Chapter 116: **Please Trust the Professionals** *(Featured promotion! Please vote with your monthly tickets!)*

Chen Xiao thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, "There is no need to go outside. Besides, the space here is big enough. If we have something to say, we can just find a quiet spot right here. No need to go through the trouble of stepping out."

The tall man cast a sideways glance at Chen Xiao, hesitated for a second, and said, "Fine."

The four of them pointed toward a corner in the distance of the lawn, where a small grove of trees had been planted. The surroundings seemed much quieter there, with practically no guests wandering about. "Right over there."

Chen Xiao had no objections and followed them.

These four fellows—tall, short, fat, and thin—did not look particularly friendly. In fact, ever since he had first met them by Phoenix's side, their attitude toward Chen Xiao had consistently been lukewarm, aloof, and somewhat sarcastic, as if they had always found him an eyesore.

When the five of them reached the edge of the grove, Chen Xiao stopped, checked that there was no one within dozens of meters around them, and looked up at the four men. "What do you want to talk to me about? Let's hear it right here."

"It's about Miss Phoenix," the tall man spoke first, as expected. Although a clear trace of annoyance toward Chen Xiao remained on his face, his tone had grown somewhat more serious and solemn. "Let me introduce myself first. We four have been by the young lady's side for quite some years now, and Miss Phoenix has bestowed immense and deep favors upon us! To put it bluntly, any one of us would gladly die for Miss Phoenix at any given moment! I suppose you can understand what that means?"

"I think I can understand," Chen Xiao replied thoughtfully. "So, what did you want to discuss with me?"

The tall man let out a cold snort and pointed at his own nose. "My name is Bearing."

A rather eccentric name, Chen Xiao muttered to himself.

Following that, the fellow named Bearing pointed at the short, fat, and thin men beside him. "These three are Snapshot, Morning Star, and Imperial City, respectively."

Chen Xiao couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed that in the supernatural world, none of the extraordinary individuals he encountered had normal human names.

Could adopting a bizarre name be a mandatory requirement for people in the supernatural world?

Phoenix, Champagne, Zhurong, Gonggong... Which of these names would any ordinary person ever use?

Although he thought this to himself, Chen Xiao still nodded very politely. "Phoenix mentioned that all four of you are quite renowned in the supernatural world."

The tall man, Bearing, instantly assumed a rather odd expression. He gave a cough and said, "Renowned is a bit of a stretch. However, it is true that the four of us are indeed supernatural beings, and we now willingly and gladly dedicate our services to Miss Phoenix."

Chen Xiao noticed that when the phrase "renowned" was uttered, the other three men standing nearby also flashed expressions of awkwardness, looking rather ashamed and guilty.

"Then, what is it the four of you want to talk to me about?"

"Didn't I just say? It's about Miss Phoenix!" Bearing snapped impatiently, widening his eyes as he stared hard at Chen Xiao. "To put it simply, kid! We feel that you are completely unworthy of Miss Phoenix! How could a punk like you possibly stand beside Miss Phoenix, who exists like a star in the heavens? It's nothing short of a blasphemy!"

The shortest of the group, Snapshot, chimed in, "That's not right! How can Miss Phoenix be compared to the stars in the sky? Her esteemed self is the moon in the heavens! There can be millions upon millions of stars, but there is only one moon!"

Snapshot's words seemed to win the approval of the other three. They nodded simultaneously, looking utterly sincere as they declared, "Spot on! Exactly right! What he said is too true!"

Then, all four glared at Chen Xiao with hostile gazes. "Therefore, it is necessary for the four of us brothers to have a heart-to-heart with you. You punk, you've got the face of a pretty boy, and men who look like pretty boys are the absolute most untrustworthy kind!"

Bearing added, "You just look thoroughly unreliable."

The short Snapshot chimed in, "Precisely! And just look at yourself tonight—surrounded by beauties on your left and right, accompanied by two gorgeous girls. You look like a classic playboy at first glance! If we hadn't happened to see it with our own eyes, we probably never would have seen through your true colors!"

Morning Star, the plump one, let out a deep sigh. He looked at Chen Xiao and earnestly advised, "Young man, Miss Phoenix is already a woman akin to a goddess. If I were a man and fortunate enough to catch her eye, it would truly be the supreme blessing of three lifetimes. I'd probably wake up laughing in my dreams!"

The thin Imperial City immediately assumed an expression of utter intoxication and quickly blurted out, "Yeah! If it were me, I'd definitely go burn heavy incense to thank the gods for their blessing, and I'd cherish and treasure her with double the devotion! Every day when I woke up, I'd think of her a few times, silently reciting her name in my heart. Whether eating or sleeping, I would be thinking of her and longing for her. Even if I were walking down the street and other women passed by me, I wouldn't dare cast a single glance at them—otherwise, it would be an absolute desecration of her."

This fellow uttered such absurd words with a hundredfold seriousness and an air of complete self-righteousness, leaving Chen Xiao torn between laughter and tears. Yet the other fellows seemed to think this made profound sense, nodding in agreement all at once. "True! Absolutely true! That's just how it should be!"

With that, the four of them glared fiercely at Chen Xiao once more. The tall Bearing raged, "Yet what about you? How are you behaving, kid? You've received the favor of a goddess-like woman such as Miss Phoenix, and yet you're still flirting around with other girls, acting all ambiguous and even chatting with them! That is a grievous sin!"

The other three shook their heads in unison. "A grievous sin! A grievous sin!"

Chen Xiao finally caught the drift.

It turned out that these four were not only Phoenix's subordinates, but also her loyal, fanatical, die-hard fans. They likely revered Phoenix to such an extreme that they had practically lost their minds over it.

He couldn't help finding it a bit amusing. "Is it really true that I'm not even allowed to speak to other women?"

Morning Star, the one who looked the most amiable, immediately replied with utmost seriousness, "Naturally, you are not! If I were you, every single word I spoke to another woman would fill my heart with an extra layer of guilt toward Miss Phoenix! Even stealing a glance at another woman would be a crime."

Chen Xiao had started to realize that these four were somewhat abnormal individuals, so he decided to play along with a touch of mockery. "Well, according to the four of you, if I am to be with Phoenix, then in my daily life—whenever Phoenix is not by my side—I should blindfold my eyes and sew my mouth shut, just in case I accidentally look at another woman or say a word or two to one? Would that still be considered a massive crime?"

The four of them looked at each other. Seeming completely oblivious to the sarcasm in Chen Xiao's words, they nodded in solemn agreement. "Not bad! You're not entirely a lost cause, kid. If you can actually manage to do that, it'll still count as remedying the situation before it's too late."

The plump Morning Star added, "A prodigal who turns back is more valuable than gold! It's best if you have the heart to repent."

"And another thing... your pretty-boy face is totally unworthy of our Miss Phoenix. You'd better go get plastic surgery first!"

It seemed these four were not only fanatical about Phoenix, but also lacked proper functioning in the brains department. To spout such absurd remarks with such a grand, deadpan expression left Chen Xiao momentarily stunned.

There was no reasoning with people whose minds weren't working quite right. Chen Xiao sighed, offered a faint smile, and said, "Is this all the four of you wanted to say to me? Since you're done, I'll take my leave."

He turned to walk away, but Bearing, the tall one behind him, reached out and pressed down hard on his shoulder, barking furiously, "You ungrateful little brat! We've been trying to talk some sense into you with kind words, and you're walking away before we've even finished?"

"Exactly! I don't see any genuine intention of repentance in him!" the thin Imperial City chimed in.

"How about this—let us four properly lecture you, and from now on, you punk had better stay far, far away from our esteemed Miss Phoenix! Hmm, though your pretty-boy face isn't much, there are naturally plenty of girls in this world who like soft-shelled weaklings like you. Hmm... hey, Morning Star, how does that saying go again?"

The plump Morning Star smiled slightly and picked up the thread. "Ah. Kid, actually, you're a good person. It's just that you and Miss Phoenix really aren't suited for each other. In the future, you'll find your own happiness..."

Good grief... These four mentally compromised fellows actually knew the ultimate ruthless trick for rejecting someone: handing out the good-guy card!

No matter what, Chen Xiao couldn't be bothered to argue with four people with mental issues. He simply shook his feet and said, "Alright, since you've all had your say, I'll give it serious consideration. I'll take my leave now; I have friends waiting for me over there."

He raised his leg to leave, but Bearing flew into a rage, rushed forward two steps, and blocked his path. "We've wasted so much breath trying to advise you, and it looks like it's completely gone in one ear and out the other! Today you dare to openly embrace women on both sides right behind Miss Phoenix's back; who knows how many heartbreaking things you'll do to Miss Phoenix in the future! No way! The four of us absolutely cannot sit by and watch this! Kid, drop a promise right now that you will never associate with Miss Phoenix again, and we'll let you walk away. Otherwise..."

Chen Xiao was beginning to grow impatient. He frowned and asked, "Otherwise what?"

The fat Morning Star frowned, then glanced at the tall Bearing. "Boss, this kid refuses to see reason. Looks like you'll have to step in and teach him a lesson. You're the leader of the four of us, so you should do the honors."

Bearing immediately wore a difficult expression. "Bro, it's not that I'm unwilling to exert myself for Miss Phoenix, but you know how it is—once my supernatural ability is triggered, the side effects are too severe. I'm afraid... sigh, why don't you ask Imperial City to teach him a lesson instead?"

Imperial City shrank back as well, shaking his head repeatedly. "My ability isn't an offensive one, so I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to handle this punk either. Making a fool of myself would be a small matter, but messing things up would be bad. Better ask Snapshot to do it."

The short Snapshot shook his head vigorously. "Among us, the one with the strongest combat power is still Boss Bearing. If Boss isn't going to make a move, how can we..."

Watching the four of them suddenly passing the buck right then and there, Chen Xiao couldn't help but find it amusing. He purposely put on a straight face and said, "Take your time discussing it; I'll be heading off first. If you want to teach me a lesson, I'll be ready for you anytime."

He lifted his foot to leave, but two of them blocked his path. "You're not allowed to leave! This isn't over yet, we're not letting you off so easily!"

Just as the five of them were tangled up in a deadlock, a hearty laugh suddenly echoed from behind the small grove.

"Chen Xiao, what kind of people are you entangling with here? I heard someone wanted to teach you a lesson? What a joke! On the Xu family's turf, who dares to act wild!"

As the voice faded, more than a dozen people emerged from behind the woods—over a dozen burly men in suits. Every single one of them was broad-shouldered, thick-waisted, and fierce-looking; at a glance, they were clearly not people to be trifled with. The dozen thugs surrounded a young, strapping fellow as he walked out. His face possessed sharp, angular features, a bright smile, and eyes like lightning, though his left arm was bound in bandages—none other than the young master of the Xu family himself, Little Red Robe!

Upon seeing Little Red Robe, Chen Xiao couldn't help but smile. "Eh? Brother Xu, you ended up coming after all."

Little Red Robe scratched his head and gave an awkward laugh. "I couldn't really not come. No matter what, he's still the old man. Besides, you personally went to persuade me that day and even saved my life once; no matter what, I had to give you that face. I just reluctantly came to make an appearance today."

Chen Xiao also smiled, looking at the dozen lackeys behind Little Red Robe. "Brother Xu certainly knows how to make an entrance. But just to see Uncle Xu, bringing along so many subordinates... I'm afraid..."

"I had no choice! That business from last time still hasn't been settled yet! Heaven knows when someone else might try to quietly do me in. Caution is paramount; having some brothers by my side is just safer—it's not that I'm afraid of dying, brother. It's just that my status is different now. One person's fate ties into the rice bowls of a whole bunch of brothers. If I kick the bucket, I'm afraid these brothers won't have a reliable way to make a living."

Little Red Robe's smile toward Chen Xiao was quite amiable, but his gaze immediately shifted to the four tall, short, fat, and thin men, and his expression instantly turned ferocious. "I was wondering what kind of fool had the guts to run their mouth on the Xu family's turf and even wanted to touch Little Red Robe's brother! Hmph! Today is my old man's birthday banquet, so I'd rather not see too much blood, but the four of you better carry yourselves out of here horizontally!"

Once a mob boss like Little Red Robe gave the word, his fierce thugs immediately swarmed forward, rolling up their sleeves and eager to dish out a beating.

Chen Xiao couldn't help feeling a bit uneasy and quickly spoke up, "Brother Xu, wait... they are—"

Unfortunately, Chen Xiao spoke a fraction too late, and Little Red Robe's subordinates made their move first.

These thugs roaming the underworld, especially serving under Little Red Robe, had naturally picked up his decisive, grudge-settling temperament. When they decided to strike, they did so without a moment's hesitation.

Several thugs had already swung their fists, and Chen Xiao silently cursed to himself: *Oh no!*

His initial thought had been: Since these four subordinates of Phoenix were "renowned masters in the supernatural world," their strength must be formidable no matter what! Although Little Red Robe's thugs could fight and kill, they were merely ordinary people. How could they possibly be a match for supernatural beings?

With a clash like this, Little Red Robe's men were bound to suffer a heavy beating. If any of Little Red Robe's men got hurt, Chen Xiao's conscience would weigh heavily on him...

Yet, contrary to expectations, the moment the fight broke out...

"Ouch!" "Ah!!"

"Oh mother!!"

After a few sounds of punches and kicks, a series of miserable screams rang out.

However, the ones crying out in agony were not Little Red Robe's thugs, but rather the four "renowned masters of the supernatural world" under Phoenix's command?!

The first to suffer was the thin Imperial City, who was grabbed by the neck and hoisted into the air by a thug before being hurled far away. Then the short Snapshot took a kick straight to the pit of his stomach, instantly folding his body in half like a cooked shrimp. As for the plump Morning Star, who tried to rely on his weight to hold his ground, he was met with two fists striking his eye sockets simultaneously from left and right, instantly granting his fat face a matching pair of panda eyes.

As for the leader of the four, Bearing, facing the advance of a ferocious thug, he backed away while maintaining a composed expression and shouting in a low voice, "Hmph, if you're looking to die, don't blame me! Once my ability is unleashed, even I'm terrified of it!!"

Before he could finish his sentence, he took a punch straight to the stomach. After a flurry of painful cries, he finally let out a loud roar: "You're forcing me to go berserk! Then I'm not holding back!"

With that, he raised his fist, clenched it tightly, his face flushed red, and bellowed at the top of his lungs: "Fist, grow ten times larger!!!!"

With a *bang*, a puff of smoke erupted from Bearing's body. As the smoke cleared, it turned out Bearing had indeed transformed!

However, his fist hadn't changed in size by even a fraction. The part that underwent a transformation was entirely elsewhere...

The nose right in the middle of Bearing's original face suddenly grew ten times longer and thicker! It looked as though an elephant's trunk had suddenly sprouted right out of the middle of a human head...

This mutation left the thug from Little Red Robe's crew standing right in front of him completely dumbfounded. Staring in utter shock at the monster with a human body and an elephant trunk before him, the thug's raised fist froze in mid-air, failing to land.

Bearing wore an expression of sheer embarrassment. Seeing that his fist hadn't grown at all while his nose had instead ballooned, he panicked and shrieked in terror, "Oh no! It didn't trigger right this time either, it messed up again! Brothers, I can't hold out, run for your lives!!"

By this time, the thug in front of him had recovered his wits, his expression returning to normal. He delivered a punch straight to Bearing's face, knocking him flat on the ground, followed it up with a kick, and cursed, "Damn it! Trying to scare me with magic tricks! Do you have any idea what I did before I entered the underworld? I used to be a handyman in a circus! I've seen plenty of magic tricks!"

He looked ready to rain down more blows, but fortunately, Chen Xiao finally snapped out of his daze and rushed forward to hold him back.

Otherwise, these four "masters" really might have ended up being carried out of the Xu estate.

After scrambling to their feet in a panic, the four gathered together and glared fiercely at Chen Xiao. "You're ruthless, kid! The world is vast, we'll meet again. Just you wait..."

They wanted to leave behind a couple more harsh threats, but Little Red Robe let out a heavy snort, causing them to swallow the rest of their words. The four of them scurried like a flock of birds into the small grove, greasing their heels and making a swift exit.

Chen Xiao stood in place with a bizarre expression.

Were these... the "renowned masters in the supernatural world" that Phoenix had talked about?!

Amidst his bewilderment, a trace of anxiety lingered in his heart. Although these four lacked common sense, they were ultimately Phoenix's subordinates. Now that he had offended them, would it...

Sensing something amiss and asking no further questions, Little Red Robe threw an arm around Chen Xiao's neck. "Let's go inside and have a drink! I haven't seen the old man yet; I'll just go lay eyes on him, and that counts as having been here."

The reunion between Little Red Robe and the elder Xu was naturally accompanied by an awkward atmosphere, and Chen Xiao didn't care to pry into whatever grievances existed between father and son. Still, the fact that Little Red Robe showed up seemed to please Old Man Xu quite a bit, even if neither of them said much. Though words were scarce, the grateful glance the second young master of the Xu family cast at Chen Xiao from afar was more than enough.

Yet Little Red Robe didn't stay long before leaving with his men. As an underworld boss flanked by a dozen ferocious-looking thugs, he clearly stood out like a sore thumb at an event like this.

After Little Red Robe departed, Chen Xiao stood beside Old Man Xu with a slight sense of unease and lowered his voice to ask, "Uncle Xu, I'd like to ask you about something..."

"What is it?" Old Man Xu glanced at him.

"Those four guests you had tonight," Chen Xiao said with a wry smile. "Actually, I happen to know them."

"Oh, they're Phoenix's people," Old Man Xu casually dropped that remark.

"You knew? You know Phoenix?" Chen Xiao was taken aback, but seeing that Old Man Xu had no intention of elaborating, he could only sigh and say with some embarrassment, "Those four seemed to have some misunderstanding with me just now..."

He briefly recounted the conflict by the grove, and upon mentioning how the four had been ignominiously chased off by Little Red Robe's thugs, he couldn't help expressing his worry: "Those four seemed to be supernatural beings as well. How could they..."

If Old Man Xu hadn't heard it, it would have been one thing, but upon hearing the tale, his expression turned equally peculiar. He stared at Chen Xiao for a long time before bursting into hearty laughter, clapping a hand on Chen Xiao's shoulder. "If you didn't know them, it's only natural you'd find it strange. You can't entirely blame Miss Phoenix for failing to explain their background to you. Hahahahaha..."

Old Man Xu indulged in a booming laugh for a good while before finally suppressing his amusement and patiently explaining to Chen Xiao, "Actually, what Phoenix said is true—those four are indeed well-known in the supernatural world, but calling them 'masters' is a stretch by any measure. Heh, these four hold a rather infamous title in the supernatural world: The Four Good-for-Nothings of the Global Supernatural Community!"

The Four... Good-for-Nothings?!

Chen Xiao's eyes widened.

"Which means to say, all four of them are genuine, card-carrying supernatural beings, but the abilities they possess are utterly useless, holding zero practical value."

Holding up a finger, Old Man Xu explained in a low voice, "That tall fellow is their leader, Bearing. His ability is instantaneous body expansion by a factor of ten. Unfortunately, while this ability would be decent if it worked properly—say, turning oneself into a giant could at least offer some utility in battle—his ability is incomplete. The so-called ten-fold expansion only applies to a single arbitrary part of his body in an instant, rather than his entire physique."

Chen Xiao thought about it and couldn't help finding it funny. "Even so, that doesn't sound too bad. If he could enlarge his fist tenfold, hitting someone would pack quite a punch."

Old Man Xu fought back his laughter as he elaborated. "The problem lies in a fatal flaw of Bearing's ability: whenever he triggers his power, he has zero control over *which* part of his body will expand. In other words, when it activates, it's pure luck and relies entirely on character."

Recalling Bearing earlier—clearly intending to inflate his fist tenfold, only to end up with an enlarged nose—Chen Xiao couldn't help but chuckle.

"The most pitiful part is that his power has two additional weaknesses: first, when it expands, it *must* be tenfold—no more, no less, absolutely zero deviation is allowed. Second, after every expansion, it takes several days for him to recover." Here, a mischievous, mischievous glint appeared in Old Man Xu's eyes as he lowered his voice. "Imagine if he accidentally happened to expand his third leg tenfold? Wouldn't that be an absolute disaster? He'd be immobile for days, and even if he wanted to be with his woman... what a terrible predicament."

Chen Xiao couldn't help rolling his eyes.

"Moving on to the second of the four—the plump fellow called Morning Star. His temperament is quite amiable, but his ability is even more useless. His power is invisibility."

Invisibility? While invisibility might be considered a somewhat mediocre ability in the supernatural world (ever since the widespread deployment of detectors, invisibility could fool the naked eye, but not electronic sensors), it couldn't be said to be completely useless.

Noticing Chen Xiao's puzzlement, Old Man Xu chuckled, "The pitiful part is that his invisibility is far worse than ordinary invisibility. His physique is peculiar; whether he can turn invisible or not is entirely dependent on his surrounding environment. To put it simply, his invisibility ability only works under conditions of absolute darkness! That's the only time he vanishes and others can't see him!"

Invisibility in absolute darkness? Wasn't that a complete waste of effort? In pitch-black darkness, ordinary people couldn't see anything anyway...

"Then... what if there is light?" Chen Xiao asked.

"If there's even a sliver of light around, he cannot turn invisible whatsoever," Old Man Xu answered leisurely.

Chen Xiao: "............"

These four good-for-nothings were indeed... utterly useless!

Old Man Xu had just finished describing two of them and was about to move on to the third when a thought stirred in Chen Xiao's mind. It seemed Old Man Xu was remarkably well-informed about the people around Phoenix! Could it be that Old Man Xu was also quite close to Phoenix?

What kind of role did this Old Man Xu, whose surface identity was merely a wealthy businessman, actually play in the supernatural world?

Just as he was pondering this, Old Man Xu didn't continue. Instead, one of his assistants hurried over and murmured respectfully in his ear, "Mr. Xu, the young lady from the Chen family in Canada has arrived!"

Hearing this, Old Man Xu's expression shifted immediately. His eyes lit up, but after glancing left and right, he muttered to himself, "Fortunately... that eldest boy of mine left earlier, otherwise it would have been a headache. Sigh..."

Hearing this, Chen Xiao felt a flicker of curiosity and asked in a low voice, "Uncle Xu, about Brother Xu..."

"Hmph! Weren't you always wondering why my eldest son refused to inherit the Xu family and instead ran off to join the underworld? Hmph! It was all because of the influence of a young girl a few years ago!! The eldest ended up infatuated with that girl, and she led him astray until his heart was set on the underworld... Ah, never mind that, she's here!"

Soon, Chen Xiao looked up and saw two people approaching!

A man and a woman.

The girl walking in front looked at most eighteen or nineteen years old. Her face was delicate and pleasing—while her features weren't breathtakingly gorgeous, her pair of eyes possessed a natural, extraordinary liveliness brimming with sharp intelligence! This instantly elevated her appearance by three notches, casting an aura of intellect over her still youthful face.

Yet, despite her tender age, this girl was dressed in a stern, middle-aged style, dark women's business suit—in Chen Xiao's impression, only female white-collar workers well past thirty would dress in such a fashion.

As this young maiden walked over leisurely in garments so unsuitably mature, the combination didn't feel awkward at all; instead, it carried a distinct, intriguing flavor of its own.

Beyond the young girl, what immediately caught Chen Xiao's attention was the man following right behind her!

He was a black man!

What left a deep impression on Chen Xiao first and foremost were this black man's eyes! Those pupils were nearly gray, devoid of the slightest emotional fluctuation, resembling a calm yet bottomless lake. It was as if he was entirely indifferent to everything around him, yet completely in control of all things at the same time!

His features were handsome—a rarity among black men. Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be in his twenties or thirties. From his attire, he was clearly cast in the role of a bodyguard; but judging by his physique, he bore no resemblance to the burly, fierce-looking frames of ordinary bodyguards. His posture was tall, upright, and perfectly proportioned. Following closely behind the young girl with a calm, unfathomable demeanor, every step he took seemed to trail her like a shadow, moving in an eerie, synchronized rhythm!

It gave Chen Xiao a strange sensation: you could clearly see him with your eyes, yet upon closer inspection, he felt truly like a shadow—intangible and impossible to grasp.

More importantly, despite walking along with an expression of cold indifference, looking at him suddenly triggered a peculiar illusion in Chen Xiao's mind:

The surrounding scene was one of bright lights, bustling crowds, and lavish merrymaking, yet as this black man strode past, the partying men and women around him felt less like modern people and more like prey wandering through a wilderness patrolled by a leopard!!!!!

Chen Xiao's gaze drew the black man's attention. The man casually drifted a glance toward Chen Xiao—what kind of gaze was that!

Chen Xiao's immediate impression was: contempt!

Absolute contempt!

Yet this contempt didn't stem from underestimating an opponent or mere disdain. Rather, it felt as though, in this black man's eyes, nothing and no one in the world could capture his interest! Everything, absolutely everything, was beneath his notice!

The black man glanced at Chen Xiao once, then withdrew his gaze as if Chen Xiao held no importance whatsoever, continuing to trail quietly behind the young lady.

The young lady stepped up to Old Man Xu and flashed a sweet smile. "Elder Xu, may your fortune be as vast as the Eastern Sea, and your longevity match the Southern Mountain!"

Old Man Xu smiled. "Miss Chen, thank you for your kind thoughts! I never imagined that an old man like me celebrating a worthless birthday would prompt you to make the trip all the way from Canada. I truly don't deserve such an honor."

The young lady smiled, light dancing in her bright eyes, and gave a playful pout. "Elder Xu, you're being too formal. Just call me Little Five. Addressing me as Miss this and Miss that doesn't sound like an elder at all."

*Little Five?*

Chen Xiao found himself quietly amused. The name bore a striking resemblance to his own nickname.

The young lady then looked over at Chen Xiao and slowly remarked, "Oh? Is this your esteemed son? He certainly looks talented."

Though she was clearly around the same age as Chen Xiao, she spoke in such an aged, senior tone that Chen Xiao couldn't help a quiet smile.

"Ah, no," Old Man Xu replied with a seemingly casual smile. "This isn't my son, but a junior of mine. Come, Chen Xiao, let me introduce you. This is the renowned Miss Chen from the North American Canadian circles! Over the past couple of years, this name has become a household one across Canada! Coincidentally, her polite moniker is Little Five, which seems rather fated with you."

Old Man Xu chuckled as he looked at Miss Chen. "This nephew of mine also shares the surname Chen, and people have called him Little Five since he was a child. Would you say that's a coincidence or what?"

The young lady's eyes instantly lit up. Her gaze brimmed with curiosity as she thoroughly looked Chen Xiao up and down. "Oh? Your name is also Chen Little Five? Aha! What a coincidence!"

However, after lingering a few more moments on Chen Xiao, a look of disappointment crept over her face, and she shook her head repeatedly.

"Pity, the aura is worlds apart. He looks decent enough, but he's far too delicate and pale. What a waste... what a waste of such a fine name like Little Five."

Chen Xiao looked bewildered, glancing at Old Man Xu, who smiled faintly and said, "When Miss Chen's godfather was young, he was also known as Brother Little Five. Back in the day, the mere mention of the three words 'Chen Little Five'—heh!!" He chuckled, a trace of respect flashing through his eyes before he looked back at Miss Chen. "By the way, how is Fifth Master these days?"

"My godfather is doing very well, though I haven't seen him in quite a while either. Nowadays, godfather doesn't bother with anything at all, happily enjoying his leisure while dumping all the work onto us. Sigh..."

Miss Chen brushed it off with a couple of casual remarks, her eyes repeatedly drifting back to scrutinize Chen Xiao. Finally, withdrawing her gaze with an expression of deep regret, she muttered to herself, "Pity, what a pity... The name matches, but the person doesn't resemble him at all."

Old Man Xu gave Chen Xiao a look. "Why don't you go find Yifan and the others? Miss Chen and I have some business to discuss."

Knowing when to take his leave, Chen Xiao nodded and walked away.

Old Man Xu gestured toward the nearby mansion. "Miss Chen, please. Let's discuss it in the study."

Miss Chen smiled playfully. "You still refuse to call me Little Five; you're far too formal."

Old Man Xu offered an ambiguous smile. "A guest who has traveled far deserves proper respect. Please!"

With that, he took the lead and walked ahead.

Miss Chen followed closely behind, yet couldn't resist casting one last backward glance at the departing Chen Xiao, sighing softly, "Sigh, he really doesn't resemble him at all. Hmph! Such a pretty-boy sort of kid..."

As she walked, she flashed a sweet smile at the black man behind her. "Don't you think so, Uncle Tu? This guy looks like nothing more than a fragile youth..."

The black man addressed as "Tu" showed not a single ripple of change in his expression. In a stiff, measured voice, he simply replied, "Miss, this youth is not simple."

"Oh? I don't see it," Miss Chen said with a curious look.

Tu finally gave Miss Chen's eyes a serious look, his tone deadpan: "Miss, please trust my professional judgment."

With that, he clamped his mouth shut and resumed his expression of total indifference toward everything around him.