The taxi sped along the road. Inside, Lewis Lu hugged his black backpack and rambled nonstop, talking all about his girlfriend.
"Back in the first year of junior high, we started dating. It felt like we were sneaking around all the time—nobody thought we'd make it. But after so many obstacles, we finally made it to college together."
"We got into two different colleges, so it's a long-distance relationship now. No big deal! I plan to marry her right after graduation!"
"She's honestly an amazing girl. Hey, bro, judging by your look, you're still single, right? How about this—later I'll have my girlfriend introduce you to someone!"
Lewis Lu leaned in, grinning mischievously, looking completely blissful.
"How old are you?"
Evan Lin glanced at him.
"Nineteen!"
Lewis Lu was slightly taken aback.
"Guess how old I am?"
Hearing Evan ask, Lewis Lu thought for a long time before cautiously replying, "Eighteen?"
"I'm over three hundred years old. You shouldn't call me 'bro,' you should call me 'ancestor.'"
Evan Lin said this with a perfectly serious face.
Lewis Lu immediately burst out laughing, grinning, "Man, bro, I didn't expect you to be so funny."
He chuckled and started to reach out to pat Evan Lin's shoulder, but halfway there, he stopped instinctively and scratched his own head instead.
Evan Lin listened to Lewis Lu's endless chatter while watching the unfamiliar cityscape fly past the window, feeling perfectly calm inside.
When the taxi reached Graceford South Road, right at the street corner, the driver slammed on the brakes and stopped.
Evan Lin paid the fare and got out. Lewis Lu, still feeling embarrassed, said, "How about this—how much was the fare? Give me your contact info and I'll pay you back later?"
"I really did get pickpocketed."
Lewis Lu looked genuinely serious, feeling like he'd taken advantage of Evan.
"No need."
Evan Lin shook his head and looked away.
The address Sam Su gave was No. 1 Graceford South Road.
The Moore estate was supposed to be a large manor, but looking in from here, all Evan saw was a commercial street—no manor in sight. Yet the street sign clearly read 'Graceford South Road.'
While Evan Lin was thinking this over, he noticed Lewis Lu still standing beside him, awkwardly scratching his head.
"Aren't you going to find your girlfriend? Why are you still standing here?"
Evan Lin asked.
That made Lewis Lu even more uneasy.
"Well... my phone got stolen too. Now I don't have a cent, and I don't know where my girlfriend is. Can you..."
Lewis Lu raised his eyebrows at Evan Lin, his brow twitching. "Can I borrow your phone to make a call? Bro, please! I don't know anyone in Graceford, and if I can't find my girlfriend, I'll have to sleep on the street tonight! So tragic!"
Lewis Lu wore a mournful expression, looking pitiful despite being a grown man.
Evan Lin pulled out his old Nokia, too lazy to say anything, and tossed it straight into Lewis's hand.
"Whoa, antique!"
Lewis Lu took the phone, marveling at it, then quickly dialed a number and waited a moment.
"Hello! Xiao Mei, I'm on Graceford South Road. Where are you?"
"Oh, and I've got a surprise for you."
Lewis Lu switched to a soft, gentle tone, full of tenderness. As he spoke, his face lit up with excitement.
"Grann Inn? Okay, okay! I'll be right there!"
Lewis Lu hung up and handed the phone back to Evan Lin, full of gratitude. "Bro, my girlfriend's at Grann Inn. Why don't you come with me?"
"No, it's fine. I've got things to do."
Evan Lin shook his head, about to refuse.
But before he could, Lewis Lu grabbed Evan's arm and said, "Come on, bro, let's go! It's already late, and it'll be dinnertime soon."
"I've already hitched a ride with you and borrowed your phone—I'm really embarrassed. Dinner's on me tonight! And if you don't have a place to stay, I'll have my girlfriend open a room for you too!"
Lewis Lu looked the picture of loyalty.
In his mind, that Grann Inn place couldn't cost more than a few dozen yuan for a night's stay.
After all, hotels and inns are usually worlds apart in price.
Seeing Lewis's genuine enthusiasm and glancing at the time, Evan Lin simply nodded.
Seeing Evan nod, Lewis Lu brightened up and grinned, "That's more like it! It's rare to meet someone as kind as you these days. And don't worry, my girlfriend's super friendly too! Plus, I haven't forgotten about introducing you to someone!"
Lewis Lu was all smiles, backpack slung over his shoulder, still chatting away as they walked.
Watching him, Evan Lin was reminded of his old deskmate, Liu Jiasheng.
Back then, Liu Jiasheng followed Li Yang into the army and was never heard from again. Evan wondered what had become of him.
Lewis Lu kept asking people for directions as they walked.
The whole way, Graceford South Road was packed with people, and luxury cars lined the street.
Most of the guys and girls out shopping were dressed to impress—obviously rich kids, strutting around.
They'd all come to see the excitement after hearing the news from the Moore family.
Ambitious fighters were hoping for a shot—even if they couldn't win Melissa Mu or the Moore Family Ancient Sword, a good showing might get them noticed by other beauties or families.
The Moore family's son-in-law contest had run for seven days already, with people coming and going. The street vendors had made a killing.
Walking along, Evan Lin and Lewis Lu were simply dressed and didn't attract any attention.
Evan Lin kept scanning the crowd, spotting plenty of Inner-Strength and Outer-Strength experts, and even a few Vajra-level fighters.
Compared to the boxing tournament in Leighton City back in Seacrest Prefecture, there were way more experts here.
But that was only natural—Jinnan had absolute advantages in both economy and location over Seacrest.
"Grann Inn... this can't be it, right? But it looks like there's only one place called Grann around here."
After a long walk, Evan Lin and Lewis Lu stood in front of a tall building.
The building looked to be over twenty stories high.
A huge sign read 'Graceford Grand International Hotel.'
The entrance was a revolving door, the lobby full of floor-to-ceiling windows, and expensive blue-and-white porcelain decorated the entryway.
"This... this can't be Grann Inn, can it?" Lewis Lu swallowed hard. Damn, this place was obviously super expensive!
No matter how you looked at it, it was nothing like a budget inn!
Lewis Lu was still a bit dazed, but suddenly his eyes locked onto a group of men and women coming down from the elevator.
"Xiao... Xiao Mei?"