Chapter Fifty-Four: Shameless

Half a month slipped by in the blink of an eye.

During this period, the grand event of the Luo Tian Dajiao grew ever more feverish as anticipation mounted. Online forums brimmed with posts—questions, predictions—appearing one after another. Whenever you opened an app, a flood of related news would greet you.

---

Tianjin, Binhai Airport.

"Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle, I’m not late, am I?"

The lounge door swung open. Li Ziyuan entered, dragging a petite suitcase, her greeting timid as she addressed the group.

"Not at all, come in and have a seat," Xu San said, quickly rising to make room on the sofa for her.

Xu Si nodded in greeting.

"Ziyuan is an employee of our company," he explained, "and she goes to the same university as Chulan, a freshman."

He then turned to introduce Feng Baobao and Zhang Chulan. "This is Zhang Chulan, a sophomore at your university, and this is Feng Baobao."

Li Ziyuan obediently greeted them, "Hello, Senior Chulan. Hello, Sister Baobao."

"Hello," Feng Baobao responded, reaching out her hand with a blank expression, more out of habit than enthusiasm.

Zhang Chulan rubbed his chin, sizing up the girl before him—she looked a few years younger, her face radiant with youthful energy. "You’re from South Open University too?"

He couldn’t help but show his surprise. "With looks like yours, you’d at least be a campus belle. I’m surprised I haven’t heard of you."

Li Ziyuan smiled shyly. "After enrolling, I was often pulled out by Third Uncle for assignments to gain experience. Even when I had free time, I mostly stayed in my dorm. It’s not strange that you don’t know me."

No wonder, Zhang Chulan thought. Her routine sounded a lot like his own—small circles, few close friends, detached from the world outside.

"But I’ve seen you at school, Senior," she continued. "You’re Zhang Chulan, sophomore in the Civil Engineering Department, right?"

Zhang Chulan wasn’t surprised she knew his name. He’d gained some notoriety in the supernatural community lately.

If she could even name his department and year, she’d clearly seen him around campus. The thought lifted his spirits—who would have thought, besides Baobao, another girl actually paid attention to him? For someone single since birth, Zhang Chulan felt as if his bleak life finally had a new spark of meaning.

"By the way, Senior Chulan, are you and Sister Baobao also participating in this Luo Tian Dajiao?" Li Ziyuan asked curiously.

"Yeah," Zhang Chulan replied, but hearing her address him as "Senior" made his skin crawl.

Li Ziyuan looked envious. "That’s amazing, being able to spar with so many young elites."

"It’s alright, I guess," Zhang Chulan scratched his head awkwardly. "You can just call me Zhang Chulan. The 'Senior' bit feels awkward—I’m not really used to it."

The incident with Liu Yanyan had left a lasting psychological shadow on him; any honorifics like "Senior" or “Brother” made him uncomfortable.

Li Ziyuan didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just his personal preference. Suddenly remembering something, she pulled out her phone. "Oh right, Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle, have you seen this?"

"What is it?" Xu San took the phone, puzzled. But after glancing at the screen, his expression grew grave.

"What’s wrong?" Xu Si, noticing his change, set aside his bikini magazine.

Xu San pushed his glasses up. "Master Lingyu posted something on his private social account."

"Oh?" Xu Si perked up. "Zhang Lingyu? What did he say?"

Xu San shrugged and handed over the phone. Xu Si focused on the screen, then let out a low whistle.

['Luo Tian Dajiao is just a solo show.']

Now that was brazen—one sentence offending most of the participants.

Xu Si couldn’t help but laugh. "That guy’s as arrogant as ever."

But it was understandable. After all, he was the last disciple of the Grandmaster, and one of the most likely candidates to succeed the Heavenly Master’s mantle. Pride was to be expected—who hadn’t been a little reckless in youth?

"Fourth Bro, are we still waiting for someone? The plane’s about to take off," Zhang Chulan, growing impatient, asked, glancing at his watch.

"Let’s wait a bit longer. They should be here soon," Xu Si replied, cigarette between his lips.

Zhang Chulan grumbled, "Who are we waiting for, anyway? You’re being all mysterious—this is some serious star treatment."

Xu Si just gave a cryptic smile.

"Sorry I’m late."

Amid their conversation, the lounge door opened once more. In walked Ye Yan, dressed casually.

Xu Si stood, his tone half-mocking. "At last, you grace us with your presence."

"Sorry, sorry," Ye Yan said helplessly. "I drove here. There was an accident on the expressway, so it took a while."

Xu Si clapped his hands for attention. "Let me introduce you all—this is Ye Yan, the new intern at our North China Branch. Like Baobao, he’ll be partnering with Chulan at the Luo Tian Dajiao."

He turned to Ye Yan. "No need for extra introductions, right? You know Baobao and Chulan; you’re familiar enough with Xu San; and this young lady is your new partner. You’ve spoken before, haven’t you?"

"Yes," Ye Yan nodded, a bit surprised that his partner turned out to be the girl he’d met once before.

"It’s you?" Li Ziyuan was clearly surprised.

She hadn’t expected her new partner, arranged by Xu Si, to be him. Zhang Chulan, meanwhile, was practically gaping.

"Damn, Fourth Bro, you managed to rope in a big shot like him for the front line?"

"You really will stop at nothing for victory—no shame at all!"

Xu Si was speechless. Anyone else saying that, he’d let it slide, but coming from Zhang Chulan, it was pure slander.

"You’re not happy I went out of my way to pull in help?" Xu Si retorted. "Want me to tell Ye Yan to forget about it?"

He half-joked, half-mocked.

But Zhang Chulan immediately panicked. "No, no, Fourth Bro, I was just kidding. Please don’t take it seriously—I was only joking."

He was aiming for big points—passing up a big shot would be out of character.

To prove his sincerity, he even forced himself to add, "I, Zhang Chulan, have always respected those who know no shame."

Xu Si: "…"