I didn't like him, but you disgusted me more

"Young Master Zhai, look who's here." Holding Bai Shiya's hand, Lin Yuan cleared his throat and spoke quietly.

Everyone else turned in unison, looking in the same direction.

Zhai Zhili instinctively touched the gauze on his face, his gaze instantly turning vicious.

"Young Master Zhai, it's Miss Luo. Aren't you going to say hello?" one of the men asked with a smile.

Zhai Zhili had always been interested in the Luo family's eldest daughter. That was no secret in their circle.

"That's right, Young Master Zhai. This is a perfect opportunity!"

Aside from Lin Yuan, everyone in the little group joined in the teasing.

Finally, they noticed Zhai Zhili's increasingly ugly expression and exchanged glances, seeming to realize something.

"Ahem, speaking of which, who's the man beside Miss Luo?"

"Which family's young master is he? I've never seen him before... Could he be some big shot from out of town?"

Fish City's social circle was only so big, and everyone knew everyone else. Naturally, an unfamiliar face piqued their curiosity.

At that, Zhai Zhili sneered.

"What young master? He's just some pretty boy Luo Feixuan picked up who knows where."

The others exchanged looks.

By then, Luo Feixuan had brought Yu Bu'e over to them. They quickly shut their mouths, and a few greeted her cheerfully.

"Miss Luo, we meet again! I didn't expect to see you here today!"

"Right! We always thought you weren't interested in the Brilliant Star Pavilion's auctions!"

They were all regulars at the Brilliant Star Pavilion's auctions, but they could count the times they had seen Luo Feixuan here on one hand.

Luo Feixuan glanced at them and gave a slight nod in greeting.

She barely knew these people.

Besides, how decent could anyone who hung around Zhai Zhili possibly be?

Those whose greetings went unanswered looked rather embarrassed and scrambled for something else to say.

"Um... So you're here this time! Is the Chen Family's eldest young master not coming?"

The eldest young master he referred to was, of course, Chen Jiliao.

He did indeed enjoy occasions like these, especially the feeling of being the center of attention.

Luo Feixuan paused, narrowing her eyes as she gave the speaker a long look.

The others' expressions changed, and they frantically signaled to the man who had asked the question.

"Are you close to Chen Jiliao?"

Still oblivious to their expressions, he replied happily, "I've raced cars with Young Master Chen before, and we've had drinks together."

"Oh... Then I'll invite you to his funeral feast when he dies."

With that, Luo Feixuan led Yu Bu'e into the auction hall.

The man stood there dumbfounded, unable to make sense of it.

Someone beside him patted his shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Xu Xiu, you're something else!"

Xu Xiu looked utterly bewildered.

"Buddy, you really outdid yourself!"

"Bringing up Chen Jiliao in front of Miss Luo... You're the first person in Fish City to pull that off!"

They patted his shoulder and headed into the auction hall one after another.

Xu Xiu was almost in tears. He quickly grabbed the last man's arm.

"Brother Shan, what... what do you all mean?"

Brother Shan sighed. "Your family's been in Fish City for three years now, hasn't it?"

"Yeah..."

"Don't you know Miss Luo and her brother are notorious for not getting along?" Brother Shan shook his head. "You're on your own, little brother..."

The Brilliant Star Pavilion's auctions weren't open to the public, so few people qualified to attend.

The auction hall could accommodate one or two hundred people, but only thirty or forty were present, leaving it rather empty.

The auction hadn't officially begun yet. People stood in little groups, as if attending a small cocktail party.

Luo Feixuan's arrival drew quite a bit of attention.

For one thing, she rarely attended occasions like these, making her an uncommon guest.

For another, she had brought a young man her own age.

"Little miss Chen!" A middle-aged man waved at them.

Luo Feixuan looked at Yu Bu'e beside her. "Shall we go over together?"

"You go ahead. I don't know him. It'd be awkward." Yu Bu'e waved a hand.

"All right, I'll be back soon." Luo Feixuan spoke as if giving instructions to a child. "Don't wander off, and especially don't eat anything strangers give you. Be good!"

Yu Bu'e: "..."

Luo Feixuan lightly patted Yu Bu'e's shoulder before walking over.

"Uncle Zhao, you're here too!"

Soon, a crowd had gathered around Luo Feixuan. Watching from a distance, Yu Bu'e casually picked up a small piece of cake from nearby.

The young woman amid the crowd radiated confidence with every gesture, handling everyone with effortless composure.

At that moment, even the crystal chandelier high overhead seemed to lose its brilliance beside her.

Yu Bu'e quietly enjoyed the sight as a spectator, until he heard Cheng Ruxin's voice again.

"See? You and she really don't belong to the same world."

Yu Bu'e glanced at him and smiled. "And you do?"

"Of course!" Cheng Ruxin straightened his clothes. "That's obvious!"

"But even if you belong to her world, you're just an NPC who's only just unlocked dialogue permissions. I'm the protagonist who broke through the dimensional barrier to meet her." Yu Bu'e grinned.

Cheng Ruxin froze. At first, he looked annoyed, but then something occurred to him, and he hurriedly took out his phone.

Yu Bu'e looked startled. "Come on, man. You're not calling in backup over something this trivial, are you?"

"No... How did that line go again? It sounded pretty cool. Let me write it down so I can use it next time!"

Yu Bu'e: "..."

Just then, Luo Feixuan suddenly waved at him, signaling for him to come over.

Yu Bu'e put down the little cake, wiped his mouth, and walked toward her in bewilderment.

Cheng Ruxin was a little annoyed.

"How rude. You haven't finished telling me..."

He was just about to follow when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Cheng Ruxin."

Cheng Ruxin turned and frowned.

"Zhai Zhili, we're not exactly close, are we?"

Zhai Zhili smiled. "We weren't before, no. But... I can tell you don't like that Yu Bu'e either."

"Huh? Is it that obvious?" Cheng Ruxin blinked.

With a faint smile, Zhai Zhili rested his hand on Cheng Ruxin's shoulder, perfectly composed. "Actually, I hate that brat too. So, how about we work together?"

Cheng Ruxin stared into his eyes for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand and knocked Zhai Zhili's arm away.

"No."

Zhai Zhili froze and asked in surprise, "Why?"

"I don't like him, but you disgust me even more. Besides, you must have heard the saying: tigers walk alone; only cattle and sheep flock together!"

With that, he strode away.

Zhai Zhili was left stunned. Watching Cheng Ruxin's haughty retreat, he spat.

"What rotten luck... What the fuck is wrong with that guy?"

Off to one side, Cheng Ruxin knitted his brows. He glanced at Yu Bu'e, then at the sullen Zhai Zhili, suddenly feeling dispirited.

In Xuanxuan's and Yu Bu'e's eyes, could I be no different from this Zhai Zhili? That would be... absolutely disgusting!

Yu Bu'e reached Luo Feixuan, and she slipped her arm through his with perfect ease in front of everyone, smiling at the middle-aged man.

"Uncle Zhao, if you want to thank someone, thank him. After all, that Meridian-Opening Pill came from him."

Luo Feixuan's words left everyone around them stunned.

"It was... him?"

Yu Bu'e had no idea what these people had been discussing earlier. All he knew was that, suddenly, every gaze around him had landed on him.