Luo Chen went to a bar frequented by wealthy young men; it was relatively safe and free of any shady dealings. Inside, they encountered many acquaintances. Luo Chen and Jiang Dong were among the most elite members of Beijing's business community, so naturally, they all came over to greet them.
Then someone remembered that it was Luo Chen's birthday, and everyone rushed over to offer their blessings. In the end, everyone made room for them in a great spot, and they all sat together.
There were dancers performing and singers singing on stage. The scene was lively but not vulgar, and it was quite interesting.
Xu Zifan leaned back on the sofa when Shao Hua suddenly gave him a location. The people projected on the virtual screen looked like Xu Xiaoxiao and Xu Zhe, the original owner's cousins. They had just entered the bar with several rich kids.
He smirked, picked up his wine glass, and took a sip. These two were quite the troublemakers. Seeing Xu Xiaoxiao nestled in the arms of the young master at the head of the group, it didn't seem like a serious relationship. She was probably someone's mistress, and Xu Zhe was just her follower.
Luo Chen, standing nearby, swore, "Why is he here too? What a spoilsport!"
Xu Zifan asked curiously, "What's wrong? Are you not getting along?"
Luo Chen looked away in disgust. "It's not just that we don't get along, our two companies are rivals. We've been fighting fiercely for the past two years. I should have gone to the private room."
Jiang Dong, drunk, leaned on his shoulder and clinked glasses with him, his tongue slurring, "What are you afraid of! It's lively outside, the private room is boring, cheers!"
Just then, the music on stage changed to rock, and the singer shouted, "Today is Luo Shao's birthday! A friend just requested my hit song for Luo Shao, asking me to rock the whole place! Friends, stand up, let's get hyped and wish Luo Shao a happy birthday!!"
The dazzling lights illuminated the entire venue, shining precisely on Luo Chen, who smiled and raised his glass, "Let's all have a blast!"
The group of people who had just entered immediately looked over. The young master at the head of the group squinted at Luo Chen and sneered. The person behind him said, "Young Master Lin, today is Luo Chen's birthday. His people have practically booked the whole place. Should we go somewhere else?"
Lin Shao snorted, "Who does he think he is? Why should I give way to him? Let's go, let's smash up his place."
"Yes, Young Master Lin, the girl next to him is quite something. She's an award-winning actress, and I heard he cherishes her very much. He even went to Shanghai recently to help her through a difficult time. Young Master Lin, why don't you snatch her away and have some fun with her?"
Lin Shao looked at Mo Jiani as if he were evaluating some product. Xu Xiaoxiao, who was next to him, suddenly became anxious and hugged his arm, acting coquettishly, "Lin Shao, isn't it enough for me to be by your side? No other woman can please you as much as I do!"
Lin Shao casually touched her buttocks, then pulled her close and walked towards Luo Chen.
As Luo Chen's group gradually quieted down, the young masters looked back and forth between Luo Chen and Young Master Lin, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire.
Lin Shao walked to the booth with a malicious smile on his lips and brazenly looked Mo Jiani up and down. "Is it Luo Shao's birthday today? Did you bring your new girl to play with? I'm not trying to be mean, but girls are definitely more fun when they're young and fresh. Today is your birthday, how about I switch with you? Consider it a birthday celebration for you."
Luo Chen's face was ashen. He splashed a glass of wine in Lin Shao's face and yelled, "You dare say another word? I'll make you leave here sideways, you believe me?!"
Xu Xiaoxiao screamed, ignoring the spilled wine on her face, and hurriedly grabbed a tissue to wipe Lin Shao's face. Lin Shao forcefully pushed her away, "Luo Chen, you're something else! I'm going to sleep with your girl tonight, go for it!"
The people behind him were about to rush forward, and several people on Luo Chen's side also stood up. In the chaos, Xu Zhe was pushed and stumbled a couple of steps, almost falling. When he looked up, he met Xu Zifan's gaze and was startled. He exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing here?!"
Xu Xiaoxiao looked over, her eyes widening immediately, and she angrily said, "You jinx! I've finally found you! Xiao Zhe, catch him! I'm going to teach him a lesson today!"
Luo Chen, who had overheard their conversation, stepped in front of Xu Zifan and said coldly, "Who are you? How dare you talk to Brother Fan like that?"
Everyone's attention immediately turned to Xu Zifan. Lin Shao pulled Xu Xiaoxiao aside and asked, "Who is this?"
"Young Master Lin, this is the son of my uncle that I told you about. This jinx eats and lives in our house. My parents raised him all these years, and not only does he not repay us, he actually goes around telling people that we bullied him. Does he look like he's been bullied? I can't go to school because of him," Xu Xiaoxiao grabbed Young Master Lin's hand and pretended to cry. "Young Master Lin, you have to help me get revenge!"
Lin Shao raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had thought Xu Zifan was a newly rich young master, but it turned out to be a poor relative from his kept mistress's family?! He immediately burst out laughing, pointing at Luo Chen and saying, "You're really low now. Having a celebrity as a girlfriend isn't beneath you, and now you're standing up for an ungrateful gigolo. Let me guess what he does? He's Miss Jiang's kept man, isn't he? Look at how affectionate they are! Miss Jiang, you're something else!"
Xu Xiaoxiao and Xu Zhe were surprised for a moment, then immediately showed disdain. Xu Zhe took two steps back as if he were avoiding something dirty, and said with a sneer, "No wonder you were so confident to leave back then, so you found a sugar daddy!"
Xu Zifan said with a smile, "They say that those who are lewd see lewdness, and I've seen it for myself today."
This statement not only alluded to Xu Xiaoxiao and Xu Zhe, but also included Lin Shao in the insult. After all, Lin Shao was the first to call him a gigolo, and his expression immediately changed. "You bastard, you dare to insult me? Drag him out here and beat him up. Luo Chen, if you know what's good for you, get lost. We're not going to interrupt you today."
"His legs aren't surnamed Lin!"
This time it really started. The men behind Lin Shao rushed forward to push Luo Chen and pull Xu Zifan, while Luo Chen's men pushed them back. A fight broke out as soon as they clashed. Luo Chen grabbed the man closest to Xu Zifan with one hand, threw him to the ground, rolled up his sleeves, and sneered, "You little bastard, of course you should be surnamed Turtle! If I, Luo Chen, can't protect Brother Fan today, I'll take your surname from now on!"
Jiang Dong, though drunk, overheard the gist of it. He got up and went to help his good brother fight, muttering that no one should touch Brother Fan.
They had been cultivating for several months, possessed spiritual energy, and had learned martial arts techniques. Naturally, beating ordinary people was a piece of cake for them. Within five minutes, a group of them had fallen, including Xu Xiaoxiao, who had been kicked down by Jiang Dong because she had cursed Xu Zifan!
Luo Chen, stepping on Lin Shao's back, laughed loudly, "You little bastard, keep being arrogant!" He shouted to the entire audience, "From now on, remember this: his surname is Turtle, so call him Young Master Turtle!"
The music had long since stopped, but his words echoed throughout the venue, and a bunch of busybodies immediately started cheering and shouting "Young Master Turtle! Young Master Turtle!" The atmosphere was indeed incredibly high, but not because of singing; rather, it was because they were getting high by trampling on Young Master Lin's dignity!
Luo Chen picked up his wine glass and downed it in one gulp, wiping his mouth and laughing, "It's my birthday today, I'm having a blast! Put it all on my tab, order whatever you want!"
Xu Zifan had intended to deal with those two idiots himself, but to his surprise, they resolved the matter with just one sentence. After the fight, everyone lost interest in continuing. Luo Chen and Jiang Dong had a couple more drinks with everyone before preparing to leave.
Luo Chen kicked aside the cursing Lin Shao, pulled Mo Jiani up, and smiled at Xu Zifan, "Brother Fan, how was it? I did alright, right? Shall we go back?"
Everyone present was curious about Xu Zifan's true identity, wondering why Luo Chen was protecting him so much and treating him with such respect. Didn't Xu Xiaoxiao just say he was just a poor relative?
Xu Zifan turned to Jiang Tianxin and asked, "Have you had enough fun? Shall we go back?"
Jiang Tianxin nodded. "Let's go, Master."
The crowd parted to make way for them, and someone suddenly remembered and exclaimed, "Isn't Miss Jiang's master the abbot of Qingfeng Temple? The one who's been all the rage lately!"
"Holy crap! Really? That guy was a master??? He didn't seem like one. He looked more like the young master that some family just found."
"But Miss Jiang did call him 'Master.' Look at how respectful Young Master Luo and Young Master Jiang are. Who else in the entire city of Yanjing, in the entire country, can command such respect from them? I heard that master saved Young Master Luo and Young Master Jiang's lives, and they even became disciples at a Taoist temple! I'm pretty sure it's him!"
"My God, he's so young! Do you think he's really that talented? Could he have a master or something? I can't believe it."
The discussion started. Lin Shao, whose leg was in so much pain he couldn't get up, was finally helped to his feet. Hearing these words, his face contorted in anger. He suddenly looked at Xu Xiaoxiao and Xu Zhe, demanding, "What exactly happened?"
Xu Xiaoxiao and Xu Zhe were also dumbfounded, stammering, "Impossible! He's Xu Zifan, a jinx. He killed his own father and grandparents, and even his mother ran away. He... he's a jinx, he can't possibly be some kind of master..."
Someone overheard their conversation and, unafraid of Lin Shao's sneer, said, "If he's so cursed, why didn't he bring misfortune to Young Master Luo and Young Master Jiang? He lies without even thinking. Where did this idiot come from? How could someone so revered by two powerful families be a jinx? He must be a genuine master. Wake up!"
Lin Shao's face turned pale. After regaining his footing, he raised his hand and slapped Xu Xiaoxiao across the face. Pointing at them, he roared, "Drag them to the back alley and beat them! Break their legs! Let's go!"
Lin Shao had never been so humiliated in his life. He couldn't stand it any longer and was helped away, limping away. In the crowd, someone boldly called out "Turtle Young Master" in a low voice. He turned around but couldn't find the person. He was furious! The Xu siblings became his punching bags and suffered the consequences.
Xu Xiaoxiao and Xu Zhe cried and screamed, but they were still dragged into the back alley and beaten on the ground.
No one disobeyed Young Master Lin's orders. He said to break their legs, and they did. After everyone left, the two of them were lying on the ground, covered in cold sweat and on the verge of losing consciousness.
In the dead of night, the noise from the bar could not be heard at all from the back alley separated by a wall. Just as the Xu siblings were about to faint, a person emerged from the shadows and sighed, "Both of them are pitiful, cursed by a jinx."
The two opened their eyes sharply, straining to see his face, but couldn't make out his features. "W-what did you say?"
"I said, you two are pitiful. It's clearly that person's fate that's bad, but it's you relatives who suffer."
Terrified, Xu Xiaoxiao grabbed his trouser leg and cried, "Who are you? What do you know? What are we going to do?"
The person crouched down, touched the top of her head, and said in a strange yet gentle voice, with an extreme allure, "Don't be afraid, I can save you."