The group partied late into the night before returning to the hotel. Both Shen Jingbin and Zhao Chengningâs cars were parked in the hotelâs carpark, so they followed the rest of them back to the hotel as well.
They werenât the only ones who were having a late night out. Just before reaching the hotel, they ran into another group of people who looked like they were having a guild meetup as well.
Said group was now trailing behind them, and it was clear that theyâd had one cup too many. It was the middle of the night, but they were still belting out a merry little tune at the top of their lungs. Shen Jingbin did her best to figure out what song they were singing, but alas, try as she might, she wasnât able to even after some time had passed.
"Donât worry, youâre a much better singer than they are," Zhao Chengning suddenly said as he lowered his head and whispered to her; a smile playing on his lips.
Much to the surprise of everyone in Jade Sea Pavilion, it turned out that the perfect beauty, Shen Jingbin, had no talent for singing whatsoever! Although one couldnât say that her singing was bad to the point of her being tone deaf, it was just very... average. In Shen Jingchenâs words, it was: a waste of a perfectly good set of vocal chords.
Shen Jingbinâs eyes narrowed in anger and she gave his shoulder a hard squeeze. "Was that a compliment or an insult?"
Grinning, Zhao Chengning pulled her into his embrace.
Shortly after, a man suddenly jogged up to them and asked, "Excuse me, may I know which guild you guys are from?"
Pure Crane and Qi Mu brought up the rear of the group, while Shen Jingbin and Zhao Chengning stood at the forefront. Interest piqued by the commotion, they stopped in their tracks and turned back to find out what was happening.
The person whoâd approached them turned out to be a young man. He wasnât all that handsome, but he had a rather likable face. At the moment, his cheeks were a little flushed, likely due to him drinking beforehand.
Upon noticing the puzzled looks on their faces, the youth scratched his head and flashed a candid smile. "I uh, was feeling a little curious since I saw so many people in front of me, so I decided to come over and ask where you guys were from. Would you mind telling me? We can party up in the future if we ever bump into one another~"
Likely due to how frank the youth was, Pure Crane decided to give him a proper response. "The few of us are from Bronze Tree."
The youth appeared a little bewildered when he heard the words âBronze Treeâ, but realization dawned upon his face shortly after. "Oh, itâs the same Bronze Tree that formed an alliance with Jade Sea Pavilion, right? Looks like my luckâs pretty good today! Are the people in the front part of your guild as well?"
Pure Crane glanced in the direction the youth was referring to and figured that he was probably talking about Sheng Jingbin and Zhao Chengning. Just as he was about to reply, a man wearing a tuxedo walked up to them.
"Hey, whatâre you doing?"
Shen Jingbinâs eyes narrowed the moment she heard the manâs voice. It turned out to be the one whoâd challenged her and Zhao Chengning to a competition in the day, only to leave with his tail between his legs when he lost.
Qi Muâs gaze was fixed on the man, the corners of her eyes slightly red.
Shen Jingbin motioned at Qi Mu with her chin. "Have a look at Qi Mu." Puzzled, Zhao Chengning turned his attention to Qi Mu.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
The youthâs expression brightened when he spotted the other man. He grabbed the manâs hand and raised his voice. "Bro, these people play > too!"
The man gave an emphatic grunt before giving Pure Crane and company a casual sweeping glance. When he saw Qi Mu, he paused for a moment and knitted his brows, almost as if he were considering something.
"Excuse me Miss, have we met before?"
Qi Muâs expression darkened for the first time today. "Sorry, but your method of picking up girls is way too old fashioned."
The manâs face twitched for a moment before he turned his attention away from her. It was then that he noticed Shen Jingbin and Zhao Chengning who were slightly further behind, and realization dawned upon his face. He immediately stepped past Pure Crane and company and presented himself before Shen Jingbin. "So, we meet again."
Shen Jingbin almost wanted to roll her eyes, but Zhao Chengning jumped in before she could do anything. "And you are...? Have we met before?"
The manâs face twitched yet again. "I, Iâm from..."
But, he was interrupted before he could finish.
"Sorry, but itâs late, and we have to head back and get some rest. Could you please step aside?" Unexpectedly, the one who spoke up was Qi Mu.
The man looked over to Qi Mu and was faced with her darkened expression and his cousinâs look of obliviousness. He gave an awkward laugh and said, "Haha, my apologies. Where are my manners... Iâm Dragonâs Claw from Majestic, and this is my little brother, Wyvern. Letâs party up in the future if we get the chance."
Qi Mu butted in once again and said, "Weâll see."
Dragonâs Claw didnât have anything to say this time. His face was scrunched up in displeasure as Zhao Chengningâs group glanced at him with either indifference or curiosity as they walked off.
"Bro, did you do something to offend them? Why does it look like that girl has something against you?"
Dragonâs Claw found that rather curious too. "I donât even know who they are, or what guild theyâre from. How could I possibly have offended them?! What did you say to them beforehand?"
"Ah, I just asked them which guild they were from. They told me they were from Bronze Tree."
"Bronze Tree..." It felt like something was on the tip of his tongue, but before he had the chance to recall what it was, the rest of his companions caught up to him.