Chapter 38: Deception
“What are you so happy about?”
Wang Yan, dressed sharply and looking smug, suddenly appeared from nowhere.
He had also been invited to Xiao Yun’s birthday this time.
It could be said that the small circle from Qinshan Library was now fully gathered.
“Someone’s jealous.”
Qin Shiyu, a cute girl with dimples when she smiled, explained casually.
“Who’s jealous?”
Wang Yan looked around curiously, trying to guess who was jealous.
“Alright, stop joking around. You really took it seriously?”
Seeing Xiao Lei’s unhappy face, Zhou Ming quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
After that, everyone stopped talking about the topic.
After all, Xiao Lei’s status was different now, and they had to take care not to embarrass him.
Even Xiao Yun teased Zhou Ming about how his outfit didn’t match his personality, though as an older sister, she still felt sorry for her little brother.
“Isn’t it just so I don’t embarrass you? If it weren’t for all these people, I’d be fine wearing a tank top.”
That sentence immediately made everyone laugh.
They started chatting idly and soon melted into the cheerful atmosphere.
Not far away, a few well-dressed young elites were watching Zhou Ming’s group.
“So those are Xiao Yun’s friends?”
A young man with a deep, composed demeanor holding a glass of red wine glanced over and began chatting with his companions.
“Seems like they all met at the library. Those two guys — one’s an orphan, and the other’s family runs a small construction business in the outer city. I heard both recently became Beast Tamers.”
A young man with rimless glasses replied simply.
“Such good luck.”
Another young man, whose eyes gleamed sharply, spoke — though it was unclear whether he meant that Zhou Ming and Wang Yan were lucky to become Beast Tamers with ordinary talent, or lucky to have known Xiao Yun before the Xiao family’s rise.
“What, are you planning to cause them trouble? I think that good-looking guy seems quite close to Xiao Yun.”
The one holding the wine glass spoke with a smirk.
“Brother Zheng, don’t mess with me. You afraid I’ll get in the way of your chase for Xiao Yun?”
After saying that, he looked himself over and added,
“I really am better looking than you.”
“Hahaha.”
The group, all from the same social circle, burst into laughter.
As for the earlier talk about giving Zhou Ming trouble, none of them took it seriously.
They were indeed pursuing Xiao Yun for strategic reasons, but they weren’t foolish enough to use dirty tricks.
The reason was simple — they wanted to win Xiao Yun’s heart, then pull Xiao Lei onto their family’s side.
Picking trouble with Zhou Ming would only push Xiao Yun away.
Not only would it gain them nothing, it would create a grudge.
Now that the Xiao family had a Transcendent Master–rank Beast Tamer as their backing, none of them dared act rashly.
Everyone knew that a Transcendent Master–rank Beast Tamer had enough power to single-handedly attack a mid-sized base, or leave at will if they wished — they could even fly freely by relying solely on their own ability.
However, not everyone had that level of sense.
Some nouveau riche heirs and spoiled young masters from great families quietly noted Zhou Ming’s name — the one most closely connected to Xiao Yun.
But even they weren’t completely brainless.
In this kind of setting, they could only endure it for now — at least they wouldn’t make a scene in front of Xiao Yun.
When Xiao Yun’s parents approached Zhou Ming and his group, they gave a brief explanation before taking Xiao Yun away.
The banquet officially began.
Xiao Yun’s birthday celebration and Xiao Lei’s farewell banquet had merged into a social stage for the upper class.
Feeling out of place in this atmosphere, Zhou Ming found a chance to say goodbye to Xiao Yun near the end of the event.
Xiao Yun wasn’t upset about his leaving; instead, she felt apologetic that the banquet had turned out this way.
However, she also said that receiving Zhou Ming’s gift already made her very happy — she even raised her hand to show off the jade bracelet he had given her.
When Zhou Ming left, Wang Yan chose to stay behind.
After all, mingling with these people might help his father’s business in the future — being a familiar face always made dealings smoother.