Chen Yue and Wang Qiang ended up fighting right in the Si family’s home.
They screamed, argued, and even started physically pushing each other—all over a handbag.
In the end, they gained nothing from their visit.
Security escorted them out.
—
Once they were gone, Chen Xu hopped on his bicycle and headed out.
Before leaving, Uncle Zhong asked, “Young Master Xu, will you be home for dinner tonight?”
Chen Xu thought for a moment. “Probably not.”
“Alright,” Uncle Zhong nodded in acknowledgment.
—
The sun was scorching.
By the time Chen Xu arrived near the bar, his forehead was damp with sweat, and his fair skin was slightly flushed—like a delicate lotus emerging from water.
A loud whistle suddenly pierced the air.
Chen Xu turned his head.
Standing at the entrance of the bar was a man with a cocky grin, hands stuffed in his pockets.
His teeth were so white, they could be in a toothpaste commercial.
“Hey, handsome,” the man called out. “Got a girlfriend? If not, I’m reserving a spot for my sister.”
Chen Xu rolled his eyes and rode over.
He punched the guy’s shoulder. “Since when do you have a sister?”
Lu Hai laughed and slung an arm around Chen Xu’s shoulders. “Didn’t you hear? My mom just found out she’s pregnant last month. She’s already three months in.”
Chen Xu shrugged him off. “Yeah, sure. If your mom heard you say that, she’d beat you to death.”
“Nah,” Lu Hai smirked. “She’s still counting on me to inherit the family throne.”
He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, flicked one out, and held it up to Chen Xu.
Without hesitation, Chen Xu lowered his head and took it between his lips.
But just as he was about to light it, Lu Hai suddenly reached up and touched his ear—
Specifically, his earring.
Without thinking, Chen Xu’s elbow shot back.
“Ow! Fk!”
Lu Hai staggered back, clutching his ribs.
“Goddamn it, Xu, you trying to break my rib?”
Chen Xu lowered his arm, his face cool and emotionless.
“Don’t touch me.”
Lu Hai clicked his tongue. “Damn, you’re picky as hell. Can’t even be touched—how the hell are you gonna get a girlfriend?”
“Not your problem.” Chen Xu held out his hand.
Lu Hai tossed him a lighter, and Chen Xu expertly lit his cigarette.
As he exhaled, wisps of smoke curled around his features.
In the dim lighting of the alley, his sharp jawline and deep-set eyes made him look both arrogant and dangerously attractive.
Lu Hai whistled again.
“That earring’s gotta be expensive,” he commented. “Where’d you get it?”
He had known Chen Xu for three years.
Their first meeting?
A fcking online poker game.
Chen Xu had god-tier luck. Lu Hai? Absolutely cursed.
At some point, Lu Hai got so desperate, he started clinging to Chen Xu in-game, hoping some of that luck would rub off on him.
Then, one day, he found out they lived in the same city.
That’s when he really couldn’t sit still—he had to meet the legendary “King of Luck.”
Chen Xu kept refusing.
But then, one day, fate intervened.
Lu Hai’s band was performing at a small mall event.
Their drummer suddenly had to run to the bathroom—and didn’t come back.
The event manager was panicking.
With no other options, they grabbed a random dude in a rabbit mascot suit who had been handing out flyers.
That dude?
Chen Xu.
And so, in front of a stunned crowd, they watched a fluffy, pink-eared rabbit absolutely shred on the drums.
That moment? Legendary.
Even years later, Lu Hai still swore, “Bro, that was the wildest sht I’ve ever seen.”
—
Chen Xu exhaled another puff of smoke.
Then, with a straight face, he said, “I got a sugar daddy.”
Lu Hai choked on his own spit.
“Fck off. Be serious.”
Chen Xu smirked. “I am serious.”
Lu Hai gave him a deadpan stare.
“Right. So you just woke up one day, looked in the mirror, and thought, ‘Yep. Time to find a rich old man to take care of me.’”
Honestly? Given how good-looking Chen Xu was, it wasn’t impossible.
Lu Hai and the other band members often joked about it.
“If Xu really wanted, he could totally seduce a rich lady and fund the whole damn band.”
Not that he ever would.
Underground bands like theirs? More often than not, they just fell apart.
People left. People got bored.
Honestly, Lu Hai had lost count of how many members had come and gone before their lineup finally stabilized.
—
“Forget it,” Lu Hai muttered. “If you don’t wanna say, whatever.”
He knew Chen Xu well enough to tell when he didn’t want to talk about something.
So he didn’t push.
Instead, he moved on.
“Anyway, we’ve got a gig tonight. Xiao Ting and the others will be late.”
“Got it.” Chen Xu nodded.
They headed inside.
—
Beneath the bar, there was a basement.
That’s where they practiced.
As soon as they walked in, the bar owner called out, “Xu! Saw you in the paper. Top scorer, huh? Impressive.”
Chen Xu snuffed out his cigarette in an ashtray and gave him a calm, indifferent smile.
He looked completely unbothered.
Like scoring the highest in the entire province was no big deal.
Lu Hai slung an arm over his shoulder. “Of course! Our Xu is a fcking genius.”
The bar owner chuckled.
Then, Lu Hai suddenly remembered something.
“Wait. You’re definitely going to Imperial University, right?”
He had already mentally prepared himself.
Once Chen Xu and Ke Xinghao left for college, the band would probably need new members.
Even so, he felt a little reluctant.
After all, this was the guy who once played the drums in a rabbit suit.
Hard to replace that kind of legend.
Chen Xu pulled Lu Hai’s hand off of him.
“I’m not going.”
Lu Hai froze. “What do you mean, you’re not going?”
Chen Xu glanced at him, his lips curling into a smirk.
“I’m going to be your junior.”
Lu Hai burst into laughter. “Hah! Great, be my junior! I’ll take care of you!”
But when he saw that Chen Xu’s expression hadn’t changed, the laughter stuck in his throat.
“Wait. You’re serious?!”
Lu Hai suddenly felt like he was going crazy.
“Are you out of your fking mind?! You got the highest score in the province, and you’re choosing to go to A University?!”
Then, as if he had an epiphany, Lu Hai leaned in.
“Wait. You’re in love, aren’t you?”
That’s the only explanation.
Otherwise, why would someone willingly give up a spot at Imperial University or T University just to stay in A City?
Chen Xu calmly sipped his lemon water.
“A University is a good school,” he said simply.
The bar owner overheard and snorted. “Still drinking soft drinks? You’re already eighteen. Not even gonna try alcohol?”
Chen Xu rejected him without hesitation.
“Nope.”
The owner shrugged. “Alright, alright. Guess our little Xu is still a baby.”
Chen Xu rolled his eyes.
Just then, the door swung open.
“Who’s still calling Xu a baby?”
A tall figure stepped in—Yuan Ren.
He was Lu Hai’s senior, currently studying for his master’s degree.
Lu Hai immediately grabbed him.
“Bro, you gotta talk some sense into him!”
“He got the highest fcking score in the province, but instead of going to Imperial or T University, he’s going to A University!”
Unlike Lu Hai, Yuan Ren stayed calm.
“Chen Xu,” he asked, “what’s your major?”
“Economics.”
Yuan Ren nodded.
“That’s not a bad choice,” he admitted. “A University’s Economics Department is one of the best in the country. It’s comparable to Imperial University.”
Lu Hai grumbled.
“I know that,” he muttered, “but still. He could’ve left the city—why stay here?”
Then, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Wait… you really didn’t pick A University because of a girl?”
Chen Xu let out a sigh of exasperation.
“I don’t even have a love life.”
Lu Hai groaned. “Exactly! That’s the problem! You’re eighteen, and you’ve never been interested in anyone!”
They were in a band.
They had crazy fans.
Girls and boys had thrown themselves at them.
Some of them were so attractive that even Lu Hai, who had a rule about not dating fans, had been tempted.
But Chen Xu?
Completely uninterested.
Even when someone gorgeous came up to him, Chen Xu acted like they didn’t exist.
“Not a single person has ever caught your eye?” Lu Hai pressed.
Chen Xu looked at him expressionlessly.
“I don’t have time for that.”
Lu Hai groaned again.
“You’re hopeless.”
Not long after, Ke Xinghao arrived.
As soon as he saw Chen Xu, his eyes lit up.
He immediately leaned in and whispered in Chen Xu’s ear.
“Is that the six-million-yuan earring?”
Chen Xu nodded, still looking completely unbothered.
Ke Xinghao gasped.
“Fck. You’re basically wearing a house on your ear.”
He stared at the deep blue gemstone, shimmering under the light.
“You’re not scared of losing it?”
Chen Xu replied casually,
“Uncle Si said that if I lose it, he’ll buy me another one.”
Ke Xinghao nearly collapsed from envy.
“Are you fcking kidding me?!”
He looked down at his own brand-new pair of AJ sneakers.
Just yesterday, he had been so proud of them.
Now?
They felt worthless.
“If my dad were even half as generous as your uncle, I wouldn’t be living like this,” Ke Xinghao muttered bitterly.
Chen Xu patted his shoulder.
“Be grateful for what you have.”
By now, most of the band members had arrived.
But one person was still missing—their lead singer, Xia Xiaoting.
Lu Hai frowned.
“I’m calling him.”
He grabbed his phone and stepped outside.
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