Li Chen's seat probably should have been near the front, but he had sat down just ahead of Li Bijun. Pei Ye glanced farther down the seating order and saw the eighth princess, whose wrist he had seized last night, looking over with a slight change of expression.
"Because I was on the platform watching the swords during the wager at Vermilion Bird Gate that day," Li Chen said, stumbling a little but sounding very sincere. "I thought Young Hero Pei's swordsmanship was truly incredible. I'd never seen swordsmanship like that."
"..." The unexpected praise made the young man's face inexplicably warm. He rubbed his head and smiled. "R-really?"
"Yes!" Seeing him smile, Li Chen smiled too. "Afterward, I asked Cui Zhaoye to introduce me to Young Hero Pei Ye. She—she had me join the Fellowship first. Then I funded some booklets they printed and a few events they held. Later, Cui Zhaoye said I could meet Young Hero Pei Ye, so I came over to say hello today."
"..." Pei Ye wanted to sink into the ground. "Once I leave the Gong, I'll make Cui Zhaoye disband this club, whatever it is. She's just swindling Your Highness out of money..."
"No, no! I did it all willingly, and spending time with everyone in the club was fun too." Li Chen immediately waved his hands.
Beside him, Li Cannan frowned. "What club have you joined now?"
She raised her brows and gave Pei Ye a wary look.
"Oh, it's Young Hero Pei Ye's Fellowship. Cui Zhaoye organized it. It's perfectly respectable," Li Chen explained earnestly. "Ah, right, you haven't met Young Hero Pei Ye. He was the genius swordsman who rose most unexpectedly in the Divine Capital last autumn and winter. Before the new year, he defeated Fourth Highness, who