On a bustling street, a black Maserati sports car drifted across the cobblestone road, coming to a smooth stop right in front of them.
A man stepped out of the car, his long, powerful legs wrapped in tailored trousers, his figure lean and upright, with a face full of world-weary arrogance.
Zhou Wang leaned against the car as several men walked over, led by Shen Xiaoxing, whose handsome face was darkened with a scowl.
"Oh, look who it is, Young Master Zhou!" Huo Jinyan raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Long time no see—you've made it big!"
Zhou Wang furrowed his brow. "Who are you?"
"Heh, don't recognize me so fast? Well, it's been years since you've been back in Shencheng, right? A decade? Didn't expect to run into you here." Huo Jinyan rambled on. "I heard you got your legs nearly broken over some woman."
Huo Jinyan's gaze curiously drifted down to his legs.
Back in the day, in a city full of talent like Shencheng, this guy was a standout—not for brains or skill, but for his fists.
Everyone in Shencheng's elite circles knew how Young Master Zhou had beaten up his teacher in a fit of rebellion. He had a ruthless streak. No one knew what the teacher did to set him off, but he swung a chair at him, nearly killing the man on the spot.
Zhou Wang's record at school was a mess. Whether underclassmen or upperclassmen, everyone gave him a wide berth. When his temper flared, even the principal couldn't stop him.
Later, word had it he almost took a swing at his own father. Under pressure, he was shipped off to Ninghai No.1 High School in the neighboring city. But the guy still couldn't behave, and not long after, his legs were broken.
Of course, Huo Jinyan had heard these rumors from his circle of friends. He was much younger than Zhou Wang, so it was all secondhand gossip.
Zhou Wang noticed him staring at his legs and smirked. "Prosthetics. Want me to take them off and show you?"
Huo Jinyan froze, then awkwardly waved his hand. "No, no, prosthetics are fine, prosthetics are fine..."
The man's eyes shifted, and he quickly corrected himself. "Pfft, wrong words! I mean, that's really a shame."
As soon as he said it, it still didn't sound right, so he slapped his own face a couple of times in frustration.
Zhou Wang frowned, glancing at him like he was a lunatic.
What the hell was he babbling about? All over the place!
He'd mellowed out a lot now, matured too, with his whole heart focused on Jiang Li and his career. He'd cut ties with most people who didn't matter.
Zhou Wang frowned at Shen Xiaoxing, puzzled by what he'd said on the phone. "What do you mean, 'that brat ran off with your woman'?"
"You'll know when we go inside."
Zhou Wang looked up at the bar, his expression shifting. "I've got things to do. Let's grab a drink another day."
Shen Xiaoxing grabbed his shoulder, stopping him from opening the car door.
"I'm not asking."
"You're so capable—can't handle a little girl?"
Just then, Han Chong walked over and whispered in the man's ear, "Young master, I've cut the bar's surveillance. We can go in."
Shen Xiaoxing's cold eyes lifted, glancing at the man beside him. "We'll go in together. I'll take my woman, you take Zhou Mingyue."
Zhou Wang couldn't be bothered with the brat's mess, but they were still siblings. He couldn't just let his sister spend the whole night in a bar.
...
Inside the deafening bar, handsome men and beautiful women, radiating pheromones, swayed their sexy bodies to the pounding music.
Zhou Wang kept one hand in his pocket, the other waving away the smoke in front of him with disgust. Since quitting smoking, the smell turned his stomach.
He turned his head—and damn, the man beside him, looking like an emperor, wore a mask. Most of his face was hidden behind a black mask, giving off a heavy air of mystery.
"Coming to a bar, what's with the act?"
Shen Xiaoxing glanced at him haughtily. "Someone as ugly as you wouldn't understand the troubles of us handsome guys."
Still the same as ever, always putting on airs!
Zhou Wang snorted coldly. "Disgusting."
"Jealous? Face it, all those years as classmates, you always lost to me—whether in studies or looks."
It was an undeniable fact.
Before stepping into Cambridge, Zhou Wang had crammed two years of study, and even then, he barely avoided being a laughingstock. His grades were a mess, and his rugged looks weren't exactly handsome—far from Shen Xiaoxing's level.
Every year, Shen Xiaoxing topped the school's handsome list!
But that didn't mean Zhou Wang had no strengths. It was just that, during their school years, the guy was always coming and going, mysteriously shuttling between the UK and China over a dozen times a year for some woman!
Through his mask, Shen Xiaoxing spotted a girl dancing wildly in the crowd. His eyes widened in disbelief—was this the same demure, reserved An Ruo!?
Right now, An Ruo had lost herself to the alcohol. After three glasses of high-proof liquor, she'd completely let go.
Even Zhou Mingyue, who was grinding against someone else in a hot dance, was startled by her craziness.
With her looks—innocent yet alluring—every smile and expression drew men in. Now, her drunk face was flushed pink, stirring a protective instinct, but her sexy, seductive demeanor could steal a man's soul with just a glance.
Zhou Wang pushed through the crowd and immediately spotted Zhou Mingyue writhing around. He frowned—what the hell was that dance!?
Not even as good as Jiang Li's moves.
Shen Xiaoxing stepped forward, his large hand suddenly gripping the girl's wrist. His voice, cold as ice, carried a heavy chill. "An Ruo!"
Lost in her own world, the girl felt a force pulling her. She frowned and tried to shake him off—
"Who are you? Let go!"
A group of men who'd been dancing close to her, taking advantage, scowled at Shen Xiaoxing for cutting in.
"Yeah, who are you? Count to five and let her go—she's not someone you mess with!"
The man in the black fox mask shot a cold, sinister glare at the speaker, who felt like his throat was clamped shut, words stuck.
"Zhou Mingyue!" Zhou Wang called out coldly, hands in his pockets, as he yanked the woman who was about to help over to him without any gentleness. "Mind your own business!"
"..."
"Get out of here, or I'll break your legs!"
"Let go!" Over here, An Ruo glared furiously at the masked man, unable to recognize him. Her head throbbing, her vision blurry, she squinted with drunken eyes. "I don't even know you—why are you dragging me away?!"
She struggled fiercely against his grip, still sober enough to defend herself. Seeing she couldn't shake him off, she shouted, "Help! Pervert! I don't know him!"
Such a delicate girl in a bar was already being watched. With Shen Xiaoxing trying to snatch this prize, a group of men immediately rolled up their sleeves and closed in!
"I'm her husband. I'd advise you all to stay out of this."
He didn't want to start a fight in front of so many people. "Keeping a low profile" suited him now.
"You say you're her husband, so that makes it true? The lady doesn't even recognize you. Wearing a mask to pull this off—think we're pushovers!?"
Shen Xiaoxing watched the group, pretending to be "good Samaritans," edge closer. Clenching his jaw, he pressed the girl into his arms.
With the bar packed, even if he called Han Chong, it'd be hard to get them both out through this crowd.