The sudden sound of a slap in the quiet setting made everyone turn to look.
Everyone saw that on the side closest to the cake cart, in the "order of seating" that should have been the birthday girl's friends' seat, Nana was covering her left cheek and staring wide-eyed, her eyes full of questions and confusion.
Ai Xin stood in front of her, pointing her finger at her nose and cursing, "You slut, if you're so capable, find yourself a powerful boyfriend! You think you can bully Xu Wa just because she's honest and doesn't bother with you? She can tolerate it, but I can't! Don't let me see you again, or I'll beat you every time I see you!"
Nana was caught off guard and was slapped and scolded.
Enraged to the point of losing his temper, he didn't waste any words and immediately started grabbing at Ai Xin's hair and cheeks with a ferocious expression, looking like he was fighting for his life.
She is not Tower Climber.
Ai Xin wasn't either. Old Monster Liu didn't have the time to take her climbing the tower, but being around the 600-floor Tower Climber on a daily basis meant she would inevitably come into contact with things that enhanced physical abilities.
What do ordinary people measure up when they fight?
It's simply a matter of physical strength, plus a bit of composure and quick reflexes.
Nana was flailing her arms and legs, appearing almost frantic.
Ai Xin, however, remained calm.
After dodging the other person's palm, he slapped them hard across the face again.
The slap was powerful, fast, and accurate, completely stunning Nana.
They stood frozen in place, unable to move.
Du Keke was standing nearby, only reacted now. Seeing her best friend being hit, she immediately stepped forward and stood in front of Ai Xin, angrily rebuking her. "How dare you hit someone?"
Still haunted by the superiority she felt from Old Monster Liu's subservient attitude, she faced Ai Xin without fear, glaring at her fiercely without yielding an inch.
Ai Xin glanced at her, smiled contemptuously, ignored her, and turned to run to Old Monster Liu's side, her face full of a boastful expression.
Old Monster Liu was somewhat puzzled.
Luo Shan seemed to have figured something out. He walked back to the cake cart, looked at Nana who was stunned by the slap, and asked Du Keke, "What happened?"
Du Keke stared at the indifferent Luo Shan in disbelief.
He has never spoken to me in this tone since he started pursuing me!
Her gaze swept over the silent, onlookers, then she secretly glanced at He Jiong and his He Jiong not far away.
An inexplicable anger rose within me.
Raising her voice, she shouted at Luo Shan, "What do you mean by coming at me? My friend was beaten! Instead of going after the person who did it, you're coming at me?"
Luo Shan nodded.
Turning to Nana, he asked, "So tell me, what happened?"
Nana was slapped twice on the same side of her face, and she was in no mood to pay attention to him. She just covered her face and stared blankly.
Ai Xin, still clinging to Old Monster Liu for praise, took the initiative to explain, "It's like this, Xu Wa used her savings to buy a birthday present for Du Keke, but that Nana insisted that Xu Wa couldn't afford it and must have spent a man's money, and even said sarcastically that Xu Wa was two-faced."
Upon hearing this...
He Jiong frowned, seemingly lost in thought.
Xu Wa quietly tugged at his hand, her eyes pleading as she shook her head slightly.
After all, they had known each other for a while, and besides, it was Du Keke's birthday today, so she didn't want things to escalate too much.
It's best to let it pass by as gently as the wind.
Old Monster Liu was standing nearby, finally understood the whole story.
Discovering that her "girlfriend" seemed to have He Jiong, she was overjoyed. She lowered her head, nodded approvingly to Ai Xin, and softly said, "Well done!"
Ai Xin, who rarely receives such praise, knew she had chosen the right side and smiled as if she had drunk honey.
Luo Shan listened to what Ai Xin had to say.
Without saying a word, he raised his hand and delivered another blow to Nana's other cheek.
As Tower Climber, his strength far surpassed that of Ai Xin. This slap sent Nana sprawling to the ground, her face swollen even more than the side that had been hit twice.
Now.
Du Keke was stunned.
Some of the guests were frightened and stepped back, while others stepped forward to break up the fight and persuade Luo Shan to calm down and not to fight.
Seeing the commotion inside, the waiters on the perimeter reported the situation to their superiors via communicator while approaching to check on things.
In the center of the crowd, Nana, lying on the ground, was shocked, angry, embarrassed, and in pain; she was completely driven mad.
He waved his hands wildly, grabbing whatever he could find and throwing it at Luo Shan.
I accidentally grabbed the foot of the cake cart.
In her madness, she didn't care what was in her hand and just screamed as she pushed it away.
The cake truck, cake and all, lurched and crashed together.
The crowd dispersed in a flash.
Luo Shan could dodge even the traps inside the World Tower, so this obvious large lump would be no problem for him.
He simply turned his body to the side and perfectly dodged the attack.
The cake cart rumbled along a short distance, not hitting anyone, before losing control and tipping forward, smashing the enormous six-tiered cake to pieces on the ground.
The birthday party was turned into a complete mess.
It's a waste of money.
Enraged, Luo Shan kicked Nana hard in the stomach.
Nana finally stopped throwing a tantrum, and like a boiled shrimp, she curled up on the ground, panting and wailing.
The situation escalated, and this time, even those around the scene dared not intervene to stop the fight.
Du Keke screamed in anger and embarrassment, squatted down and hugged Nana tightly, pointing at Luo Shan and shouting, " Luo Shan, are you crazy! Today is my birthday, and my best friend was beaten up at my birthday party. Her being bullied is the same as me being bullied. You not only didn't stand up for me, but you also helped outsiders fight back? What kind of man are you to hit a woman?"
Luo Shan turned to look at He Jiong, who was standing silently beside the rotten cake, then turned back to Du Keke and gestured with his chin, saying, "This has nothing to do with you, move aside."
Du Keke screamed at the top of her lungs, "You're the one who should get out! You surnamed Luo, you've disappointed me so much! We're finished!"
A hint of impatience flashed in Luo Shan's eyes.
He narrowed his eyes and coldly warned Du Keke, "I'm saying this for the last time. If you step aside now, everything will remain the same, otherwise..."
He stepped forward, looking down at her condescendingly. "With my money, I can find any kind of sex toy I want, why would I need a shameless piece of trash like you?"
Hearing such cold and heartless words...
Du Keke finally panicked.
Holding the wailing Nana, I was somewhat at a loss.
She didn't quite understand why things had suddenly turned out this way.
Isn't today her birthday? Shouldn't everyone be doting on her?
Why has everything changed?
She couldn't even protect her best friend, let alone herself?
Where is the great hero who stood tall and protected himself from being bullied?
Where did they go?
Who is this heartless bastard in front of me?
Why is it that I'm always the one who gets bullied in crucial moments?
Why is it so hard to find a good man who can stand up for you?
Looking at Luo Shan, a stranger to her, Du Keke felt a surge of resentment and disappointment.
She didn't want to think that the culprit behind this situation was Nana, whom she held in her arms.
She didn't want to think about why Luo Shan, who had once been so obedient to her, had turned his back on her.
Even if you already have the answer in your heart.
But because of pride and self-esteem, they are unwilling to face it.
His heart was filled with hatred for Luo Shan's "betrayal".
Old Monster Liu arrived at Luo Shan's side at this moment, glanced at Nana on the ground, and looked up at Luo Shan with a smile, "Group Leader Luo, this woman dares to offend even Brother He, she's simply courting death. You have important matters to attend to, why don't you leave this to me?"
Luo Shan remained silent, only staring intently at the spoiled, willful, and inconsiderate Du Keke.
A waiter rushed to the scene and asked, "Mr. Luo, what happened?"
Luo Shan pointed at Nana on the ground and said, "This person caused trouble at my banquet, throw her out."
The waiters nodded in agreement.
However, instead of "throwing" them, they tried to slowly help them up and take them away from the scene.
"What are you dawdling for?" Luo Shan said unhappily, "I paid for this event, and you're being so polite to troublemakers?"
The waiter apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, Mr. Luo, but we are the most upscale hotel in the area, and our regulations prohibit any chaotic scenes that could damage the hotel's reputation. It would be best if you didn't continue. If someone is causing trouble, it would be more appropriate for our security personnel to handle it."
Seeing that all the money he had spent on the event had ended up costing him both money and face, Luo Shan was already seething with anger.
Now he finds that a group of people who were supposed to serve him are not only ignoring his orders, but are instead turning around and lecturing him.
The fire in his heart burned even brighter in an instant.
He stared coldly at the waiters who were helping Nana, and raised his voice, "I'll say it again, throw her out!"
The waiters looked at each other awkwardly.
On one hand, there are customers who are willing to pay; on the other hand, there are the hotel's regulations.
Caught in the middle, they were in a dilemma and could only keep urging each other through the communicator.
fortunately.
A person quickly entered from outside the crowd.
The neat and crisp uniform indicated that the visitor was indeed the hotel manager.
The manager approached Luo Shan, glared at the waiter, and loudly criticized him, "How can you not even handle such a small matter? Just do what the customer says!"
After criticizing the waiter, ignoring his aggrieved expression, he turned to Luo Shan with a forced smile and said, "I'm so sorry, Mr. Luo, my staff were just being inconsiderate. Please forgive them."
The matter should have ended here.
Unexpectedly, Nana, who was being held captive, seemed to have given up all hope of living. She spat at Luo Shan and sneered, "What business is it of yours, Luo Shan Xu Wa? Are you her dog, so eager to lick her boots? You shameful thing, I spit on you!"
The scene fell silent for a moment.
No one could understand her behavior.
I don't understand why they would deliberately cause trouble at a point like this.
Luo Shan, enraged, laughed instead.
Looking up at the ceiling of the banquet hall, he took a deep breath. "The world has really changed. Back when I was just a team leader, no one dared to talk to me like that."
When he looked down, he had actually summoned a flying machine from the sky!
"You've had too many good days." Under everyone's watchful eyes, Luo Shan retrieved a cold-feeling pistol from the aircraft, cocked it in front of everyone, and pointed it at Nana, coldly saying, "Have you forgotten how to spell 'death'?"
The waiter who was helping her quickly let go and moved away.
This time, the hotel manager dared not let the situation escalate any further and hurriedly tried to dissuade Luo Shan: "Mr. Luo, please calm down. This is the Seasons Hotel, where the most distinguished guests from all regions gather. It wouldn't be good if things got out of hand and affected anyone, wouldn't you say?"
Luo Shan angrily retorted, "Everyone else is noble, but him? Am I not noble?"
Nana, who was initially startled by the appearance of the guns, regained her composure and dared not utter another sound.
When she saw someone blocking Luo Shan's way, the shrew's rage reignited, and she added fuel to the fire by shouting, "Come on, if you've got the guts, shoot me dead! You dare to use a gun? You're really something!"
Enraged, the manager turned and yelled at the waiters, "What are you all standing there for? Throw this person out!"
"Get the hell out of my way!" Luo Shan shoved aside the hotel manager who was blocking his path.
The manager stumbled back two steps, sensing the other party's genuine killing intent, and knew that the situation was hopeless.
Sweating profusely, he racked his brains for a solution.
His thoughts raced, and he blurted out, "The rule against fighting inside the hotel was personally set by the big boss. If someone fires a shot here, he'll definitely be furious!"
The words had barely left his mouth.
Luo Shan, who still retained a sliver of reason, instantly sobered up, but he really couldn't pull the trigger.
Everyone knew who the manager was referring to as the "big boss."
The Seasons Hotel was originally owned by the First Consortium.
After the collapse of the ten major conglomerates, these assets were all transferred to the Universal Love and the Academy communities.
The Academy's leaders were quite fond of money, so most of it was converted into cash, and the real economy assets basically ended up in the hands of Universal Love.
The same applies to Seasons Hotel.
Therefore, the so-called big boss.
This is none other than Chen Hansheng, the head of the world's largest conglomerate, the Philanthropy Group.
No one present dared to offend Chen Hansheng.
Old Monster Liu dared not.
Luo Shan didn't dare either.
It's fine if no one mentioned it before.
Now, if the hotel manager mentions Chen Hansheng again, he might try to break the rules and take physical action.
It's like publicly humiliating Chen Hansheng.
Luo Shan's relationship with Wang Wen and his status in the Academy were not enough to justify his recklessness.
He was speechless.
This was the first time Du Keke had ever seen the arrogant Luo Shan put in such a difficult position.
Feeling utterly humiliated, she felt a surge of immense pleasure amidst her resentment.
At her birthday party, she experienced a series of unexpected events.
His mind was on the verge of collapse, and he was almost completely irrational.
It's her birthday today, she should be the most important person here, but she couldn't even protect her own best friend.
At that moment, all she felt was that everyone was bullying her and that everyone deserved to die.
Looking at Luo Shan, who had fallen silent.
Du Keke felt incredibly happy.
There are always people more capable than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding.
No matter how arrogant you are, Luo Shan, there are people who can keep you in check!
The tension subsided, and the name Chen Hansheng brought clarity to people's minds, gradually easing the tension.
The hotel manager wiped the sweat from his brow.
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Over there, oblivious to her impending doom, Nana grew even more smug and maniacal, yelling, "You dare not now! You coward! You wimp!"
The hotel manager impatiently waved his hand, signaling the staff to hurry up and drag the person away.
He was also impressed by this neurotic woman.
He said softly to Luo Shan, with empathy, "Mr. Luo, once you leave the hotel, whether you live or die is none of our business. You are free to do as you please."
Luo Shan remained silent, his face cold.
At this moment.
Nana was dragged past He Jiong and the other man.
She suddenly spat bloody saliva at Xu Wa: "If you don't like me, why don't you take action yourself? In the end, you still rely on a man, don't you?"
Xu Wa looked at her and shook her head. "I never thought you were this kind of person. From now on, I will stay far away from you and never want to see you again."
"Pah! You hypocritical, filthy bitch!" Nana threw her head back and laughed wildly.
He Jiong had been silent all along, finally made a sound.
He looked at the cake on the ground and sighed regretfully.
Then, with a casual gesture, he took the gun from Luo Shan's hand and fired a shot at Nana's body.
"Bang!"
The entire audience was shocked.
The waiter who was being helped up fled again in a panic.
The guests also retreated somewhat haphazardly to the opposite side of the gun barrels.
Old Monster Liu and Luo Shan looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.
The hotel manager clutched his head in utter despair; he never imagined that someone would dare to fire a gun after he mentioned the big boss's name!
Du Keke was completely stunned. She watched helplessly as her best friend fell to the ground, her body riddled with bullet wounds and blood. The fleeting pleasure that had just welled up in her heart vanished, replaced by a bone-chilling fear and coldness.
Even Luo Shan didn't dare to fire.
He Jiong, and why did he dare to do this?
Du Keke couldn't believe what she was seeing.
His blank gaze followed He Jiong's movements.
He Jiong walked unhurriedly to Nana's side and turned her body over with his toes.
Lying on the ground, Nana resembled a stranded fish, her eyes unfocused, her mouth opening and closing as she coughed up blood.
" Xu Wa is the person I love most. We don't cause trouble, but we're not afraid of trouble either. Who dares to hurt Xu Wa?" He Jiong stared at Nana, pointed the gun at her head, and said earnestly, word by word, "I will fight to the death."
After saying that.
The trigger was pulled again.
The powerful bullet shot out of the barrel and pierced Nana's skull.
Under the influence of the cavity, the entire head exploded like a watermelon.
Everyone was stunned.
He Jiong walked back to Luo Shan's side and handed the gun back.
Turning his head, he saw the speechless hotel manager. After thinking for a moment, he said to him, "Tell Mr. Chen that it was I, He Jiong, who fired the shot. That woman repeatedly insulted my lover, and I would kill her no matter where she is."
The manager, who was initially on the verge of a breakdown, heard the keyword.
Suddenly, it was as if he had awakened.
Staring wide-eyed at He Jiong, she asked, "You, you're He Jiong? Teacher He from the Academy?"
After receiving He Jiong's affirmative nod.
The hotel manager smiled with relief, as if he had been saved, and said, "If it's you, then there's no problem."
He Jiong nodded and took Xu Wa back from Ai Xin's hand.
Xu Wa gently patted his chest and said, "Calm down."
He Jiong: "I'm not angry anymore."
He turned to look at Du Keke, who was standing there staring blankly at him, then glanced at the cake that was now a mess on the ground, and said to Du Keke, "Happy birthday, goodbye."
Then, he took Xu Wa's hand and strode away.
Luo Shan, both curious and indignant, asked the hotel manager from behind, "Why can't I take action while he can?"
The manager relaxed and became more patient in explaining, "The big boss once gave us a list, specifically instructing that anyone on the list could do whatever they wanted in the hotel, and Mr. He was on that list."
"Is that so?" Luo Shan pointed to himself in surprise. "What about me? My name is Luo Shan. Am I on the list?"
The manager chuckled awkwardly, "Mr. Luo, if we had known, we would have known when you registered... But since you are Mr. He's friend, we will refund all the expenses incurred at the hotel today as a token of our apologies."
Luo Shan pouted dejectedly. "Do I have to be He Jiong's friend to get a refund?"
From ahead came He Jiong's call, " Team Leader Luo, hurry up, we've already wasted too much time."
"Coming, coming!" Luo Shan quickly chased after them.
Seeing this, Old Monster Liu hurriedly followed.
Ai Xin looked around, then jogged over and hooked her arm around Old Monster Liu's.
He overheard He Jiong saying to Luo Shan, " Team Leader Luo, the boss stipulates that you can only enter the Insect Chamber once a month. You've already used up your free spots this month, and the paid spots are normally booked until next month. But right now, if you want to go in anytime, I can help you."
The guests then came to their senses, as if remembering something, and filed in He Jiong, eagerly following behind He Jiong and his companions, seizing every opportunity to be noticed to nod, bow, and introduce themselves with smiles.
In the blink of an eye.
Everyone has left.
Only a few waiters remained to clean up the mess on the ground.
Du Keke stood alone in front of the smashed cake, silently watching He Jiong and the others leave.
A scene from the past flashed through my mind.
That night.
At a barbecue stall.
The woman asked the man, "Those women were all very pretty, why did you reject them?"
The man shook his head. "They don't want affection."
The woman retorted, "Then how can you be sure I don't want feelings?"
The man put down the empty skewer and looked at her with amusement. "Then tell me what you want, maybe I can help you."
The woman rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment, then said, "I want a great hero who can stand tall and protect me from harm no matter how dangerous the situation."
The man paused for several seconds.
He then picked up a new skewer of grilled meat and jokingly laughed, "This sounds really difficult!"
"Right? Haha."
"Yeah, hahaha."
Du Keke gazed at the distant figure surrounded by admirers, her vision blurred with tears.
The person who was once so easily attainable has now truly become a great hero who stands tall and protects his loved one from harm.
But it was no longer related to her.