Lewis Lu saw the group over there and instinctively called out.
Evan Lin glanced over. There were two guys and two girls, both boys about six feet tall, and the girls around five foot three, all with decent figures.
One of the girls wore a black bunny hoodie, sported earrings, and had on pale canvas shoes. She was arm-in-arm with the boy next to her, chatting and laughing as they walked out.
"May!"
Lewis Lu took a closer look, and all his earlier hesitation disappeared. He stepped forward quickly, pushed through the transparent revolving door, and went inside.
"May! What are you doing here? Didn’t you say you were at the Grann Inn?"
Lewis Lu’s face was a little pale, and his voice trembled as he spoke.
"You’re here, Lewis."
May Xia, the girl called ‘May,’ showed no sign of panic when she saw Lewis Lu. She gave a sweet smile, then introduced the boy beside her, saying, "This is the Grann Inn."
"And this is the classmate I told you about—the one who gave me an iPhone X!"
As May Xia spoke, she tugged the boy beside her, wanting to introduce him to Lewis Lu.
As soon as Lewis Lu entered, all the boys and girls looked over at him.
"May, didn’t you say your best friend gave you the phone?" Lewis forced a smile, but it looked a little bitter.
"She is my best friend—a male bestie is still a bestie, isn’t it?" May Xia giggled. She let go of the boy’s arm and moved to stand next to Lewis, introducing him to the others: "This is the boyfriend I told you about—Lewis Lu!"
"Hello, I’ve heard May talk about you a lot. Glad to finally meet you."
The boy May had just been holding looked Lewis up and down, his eyes flashing with some disdain and clear annoyance that May had let go of him. He sized Lewis up and down: "Heard you and May have known each other since junior high, right?"
"Yeah."
Lewis nodded at that, letting May cling to his arm, feeling a bit more at ease.
May Xia’s smile was pure and innocent, as if she didn’t notice anything was off.
"Last time May’s phone broke, she looked pretty upset, so I just bought her a new one. It didn’t mean anything." The boy looked at Lewis and gave a casual smile, his words carrying a hint of arrogance.
The price of an iPhone X is nearly ten thousand yuan, but he said it so casually, like ten thousand was nothing at all.
"Yeah, Bro Guang treats May really well. At school, nobody dares bully her because of him." The girl next to another boy grinned, her eyes mocking as she looked at Lewis Lu. Her tone was dripping with sarcasm.
"Bro, Guang chased your girlfriend for ages and never succeeded. I thought you must be some big shot, but you look pretty ordinary to me. May’s so into you—gotta give you props for that. Now Guang just treats her like a little sister, so you better watch yourself and don’t bully May. Otherwise, not just Guang, I wouldn’t let it slide either!" The other boy snorted, acting all superior, clearly looking down on Lewis.
His tone was full of disdain as he spoke.
Bro Guang heard this and secretly smiled, approving of the words, though he put on a show of being annoyed: "Hey, don’t talk like that. A guest is a guest!"
He really did have his eye on May. She wasn’t the prettiest girl, but her natural, innocent vibe made Guang’s heart skip a beat.
He’d tried going after her before, but every time, May turned him down, saying she already had a boyfriend.
May even started keeping her distance from him, so Guang switched tactics and got closer to her in a roundabout way.
Bro Guang had plenty of chances to just force himself on her, but he thought that would be no fun. This time, when he invited May out, she refused at first. It was only when Guang suggested she bring her boyfriend to 'see the world' that she agreed.
Bro Guang was scheming, planning to use this chance to totally ruin Lewis Lu’s image in May’s mind.
"Thanks for taking care of May. I’ll pay you back for the phone as soon as I can!" Lewis Lu looked at Bro Guang seriously.
"Pay him back? You think Bro Guang cares about your measly ten thousand? You think he’s as broke as you?" the other boy sneered.
As soon as he said that, Lewis’s face turned awkward.
He really didn’t have much money, and his family wasn’t wealthy. He didn’t have rich parents to help him out. If he really had to pay back that ten thousand, he’d have to work for a long time to save it up.
"Zhiwei! Watch your mouth!"
Bro Guang’s tone turned cold as he glared at Xu Zhiwei. His words sounded harsh, but the approval in his eyes was obvious.
Xu Zhiwei just snorted in reply.
Bro Guang looked back at Lewis and said, "That’s just how he talks—never cares about separated people’s feelings. Don’t take it to heart, Lewis."
"You don’t need to pay for the phone. I was happy to buy it for May—as a little sister."
Bro Guang smiled broadly, staring at Lewis Lu.
May Xia clung to Lewis Lu’s arm and nodded. "Yeah, Bro Guang is really good to me. He’s nice to everyone at school, too."
"Oh right, didn’t you say you had a surprise for me?" May asked curiously, blinking at Lewis.
Lewis paused for a moment, instinctively clenching his sweaty fists.
He really had prepared a little surprise, but in this place, facing Bro Guang and the others, Lewis suddenly lost most of his courage. He didn’t dare take it out and risk being laughed at. "Uh, I left in a hurry and forgot to bring it. I’ll give it to you next time."
Lewis scratched his head and gave an awkward smile.
"Oh." May nodded slightly, not suspecting anything. Then, as if remembering something, she asked curiously, "Oh right, didn’t you say a friend was coming with you? Where is he?"
"Oh! Right! That’s this guy! My wallet got stolen when I got on the bus, and if he hadn’t lent me his phone, I wouldn’t have found you!"
Hearing that, Lewis slapped his forehead, suddenly remembered, and quickly looked back.
Only then did everyone follow his gaze and notice the young man standing quietly to the side.