The three of them simply settled into a booth to chat and drink.
Then Lu Xingchen saw Lu Yichen storming over with two people in tow.
Lu Yichen could tell at a glance what sort of man the pink-haired guy beside Lu Xingchen was. Covering his mouth, he exclaimed in surprise.
"Lu Xingchen, no offense, but I haven't seen you in a while. How come you're still all alone? Once Mom and Dad are gone, you won't have a family anymore. You'll be the only one left in this world."
Lu Xingchen leaned comfortably back against the sofa, a faint smile on his face. "If you don't want to be alone, you can go with them."
After a pause, Lu Xingchen added, "Remember to have someone call and let me know when the time comes. Three enemies dying at once deserves some firecrackers to celebrate."
Lu Yichen stamped his foot in anger. "You... you! What do you mean by that? I was just showing you some concern. Why do you have to be so aggressive?"
Lu Xingchen said mildly, "A few words from you have turned my whole outlook on life upside down. If you need me to, I can be even more aggressive."
Seeing the man he adored get snapped at like that, Jiang Haoran could no longer stand by. He pointed at Lu Xingchen and tried to guilt-trip him.
"Your little brother was just showing you concern and trying to ease the tension between you two. Look at your attitude. What's that supposed to mean?"
Lu Xingchen deigned to spare Jiang Haoran a glance.
"Exactly what it sounds like. If you don't like it, suck it up. You said yourself that he's my little brother. We're discussing family matters, so who are you to stand here running your mouth?"
Anyone with eyes could see that Jiang Haoran was Lu Yichen's diehard lapdog. He didn't even qualify as a backup option.
Seeing Lu Yichen keep his head down without so much as looking at him, Jiang Haoran stiffened his neck but couldn't squeeze out a single word for ages. Then, as though he had suddenly noticed Cheng Zitao, he finally found his second wind.
"Cheng Zitao! You just love hanging out with uncivilized, ill-mannered thugs like this. Look at you two-one with blue hair and one with pink. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were a couple of scene kids from who knows where!"
Cheng Zitao swallowed a mouthful of liquor and shrugged indifferently.
"So what? You're an ex who got dumped, and now you think you can police who I'm friends with? Who do you think you are? Even if we were still dating, you wouldn't have the right to interfere."
Meeting Lu Yichen's shocked gaze, Jiang Haoran's expression instantly twisted, and he said angrily.
"I... I dumped you! Cheng Zitao, we were together for so long, and you wouldn't even let me touch you! Anyone who dates you must have eight lifetimes of rotten luck!"
Cheng Zitao waved a hand in front of his nose and said scornfully.
"Oh, we were only together for less than a week, weren't we? And I only agreed to give it a try after you chased me relentlessly. It's your own fault for not showering. Every time you came near me, you stank."
"Bullshit!"
Jiang Haoran instinctively pulled open his collar and sniffed. "You're the one with the weird hang-up! Whenever any of your partners tries to touch you, you say they stink!"
"Don't think I don't know. You've dated all those people, and you're still a virgin!"
Lu Xingchen burst out laughing. "Zero damage. You look like such a clown, getting all worked up."
Cheng Zitao played with his long hair and asked in puzzlement.
"Is never having slept with anyone something to be ashamed of? It just means I haven't met the right person. They really did all stink, just like you."
"But the most pointless thing I've done in my life so far was getting to know you."
Jiang Haoran looked as stunned as if he'd been struck by lightning. When he recovered, he offered a completely toothless retort.
"I'm the one who regrets knowing you."
Song Anran looked at Jiang Haoran and frowned.
"Weren't you in a boy band? You're gay, but you deceived your girlfriend fans and debuted on the money they spent voting for you, all while dating men?"
Looking guilty at having his dirty secret exposed, Jiang Haoran stammered helplessly, "I... I..."
Lu Xingchen explained to Song Anran, "Peach was fooled by him too. He broke up with him as soon as he found out."
Seeing that Jiang Haoran couldn't win the argument, Lu Yichen looked cautiously at Cheng Zitao and spoke.
"Oh, pink-haired guy, could it be that you just aren't charming enough? You've dated so many people, but none of them wanted to touch you. Maybe you should think about whether you're the problem."
Cheng Zitao seriously considered that for quite a while before asking in return.
"If I'm not charming enough, why were they always the ones chasing me, and I was always the one dumping them?"
Lu Yichen cursed inwardly, Couldn't you tell I was taking a dig at you?
On the surface, however, Lu Yichen looked utterly taken aback. He could only turn a pleading gaze toward the distinguished man watching the show from a distance.
"Gu darling~"
Hearing Lu Yichen's affectedly coy voice gave Lu Xingchen goosebumps all over. Speechless, he said.
"This isn't some deserted wasteland. Are you laying an egg over here?"
Gu Lingchuan didn't spare Lu Yichen so much as a glance. With his arms folded, he studied Lu Xingchen curiously and voiced his question.
"Hey, you, Lu Xingchen. Is that limited-edition Lykan outside yours?"
Lu Xingchen rolled his eyes hard and ignored him. He merely covered his nose and turned to ask Cheng Zitao.
"Peach, who took a dump here?"
The corners of Gu Lingchuan's mouth twitched uncontrollably twice. Unable to hold back, he demanded in a low, angry voice.
"Lu Xingchen, do you know who I am?"
Lu Yichen looked at Gu Lingchuan admiringly and chimed in.
"Gu darling is the young master of the Gu family in the Capital."
Lu Xingchen glanced at Gu Lingchuan and replied perfunctorily as he sipped his drink.
"Oh, then I'm Shinnosuke, young master of the Nohara family and a member of the Kasukabe Defense Force."
Gritting his teeth, Gu Lingchuan backed down a step. "Lu Xingchen, I'm sorry. I was rude just now. I apologize."
"I remember there was only one last limited-edition Lykan supercar left in the Capital, and the Huo family's heir personally picked it up. He also won the license plate, Capital A8888888, in the draw. So how did both the car and the plate end up in your hands?"
Lu Xingchen recalled the book's plot. It had never mentioned the Gu family in the Capital.
His lips curled into a smile, and a hint of cunning flashed through his foxlike eyes.
"Young Master Gu, I accept your apology, but I'm under no obligation to answer your question, am I?"
At that, Lu Yichen exclaimed in shock.
"How is that possible? The Huo family's heir is my fiancé. How come I don't know anything about this?"
Lu Xingchen lowered his head and pressed his hand hard against the rising corners of his mouth to keep himself from laughing aloud.
In this life, because Huo Chuyun had been reborn early, he had deliberately concealed his identity as the man in charge of the Huo Group.
His public identity was that of the top star, Best Actor Huo.
The marriage between the Huo family's eldest young master and the Lu family's youngest young master had been arranged by Old Master Huo and Grandpa Lu. The two had been comrades who had faced life and death together, and they had always been close.
But after the two passed away one after the other, contact between the Huo family and the Lu family gradually dwindled until they became strangers.
As a result, when Huo Chuyun handed the engagement over to Huo Junchi, neither the Huo family nor the Lu family knew about the changes in the other's household.
Lu Yichen had stolen Lu Xingchen's engagement and even egged the Lu family on to give Lu Xingchen to a fat business owner with grease all over his mouth. He thought he was going to marry the head of the Huo family.
Huo Junchi thought he was going to marry the Lu family's true youngest young master, who had inherited Grandpa Lu's enormous shareholding.
Gu Lingchuan looked at Lu Yichen disdainfully.
"You claim your fiancé is the Huo family's heir, yet you don't know he picked up the last limited-edition Lykan sports car in the country? What a load of hot air!"
Before you continue