Chapter Ninety-Six: The Little Red Robe (Extended Combined Chapter)

"Ugh! What a headache!"

Young Master Xu leaned against the sofa by the window, sighing as he yawned.

Chen Xiao sat opposite him, resting his head on his hand. "What's the trouble?"

"In short... it's just very troublesome." Young Master Xu shook his head, his eyes darting toward the counter. He flashed a lecherous grin. "Miss Champagne, could I trouble you for another cup of coffee?"

Champagne, behind the counter, gave a sweet smile and walked over gracefully. She was wearing a cafe waitress uniform, holding a coffee pot. Her previously somewhat dowdy braids had been restyled into casual, playful buns just below her ears, making her look both lively and cute. She had even applied a touch of crystal lip gloss.

"It seems you truly are incorrigible," Chen Xiao remarked with a huff.

"Not at all, not at all. Everyone has an appreciation for beauty," Young Master Xu said with a straight face. "I am merely admiring Miss Champagne with a pure heart; I absolutely have no ulterior motives! My heart, Xu Yifan's heart, is loyal to Baicai!"

Chen Xiao couldn't help but chuckle. "Pity that Baicai's heart doesn't seem to be loyal to you yet."

Young Master Xu sighed, but such a dejected expression never lasted more than five seconds on his face. He quickly cheered up. "What about you, Xiao? It seems you've been having quite a run of romantic luck lately. You've got Ya Ya hidden away at home, my master Xiao Qing at school seems to have a thing for you, and now that you've returned from abroad, you've dragged back this charming little beauty from who knows where..."

As he spoke, he tapped his head. "Even Baicai's attitude toward you seems a bit... Hey, tell me, you aren't going to become enemies with me over a woman, are you?"

Chen Xiao rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, which girl do you actually like? Or should I ask, do you even have a girl you like?"

Chen Xiao lowered his head, pondering for a moment. Facing his best friend, he finally spoke the truth. "Actually... I suppose there is one."

"Oh? You really have a girl you like?" Young Master Xu immediately perked up, then stared at Chen Xiao guardedly. "Don't tell me it's Baicai! I'll flip out if it is!"

"Of course not."

"Then who is it? Hmm, Ya Ya is innocent and cute, Xiao Qing is elegant and refined, and quite the personality... Not them? Eh, could it be this Champagne girl you brought back?" Young Master Xu asked repeatedly, unable to resist stealing a glance at the counter. He noticed Champagne pretending to be calm while reading a magazine, though her ear seemed to be tilted toward them, eavesdropping...

Chen Xiao didn't speak, only watching the sunlight outside the window. The smiling face of the girl who called herself "this one" still surfaced in his mind...

This feeling... it should count as liking her, right?

After a while, Young Master Xu checked the time. "Alright, I should go. Baicai is getting off work soon. She finally agreed to go to the movies with me tonight."

As he stood up, he hesitated for a moment before making up his mind. "Chen Xiao, actually, I came here today because I need a favor."

"I knew it," Chen Xiao smiled. "It's summer break; you wouldn't be running over here unless you needed something. Speak up. No need to stand on ceremony with me."

"Sigh. It's the old man and my big brother..." Young Master Xu scratched his head in frustration. "You know my brother's temper. Because of his affairs, he and the old man are on the verge of severing ties. They start a fire every time they meet, and I'm stuck in the middle, feeling miserable... Next week is the old man's fiftieth birthday. But my brother... the way things are, he absolutely refuses to bow his head to the old man. I've tried to persuade him, but he won't listen. So..."

Chen Xiao smiled. "So you want me to go and put in a word for you?"

"Yes," Young Master Xu sighed. "My brother has always thought well of you; he thinks you're a real friend. Whenever I try to talk about the old man, he thinks I'm just helping the old man, and he won't listen to a word I say. So..."

"Understood. I'll go."

Chen Xiao naturally couldn't refuse a request from a good friend, especially since he had a decent relationship with Young Master Xu's older brother, the eldest son of the Xu family.

"Thanks then." Young Master Xu pulled an address from his pocket. "This is a place my brother just took over recently. He's usually there. You can go find him."

Chen Xiao glanced at the address. "Fine, I'll go tonight."

Young Master Xu's brother, the eldest son of the Xu family, had left the affluent life of the Xu family at eighteen for reasons unknown. He ran away to make his own way, entering the underworld. From eighteen to twenty-five, he had spent seven years in the criminal world, carving out a huge reputation in K-City.

In K-City and the surrounding areas, whenever the name "Little Red Robe" was mentioned, both friend and foe had to give a thumbs-up and call him a "real man!"

Chen Xiao had never been able to understand why someone like the eldest Xu, born into a wealthy family, would give up a life of comfort to dabble in the underworld—trading silk and fine dining for a life lived on the edge of a blade.

The eldest Xu was generous and loyal, with a fiery and straightforward temper, willing to lay down his life for his friends. Such a character didn't seem to belong to a child born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Back then, he had held a machete and chased a dozen people across several streets all by himself, his clothes soaked in blood, which earned him the nickname "Little Red Robe"—where did a pampered rich kid get such ruthlessness?

The address Young Master Xu gave was a nightclub in the south of K-City.

That night, Chen Xiao arrived. Just as he stepped out of the taxi, he saw the nightclub across the street, glowing brilliantly. At the entrance, groups of alternative-looking punks and girls were loitering—some laughing by the roadside, some squatting to smoke, others looking around.

At the entrance, several burly men with fierce faces stood like gatekeepers, arms crossed, revealing muscular arms under their short-sleeved T-shirts. One look told you they were no good.

Chen Xiao never liked such places, but today he had to bite the bullet and walk in.

Entering the lobby, he was met with deafening heavy metal music that made his heart pound and his ears ring. The stuffy air was thick with the smell of alcohol and tobacco.

In the dim light, countless men and women were swaying and jumping together on the dance floor. In the surrounding seats, many heavily made-up girls were puffing on cigarettes, searching for prey.

Occasionally, he could see thin men with suspicious looks carrying small leather bags, wandering between seats. They would sit down, exchange a few words, take the money handed to them, and pull a small plastic bag from their pockets... Chen Xiao knew these were the guys selling ecstasy.

This club belonged to Little Red Robe... or rather, it was one of the many clubs under his control.

Little Red Robe had a habit: whenever he got a new place, he would personally stay there for a long time. Many people knew this.

A long time ago, an enemy had tried to exploit this habit, tracking him down and bringing people to smash the place and seek revenge.

But after a few times, Little Red Robe remained unscathed, only adding a few more bloodstains to his clothes, which only made the name "Little Red Robe" even more famous.

Chen Xiao squeezed his way through the dance