Chapter 79: The Little Beauty, Su Ci

"It's been so long since we last met—won't you give me a hug?" Qiu Ze's smile remained unchanged, his every gesture carefully curated to showcase his most flawless image. As he spoke, his bright eyes stayed fixed on Li Ruotong, as if Li Huan and Sun Feifei, seated nearby, were nothing more than inconsequential background figures.

Li Ruotong hesitated for a moment before finally standing up. Her expression remained largely unchanged as she gave Qiu Ze a brief embrace. They parted almost instantly; the contact was minimal and entirely formal, following Western etiquette, devoid of any lingering sentiment.

Qiu Ze, however, was unbothered. To have embraced his goddess at all was already satisfying. As for how to coax her into his bed, that would require patience—and that, he had in abundance. He had always been someone adept at seizing opportunity, skilled at revealing his most charming side to any kind of woman.

"You’re as beautiful as ever. I suspect tonight, many ladies will stow away their former pride," Qiu Ze said, taking his seat and unabashedly flattering Li Ruotong.

Li Ruotong smiled, accepting his words without false modesty. She had always possessed that self-assurance and saw no reason to feign humility before others. Still, she accepted the compliment in silence, offering nothing more.

Seeing that she said nothing, Qiu Ze finally turned his gaze toward Li Huan and Sun Feifei. His face remained impassive as he looked at Li Huan, offering only a confident smile and a slight nod. But when his eyes landed on Sun Feifei, a sudden spark lit up his gaze, and for an instant, he seemed lost, only collecting himself when he realized it.

"And these two are...?" Qiu Ze took the initiative to ask, knowing Li Ruotong would never introduce them if he didn't. She was that kind of woman—laconic, but exuding an irresistible aura of conquest. To have such a cold beauty writhing beneath him, crying out hoarsely—that was a fantasy no man could resist, and he was no exception.

"My good friend, the beautiful Sun Feifei... and this is my boyfriend, Li Huan..." Li Ruotong offered a simple introduction. As she mentioned Li Huan, she suddenly slipped her hand through his arm, her face adopting an exaggeratedly blissful expression. The display caused Qiu Ze to stiffen, his composure faltering ever so slightly.

"Very pleased to meet you both. My name is Qiu Ze—Ruotong and I have been friends since childhood." Qiu Ze stood, shaking hands with Li Huan and Sun Feifei, polite yet reserved. Despite his outward calm, the subtle allure in Sun Feifei’s features stirred something inside him, nearly making him lose control.

If Li Huan were forced to choose between Sun Feifei and Li Ruotong, he would not hesitate to pick the former. Such a woman could stir a man's deepest passions, while Li Ruotong was more the type to evoke a desire for conquest—a blend of psychological and physical possessiveness.

Qiu Ze was undoubtedly a seasoned player. Li Huan had expected him to probe into his relationship with Li Ruotong, or to test whether she was merely using the label of "boyfriend" as a pretext. But to his disappointment, Qiu Ze showed no concern over whether he and Li Ruotong were truly a couple, choosing instead to reminisce with her about childhood memories.

Li Ruotong, it seemed, was especially nostalgic about her youth. As she chatted with Qiu Ze, genuine smiles occasionally lit her face, so lovely that Li Huan’s heart raced—he had not known her smile could be so breathtaking, so quietly moving.

Li Huan found little room to join the conversation, falling silent beside Sun Feifei and sipping his champagne. Qiu Ze, undeterred, showed no embarrassment at monopolizing Li Ruotong’s attention. Occasionally, he would shift the topic to Li Huan or Sun Feifei, and whenever he did, he would make a point of showcasing his humor to Sun Feifei. Unfortunately, his heavily Westernized wit seemed to miss the mark, drawing only a polite smile from Sun Feifei.

Just then, the female host on the runway announced the commencement of the real-life jewelry show, prompting Qiu Ze to rise and excuse himself. "If you'll pardon me for a moment!"

Li Huan, anticipating the spectacle of supermodels in revealing bikinis adorned with dazzling jewels, perhaps with glittering stones nestled in deep cleavages as they leaned forward to display their exquisite figures, was suddenly distracted as a girl’s silhouette passed before him.

Snapping out of his reverie, Li Huan noticed that her back seemed oddly familiar, though he couldn’t immediately place her. He shook his head, assuming he’d mistaken her for someone else.

But at that moment, the girl, as if sensing something, turned around. Her gaze fell directly on Li Huan’s face, and she looked at him in astonishment, her lips parting in disbelief.

"It’s you?" Su Ci's delicate features looked even more striking under the lights, her large eyes fixed on Li Huan. After a long pause, she finally asked the question.

Li Huan now saw her clearly; the backlighting had cast a dreamy haze over her face, but her voice alone was enough for him to recognize her. It was because of her that he had ended up brawling with Wang Xiaogou at Dancing with Wolves.

"Yes, it’s me." Li Huan was slightly embarrassed, recalling the moment after the fight when Su Ci had lit him a cigarette. He felt a sudden, inexplicable warmth. At the time, he wasn’t sure whether his actions had been impulsive, but afterward, he’d been scared—his hands had shaken so violently he couldn’t even light his own cigarette.

It was then that this girl had quietly approached him and helped him light it. In that instant, Li Huan’s heart calmed; the world, perhaps, was not so cold after all.

"What are you doing here?" Su Ci, still surprised, walked over, her face alight with excitement—as though seeing Li Huan had genuinely made her happy.

"Ah, I’m just here with some friends," Li Huan replied casually. Though Su Ci’s words could easily be taken as dismissive, he knew that wasn’t her intent. She simply hadn’t expected to run into him here.

Only then did Su Ci glance at Sun Feifei and Li Ruotong, visibly taken aback by their beauty. Even she, usually so self-assured, was momentarily dazed before remembering to greet them.

"May I sit here?" Su Ci had originally intended to find her parents, but seeing Li Huan, she no longer wished to leave. There were some people she simply didn’t want to face.

"Of course," Li Ruotong replied graciously. Since she and Li Huan were pretending to be a couple, any girl seeking to approach her "boyfriend" ought to have her permission.

Su Ci hesitated, having meant to ask Li Huan, but she didn’t mind—it wasn’t as though she intended to steal anyone’s boyfriend. Once seated, she grew a bit awkward, and after a long pause, couldn’t help but ask, "Did that incident last time cause you a lot of trouble?"

Sun Feifei and Li Ruotong both turned to look at Su Ci, then at Li Huan, their eyes silently querying him about what had happened.

The previous event had been triggered by Su Ci. Neither Sun Feifei nor Li Ruotong were present at the time—only Assistant Manager Zhang Xiaoliu had been. When he reported to Sun Feifei, he had mentioned a girl, but she had paid little attention, more concerned about whether Li Huan would be implicated. Now, hearing Su Ci’s words, they realized it was likely because of her that Li Huan had become entangled with Brother Gou.

"It’s alright, nothing too serious," Li Huan answered honestly—he was never one to put on airs.

"I’m really sorry. I never imagined things would turn out that way. I told my father, and he said he’d ask someone to speak to Lord Gou about it." Su Ci seemed to carry a deep sense of guilt over the matter. Li Huan had only been an innocent bystander, drinking with her, yet he’d been misunderstood and dragged into trouble with Lord Gou. If blame was to be assigned, she felt she couldn’t escape responsibility.

Li Ruotong was surprised, giving Su Ci another closer look. The girl seemed vaguely familiar, though she couldn’t recall where she’d seen her before. Judging by her tone, however, it sounded as if her father wielded significant influence—enough to intervene directly with someone as formidable as Lord Gou.

"No need to apologize. What’s done is done, and none of us can change it. Life is always full of trouble of one sort or another," Li Huan replied with equanimity. Just a few days before, he might not have possessed such composure. After all, for a small-time figure like him, living in Zhonghai inevitably meant running afoul of people like Lord Gou. But now that he had the Super Transformation System, he wasn’t so concerned.

He could already feel the energy points within him had broken through two days prior. Before meeting Lord Gou, they had reached 150, though the rate of increase had since slowed. Still, they were now nearly at 300—just 200 more to reach the second level.

At the elementary "loli" level, the most direct way to gain energy points was through food, or occasionally by absorbing the essence of spiritual objects—though such items were rare. Only upon reaching the second, "mature woman" level could one absorb airborne energy particles, or even draw nourishment from living beings—but that required immense mental strength and could easily backfire. For now, Li Huan could only imagine its wonders.

It is only after obtaining true power that one’s heart grows resolute. Once, Li Huan had held a certain awe for underworld figures like Lord Gou, but now, he felt a touch of disdain.