Chapter 265 162: Zhang Niu: Chao Zi, You'll Live in the Capital City, Big Bro Will Arrange Everything for You

"But not this time. There wasn't a single peep. It just happened all of a sudden over two days. No one saw it coming, and a ton of people got nabbed."

"By the way, Mr. Xu, did you know about this?"

Xu Huo froze. He instinctively turned his head and glanced at Wang Chao.

He fell into silence.

"I... I didn't know."

"Hmm, I hadn't heard. I'm pretty curious myself. A crackdown with unlimited resources over just two days is definitely strange."

Zhang Niu wholeheartedly agreed.

Seeing this, Xu Huo quickly ushered him to the table.

"It's New Year's Day, let's eat first... And this must be your wife?"

Xu Huo sat down and made some small talk.

It was indeed a family dinner.

Zhang Niu's wife and others were there.

His wife was a dignified and gentle woman in her forties, and she was currently sitting with Chu Xi.

She gazed at Chu Xi, her eyes filled with affection.

Chu Xi looked back, her eyes wide with confusion as to why the woman was staring at her.

After a moment's thought, she hesitantly took out one of her cream puffs and offered it to her.

Madam Zhang, who had been about to place some food on Chu Xi's plate, froze. She glanced at the cream puff, then back at the piece of food held between her own chopsticks.

Madam Zhang: ?

'The... the roles have been reversed!?'

The meal progressed slowly.

Or perhaps, it was that most of the time was spent drinking.

It wasn't a formal affair; everyone was just in high spirits and got a little carried away.

Zhang Niu and Xu Huo were going head-to-head, downing drink after drink.

Xu Huo thought for a moment, deciding not to mention his [Stable Consciousness] ability or his superhuman constitution.

So, after a while...

Zhang Niu was hammered, but he wasn't totally blacked out.

He watched Xu Huo down half a bottle of baijiu and a full bottle of red wine without even a hint of a flush on his face...

'Is he even human?'

'Is he seriously human!?'

He had no choice but to feign passing out. Soon after, he set his sights on Wang Chao.

As for Xu Huo....

After a few drinks, he moved to a seat by the window.

It was a large, floor-to-ceiling window, offering a panoramic view of the bustling Capital City.

Chu Xi was also sitting there quietly, leaning against the window, as serene as a painting. She had skin as smooth and white as jade, long, slender fingers, and a cascade of silky black hair that fell to her waist.

Her dark, luminous eyes gazed outside.

A scene was reflected in her eyes.

Golden neon lights outlined the city's buildings.

Lively advertisements played across massive screens.

Flurries of white snow drifted through the air, fluttering gently aside with every gust of wind.

Before long, the ground was white, covered in a thin layer of snow.

A few children were on the ground below, rolling snowballs.

...

"It's quite beautiful."

Lost in the moment, Xu Huo found himself murmuring aloud after watching for a long time.

Chu Xi looked over at him and blinked. She tilted her head, her lovely face a picture of confusion.

"What is it?"

"Ahem, it's nothing."

Xu Huo averted his gaze, no longer staring at her. He coughed lightly and looked back outside.

"I meant the scenery. It's beautiful."

Chu Xi blinked, looked outside, and nodded thoughtfully.

"It is beautiful."

He nodded.

They fell silent again.

They just sat there in silence, the sound of Wang Chao and Zhang Niu's boisterous bragging drifting from behind them.

Judging by their tone, they were getting drunk and were probably not far from becoming sworn brothers.

Just as Xu Huo was zoning out,

a soft voice spoke up.

"It is quite beautiful."

Xu Huo froze for a second before instinctively turning to look.

He met her pure, dark, and luminous eyes, and their gazes locked.

"Haha, see? I told you the view was beautiful."

Xu Huo laughed.

"I wasn't talking about the view."

Chu Xi rested her head on her fair arms on the tabletop, burying her face so that only her eyes were visible.

Those dark, clear, pure eyes looked up to meet Xu Huo's gaze.

She blinked, looking at Xu Huo.

"I wasn't talking about the view."

...

Xu Huo's heart skipped a beat, then began to pound violently. He shot to his feet.

"Ahem."

"It's a little hot in here. I'm going to step outside for some fresh air. Yeah, some fresh air..."

Averting his eyes, Xu Huo hurriedly walked out.

CLICK!

The door opened.

A gust of cold wind hit his face like a splash of cool water, soothing his flushed skin.

"Whew~"

Xu Huo took several deep breaths, forcing his racing heart to slow.

Back in the private room, two other people were now by the floor-to-ceiling window.

There sat Wang Chao, looking like he was about to puke, and next to him was a girl with a completely bewildered expression.

The girl glanced helplessly back at her father, then at Wang Chao, who was slumped over the table, dead drunk.

"What're you lookin' at?"

Wang Chao slurred at her in a daze.

After slurring out those four words, he collapsed onto the table.

But his eyes remained hazily open, staring out the window.

Outside the window, a brilliant splash of color suddenly lit up the sky.

BANG!

The firework exploded, spreading across the sky like a drop of ink on white paper.

It was followed by countless more, their trailing tails streaking upwards to blossom like flowers high in the sky.

「At the hotel entrance.」

Xu Huo stubbed out his cigarette and tossed it into a trash can.

He exhaled a ragged breath, feeling the chill in the air. The kaleidoscopic colors of the fireworks washed over him, making the world seem to spin.

The fireworks were beautiful, but soon enough...

Huge clouds of firework smoke engulfed the entire city.

The smoke drove Xu Huo back into the hotel.

No kidding.

Back in '03, a scene like this.....

The Capital City looked like a warzone!

...

...

「Ten-thirty at night.」

"Old Niu, how did you end up this wasted?"

At the hotel entrance, Zhang Liang and Zhao Gang, who had just arrived, watched the completely hammered Wang Chao and Zhang Niu, an involuntary twitch at the corners of their eyes.

"From now on, you're my brother! Big bro! We're gonna make it big, we're gonna be great, and we're gonna reach new glorious heights!"

Wang Chao slurred at him.

The two of them sounded like they'd just become sworn brothers...

Zhang Liang was amused. "How much did you two have to drink?"

"What 'how much'? I met my long-lost brother tonight..."

Zhang Niu grumbled, bellowing at everyone around him.

'He must've had at least half a bottle...'

Zhang Liang laughed. It was the first time he'd ever seen his buddy this plastered.

However....

But when Zhang Niu spoke his next words, Zhang Liang's smile vanished.

And in that same moment, he felt like he'd just lost a brother.

"Little bro, listen to me. From now on, we're living in the Capital City!"

Zhang Niu bellowed, slinging an arm around Wang Chao.

"You just live here! I'll sort out your residency permit, a house, a car! We're staying right here!"

Zhang Liang: ?

Zhang Liang's eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on Zhang Niu.

Stay....

Here!?

"Zhang Niu, what did you just say..."

"What?"

"Say it again."