Chapter Thirty-Three: Bullied by the Empress

In the end, Su Tong naturally refused to borrow money from Gao Litong, but he was still deeply moved. This girl was not only innocent in appearance but also pure of heart—she was in a “red alert” state, far too easily deceived. Su Tong pondered how to reduce her warning level to blue, or even eliminate it altogether; otherwise, things could turn out poorly.

Li Wen, for example, belonged firmly in the “safe” category. Even if she were unlucky enough to be kidnapped and sold, her buyer would soon beg her to leave.

The two took the light rail from Jinzou District to the Development Zone. Gao Litong’s father lived in the Golden Jade Garden Community in the Development Zone.

The Development Zone in Seaside City was close to Jinzou and currently undergoing vigorous development. It was said that within two years, all the villages between the two districts would be developed, rural areas fully urbanized.

Many renowned universities in Seaside City had already built new campuses in the Development Zone, which was now livelier than Jinzou. Golden Jade Garden was a luxury community facing the sea.

In front of the community was a small square, just like Star Sea Square, bordering the ocean.

The event hadn’t started yet, but many residents and tourists were already strolling around the square, enjoying the sea view.

Seeing the billboard’s announcement on the square, Su Tong nearly laughed—“A mysterious superstar guest”? It was just a few bar singers; even he, an unknown nobody, was scheduled to perform.

Moreover, the celebration had another purpose—the community still had unsold apartments and wanted to attract buyers.

Su Tong and Gao Litong found a spot at the seaside corner of the small square.

“No laughing! I asked Uncle Wang, and there really is a star coming,” Gao Litong pouted, glanced around, and whispered, “Su Tong, I’ll tell you a secret—the superstar actually lives in my dad’s community. She’ll sing two songs, for free.”

Su Tong didn’t believe it. What was so special about this place that a big star would buy a home here?

“Hmph, she lives in the villa section of the community, not the apartments. She’s very wealthy—she wouldn’t even accept a few hundred yuan as a performance fee,” Gao Litong said, annoyed by Su Tong’s skepticism.

Su Tong was speechless. How had he not realized in high school how simple she was? Probably because back then, he was too self-conscious, had no friends, and barely spoke to Gao Litong.

“Yan City is where the celebrities gather. What star would move to this remote corner?” Su Tong asked, curious. As he spoke, he suddenly felt uneasy, glanced around, and noticed a woman sitting on a stone bench to his right, dressed in a cool aqua dress, wearing a sun hat and sunglasses.

As he looked, the woman turned her head toward the sea. She seemed to have been watching Su Tong just moments before.

“She’s one of the four great beauties of the entertainment industry, Yang Feifei,” Gao Litong declared proudly, readily divulging her father’s client’s information.

“The so-called four great beauties are just hyped up. She’s not as pretty as you,” Su Tong retorted scornfully. No sooner had he finished than he felt a chill run through him, as if a murderous gaze had locked onto him.

Su Tong quickly looked around again—something strange was happening.

He glanced at the woman, who was turning her gaze away.

“Do I… look as good as them?” Gao Litong blushed, shyly lowering her head.

“Of course. All four of them together couldn’t match a single finger of yours,” Su Tong boasted.

“Hmph, nonsense.”

“Drop dead!”

Two voices rang out almost simultaneously.

Su Tong was startled—the first was naturally Gao Litong, realizing at last that Su Tong was speaking utter nonsense.

The second was the woman on the stone bench. To make matters worse, Su Tong saw a bag of snacks fly toward him, spilling its delicious contents mid-air.

His first reaction was what a waste! Xiaoyu and Xiaoxiao only got to eat those once or twice a year, and now they were scattered on the ground.

“Ah, you… you’re…” Gao Litong stared in shock at the woman who had attacked Su Tong.

Su Tong was startled as well—the woman took off her sunglasses, glaring at him with a look of fury. Her cheeks were puffed, as though she still had snacks in her mouth.

She was young, probably Gao Litong’s age, stunningly beautiful, with long eyelashes.

“Yang Feifei?” Su Tong and Gao Litong exclaimed, standing up.

Yang Feifei, one of the four great beauties of the entertainment world, had debuted at six as a child star. In the Great Qin Empire, nearly everyone knew her—she was a super celebrity, a national goddess.

Suddenly, Su Tong’s vision blurred, and he saw a cold, elegant woman standing beside Yang Feifei, with a face as lovely as a flower, almost as beautiful as Yang Feifei herself.

At the same time, a sharp pain struck his shoulder—he realized a tall man had appeared at his side, gripping his shoulder like an iron clamp.

Su Tong groaned, breaking out in a sweat, and couldn’t help but drop back onto the bench.

“What are you doing?” Gao Litong cried out in panic, seeing Su Tong in pain. She slapped at the man’s hand, trying to free Su Tong.

The man released his grip and stepped back, his wary gaze relaxing. He’d thought Su Tong was dangerous, but he was just a pretty boy.

Now, even a fool could tell—the mysterious man and the woman who had suddenly appeared were Yang Feifei’s bodyguards.

“You… you’re too much!” Gao Litong accused Yang Feifei, nearly in tears. She didn’t care if Yang Feifei was a celebrity or a national goddess—hurting the one she liked made her a devil.

Su Tong’s face was pale—the pain felt as though his bones had broken.

“Hmph, you should be grateful I didn’t throw him into the sea to feed the fish. Consider yourself lucky, being the daughter of Mr. Gao,” Yang Feifei retorted, still chewing her snacks.

At that moment, Su Tong felt utterly aggrieved—what a disaster!

Now he realized that the system’s upgrades to his physical attributes were pitifully insignificant. Yang Feifei’s bodyguard could crush him with a single finger.

“Some goddess! I never imagined your manners would be so poor. The public must be blind,” Gao Litong said angrily, completely unafraid of Yang Feifei.

“How disappointing. My mood is ruined. Sister Yaya, Dalong, let’s go—let’s get away from here,” Yang Feifei said, putting on her sunglasses and leaving along the seafront railing.

“Su Tong, are you alright?” After Yang Feifei left, Gao Litong sat on Su Tong’s right, anxiously asking, her face full of worry.

Su Tong moved his right shoulder—it still hurt, but it was much better.

The little demon checked him over; his bones weren’t broken, just compressed and deformed. The deformation would heal itself.

“I’m fine. My goal is to become the man of a diva. Soon, the new waves will push out the old, and I’ll leave her in the dust, pressing her down until she begs for mercy,” Su Tong boasted shamelessly.

“Yes, yes, press her down,” Gao Litong echoed, taking Su Tong’s words at face value—he was injured, after all. She never suspected any hidden meaning, her pure mind unable to fathom such thoughts.

Su Tong blushed. He truly had some wicked ideas, but Gao Litong hadn’t noticed at all.

Soon after, the event began. The host, a man, bellowed on stage, expertly setting the rhythm and energizing the crowd.

Immediately, audiences flocked from all directions to the center of the square.

“Let’s get ready too,” Su Tong said, rolling his shoulder. It hurt a bit, but wasn’t a problem anymore.