"I'm here now, aren't I? And look, Jia Jia is here too." The young man's tone was calm and steady, without a hint of typical youthful arrogance.
"I thought you didn't recognize me anymore, Brother Xu," the girl with dyed blonde hair pouted playfully.
Ye Mo glanced at the man—refined in appearance, with a strong and heroic look—but beneath that cultured demeanor, there was an aura of fierceness, even a faint trace of killing intent.
Others might not notice it, but Ye Mo could. In his previous life, he had killed countless men and beasts. One glance was all he needed to tell: this man had killed, openly and perhaps even proudly. That aura of bloodlust couldn't be faked.
Since this had nothing to do with him, Ye Mo turned to leave. But just then, the man turned to him and extended his hand. "I'm Wang Xu. And you are?"
Ye Mo saw the playful look on Wang Xu's face and instantly understood his intent. He slowly extended his hand in response. "Ye Mo."
The happiest person watching this unfold was Su Mei. She knew Wang Xu had a habit—he liked to test people the first time he met them, especially men. He would use a handshake to gauge their strength. One time, he'd crushed a male classmate's hand, and that poor guy never dared talk to her again.
Now Wang Xu was shaking hands with Ye Mo. What would happen this time? Su Mei waited eagerly to hear Ye Mo cry out in pain.
Crack, crack— A series of crisp pops echoed out. Wang Xu's heart skipped a beat. It felt like he had just crushed Ye Mo's hand—he'd definitely heard bones snapping. And before he realized it, Ye Mo had already withdrawn his hand. Wang Xu was stunned. Damn, did I use too much force? I didn't even go all out...
Su Mei and the girl named Jia Jia were shocked. They hadn't expected Wang Xu to be so ruthless. The sound of bones snapping had been unmistakably loud—like the hand had been shattered.
"Ah! Brother Wang Xu, how could you crush Ye Mo's hand like that?! He was invited by Jingwen-jie! He—wait, where did Ye Mo go?" Su Mei trailed off, only just noticing Ye Mo was gone.
Wang Xu also realized something was off. That guy left? When? How did none of us notice?
"He's just some broke student. We can throw him some money and tell him to get it checked out at a hospital or something. Useless guy," Jia Jia said with a sneer.
Wang Xu gave a bitter smile. "Jingwen is going to yell at me for sure. He probably already went in. I'll go check on him. I really didn't expect his hand to be so fragile…"
Meanwhile, Ye Mo was walking away from them, not wanting to waste time with those annoying people. He had come for Su Jingwen's birthday—not to stir up trouble. Giving her a hard time because of his issues wasn't worth it. He was quite pleased with his "bone-retracting technique," though. Even if his cultivation progress had stalled and he was still at Qi Condensation Stage 1, he hadn't let go of honing his martial skills.
Ye Mo didn't know what the upper limits of power were in this world, but since cultivation was difficult, physical martial training offered him the best shot at survival. Still, he knew that even with perfect martial arts, modern heat weapons could still kill him.
While Su Mei and the others were still discussing Ye Mo's injuries, he had already entered the venue. Another usher stood at the entrance, but upon checking Ye Mo's invitation, he respectfully let him in.
The venue was already bustling. Clearly, Su Jingwen had put serious effort into the event—likely a way to both celebrate her birthday and her mother's recovery, while also reconnecting with old friends.
"Ye Mo, thank you for coming to my party! Come, sit over here," Su Jingwen called as soon as she spotted him, quickly guiding him to a table.
"Of course. I said I'd come, and I keep my word." Ye Mo smiled and was just about to pull out his gift when a voice rang out nearby:
"Whoa, Jingwen, who's this handsome guy? Don't tell me… is he your boyfriend?"
But then the speaker looked down at Ye Mo's plain canvas shoes and modest clothes, and his tone shifted awkwardly. "Uh… well, he's got a… unique style."
Fearing Ye Mo might feel embarrassed, Su Jingwen quickly replied, "He's a friend of mine. This is Ye Mo."
Just then, she noticed Ye Mo staring past her, dazed, as if he hadn't even heard her.
Turning around, she saw Ning Qingxue and Li Mumei walking toward them. Damn it, she thought. They've met too soon. I haven't had time to explain things to Ye Mo yet.
Ye Mo was staring at Ning Qingxue. Dressed in a pale yellow top, she was simply stunning. Her long black hair draped casually over her shoulders, softening her features. Her face bore no trace of makeup—pure and natural. A small deer-shaped hairpin adorned one side of her head, with a few loose strands falling playfully across her eye. Her gaze held an indescribable mix of sorrow and confusion.
She walked with a lightness, like a fairy floating on clouds. But… why do her eyes look so familiar?
That melancholy gaze—it was just like Luo Ying's.
Ye Mo took a long breath and pulled himself together. No, this girl isn't Luo Ying. Her eyes just resemble hers.
His expression quickly returned to calm. He didn't know Ning Qingxue.
Ning Qingxue, however, had noticed Ye Mo's gaze. Though he'd stared at her for a moment, he had examined her seriously, then turned away—unlike others who would sneak lingering glances. That… was different.
"Qingxue, Mumei, you're here too. Let me introduce—" Su Jingwen began, but Li Mumei quickly whispered in her ear, "Don't introduce them now. Qingxue hasn't met Ye Mo yet."
Su Jingwen immediately understood. If Qingxue didn't recognize Ye Mo, now was not the right time.
Just then, Su Mei rushed into the venue and blurted out, "Jingwen-jie! Something happened! Brother Wang Xu accidentally crushed Ye Mo's hand—wait…"
She stopped mid-sentence, confused by the surprised expressions of several people around her.
And then she saw Ye Mo.