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34.72% Loving You Means Having You / Chapter 25: A Clash at Maple Evening Tower

章 25: A Clash at Maple Evening Tower

Back in the family car, Lucius gave a simple command: "Maple Evening Tower." As the driver started the car, Scarlett turned to Jack, who was wearing a mask, and softly asked, "Did the doc say your wound shouldn't be exposed to the wind?"

Jack, annoyed by the pile of meds prescribed by the doc, didn't respond. Lucius, sitting shotgun, quietly said, "It shouldn't be exposed to people."

Scarlett instantly got it. The kid had a vanity streak. She had always thought he didn't care about his looks, but it turned out he knew he was a looker.

Jack looked out the window and muttered, "You two go to the restaurant first."

Scarlett asked, "What about you?"

Jack replied, "The person you're always thinking about is right next to you. Why do you always drag me along?"

Scarlett didn't expect Jack to say that. With Lucius sitting in front of her, any misunderstanding could be huge. After thinking it over, she calmly replied, "Alright, I won't ask you anymore. There's no need to push me into the river just because you're embarrassed."

Jack didn't add insult to injury, and Scarlett didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

After about ten minutes, the car stopped in front of a tastefully decorated building. It wasn't tall, only five stories, but it had a large storefront and luxury cars lined the ground. Scarlett remembered this place from her first day in Deep City. Mia Chan and her father had dined here. The place was expensive, with an average cost of two to three grand per person. Mia, used to being frugal, joked that she would spend every penny from Old Chan's wallet.

When the car stopped, only Lucius and Scarlett got out. The driver took Jack away. Scarlett, not wanting to be alone with Lucius in the middle of the night, subtly asked, "Where did Jack go?"

Lucius replied, "To the mall, to buy a hat."

Scarlett was surprised and couldn't help but laugh, "He's so vain."

Jack had a wound near his eye that the mask couldn't cover. He was going to buy a hat in the middle of the night because he thought it looked bad.

Knowing that Jack would be back soon, Scarlett felt relieved and followed Lucius inside.

Lucius seemed to be a regular here. As soon as the doorman saw him, he greeted him with a smile, "Good evening, Mr. Zhou," and also smiled at Scarlett, giving her an extra glance.

Lucius was wearing a shirt and casual trousers, while Scarlett was more down-to-earth, wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants, her half-dry hair casually twisted behind her head, and her face bare.

They were standing a step apart from each other, maintaining a clear distance. Their behavior was not intimate, but inexplicably ambiguous. What kind of woman would walk beside Lucius without makeup? Either before bed or after.

Lucius walked ahead confidently. A group of men and women appeared a few meters ahead, seemingly just out of a private dining room after dinner. The man leading the group was tall, about the same height as Lucius. He was casually dressed, sporting a retro 'heart-shaped fringe' hairstyle from the 80s and 90s, and had very fair skin. He was chatting and laughing with the people around him, but when he saw Lucius, his smile faded slightly.

Scarlett noticed him too. Not only was he tall and fair, but his features were striking, and with his hairstyle, he looked like a character out of a comic book.

She was always sensitive and clearly felt that when this group of people saw Lucius, their smiles disappeared. Their expressions tightened, and they instinctively averted their gazes. It wasn't that they were ignoring him, but rather they didn't want to make eye contact.

Scarlett glanced at them and quickly looked away. As the two parties were about to cross paths, she subtly moved to the left, not wanting to get too close to the people approaching. The fair-skinned man had just brushed past Lucius, ignoring each other, and Scarlett thought the matter was over. But to her surprise, the man moved past Lucius and came straight towards her.

He did it on purpose. Otherwise, why would he suddenly sway in front of her when he had been walking straight all along? Scarlett felt a jolt in her heart. Before her body could react, she felt her arm being grabbed and pulled. She moved to the side with the force, but her injured right leg couldn't support her, and she instinctively reached out to grab something.

The whole incident happened in an instant. By the time Scarlett came to her senses, she realized she had fallen into Lucius. One of her arms was being held by him, and the other was draped across his chest, clutching his shirt.

This position was too embarrassing and too intimate. She quickly stepped aside, enduring the pain, and Lucius let go of her arm, his facial expression stern as he glared at the fair-skinned man.

Indeed, Scarlett held grudges. She had already silently given the man a nickname in her heart: Little Gigolo.

Seeing the situation, Little Gigolo smirked, his smile not reaching his eyes, and said, "Why such a big reaction? Did I step on your head?"

Lucius replied in a deep voice, "Are you asking for trouble?"

Little Gigolo remained unfazed, glanced at Scarlett standing next to Lucius, and after three seconds said, "You were the one in the car last time, weren't you?"

Scarlett watched him warily but remained silent.

Little Gigolo's smile deepened as he looked back at Lucius, "No wonder you ran like the wind. You had 'urgent business' at home."

Lucius said, "If you want to die, just say it.I'm ready whenever you are."

Little Gigolo provoked, "Your new love is here. Would you dare to die?"

Lucius's aura was heavy. Without a word, he moved. The people behind Little Gigolo were visibly nervous, like they were facing a great enemy. Scarlett instinctively reached out to stop him, "Lucius..."

She stood in front of Lucius, effectively placing herself between him and Little Gigolo. Lucius's gaze passed over Scarlett, his cold eyes staring at the man in front of him, "Get lost."

There were also people behind the man quietly persuading him, "Easton, stop messing around."

He fearlessly met Lucius's gaze. After a few seconds of eye contact, he suddenly lowered his gaze to Scarlett, smiled, and asked, "What's your name?"

Scarlett was afraid he would continue to cause trouble, and Lucius would definitely fight back. Two fights in one day would be too much for anyone, let alone her, who was currently injured.

With a stern face, she looked at Little Gigolo and said, "Can you leave now?"

Little Gigolo's eyes twinkled with amusement. He deliberately lowered his voice and said in a flirtatious tone, "I'll remember that. Since you asked me to leave, I'll go."

With that, he gave Lucius a mocking look. Before leaving, he dropped one last comment, "Your woman is really obedient, answering every question."

Scarlett watched the man's retreating figure, finally realizing that he was the owner of the red sports car from before. He had been provoking Lucius all along. If she hadn't intervened, the whole street might have turned into their battleground.

As she was lost in thought, Lucius had already turned around and walked inside. Scarlett followed him into a private room, and a waiter came in. After he ordered, the waiter nodded and left.

As soon as the door closed, Lucius's low voice filled the room, 'You answered his every question. What is he to you?'

Scarlett sat across from Lucius, separated by a large round table. She could still feel his anger. It seemed he wouldn't let this go.

Scarlett kept a neutral expression and replied, "He's nothing to me."


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章 26: Easton Rivers  

"Keep your distance from him," Lucius warned.

Scarlett thought to herself, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't even be in the same universe. She nodded obediently, "Understood."

Lucius had a deep aversion to the pretty boy, barely wanting to mention him. Scarlett, being perceptive, naturally didn't ask further, but quietly took note.

Not long after, the door to the private room was pushed open from the outside. Jack, fully armed with a hat and mask, appeared. Scarlett looked at him for two seconds before asking, "Why the sour face?"

Jack pulled out a chair and replied gruffly, "The paparazzi are nuts."

Scarlett laughed, "With your getup, they must think you're a celebrity."

Jack retorted, "They're obsessed even though they're not sure what I look like. They're crazy."

Scarlett poured him a drink and spun it over to him on the lazy Susan, "Have a drink to cool off."

Listening to their conversation, Lucius finally understood why Jack had a different view of Scarlett. She could tell from a face that was almost entirely covered that Jack was unhappy. This was either extraordinary sensitivity or mind-reading.

Scarlett was relieved to have Jack there. His presence made the situation more bearable. And truth be told, she enjoyed his company more than Lucius'.

Midway through, Scarlett excused herself from the private room to pay the bill at the front desk. The cashier was as polite as usual, but as soon as Scarlett left, she immediately started gossiping with the person next to her, "Hey, hey, hey, what's going on? The woman from room 106 is paying."

"Is it Lucius' card?"

"No, I've seen Lucius' card."

"Maybe it's a card Lucius gave her."

"…Oh, right."

"New girlfriend? She dares to go out without makeup. I took a closer look just now, it seems she hasn't had any plastic surgery, and she's naturally pretty."

"Could Lucius pick someone who's not attractive? If she wasn't good-looking, he wouldn't keep her around."

"Ah, I wonder how long this one will last."

"Don't worry about it. Lucius is the constant, and his girlfriends are the variables. But hey, it's not our job to guess."

"Ah, sometimes I feel life is so unfair. Not only is he rich and powerful, but he's also so handsome…"

"Look at you, all starry-eyed. Do you want to throw yourself at him?"

"I want to! Why wouldn't I? If not Lucius, Easton would do."

"You're really something. You're not beautiful, but you dream big. You're not brave, but you're daring. You're eyeing everyone, you're shameless…"

Scarlett left the private room with Lucius and Jack. Seeing Lucius heading towards the front desk, Scarlett said, "Mr. Zhou, I've already paid."

A flash of surprise crossed Lucius's eyes, "Trying to make us owe you a favor?"

Scarlett smiled faintly, "It's only right since I've taken advantage of you."

As they were talking, the three of them arrived outside the restaurant. Scarlett didn't plan to take the Zhou family's car and said her goodbyes in advance, "Take care, see you tomorrow."

Lucius said, "You don't need to come for the next few days. Let Jack recover from his illness."

Scarlett immediately responded, "That's a good idea. Jack, remember to take your medicine on time. See you in a few days."

Jack, fully covered, didn't show any expression, but one could imagine that he was not pleased under his mask. He didn't say a word. Scarlett smiled as she watched the two of them get into the car. Only when the car had driven away did she hail a taxi to go home.

The place she rented was in a good location, only five subway stops away from the company. However, it was an old residential area with just a few buildings and no security. The safety of hundreds of residents depended on a sixty-year-old man on duty at the entrance. The old man had a good routine, turning off the lights and going to bed at nine o'clock sharp every night. As long as no one was robbing him directly, he could sleep soundly until dawn.

Usually, Scarlett didn't feel anything was amiss, but tonight, with Young Song suddenly showing up, she couldn't help but think about what might have happened if Jack hadn't come, or rather, if Lucius hadn't come.

As she was going upstairs, Scarlett quietly took out an electric self-defense tool from her bag. She had been carrying this since her first day at the Zhou family's house. As she walked, she heard faint footsteps behind her. She didn't turn around, but she was on high alert. The breathing sounded like a man's, and it was getting closer and closer. Finally, when he was about to catch up with her, Scarlett swiftly turned around, holding the electric baton in front of her.

The man was startled and took two steps back. Scarlett took a closer look, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Ryan leaned against the wall, looked at Scarlett, then at the electric baton in her hand, and swallowed, "Why are you overreacting?"

Scarlett said, "You should be glad I didn't just jab you with it."

Ryan said, "I saw you in the neighborhood just now and wanted to give you a scare. You really jumped."

Scarlett, feeling a bit more at ease after seeing Ryan, put away the electric baton. As she continued upstairs, she said, "Don't play this kind of joke on single women. It's life-threatening."

Ryan followed behind, grumbling, "Don't generalize. You're the only dangerous single woman."

Scarlett changed the subject, "How did the other single woman do tonight?"

Ryan knew Scarlett was referring to Mia and said, "The negotiation went smoothly. We should be celebrating with a meal in the next couple of days."

"It's good that you were there for a business talk with a bunch of men." Scarlett said.

"Unnecessary. I took a look. All these people are trying to curry favor with Lucius. They wouldn't dare to mess around." Ryan said.

"As long as the opening goes smoothly." Scarlett said.

Ryan joked, "I told her she's riding on your coattails."

"She must have retorted that you're not even as good as a dog or a chicken." Scarlett said.

"Those who know her, know you too." Ryan said.

The two of them climbed up to the fifth floor, each standing at their own door fishing for keys. Ryan, who had drunk more than half a catty of white wine, suddenly realized something and turned to ask, "Where did you go this late at night?"

Scarlett, halfway through opening the door, calmly replied, "Jack invited me out for dinner."

Ryan was about to say something when Scarlett's phone rang. It was Mia. She promptly answered the call, giving Ryan a look that said 'go to sleep.'

Mia, who had also had quite a bit to drink, excitedly gossiped with Scarlett about the dinner party that night, painting a beautiful picture of the future while thanking her for her fearless spirit in venturing into the tiger's den for the sake of her best friend.

Scarlett sat on the couch, the phone on speaker, spraying medicine on her leg while chiming in.

Mia kept mentioning Lucius. Scarlett asked, "Do you know if Lucius has any enemies in the city?"

"There are plenty." Mia replied.

Scarlett said, "I think it's something Easton."

Mia was puzzled, "Easton Rivers?"

Scarlett said, "I heard people call him Easton. He's tall and fair-skinned, like a pretty boy."

Mia, who had sobered up quite a bit, quickly asked, "You've met Easton Rivers?"

Scarlett briefly explained the encounter with Easton while having dinner with Lucius this night, leaving out the part about Young Song to avoid startling Mia and having her come over in the middle of the night to keep her company.

Mia on the other end was slapping the bathtub, exclaiming, "It's Easton Rivers! It's him!"

"Who is he?" Scarlett inquired.

"One of the three evils who can compete with Lucius for the top spot. Lucius's number one enemy!" Mia replied.


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