CHAPTER 155: CHAPTER 150: THERE’S LIQUOR AT THE BAR, POUR IT YOURSELF (SECOND UPDATE)

"Very funny?" Tong Airui wrapped his arm around her waist and lowered his gaze to ask.

"Not funny." Yi Luowa suppressed her laughter and said, "I don’t even know what happened to that little beggar afterward. Later, Huo Li and I even brought a large sum of money to look for her, but we never saw her again."

Justus subtly shifted his sitting position and gazed blankly out the window.

"Hey handsome, did you recognize me from the start?" Huo Li leaned in to look at Tong Airui.

"No, you were bundled up so tightly at the time. If I could recognize you, I’d be a deity." Tong Airui patted Yi Luowa’s hand. "Didn’t you have something to discuss? Go talk about your secrets inside; I’ll wait for you here. But don’t take too long—I’m worried my second uncle might fuss over you."

"Okay, just an hour. If we don’t finish, we’ll continue tomorrow." Yi Luowa pulled Huo Li into a bedroom.

Once they went inside, Tong Airui picked up his phone, pulled up a number, and typed out a text message to send.

Justus glanced at him before walking slowly to the balcony. Out the window, the night sparkled with lights, but he had no mood to appreciate the beautiful night view. His mood today had hit rock bottom, yet he couldn’t find an outlet to vent.

"Want a drink?" Tong Airui’s voice floated over from behind him.

Justus turned his head to look, "Sure."

Tong Airui lounged lazily on the sofa, watching him as he said, "There’s wine at the bar table. Help yourself."

"Now that Luowa’s not here, you’ve dropped your gentlemanly demeanor?" Justus walked over to the bar, pulling out two glasses.

Tong Airui curled his lips slightly, "Just pour one glass. I don’t drink. Luowa knows who I am—I don’t need to put on airs. As for you, I wonder how long you can keep up your act."

Justus raised an eyebrow slightly, "What act would that be?"

"Acting all magnanimous and unaffected," Tong Airui said with a chuckle, "Tiring, isn’t it?"

Justus smiled inscrutably, "Even if I don’t fake it, my tolerance would still outmatch yours."

Tong Airui’s voice turned serious, "I’m the kind of person who picks my battles. I can tolerate most things, but when it comes to someone intruding on my wife, that’s something I’ll never tolerate!"

Justus poured himself a glass of red wine and gave it a swirl, "You’ve only known Luowa for how long? Isn’t it a bit early to call her your wife?"

Tong Airui chuckled softly, "What’s this? A competition to see who knows Luowa longer? Well, I’ve got you beat. I held her in my arms when she was two. You, at best, probably got to know her during her college years, right?"

"I met her when she was twelve—it’s just that she didn’t know me back then." Justus downed his glass in one gulp, then slammed it heavily on the bar.

"Let it go, buddy. Pining after someone else’s wife is a painful affair." Tong Airui looked toward him lazily.

"You’re thinking too much. Luowa and I are just ordinary friends. To say I’m pining for her—that’s a bit heavy-handed. But I can tell you this: I do have a knot in my heart when it comes to her. Maybe that’s what led to your misunderstanding."

"A knot in your heart? Should I interpret that as a secret crush? My wife’s emotional intelligence is ridiculously low. She wouldn’t recognize outright affection, let alone a secret crush."

"That’s truly not my intention." Justus smiled faintly, "I didn’t think you’d be this direct. I thought you’d beat around the bush to get me to stay away from Luowa."

"Directness is my strong suit." Tong Airui lightly tapped the sofa’s armrest, "Whether it’s a blatant crush or a secret one—it doesn’t matter. Even if I were dead, I wouldn’t let you touch a single strand of Luowa’s hair."

"You, besides being narrow-minded, are ridiculously possessive and arrogant. Some things should stay bottled up. If Luowa ever leaves you one day, you’d lose less face that way." Justus said with a laugh as he poured himself another glass of wine.

Tong Airui smirked slightly, looking at him, "I don’t have your level of deep scheming, but what I do have is confidence."

Justus raised his glass and drained it in one gulp, "Confidence from Luowa? Or your own bloated self-esteem?"

"Both, honestly." Tong Airui stood up, walked over to the bar, and personally poured him a glass of wine. "Luowa doesn’t have any feelings for you—you should be well aware of that. I’d advise you to let it go. Otherwise, it might end with you two not even being able to remain friends."

"You said I’m scheming—how could I let you figure out my thoughts so easily?" Justus smirked faintly, "Don’t waste your energy on me. Instead, spend some time thinking about how to please Luowa so she won’t leave you."

"Thanks for the tip. I’ll rack my brain and make every effort to treat Luowa well—I won’t leave even a shred of chance for you!"

Just as the words left his mouth, Tong Airui’s phone chimed with a text notification. He swiped open the screen, glanced at the contents, then looked toward Justus with an amused expression, "Want to know something? Just ask me—I wonder why you sent so many useless people to snoop around on me."

Though he’d been caught sending people to investigate Tong Airui, Justus’s face betrayed not an ounce of embarrassment. Smiling, he replied, "Luowa’s Huo Li’s best friend. She asked me to find out everything about you, so I couldn’t say no—it’s a favor I had to do."

Tong Airui sneered coldly, "And in doing so, you reached out to the BT organization?"