Yue Zhengyu"s flashy outfit and das.h.i.+ng looks immediately drew the attention of everyone. But that attention only lasted a moment. He was but one of the countless good-looking people who had dressed up today. No matter how good he was at peac.o.c.king, he was still only sixteen years old. He lacked the seductive charm of maturity. “Yue Zhengyu! I dare you to repeat that to my face!” Xie Xie said as he finally caught up to Yue Zhengyu. His raised voice drew curious gazes back their way.
Yue Zhengyu turned to face Xie Xie, a radiant smile on his face. “Darling, what did you want me to say?”
Xie Xie"s fury was instantly smothered by the chills running through his body. “I don"t know you.” He pivoted in place, grabbed a drink from a nearby waiter"s tray. Off he went.
Yuanen Yehui and Xu Xiaoyan entered the hall just in time to catch Yue Zhengyu and Xie Xie"s small scene.
As Xie Xie scurried away from Yue Zhengyu, he caught sight of Yuanen Yehui and swiftly approached her. “Yuanen, Yue Zhengyu just keeps belittling me. Isn"t he such an a.s.shole?”
“Don"t involve me in whatever"s going on between you two,” she answered.
Xu Xiaoyan giggled. “What a cute couple.”
Xie Xie was nowhere near as thick-skinned as Yue Zhengyu, so he blushed at Xu Xiaoyan"s prodding. Scratching his cheek, he bashfully glanced at Yuanen Yehui. “See, even Xiaoyan says we should be together.”
“Screw off!” Yuanen Yehui rolled her eyes at him, swiftly leaving the scene.
Heart falling, Xie Xie turned and gave Yue Zhengyu the finger. But Yue Zhengyu just responded with a charming smile, one so sickening sweet it coaxed gooseb.u.mps from his skin. In fear for his chast.i.ty, Xie Xie bolted after Yuanen Yehui.
Now that Xie Xie was gone, Yue Zhengyu slid into position in front of Xu Xiaoyan. “Pretty lady, would you care to be my dance partner tonight?”
Xu Xiaoyan giggled. “How do you know there"s going to be a dance?”
Yue Zhengyu chuckled. “This is a banquet, so of course there"ll be one. How about it? Will you be my partner tonight?”
“Sure!”
Yue Zhengyu snapped. “Fabulous! You"re such a great girl.”
Xu Xiaoyan nodded enthusiastically. “That"s right! I"m the complete opposite of your ugly mug.”
Yue Zhengyu cracked a wry smile. “How about you dull your sharp tongue tonight? Otherwise…” He leaned forward. As he inched closer to her face, Xu Xiaoyan bent backward to keep them from touching, to the point where he was amazed.
“Otherwise what?” Xu Xiaoyan stared at him with defiant eyes.
“Otherwise…” His own eyes reflected a rare sincerity. “Do you really think I"m ugly?”
“Okay fine. Hurry up and get off me. You look fine,” Xu Xiaoyan said, unsure why she was so fl.u.s.tered.
Yue Zhengyu pulled Xu Xiaoyan up by the waist as he straightened his posture. “You still haven"t answered my question,” he said quietly.
Xu Xiaoyan snorted. “I don"t like playboys.”
“How would you know I"m a playboy?” Yue Zhengyu said as he rubbed his nose.
The look Xu Xiaoyan flashed him was filled with ridicule. “You know, the first time I saw you, you were hitting on Yuanen. So you"re telling me you"re not a playboy?”
“Eh… That doesn"t count. I thought she was a malum soul master! It was all part of my plan to trip her up! Actually, I"ve never even had a girlfriend. Bet you didn"t expect that,” Yue Zhengyu said, growing bashful at the end.
“How old are you now? You"re just sixteen! According to Federation law, you"re a minor until you turn eighteen! It"s immoral for you to think about such lewd things this young! And now you"re trying to get a girlfriend? You should be morally disciplined by society!” She scoffed. “You"re asking me if I would expect a delinquent like you to be so chaste?”
They had forgotten, Xu Xiaoyan was the greatest actress of them all. After her little speech, Xu Xiaoyan wiped the look of disgust off her face and replaced it with a sincere smile. “I know you"re in p.u.b.erty, but don"t let your hormones cloud your mind.” Then she made to leave.
Yue Zhengyu gaped at her retreating figure. What the h.e.l.l was that? She"s just acting out a drama with my life now! I never knew she was so impressive. I can"t believe I actually thought she was charmed by my looks.
By now, most of the partic.i.p.ants had entered the hall. As representatives of Douluo and Star Luo, each and every one of them was a renowned figure within their profession. People from every background could be found, but in terms of age, the students from Shrek Academy were definitely the youngest.
Elder Cai soon walked into the hall followed by Wu Zhangkong. She wore a white dress, elegant designs embroidered into every cut. It gave off the scent of a dream, as though she were glowing with pale white light. Her appearance instantly drew countless eyes, though her dress was hardly flashy. Rather, it was the quiet might radiating off her body that captured everyone"s attention.
Wu Zhangkong found his place in a corner of the hall, slowly sipping at a gla.s.s of iced water. Not one for crowded places, he wouldn"t have come if not for Elder Cai"s orders. Dressed in his usual attire of a white robe over white s.h.i.+rt and pants, he made the standard pieces of clothing seem more exquisite. Even when hidden in a corner, Wu Zhangkong attracted numerous gazes, and in the few minutes he had been there, seven women had already tried their chances with him. He politely exchanged pleasantries with each one, but he always firmly turned them down. Even after being turned down, however, those women braved his cold aura and hovered around him, casting pa.s.sionate gazes at Wu Zhangkong from time to time. In their eyes, he was a knight in splendid white.
Disregarding the heated looks his way, Wu Zhangkong kept his eyes on his students. He spotted Xie Xie chasing after Yuanen Yehui, and Xu Xiaoyan and Yue Zhengyu putting on a show. A moment later, he saw Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi walk in dressed in their uniforms.
Although the organizers of the party had asked everyone to attend in formal attire, it wasn"t a strictly enforced rule. Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi hadn"t been stopped once and were smoothly let into the hall. They immediately went to find a corner. More specifically, a corner with food to stuff their faces with. It didn"t take long for them to find one, and Xu Lizhi started by offering Ye Xinglan a pastry. She refused it was a shake of the head, however. With a simple smile on his face, he didn"t continue to push her and popped the pastry into his mouth.
Hmm? Where"s Tang Wulin and Gu Yue? The party has already started. Wu Zhangkong scanned the crowd with a pensive look on his face. His subtle frown sent s.h.i.+vers down the spines of his many admirers and deepened their obsession with him.
“Good evening everyone and welcome to the banquet. I am Star Lu"s foreign affairs minister, Sima Lanxiao.” As soon as he said this, Sima Lanxiao bowed. A tall and handsome man with blonde hair, he had a voice with a magnetic allure, a force of inspiration for some. With his voice alone he easily brightened the mood of everyone in the hall. “I"m very excited to have friends of every background from Douluo here with us tonight. Let"s celebrate and foster friends.h.i.+ps! We"ve prepared a few small contests tonight for choosing the following: the best-dressed man and lady, the prince and belle of the ball, and the best couple. The winners will receive awards from our Star Luo delegation.”
Once the words left his lips, waiters and waitresses streamed into the room holding trays with a wide a.s.sortment of drinks. The party was kicking into full drive.
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