ang had only been a bartender, he had already taken away countless socialites.

Frank was the kind of guy who had the urge but not the nerve. He liked beautiful women, but the moment he actually had to approach one, his face would turn red.

Obviously a good little boy.

Just a little violent.

But in Gotham, that was normal.

"Ivy?"

Li Ang entered the lounge and spotted the beautiful woman Frank had mentioned beside the "iceberg."

She wore a pure green dress, green mesh gloves, and green high heels, looking like a noble lady.

Dressed entirely in green, she was naturally Poison Ivy Pamela.

Li Ang had never seen anyone who could pull off an outfit like that before. Only Poison Ivy had managed it.

Her fiery red hair made her seem wild and untamable.

"Li Ang."

Poison Ivy held two glasses of wine and directly handed one to Li Ang.

"Thanks."

Li Ang accepted it, but did not drink.

He merely sat beside Poison Ivy. A fresh fragrance drifted over, making him feel as though he were surrounded by nature.

"What is it?"

"Of course. It's something very important."

Poison Ivy Pamela smiled and took a sip of wine.

Li Ang looked at her in confusion, but she was in no hurry to explain. She merely smiled. "Have a drink with me, and I'll tell you."

"Then forget it if you won't say."

Naturally, Li Ang would not let a woman set the pace.

"It's about Harley."

Seeing Li Ang about to get up, Poison Ivy Pamela spoke at once.

Only then did Li Ang show some interest, clinking glasses with Poison Ivy.

Frank was watching them from afar, making a bet with his friend.

"I bet Li Ang will take her away within half an hour."

Frank said it with absolute certainty.

His friend was doubtful. "This woman looks familiar. Can Li Ang really pick her up?"

Can't find the book by searching its title? Try searching for the author instead—maybe it was just renamed!

"Who cares who she is? As long as she's a woman, she won't be able to escape."

Thinking about how Li Ang had even taken Harley Quinn away, Frank suddenly saw the logic in it.

Just then, they saw the two sitting by the Iceberg kiss directly.

"Damn, that fast?"

Frank's eyes widened.

They had only just had one drink. How were they already kissing?

Li Ang didn't really want to, but Poison Ivy had launched a direct "sneak attack."

They had agreed to just drink, but she wrapped her arms around Li Ang's neck and kissed him passionately.

As someone who neither took the initiative, refused, nor took responsibility, Li Ang simply didn't lean in—but he didn't dodge either.

Then Li Ang felt a mental force trying to control him.

Poison Ivy herself had little combat ability, but her mind control was powerful.

"Let's go. Take me to see Kara."

After releasing Li Ang, Poison Ivy Pamela spoke, finally revealing her true intentions.

Who would have thought that Li Ang would grab her wrist and ask, "Why are you looking for Kara?!"

She stared at Li Ang in surprise and realized there were no signs that he had been controlled.

Only those with sufficiently strong willpower could be immune.

Li Ang had lived two lives and had "died" once. Naturally, his willpower was extraordinary.

Unwilling to accept this, Poison Ivy kissed him again.

Li Ang still didn't move, letting her take advantage of him.

And just to be safe, Poison Ivy kept kissing him for several minutes without letting go.

"God!"

Frank couldn't stand watching from afar anymore and directly looked away.

He had been a little hungry before.

Now he was full from all this dog food.

Weren't women supposed to be reserved?

Why was every one of them more proactive than the last around Li Ang?

Poison Ivy only let go when she felt like she couldn't breathe, but she was still met by Li Ang's icy gaze.

He wouldn't allow anyone to set their sights on Kara.

That left Poison Ivy somewhat frustrated. She couldn't understand how such a warm man could possess such cold eyes.

She couldn't control Li Ang!

His heart was resolute. His daughter was more important than any woman.

"Talk!"

"Don't grip so tightly. You're hurting me."

Poison Ivy said it, but it was useless.

She had no choice but to explain, "It's Harley. She's in trouble and needs Kara to save her."

Hearing that it was Harley Quinn, Li Ang's expression softened somewhat.

"What happened?"

Poison Ivy explained the situation.

Harley Quinn naturally couldn't take over the territory by herself. She needed help.

After all, relying on the name Harley Quinn alone wasn't particularly effective.

So Harley Quinn turned to her best friend.

The two of them went together to take over the territory.

Moreover, to bolster her presence, Poison Ivy had brought along her own underlings.

Now things had really blown up.

Because of the earlier Heat Vision incident, Upper East Side had already been in an emergency state, and Vigilantes from all sides liked to patrol there.

Since they had gathered in a group, they were discovered, and a conflict broke out.

Harley Quinn was captured outright, while Poison Ivy had come to seek reinforcements.

She did not dare go directly to Kara. Instead, she planned to come control Li Ang.

Poison Ivy had her own little scheme.

With her beauty, she refused to believe she could not win Li Ang over. She could become Li Ang's girlfriend openly and legitimately, then become Kara's godmother. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

As for Harley Quinn...

Poison Ivy could not spare that much thought for her best friend.

At worst, she could let her join in too!

Without anyone noticing, being Kara's godmother had become a highly coveted position.

Li Ang did not know what she was thinking, but he remained very wary of Poison Ivy.

"Who captured Harley?"

"Bat..."