Allen Ju stopped in his tracks.
Selina Wu and the others also came to a halt.
Tyson Tai's lips curled into a faint smile as he watched Allen Ju's changing expression.
Evan Lin looked ahead. In his sight was a spacious hall, right at the center.
Tyler Tai was holding Mia Liao's waist, the two locked in a passionate kiss in front of everyone.
The kiss seemed to last for quite a while.
It was intense and deliberate.
Around them, Gordon Guo and the others cheered loudly, their applause mixed with rowdy catcalls.
Maybe it was because they saw Allen Ju appear at the entrance of the hall.
Suddenly, their shouting grew even louder.
Allen Ju clenched his fists, wanting nothing more than to rush up and punch Tyler Tai.
But he knew he didn't even have the status or qualification to throw that punch.
He couldn't bring himself to do it.
Tyson Tai watched Allen, his smile growing wider.
"Third Young Master is here!"
Someone inside shouted out.
Instantly, all eyes—each with their own meaning—turned toward Allen Ju.
"Hey, Third Young Master, long time no see."
"What a coincidence, Third Young Master. What have you been up to lately?"
"I knew it—once Mia Liao showed up, Third Young Master would definitely come too!"
Everyone shouted, each acting like they wanted chaos.
Most people here knew about Allen Ju's feelings for Mia Liao.
But after all these years, Allen still hadn't won her heart, making him a running joke and gossip topic for many.
Still, most only dared to laugh behind his back; no one had the guts to mock Allen Ju to his face.
"Should we back off for now?"
Gloria Rong looked worriedly at Allen Ju.
He shook his head, stayed silent, and controlled his expression as he walked over to a nearby sofa and sat down.
"That's too much."
Grace Liu frowned, glancing at Mia Liao who still hadn't stopped kissing, her tone full of indignation.
The group moved forward.
Leon Lu and the others were worried about Allen Ju, unconsciously closing ranks around him.
Tyson Tai seized the moment, moved to Evan Lin's side, and in a cold, low voice said, "Tonight, you'd better look out for yourself."
"That kick you gave me earlier—I'll pay it back, many times over."
He finished, but Evan didn't even pause, didn't spare him a glance, treating his words like air.
Tyson frowned, snorted, and clenched his fists tightly.
Once Evan and the others were seated, the long kiss finally ended.
Mia Liao's cheeks were flushed, making her look especially shy—like a blooming flower.
"Third Young Master, you took your time—if you'd arrived sooner, maybe you'd have gotten a kiss too."
Tyler Tai licked his lips and walked over to Allen Ju, his eyes full of ridicule.
The kiss was over, but Tyler still held Mia's hand, not planning to let go.
"What are you even saying?"
Mia shot Tyler a glare, scolded him, then turned to Allen with a sweet smile: "We were playing Truth or Dare. I lost, so I picked dare."
She offered a simple explanation, saw Allen's face turn sour, but didn't bother to explain further or apologize.
To Mia, Allen was always her little brother, a few years younger.
Back when they were kids, Allen was her shadow, always tagging along.
After all these years, Mia was used to it.
Others feared Allen's anger, schemed to get closer to him, or begged him for favors.
But for Mia, none of that was a problem.
She wasn't afraid of Allen's anger, didn't worry about their relationship, and never thought about how to ask him for help. If she had a problem, she'd just toss it to Allen and let him handle it.
It's always been this way, year after year.
So when Kyle Liu needed money, Mia Liao just asked Allen Ju to find someone to help him make some, which ended up screwing over Calvin Zheng.
"Looks like you're having fun—want to join us?"
Mia asked, glancing at Allen Ju.
Before Allen could reply, Tyler cut in: "Let's pause the game for now. How about we talk business instead?"
"Business?"
Allen didn't look at Tyler, instead his eyes were on Mia.
When Tyler mentioned business, Allen noticed Mia's expression didn't change at all.
Clearly, she was in on it.
"Yeah, it's nothing big—just introducing you to a few old friends."
Tyler smiled and waved someone over.
Someone walked over from nearby.
He'd just been chatting and laughing with Kyle Liu, now he sat down next to Tyler.
He wore glasses, had small eyes, and looked a few years older than Allen.
"Third Young Master, remember me? I'm Charles Cheng—we grew up in the same compound."
The newcomer introduced himself, speaking as he looked at Allen.
"What's up?"
Allen raised his eyebrows slightly.
Leon Lu and the others' faces changed; when they heard the name, their expressions darkened.
They all looked like they were facing a serious threat.
"Who is this guy?"
Evan glanced at Charles Cheng and asked quietly.
He was asking Selina Wu.
"We grew up in the same compound. Charles was one of the older kids—not really part of our circle, came before us. Later he got into trouble and went to jail."
Selina paused, then added, "Smuggling—it was a big scandal back then."
Evan gave him another look after hearing that.
"Yeah, yeah, if nothing was wrong, I wouldn't be here asking you for help, Third Young Master."
Charles smiled, lit a cigarette. "I heard you're doing great these days, but I'm not. After my old man stepped down, things got worse and worse."
"Lately money's been tight—so I figured I'd shamelessly ask you for a hand."
"So, can you pull a brother up?"
Charles looked at Allen as he spoke.
Allen stared at him, and Leon Lu and the others did too.
All kinds of gazes locked onto Charles, but he just smiled, not in any hurry.
He was a problem. For people like them, as long as you had connections, making money wasn't hard.
But now, Charles's usable connections were basically gone. The Cheng family was in decline; his old man stepped down and then died, plus Charles had been to prison. Most of his ties were cut off.
He only got in here today because Mia Liao returned to China—he contacted her early, played up their childhood bond, offered her plenty of benefits, and finally got an invite to this gathering.