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"That's true. Poor Brother Yuan—with the reputation he has now, forget dating or marriage, he can forget about any decent woman. Those bastards are murdering him and twisting the knife!"

"It was hard enough to begin with, wasn't it? Think back carefully—from childhood until now, Lu Yuan's luck with women has always been the worst out of all of us. Everyone thought he looked too scary, hahaha... Yuan, tell us honestly. Have you let them spread those rumors because you couldn't bear to give up this false prosperity?" The speaker this time was Zhong Cheng. He looked honest and simple, but his belly was full of bad intentions.

"Get lost." Lu Yuan kicked him. "The more I ignore you assholes, the more worked up you get, huh?"

Zuo Feiyang was the farthest away from him. After calculating that he was safely outside Lu Yuan's striking range, he boldly asked, "Hey, Lu Yuan, you're not still a virgin, are you? Don't scare me. Such great hardware, and you're leaving it unused? If you can't do it, get treated early. I happen to know an amazing men's health specialist..."

Lu Yuan looked at him expressionlessly.

Just then, a waiter quietly came in and whispered something into Xiao Kai's ear.

Xiao Kai clapped twice, drawing all the guys' attention to himself. "All right, cut the bullshit. The high-quality girls I called over are already here—every type you could want, plump or slender. There's even an insanely good entertainment show, guaranteed to give you a good time—get up already, birthday boy. You're the star today. Didn't you hear this little Zuo bastard making up stories about you being impotent? Can you stand for that? No, you cannot! Brother Yuan has to get fired up and show him, slap that dog face of his swollen!"

Zuo Feiyang grinned. "Bring it on. For Brother Yuan's manhood, I'm willing to sacrifice myself!"

Seeing Lu Yuan still curled up on the sofa with that dead, uninterested look, Xiao Kai went over and yanked him up hard. "I knew you might not like girls, so I also called a few fresh, pretty young guys. They're all proper college students—good looks, talent, the whole package. Your brother here put in a hell of an effort gathering them up. This birthday present is thoughtful enough, right?"

Thoughtful my ass.

Lu Yuan had grievances he could not voice. He might have always been domineering, but he could not treat these idiot childhood friends the way he treated outsiders, turning his face and disowning everyone, could he?

He could only put on his mask, hiding his impatient three-white eyes behind it, and walk out surrounded by the others into the banquet hall, which had already become a wild carnival of demons and monsters.

By then, Li Zhikong had already blended into a group of handsome men and beautiful women, successfully infiltrating the enemy camp.

Since it was a costume ball, every bizarre outfit imaginable was on display. The one thing they had in common was that they were all beautiful: angels, demons, elves, vampires, fairies, swordsmen, wicked sect disciples, Little Dragon Maidens—a fusion of East and West, with endless creativity and too much to take in.

Yet even among them, Li Zhikong's bunny boy outfit still stood out like the brightest star in the night sky—so stylish, so exceptional, drawing countless lingering gazes.

Before long, a busty beauty dressed as a Succubus was the first to break the silence. She came over and stared at Li Zhikong's rabbit ears for quite a while, practically itching to move. "So cute! These ears look way too realistic. Where did you have them made, handsome? They even twitch. Can I touch them?"

"No." Li Zhikong stepped back and gave her a once-over. In the spirit of mutual flattery, he said, "Your little horns are nice too."

"Right? I think they're nice too. They cost me quite a bit. If some fool with money hadn't sponsored me, I wouldn't have been willing to spend that much," Miss Succubus said, her eyes shifting as she covered her mouth and giggled. Then she lowered her voice and whispered, "You must be here for the same reason, right? Don't deny it. I heard they even prepared double insurance over there. Judging by our equipment, they clearly think your odds of success are much higher than mine."

Li Zhikong paused for a few seconds, then gave her a thumbs-up and went along with it. "But you're not angry?"

"Why would I be angry? If I were the one paying, with the two of us side by side, I'd give you the bigger share too—people should know their own limits. If I can't compare, then I can't compare. Instead of wasting energy getting mad, I might as well save it and think of something else. Even if I can't hook Young Master Lu, there are still so many backup sugar daddies around. I refuse to believe I'll go home empty-handed!"

"A heroine among women!"

"Still, I'd advise you not to try too hard. I heard Young Master Lu is an absolute scumbag. He's one of the richest and most powerful around, sure, but he's also a real piece of work. He's ruthless when he messes with people. With conditions like yours, you could go with anyone. There's no need to jump into this fire pit..." The more Miss Succubus looked at this beautiful bunny boy, the more she liked him. Her heart itched, tenderness overflowing from her chest, and before she knew it, she was speaking far too deeply to someone she had only just met. "Of course, you can just listen to what I'm saying. Once we walk out that door, I won't admit to any of it!"

"Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you." Li Zhikong smiled. I really did choose the right person. Even a girl like her, who only talks money and never love, thinks he's a fire pit. That Young Master Lu truly brought this upon himself. He deserved this retribution! "I know you mean well. It's just that... sigh, I have reasons I can't avoid..."

That soft sigh concealed so much left unsaid. Under the lights, the bunny boy looked so thin and melancholy that anyone with a heart could hardly bear it.

Miss Succubus, being the closest to him, took the greatest blow. If not for the last shred of reason she retained, she would have wanted to shout, "Fuck this, I quit! Bunny boy, come with me. Ignore those stinking men. I'll steal electric scooters to support you from now on!"

Fortunately, a voice snapped her awake. Someone suddenly shrieked excitedly, "Look, they're coming out!"

All the demons and monsters in the hall perked up, craning their necks like foxes and weasels in one direction.

"Look, look! The tallest one walking in the middle is today's birthday boy, Lu Yuan. The one beside him with dyed blond hair, who looks like a playboy, is Xiao Kai, the current heir of the Xiao Family. The round-faced one smiling a little foolishly over there is Zuo Feiyang. He should be the easiest one to handle among them. On the other hand, the one who looks rather honest is supposedly second only to Lu Yuan in ruthlessness. What a waste of a name like Zhong Cheng..." Miss Succubus did not care how much the bunny boy knew. She merely wanted to seize every opportunity to talk to him a little longer, just like a lovestruck young girl who had already lost her mind.