I was driving into Fuyunlou when we saw a new model Cayenne just outside the entrance. The driver was a spirited-looking middle-aged man around 35 years old or so, and the front passenger was a beautiful girl wearing a leopard-spot short skirt. Maybe it was just me, but the sight of the girl made me feel uncomfortable for some reason. Lin Yixin and He Yi were naturally beautiful, but the girl’s appearance seemed almost artificial to me.

We followed the Cayenne into the hotel’s parking lot. The middle-aged man chose a parking space close to the entrance, and I did the same thing. When I got out of the car and swept a glance at the Cayenne again, I noticed that the girl was carrying a new-style LV handbag. She had gotten out of the car as well, but instead of walking away immediately she moved to the driver’s window and waved affectionately at the middle-aged man. They seemed to be very close.

“I’m going. I’ll be going home myself tonight, so you don’t need to fetch me,” the girl said.

The middle-aged man smiled gently and said, “Lulu, I heard you had a new boyfriend? How is he like, and when are you going to show him to me? Do you need me to act as your gatekeeper or something?”

The girl smiled back. “Mind your own business, your wife’s gonna get jealous, you know. Anyway, talk to you tomorrow!”

The girl then gave the middle-aged man a kiss to the cheek, to which he responded with a pleased smile on his face. “Yeah, see you tomorrow!”

“Mn!”

……

“You done staring yet, big bro?” Beiming Xue pushed my arm once with a smile. “What caught your eye anyway? Both Sister He Yi and Sister Mingyue much prettier and sexier than her, aren’t they?”

I smiled. “It’s nothing…”

The middle-aged man drove away after that, leaving me feeling a bit puzzled. If you were just going to drop someone at a restaurant, why not drop her at the entrance instead of driving into a parking lot? Wasn’t that completely unnecessary?

Beiming Xue and I got out of the car and walked toward the restaurant. To my surprise, I discovered that the girl was heading toward the third floor of Fuyunlou as well, the place where we were having our dinner. She went up the stairs, and we followed behind her. I couldn’t say I wasn’t tempted when the girl’s round butt and thin waist swayed back and forth in front of me.

It was around this moment Beiming Xue pinched my arm quietly before chiding me. “Control yourself, big bro!! You’ll grow a sty if you keep this up…”

I whispered back, “What are you talking about? You’ll trip if you don’t watch where you’re going…”

Beiming Xue glared at me. “Hmph! If you’re that enamored with short skirts, I’ll put one on right after we get back to the apartment! You can stare at it all day and night if you want to!”

“N-no need…” I said with cold sweat forming at my forehead.

……

Third floor, Lan Zhu Hall.

Our conversation ceased the moment we saw the leopard-spot girl walking in front of us entering Lan Zhu Hall. Several questions took form in our heads at once: Who is this girl? Is she a new member of Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls, or… is she Du Thirteen’s new girlfriend, Xue Lu? And if she really was Xue Lu, then who was that middle-aged man who drove her over earlier? A blind man could’ve seen how close they were, not to mention that they had stopped at the parking lot earlier clearly because they didn’t want to be seen together!

It was at this moment Du Thirteen’s laughter came out from inside Lan Zhu Hall. “Haha, Lulu’s here! Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Lulu!”

I didn't know how to describe my feelings, only that I was both shocked and troubled. Beiming Xue pushed my arm again and said, “Big bro, we should head in now…”

“Mn.”

We followed Xue Lu into Lan Zhu Hall. The room was huge, and there were three round tables. A lot of elite players from Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls were attending this dinner as well.

Du Thirteen immediately walked up to me when he saw me, “Hahaha, Lu Chen, you’re right on time! Here, let me make the introduction!”

He wrapped his arms around Xue Lu’s shoulders and pointed at me. “Remember this face, Lulu! He’s the brother I told you about, Lu Chen! He’s Falling Dust, the Little Heavenly King of Spirit of Grief, and now he’s Broken Halberd Sinks Into Sand in Heavenblessed! Right now he’s incredibly famous in the VRMMO world of China!”

Xue Lu also looked surprised. Just as I had seen her interacting affectionately with that middle-aged man at the parking lot, she had seen me as well.

I stared at her and said nothing. Xue Lu bit her lips, but bravely met my eyes and smiled at me. “Hello, Lu Chen. I’ve heard about you since a long time ago. I’m glad I finally got to meet you in person.”

I snorted quietly before giving her a nod of acknowledgment. Then, I grabbed Beiming Xue’s hand and walked right past her. Some distance away, Chaos Moon and Moon Dew were waving at me and beckoning me to sit with them. I did exactly that.

I didn’t want to sit at the same table as Xue Lu, not to mention that I had no clue how to deal with a situation like this. The scene at the parking lot seemed to prove something—or did it?—but I could also see just how much Du Thirteen cared for this girl. One thing was certain, I couldn’t shatter my brother’s dreams before his eyes, at least not right now.

……

Everyone took a seat, and all three tables were jam-packed with people. There were at least 30 of us, if not more. Chaos Moon, Moon Dew, Pure Love and a couple more girls were seated at my table. The rest were testosterone-filled men like Wolf Fang, Alexander, and Xu Yang. It was basically a dinner between the core members of Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls.

Gui Guzi rose to his feet and raised his glass. He said, “Well, I’m not a good talker, so I’m just going to drink to Lulu and wish her a happy life with Du Thirteen. Anyone care to join me?”

Du Thirteen hastily got to his feet as well—Xue Lu did too—and laughed. “Thank you, everyone!”

Everyone gulped down the alcohol in their glasses, but I only touched it with my lips. It was because that interaction between Xue Lu and that middle-aged man at the parking lot was sitting in my chest like a damned raincloud that refused to go away. I didn’t want Du Thirteen to get hurt. He might claim to be a connoisseur of womankind, but no one knew him better than me. During the second year at high school, He suffered a huge shock when his first love left with another lover. Since then, he still dated women, but he never treated relationships seriously again. Men weren’t made of steel, there was only so much beating they could take before they broke completely.

The drinking continued for a bit before the waiters finally pushed in a five-layer cake. Du Thirteen most likely spent even his savings to hold this extravagant birthday party.

Du Thirteen was a bit drunk, so Xue Lu had to support him when he tried to cut the cake properly. What puzzled me was that her eyes were full of love when she looked at Thirteen, something that contradicted what I saw earlier. Just what did Xue Lu think of Thirteen, really? Was she serious about this relationship, or not?

The crowd dispersed after the cake was finished. Most of them went back to the base, leaving only Du Thirteen, Gui Guzi, Xu Yang, Beiming Xue, me, and a couple others behind. Grabbing my shoulders with one hand and holding Xue Lu’s waist with the other, he mumbled something we almost couldn’t hear, “I’m really happy today, Lu Chen, Lulu…”

I shot him a glance and asked, “About what, exactly?”

“My best brother… my best girl…” Du Thirteen continued to mumble incoherently, “I was such a fool back then, such a fool…”

Xue Lu shivered once before whispering, “Enough, Thirteen…”

Beside us, Xu Yang smiled while holding half a bottle of liquor. “Yeah, I think we’d better find a place to sit before we all fall to the ground. I feel like I’m seeing stars all over the sky…”

I looked up and saw only dark clouds. “Like hell you do. Do you mean Lian Xing or something?”

“Haha, haha…”

Xu Yang took another gulp from the bottle before plopping his ass at a nearby flowerbed. “Sounds like you miss her more than I do…”

“...”

Beiming Xue interrupted, “Who’s Lian Xing?”

I simply shook my head and said, “No… it’s nothing…”

……

It was at this moment a dozen or so men appeared at the end of the road. The leader of the group was asking loudly, “Where are they?”

“They’re right there, brother Luxury!”

It wasn’t long before the young hooligans rushed into full view. I thought their leader looked a bit familiar, except that his hair was dyed red and his ears were covered in earrings. He glared at us and shouted, “I finally found you, Du Thirteen!”

I shivered in apprehension. Fuck, now I remember! He’s Life of Luxury!

This was clearly no coincidence. They were probably watching us since the moment we stepped out of the restaurant.

Life of Luxury uttered hatefully and angrily, “Weapons up, brothers!”

The hooligans immediately pulled out their stone bricks and razor blades. To my shock, Life of Luxury’s weapon was a Swiss Army knife. This was no laughing matter, one hit from that thing would leave a wound so big that it might leave a permanent scar on one’s skin.

Life of Luxury watched Xue Lu closely before pointing a finger at Du Thirteen. “You have two choices right now. One, you get on your knees and deliver the woman in your arms to my bed. Two, you die!!”

Du Thirteen broke out of his drunken stupor somewhat and glared right back at Life of Luxury. “Who the fuck do you think you are? Come at me if you have balls!”

Xu Yang had gotten to his feet and kicked over the walls of the flowerbed he was sitting on. He then picked up a brick of his own and yelled angrily, “You want a fight? Then come get some! It’s been a while since I got into a fight, and my hands are itching!”

Gui Guzi also picked up a brick with fury burning in his drunken eyes. “One more word from your filthy mouth, and I’ll make you regret ever being born in this world!”

Gui Guzi was a simple man. He would fight anyone who dared to threaten Du Thirteen to the death, that’s all.

Life of Luxury sneered out loud before ordering, “Get them!”

He himself led the charge and swung his Swiss Army knife ruthlessly at Du Thirteen’s chest. Xue Lu let out a scream of fright as she dragged Du Thirteen away from him.

Thud!

I grabbed his upper arm before the weapon could get close to my brother. I then launched myself forward and hit him in the back with my elbow!

“Aaah…”

Life of Luxury dropped to the ground after letting out a painful groan.

On the other side, Xu Yang and Gui Guzi were fighting back against the hooligans. I could hear the sounds of bricks smacking against flesh as the chaotic melee ensued!

I said urgently, “Beiming, get to the parking lot right now!”

Beiming Xue was so worried that tears were pouring down her cheeks. “Be careful, big bro!”

……

Thud!

One of the hooligans swung at Du Thirteen with his brick, and all he could do was grit his teeth and wait for the impact. His head immediately turned red when it hit him.

I hurriedly ran up to him and raised my arms defensively, blocking two painful hits before retaliating with a powerful kick of my own. The attacking hooligan was sent stumbling onto the road, forcing a car to brake immediately to avoid running him over.

But this was just the beginning. My vision turned dark for a second when another hooligan hit me in the face and made me feel like my cheek was on fire. Doing everything I could to keep my eyes open, I grabbed a brick from the ground and retaliated with a smack to the shoulder.

Xue Lu was crying, “Thirteen, enough, enough already…”

But Du Thirteen was shouting, “Lu Chen, Lu Chen!!!”