Lin Xia's gaze lingered on the uniquely designed belt for a brief moment before understanding dawned on him.
Tang San and Xiao Wu.
The wheels of fate truly followed their stubborn course. Even after six years apart, they had ultimately arrived here together.
A faint ripple passed through Lin Xia's heart memories of his previous life, the so-called ordained destiny, and the hypocrisy of this world's protagonist.
But those thoughts were like pebbles cast into a deep lake. They stirred only a few ripples before sinking into silence.
What does it have to do with me?
Lin Xia remained indifferent.
He had long since stepped beyond the boundaries of that predetermined script, forging his own path, one capable of reshaping the entire continent.
Whatever future awaited Tang San, whether he continued along the destiny originally laid out for him, was merely one of countless parallel paths on this continent as far as Lin Xia was concerned.
He had his own road to walk, his own ambitions to fulfill, and the people beside him whom he intended to protect.
Subconsciously, he tightened his grip on Zhu Zhuqing's hand, intending to lead her down another street and avoid this chance encounter.
However, he immediately sensed the beautiful woman beside him suddenly stiffen.
Zhu Zhuqing stopped in her tracks.
Her cool, feline eyes locked onto a certain direction. Deep within her pupils, it was as though ice was rapidly crystallizing. An icy aura spread uncontrollably from her body, causing passersby nearby to shiver inexplicably.
Lin Xia clearly felt the chill of her fingers, along with the killing intent that erupted from her so suddenly it was almost tangible.
His expression grew serious as he immediately followed her gaze.
Opposite the street corner where Tang San and Xiao Wu had just disappeared, on a broader avenue, three figures were strolling forward as if no one else existed around them.
Their destination also appeared to be the flower-covered establishment known as the Rose Hotel.
The first two were tall, graceful young women with alluring figures. They looked to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, and their faces were almost identical, making it obvious they were twin sisters.
They wore matching dresses in different colors, one a fiery crimson, the other a delicate peach pink. Their makeup was exquisite, and every glance they cast carried a practiced charm and deliberate seductiveness.
They clung intimately to the man between them, letting out sweet bursts of laughter without the slightest concern for the surrounding crowd.
The man they surrounded stood nearly 1.9 meters tall, even half a head taller than Lin Xia.
Broad-shouldered and powerfully built, he wore an impeccably tailored white robe trimmed with gold. His long golden hair flowed like liquid sunlight, hanging straight down to his waist.
His face was strikingly handsome, almost as though carved from flawless marble, possessing a unique blend of rugged masculinity and devilish charm.
Yet the most astonishing feature was his eyes.
They were a pair of deep blue eyes.
Each bearing double pupils.
Those sinister eyes were half-open as they swept over everything around them with cold superiority and undisguised desire.
It wasn't the coldness of pride, but the indifference of someone who looked down upon all others from the depths of his very soul, coupled with the predatory aura of a hunter.
Anyone caught beneath that gaze instinctively felt a chill run through them.
Dai Mubai.
Lin Xia recognized that face instantly, along with those unmistakable Evil Eyes with their double pupils.
Although his bearing had changed dramatically since his youth, the wickedness and arrogance rooted deep within him had only grown stronger.
This was the man Zhu Zhuqing had come to find, her fiancé in name.
The Third Prince of the Star Luo Empire.
Dai Mubai.
Sometimes the world truly was that small.
And fate could be cruelly ironic.
They had only just arrived in Soto City. They hadn't even had time to drink a single cup of water before unexpectedly running into Dai Mubai at the busiest intersection in the city.
And finding him thoroughly enjoying himself.
Lin Xia immediately understood.
The icy killing intent that had exploded from Zhu Zhuqing wasn't directed at him.
It stemmed entirely from the scene unfolding before her.
Rather than immediately pulling Zhu Zhuqing away, Lin Xia silently tightened his grip on her hand, allowing the warmth of his palm to flow into hers.
At the same time, he shifted slightly, using his own body to block part of the line of sight that might otherwise fall upon Zhu Zhuqing, as though erecting an invisible shield around her.
Zhu Zhuqing's breathing became slightly uneven, her chest rising and falling.
Within her eyes, fixed unwaveringly upon Dai Mubai, there was not only bone-deep coldness.
But also an overwhelming tide of utter contempt.
"Heh..."
Lin Xia spoke at just the right moment. In a low voice filled with playful teasing yet gentle reassurance, he whispered into her ear.
"What's wrong, Zhuqing? Stunned speechless?"
Though he already knew the answer, he deliberately asked in a relaxed tone, trying to ease the almost frozen tension.
Zhu Zhuqing's body remained rigid, her gaze fixed on Dai Mubai like icy spears.
Dai Mubai seemed completely unaware of the extraordinary young man and woman standing at the street corner. Most of his attention remained on the two beautiful women beside him. Whenever he casually glanced at the pedestrians around him, his Evil Eyes still carried their usual indifference and contempt.
Several seconds passed before Zhu Zhuqing finally seemed to find her voice again. It was as cold as the bitter winds of the far north, carrying a profound sense of absurdity.
"Brother Lin Xia..."
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to tear her eyes away from Dai Mubai before turning to Lin Xia. Flames of anger burned within her beautiful feline eyes.
"I just feel does Dai Mubai really have something wrong with his head?"
"He clearly knows that Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun, my elder sister are lurking like two venomous snakes in the shadows, constantly waiting for an opportunity to kill him! He clearly knows how cruel the Star Luo Imperial Family's succession competition is!"
"He knows perfectly well that his cowardly escape has shifted all of the pressure onto me. Yet he actually..."
"He can still parade around the city so carefree and at ease with a pair of twin sisters! In broad daylight, in front of everyone, going off to do something so... so..."
She couldn't find a more fitting word to describe it. Or perhaps the scene itself was simply too disgusting and humiliating for her to put into words.
"Is this his way of announcing that he's completely given up? Or is he using this kind of self-indulgence to numb himself? Or is he simply a complete fool who only knows how to satisfy his own desires?"
Zhu Zhuqing's voice suddenly rose sharply, carrying a trace of desperate anguish.
"Fortunately, I'm going to break off the engagement! Fortunately, I met you, Brother Lin Xia!"
She suddenly tightened her grip on Lin Xia's hand, holding it with all her strength as though seeking her final source of support and salvation. Her fingernails even dug slightly into the back of his hand.
"Otherwise..."
Her voice softened, filled with lingering fear and relief.
"I truly would have been dragged down by him. His stupidity, cowardice, and indulgence would have pulled me into an abyss of no return. I would have become the first and most tragic sacrifice in the Star Luo Imperial Family's cruel game."
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