Peerless Martial Expert in the City
Chapter 682 -s 698-679: Zhao Yuhua’s Complex Emotions

Chapter 682: Chapters 698-679: Zhao Yuhua’s Complex Emotions

Everyone couldn’t help but feel a bit terrified and carefully watched Xiao Yi in front of Li Zhengyi, fearing that this young man surnamed Xiao would not be able to suppress his anger upon hearing Young Master Li’s words, erupt all of a sudden, and give Li Zhengyi a severe beating, resulting in a bloodbath...

Fortunately, Young Master Li had forgotten who he was and who was in front of him. It seemed the man in front, also having forgotten who he was, appeared utterly unfazed by the accusations, disdain, and resentment Young Master Li directed at him. Xiao showed no sign of blowing up but instead often nodded in agreement with Young Master Li, occasionally patting him on the shoulder, trying to calm him down... This left people astonished.

After a while, people remembered that this man also seemed to be drunk. Finally, they let out a sigh of relief.

"I’m telling you, just wait... you’re about to see the disgraceful state of that bumpkin surnamed Xiao, haha... I believe that once his splendid performance is uploaded online, he’ll definitely become an instant hit. Beauty Zhao will surely see his vile true face as well... Wouldn’t you say?"

The more Li Zhengyi spoke, the more he felt that this person beside him was a kindred spirit, and he became increasingly excited. After a few drinks, he casually revealed his detailed plans one by one, a smug smile on his lips. "Come on, let’s keep drinking!" he said, raising his glass again.

"Yes, yes, yes, Young Master Li is absolutely right!"

Xiao Yi’s eyes narrowed into slits, and his smile deepened. He thought of all the hatred, loathing, and hostility that Li Zhengyi had for him and the despicable and filthy methods he had used. But he had never imagined that he had underestimated Li, underestimated the extent of his animosity and shamelessness.

Gently patting Li Zhengyi on the back, Xiao Yi responded with a slightly sinister smile, "However, I think there’s no need to continue drinking. You might still be able to drink, but I truly can’t take any more."

With Li Zhengyi so intoxicated, the party naturally couldn’t continue. In fact, the sober guests had no desire to stay any longer.

Everyone tacitly decided to leave without saying a word, and they all departed from the scene in a hurry.

"Let’s go."

Zhao Yuhua watched as the place gradually emptied, and the attendants began busily cleaning up. Turning her head, she looked at Xiao Yi, who was slightly squinting his eyes, her tone still as cold as ever.

"Alright... then!"

Listening to Zhao Yuhua’s voice, Xiao Yi’s expression reflexively became hazy with drunkenness. He staggered, as if scrutinizing Zhao Yuhua in earnest to make sure she was the right person before stuttering a response and following her out of Li Zhengyi’s villa.

"I... am not... drunk..."

All along the way, Xiao Yi kept muttering this phrase, occasionally burping towards the other guests also preparing to leave, exhaling a strong scent of alcohol, until they reached Li Zhengyi’s villa. Following Zhao Yuhua to her BMW, he leaned against the car, still muttering to himself.

"Are you getting in the car or not?"

Zhao Yuhua went to the driver’s side, opened the door, and was about to sit down when she saw Xiao Yi leaning on the car door without any intention to open it and sit inside. She coldly glanced at him.

"Cough, of course, I’m getting in," Xiao Yi said.

Originally hoping for Zhao Yuhua to open the car door for him, Xiao Yi, upon hearing her words and seeing her icy stare, realized his dream was dashed. Somewhat embarrassedly, he coughed, dropped the drunk facade, opened the door, and hopped in swiftly.

Li Zhengyi’s villa was not in the center of a bustling city. There was quite a long stretch of road to the main road from here, and even then, it wasn’t guaranteed that one could easily find a ride back to the downtown area.

He certainly didn’t think that he, a ’drunkard’ who obviously had a serious grievance with Li Zhengyi, would enjoy the same treatment as other guests, being offered a lift home by Li’s subordinates.

If he missed this "ride" with Zhao Yuhua, the most likely outcome for him would be to walk home. Although the distance wasn’t a big deal for him, he didn’t want to make trouble for himself in the middle of the night for no reason, as he wasn’t the type that enjoyed suffering.

By the time he sat in the passenger seat of the car, Xiao Yi’s face had regained its sobriety. His eyes showed no signs of drunkenness. However, he felt somewhat embarrassed, as he had just performed and done so many things under the watchful eyes of Zhao Yuhua. Moreover, some of these actions were not exactly proper or honorable. He truly didn’t know how much of his act Zhao Yuhua had seen through.

Zhao Yuhua pulled the car door open and sat in the driver’s seat, looking at the clear-faced Xiao Yi beside her, her eyes reflecting a slight surprise. She had known since Xiao Yi made that gesture to her that he was pretending to be drunk, that he couldn’t have any real problems.

Yet, she was curious about his method of pretending. He had just been too convincing. If she hadn’t received his signal and known he was pretending, she would have truly believed he was drunk.

His expression, behavior, and speech all resembled those of a drunk person...

She was sure that even an Oscar-winning actor couldn’t have performed it as realistically as he did...

Her lips moved slightly, noticing that Xiao Yi had no intention of initiating conversation, she ultimately chose not to say more. She started the car and slowly drove it forward.

Seeing that Zhao Yuhua didn’t say anything, Xiao Yi breathed a long sigh of relief.

The situation just now, though it was a case of him being oppressed and forced to resist, had involved some methods that were less than respectable.

Looking at Xiao Yi’s face through the rearview mirror, Zhao Yuhua’s eyes revealed a complicated expression.

The first time she met this man, he was sitting in her seat, and it was his first day at school for enrollment. At that time, she didn’t pay him any mind. To put it another way, like most men in the world except for a few special relatives and individuals, she only saw him as a symbol, a mere stranger.

When she saw him conflict with Gao Junjie, she thought he too would soon disappear from her sight.

Just like with Gao Junjie’s expulsion of other suitors who pursued her, she felt no emotional ripples, nor did she think about sympathizing or helping him. She wasn’t traditionally kind-hearted—she felt no obligation to sympathize or assist him. To some extent, she actually supported Gao Junjie’s actions because she was truly annoyed by the countless suitors.

Because for her, he, like they, was just a symbol.

She didn’t have the energy to deal with so many things. She was clear that all she wanted was peace. So, she never bothered with anything as long as it didn’t trouble her or disturbed her peace.

She never tried to interact with any of the other students because from a young age, she knew she was not from the same world as them—a fact that wouldn’t change now or likely ever.

It wasn’t just because of her status as Princess Zhao. More importantly, she was the Pride of the Heavens, the first martial arts prodigy in a century from the Zhao family lineage in G City, doted on by her grandmother from Glass City and taught the Mysterious Ice Jue from early childhood. She and they were bound to become increasingly different, her pursuit being the higher realms of the martial path which they likely would never have the chance to encounter or understand in their lifetimes.

Things developed beyond her expectations. Xiao Yi, who seemed like a country bumpkin at first, not only got tangled up with Xiaoxiao from the Zeng family, but he also had the Four Young Evil Masters, who had always been unbeatable, running circles around them, failing to deal with Xiao Yi. This made her somewhat puzzled about him.

Xiao Yi’s handling of the Four Young Evil Masters and outsmarting them may have shocked the other students, but that alone wasn’t enough to impress Zhao Yuhua. Although the Four Young Evil Masters had some martial skills, in Zhao Yuhua’s eyes, they were insignificantly trivial. To her, the fact that Xiao Yi could handle them so easily was not a big deal as she believed anyone with a bit of training could do the same.

What surprised her was that Xiaoxiao from the Zeng family seemed to be getting involved with Xiao Yi.

——————————————————————————(To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to vote for it on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)