CHAPTER 10: CHAPTER 10: NUMBER SEVENTEEN IS SO COOL

Life in Meritopia is rich and varied, but Stella Grant rarely goes out.

Tonight, Vivi Sterling dragged Stella Grant out to hit the streets.

Their first stop was a boxing gym, where the handsome guys were promising strength, charm, and freshness...

The bell rang, and the crowd erupted; the match was about to start.

"Look, look! Number Seventeen is going up!"

Vivi Sterling said, picking up a tissue, folding it into a heart shape in a couple of moves, and then pressed a bright lip print onto it, handing it to a waiter.

"Brother, please help me give this to Number Seventeen, and say it’s from the sister in Box One, cheering him on!"

The waiter seemed used to such requests and took the tissue heart without much ado.

Number Seventeen stood at the edge of the ring, warming up, his eyes as sharp as a hawk’s.

He took the tissue handed over by the waiter, squinted his eyes, glanced toward Box One, his gaze complex and indecipherable.

"Ding—!"

The bell rang, and the match officially began!

Number Seventeen instantly pounced like a cheetah, muscles bulging, fists whistling through the air, each punch carrying a thunderous force, making hearts race faster.

"Beautiful! Beautiful! Hit him, hit him!" Vivi Sterling was so excited she was dancing around, wishing she could jump in and throw a couple of punches herself.

Stella was also swept up in the heated atmosphere, adrenaline starting to surge, not blinking as she intensely watched the fierce battle in the ring.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The dull sounds of impact, fists meeting flesh, sent shivers down the viewers’ spines.

In less than three minutes, the opponent emitted a scream and crashed to the ground, unable to get up again.

The entire place erupted instantly, cheers and screams deafening, the atmosphere outright explosive!

"Number Seventeen! Number Seventeen!" Vivi Sterling led the screams, her voice about to break from shouting.

Number Seventeen remained expressionless, his gaze cold, as if what just happened was insignificant.

Then he was pulled by the host to perform an exhibition match, taking down the opponent with clean and swift moves.

No one could last more than 3 minutes against him, earning rounds of applause.

The whole venue went completely wild because of Number Seventeen!

The audience rushed to the edge of the ring, throwing money onto the stage, bills flying around him like snowflakes.

"Another match! Another match!!"

Only Vivi Sterling, who pulled a velvet towel embroidered with a cat pattern from her bag and threw it down forcefully.

The towel landed right in front of Number Seventeen, who bent to pick it up, looked at it, then turned and walked straight off the ring, disappearing down the backstage corridor.

"Ah, he accepted my gift, hahaha!" Vivi Sterling looked utterly enchanted, excitement making stars pop up in her eyes.

"See, this is a real man, bowing to no money, but pausing solely for the affection of a sister. So MAN!"

Stella smiled helplessly, "Vivi, with your ability to imagine, it’s a waste you don’t write novels."

After watching boxing, the two moved on to a club, heading to the most opulent place, Nocturne.

At the moment, Aiden Fordham and a crowd of noble young men were drinking in a private room.

Aiden Fordham sat at the head seat, lightly swirling a glass of liquid with an amber glow, its hue more profound under the light, while his gaze remained as chilling as ice outside the window, carrying an undeniable coolness.

Tonight, Young Master Grant, Young Master Hawthorne, and Young Master Jacobs accompanied him, each gentleman elegantly with a lady by their side, the scene both warm and classy.

Only he remained untouched, coolly dignified.

As they walked in, Vivi Sterling and Stella Grant were immediately drawn to the lively scene by the billiard area.

"Wow, so many people?" Vivi Sterling moved closer out of curiosity.

A crowd surrounded a pool table, watching with interest, occasionally bursting into applause and cheering.

A tall man in a floral shirt wielded a cue skillfully and flippantly, clearing the table in two strokes to applause.

After finishing the game, the man looked up and saw the two stunning beauties, Vivi Sterling and Stella Grant, his eyes lighting up, lips curling into a playful smile as he walked over.

"Hey beautiful ladies, care to join for a couple of games?" The man smiled brightly, exuding confidence and a hint of challenge.

Vivi Sterling sized him up, then pouted, "With your skills? So-so at best."

The man, intrigued by her remark, said, "Oh? High standards, huh? How about we make a bet?"

"Bet on what?" Vivi Sterling raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"If I win," the man pointed to his face, smiling suggestively, "you give me a kiss, how about it?"

Vivi Sterling burst out laughing.

"A kiss? Dream on! If we win," she pointed to the stage not far away, lips curling into a mischievous smile, "you perform a strip dance on stage! Dare you?"

"Wow!" The crowd erupted, clapping and cheering, the atmosphere instantly heating up.

The man hesitated briefly, then laughed heartily.

"Interesting! Deal! But, who’s going against me? Miss?" His gaze darted between Vivi Sterling and Stella Grant.

Without hesitation, Vivi Sterling pushed Stella forward, saying, "Of course it’s her! My sister here is a billiard expert; it’ll be a piece of cake crushing a newbie like you!"

Stella was caught off guard, nearly stumbling, staring at Vivi Sterling, bewildered, "Vivi, you..."

Vivi Sterling winked at her teasingly:

"Stella, don’t be daunted! For the sake of the sisterhood perk, go! Beat him!"

Stella found it both amusing and helpless, but seeing Vivi Sterling’s excitement, she mustered the courage to step up.

How long has it been since she touched this thing? Five years? Or six?

Her hands were quite rusty!

But now, with Vivi Sterling pushing her and everyone’s gaze fixed on her with curiosity, skepticism, and the eager thrill of the spectacle, she couldn’t back down.

Stella took a deep breath, reaching out to choose a slightly cool cue.

Fine, let’s just shake off the cobwebs.

The floral-shirted man watched her slender fingers grip the cue, the posture seemed quite authentic, yet his eyes still showed disdain.

With exaggerated courtesy, he gestured.

"Ladies first, please."

Stella said nothing, walked to the billiard table, bent slightly, adjusting her breath.

In that instant, the surrounding noise seemed to fade away.

Her eyes, under the blurred light, suddenly became as sharp as a hawk’s, focusing intently on the neatly arranged nine balls.

Steady with the right hand pulling back, then—

"Bang!"

The crisp sound of collision erupted, and the cue ball shot out like lightning, precisely hitting the rack.

Colored balls scattered apart.

One, two, three!

Three balls pocketed right off the break!

Wow!