Zhou Fu left Year One’s exam venue and parted ways with Tian Rong. His phone started buzzing after he took a few steps forward. He looked at the caller ID before answering the call. “I was delayed. I’ll be there half an hour late.”

…

Lu Guixin returned to the dorm first. After removing her glasses and tossing them on the table, she changed her clothes and put on a cap and a mask before heading out.

It was a Sunday afternoon, so there were many people entering and leaving the school.

Lu Guixin slowly walked as she sent a message to Gu Hui. [Uncle, I’m coming out now ^_^]

Gu Hui soon replied, [Okay.]

Just then, she heard a muffled shriek from the side.

“What the heck?! God Fu refuted the rumors in the forum. He said that Lu Guixin didn’t confess to him, nor ask to add him on WeChat. He even deleted all the posts and comments about Lu Guixin.”

“What exactly is their relationship?”

“Actually, if they really do end up together, they would make quite the couple. The school troublemaker-cum-overachiever and the campus belle-cum-underachiever.”

“That’d better not happen. Besides, God Fu has made his stance clear. He didn’t even mention Lu Guixin in his post. He only said to stop spreading rumors about him. That means he’s drawing a line with Lu Guixin, understand?”

“Both of them don’t have much interaction in the first place. A handsome and smart guy like God Fu probably doesn’t want his name to be mentioned together with someone who only has a pretty face.”

“That makes sense.”

“Ah, I see.”

“I’ve been enlightened.”

When Lu Guixin heard their conversation while walking past them, she smiled, put on her earphones, and swiped her campus card to leave the school. She then shifted her gaze to the right, where a huge and fierce black SUV was parked on the roadside nearby.

In front of the vehicle was a tall and skinny young man in a dark color jacket with broad shoulders and long legs. He had a hand in his pocket, while his other hand had a cigarette between his fingers. He had an indifferent expression on his face while leaning against the car to smoke. His thin frame that made him look somewhat weak made his cold and sinister aura stand out, and it was filled with aggressiveness.

“Uncle Gu Hui.” Lu Guixin ran over while smiling.

Gu Hui looked up slightly, hints of gentleness appearing in his cold black eyes when he looked at his niece. He was slightly taken aback when he noticed her clothes’ color scheme, and he couldn’t help but give an overall glance.

Lu Guixin was considered a special case in their family, whereby her clothes were of bright colors and a gentle style. They had never seen her wearing clothes with a dark color scheme before. Her black windbreaker was slightly oversized, while her tight pants revealed the outline of her thin and long legs. She looked eye-catching in those clothes.

Gu Hui gave her a deep look, but he didn’t say anything about it. He only asked, “Are you cold?”

Lu Guixin replied with a grin, “It’s bearable. It’s much colder in the capital.”

Gu Hui stood up straight and said, “Get in the car and turn on the heater yourself.”

“Okie.” Lu Guixin’s eyes formed crescents as she pulled open the passenger door to get into the car.

Gu Hui extinguished the cigarette against the trash bin on the roadside before returning to the car. He glanced at the seatbelt. “Fasten up.”

Lu Guixin fastened her seatbelt. “Where’s Uncle Gu Si and my brothers?”

“They’re waiting for us at Tian Que,” answered Gu Hui in his cold and deep voice as he started the engine and controlled the steering wheel with one hand.

…

At Tian Que, the manager pushed open the door of the private room on the third floor before turning his body sideways and saying in a respectful tone, “Mr. Gu, Ms. Lu, please enter.”

It was dim inside, with subtle smoke lingering in the air.

Gu Si was lazily slouching against the black leather sofa with his legs stacked atop the coffee table. The sleeves of his black shirt were rolled to his elbows, and he held a lit cigarette between his long and slender fingers. The contour of his face was sharp and cold, while his deep and black eyes were slightly narrowed, and the corners of his lips were slightly lifted into a smirk. He exuded a sharp and arrogant aura. Although he did curb his aura, it didn’t diminish his aggressiveness in the slightest bit.

While Gu Si was arrogant and unbridled, Gu Hui was gloomy and hostile. The latter’s lips were always pressed together.

Lu Jilai and Lu Jixing, meanwhile, were standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and looking out of it with wine glasses in their hands.

Lu Guixin slipped her hands into her pockets as she slowly made her way inside. “What are you guys doing here in Tian Que?”

“Ask your brothers.” Gu Si lazily pointed at his nephews with the hand that was holding the cigarette. Then, he put his legs on the ground, poured a glass of wine, and pushed it toward Gu Hui. His protruding wrist bone revealed the Gu family’s symbolic cold and fair skin.

Gu Hui clinked his glass against Gu Si’s before taking a sip of the wine.

Lu Guixin removed her cap and walked toward the window, where it showed the spacious venue below and the boxing ring in the middle of it.

“You guys came to watch a competition?” Lu Guixin narrowed her eyes in perplexity.

“What, can’t we do that?” Lu Jixing glanced at her and said, “But what’s with Tian Que? They want a share of everything. They’re even making money from boxing now. They sure have a lot of ideas. The event looks quite decent too.”

“Well, everyone wants to come and challenge the defending boxing champion here. The reigning four-time boxing champion, Z, only fights on Tian Que’s boxing ring, so it’s only natural that the number of gambling audience will skyrocket.” Lu Jilai crossed his arms in front of his chest and tapped a finger against the wine glass.

Not to mention that Z was very mysterious and would always wear a mask when he fought. Nobody had ever seen his true appearance. That said, one could still imagine how good-looking some people look without their masks.

The audience’s curiosity was completely piqued, and because of Z’s immense popularity, the audience stand was always full whenever he was fighting. But Lu Guixin probably knew this better than any of them.

“The scale of Tian Que’s underground casino in Ming City is comparable to Ghost Street’s underground casino in the capital.” Lu Jilai smiled. “Isn’t that so, my dear sister?” The boss of Ghost Street practically treats her as his ancestor.

Lu Guixin was rendered speechless.

Lu Guixin was speechless. Everyone in the family knows my secret now.

Lu Jilai turned his face over and glanced at his sister’s clothes. He raised his eyebrows. “I’m a bit not used to you dressing this way.”

Gu Si curled his lips at the sight of Lu Guixin’s clothes, so did Lu Jixing. Even Gu Hui’s cold gaze became gentler.

Lu Guixin stayed silent for a second, not wanting to continue this topic. She turned around and walked over to the sofa. “Who’s fighting tonight?”

“This year’s champion is challenging the previous boxing king, Z, in the ‘Battle of the Kings’ boxing ring. The champion is two meters tall, weighs a hundred kilograms, and has a punching value of 1300. He can easily hit the punch power value of 1000 and above, and he used to be an influential figure in Country K’s boxing world. As for Z…” Lu Jixing stroked his chin. “Tian Que did a rather good job in protecting his personal information. The only data about him was his height, and that’s 187 centimeters.”

Lu Jilai went back to the sofa and sat down. “Among the former champions that had fought with Z, the strongest person had a punching value of 1200. So, that means Z’s punching value is above 1200.”

“In that case, it’s hard to tell who will emerge as the victor tonight,” said Lu Jixing as he looked down at the boxing ring.

Sitting with his legs spread wide and arms resting on his knees, Gu Si passed Lu Guixin a can of Wangzai milk and looked at her. “Guixin, don’t you think your brothers have nothing better to do?”

Lu Jilai and Lu Jixing were at a loss for words.

While holding a wine glass in his hand, Gu Si pointed the finger at his nephews. “Their punching values are around 1800, and they spoiled the machine to test their punching values at Base 102 with their brute forces, yet they came all the way here to watch a boxing match. Don’t you think they’re out of their minds?”

Lu Guixin was equally speechless as well.

“They even insisted on dragging Gu Hui and I here.” Gu Si shot a look of disdain at his nephews.

“For your information, I wasn’t the one who insisted on coming. It was someone else who was curious about Z’s true potential and insisted on coming. I was forced to come here too.” Lu Jilai quickly drew a line with his brother.

Lu Jixing glared at his twin in speechlessness. “Are you even my brother?!”

“Biologically speaking, yes,” Lu Jilai answered in all seriousness, only to say teasingly a second later, “But I’ll enjoy the good things, and you’ll go through the suffering instead.”

“Are you even humane?” Lu Jixing retorted.

“You came here just because you’re curious about Z’s true potential?” The way Lu Guixin regarded Lu Jixing revealed her thoughts. He really has nothing better to do. I’ve been on Ghost Street for five years, but I’m not as curious about Z as him.

Lu Jixing turned to Lu Guixin and laughed. “I’m not only curious about Z, I’m also curious about your school forum. You confessed to someone? You want to get into a relationship?”

Relationship? Gu Si and Gu Hui looked up at once. Both of them usually paid attention to their niece’s recent situation, but they hadn’t been able to care much since they had a project in Base 102 this month.

Four pairs of eyes stared unblinkingly at Lu Guixin as they waited for an explanation from her.

Lu Guixin put the can of Wangzai milk on the crystal coffee table and then unzipped her jacket. “Is it very strange for a pretty girl like me to have some rumors?”

The four men were rendered speechless.

Upon hearing that it was just a rumor, Gu Si’s expression relaxed, and he let out a soft laugh. “Good thing it’s just a rumor. If your father finds out that you got a boyfriend in two months after moving here…”

He paused and then said, “I’m quite curious how he’d react.”

“Isn’t that good? Sis started dating at seventeen, while Guixin started dating at sixteen. One generation is better than the other,” the usually taciturn Gu Hui suddenly said. He then took a puff of his cigarette and smiled.

Lu Guixin kept quiet.

Uncle Gu Hui really has hit the nail on the head. The corners of Lu Jilai’s lips twitched in amusement. “My father will surely want to take revenge.”

“D*mn!” Gu Si placed his arm on Gu Hui’s shoulder and chuckled. “I’m suddenly looking forward to it a little. I’m feeling all energetic now.”

Lu Guixin was rendered speechless.

Lu Jixing looked at his sister. “Let me see what that rumored boyfriend of yours looks like.”

Lu Guixin gave it some thought and then said with a sincere face, “It’s better not to look at it.”

“Why? Is he too ugly to be seen?” Lu Jixing asked in surprise.

“No,” Lu Guixin said matter-of-factly, “He’s so good-looking that I’m afraid you’ll feel inferior.”

After that, she immediately stood up and ran to seek shelter with Gu Si. It was obvious that she was long prepared to hide from her brother.

Lu Jixing widened his eyes in disbelief, and his face darkened when he came to his senses. He pointed at his sister. “You’d better come here, or I’ll beat you to death, Lu Guixin.”

Lu Guixin stayed next to Gu Si and hurriedly apologized to her brother. “I’m sorry, Brother. Don’t be so petty. It was just a joke.”

Lu Jixing snorted.

Gu Hui lowered his head and tapped away on his phone. Upon finding the thing he was looking for, he tossed his phone to Lu Jixing and flicked the ash on his cigarette away. “That’s him, Zhou Fu.”

Lu Jixing raised his eyebrows when he saw the photo on the screen. Not bad-looking, but not handsome enough to make me feel inferior.

When Lu Guixin saw how he was staring at the phone, she couldn’t resist teasing, “From the way you’re staring at him, I can’t help thinking that you have interest in him.”

Lu Jixing gritted his teeth and smiled. “Don’t force my hand.”

Lu Guixin stopped teasing him. “I don’t care about the rumors.”

As she said that, she removed her jacket, revealing the thin black sweater underneath, and pushed the sleeves to her elbows. She then took an empty glass to pour some wine for herself.

The wine glass was pushed away by Lu Jilai, though. While smiling, he said, “Minors are not allowed to drink alcohol. Go drink your milk instead.”

The can of Wangzai milk was pushed toward her.

Not wanting to give up, Lu Guixin said, “I’ll just take a sip.”

“No.” Lu Jilai flatly refused her.

Knowing that her big brother couldn’t be persuaded, Lu Guixin gave up and reached for the cigarette on the table instead. She got smacked by Lu Jilai again, though.

“No smoking either.” When Lu Guixin was about to say something, he cut her off and said, “I’ll take a photo of you and send it to Mom if you continue.”

Lu Guixin pouted. “Mom smoked in high school too. How come she could do that, but I can’t?”

Lu Jixing leaned back and put a leg across his knee. “If you dare to say that to Mom, she’ll definitely say ‘Yeah, so what?'”

He imitated Gu Mang’s way of speaking very well.

Lu Guixin was rendered speechless.

“Guixin, kids shouldn’t smoke or drink. I’ll tell your mother if you do that,” said Gu Si.

“I’ll tell Daddy that you guys brought me to an indecent bar,” Lu Guixin retorted out of indignation.

Gu Si laughed and bent his back slightly to look at her. “Then can you guess who your father finds more dangerous? You or the people in the indecent bar?”

Lu Guixin stayed silent.

Just then, someone knocked on the door of the private room.

The manager of Tian Que entered the room with a black paper bag and bowed respectfully at Gu Si. “Mr. Gu, I’ve bought the things you wanted.”

Gu Si nodded.

The manager took out expensive snacks from the paper bag and placed them one by one in front of Lu Guixin. The last item was a bottle of fruit cocktail, which had a very low alcoholic content and made it no different from an ordinary drink.

Lu Guixin’s crestfallen face lit up with a smile. “Thank you, Uncle.”

The five of them were all extraordinarily young. Lu Guixin, in particular, was ridiculously pretty. It was obvious that she was the apple of their eyes. The manager didn’t know what sort of background they had, but this private room on the third floor was only reserved for Tian Que’s esteemed guests. So, it wasn’t hard to imagine how rich these people must be.

The manager dared not to tarry them. “Mr. Gu, Z has arrived. We’ll be starting the competition in an hour and closing the betting system in half an hour. Do you have any more orders for me?”

Gu Si flicked his cigarette ash and turned to Lu Guixin. “Guixin, want to place a bet?”

Lu Guixin ate a piece of potato chips. “Who are you guys betting on?”

Lu Jixing said, “The betting ratio for Z is one to one, while it’s one to ten for this year’s champion. I’m betting on the champion since the chances of winning are huge.”

People used to always bet on Z in the past, but the popularity of this year’s champion was slightly higher than Z’s this time.

After giving it a thought, Lu Guixin smiled and said, “Then I’ll bet on Z for fun.”

Gu Hui, who didn’t gamble, so his phone screen stayed at the betting page. He looked at Lu Guixin. “How much do you want to bet? If you win, you can keep the winnings. If you lose, it’s on me?”

Lu Guixin took out a dice from her pocket and rolled a five. “Fifty million then.”

Lu Jixing stared speechlessly at the dice.

Gu Hui entered the figure and pressed confirm.

The manager was alarmed to see how doting those men were on the girl. They placed fifty million as a bet for fun…