CHAPTER 173: CHAPTER 173: ACTING

"They’re really going too far!"

The moment Xia Liang walked through the door, he heard Luu Juan’s indignant voice. She rushed over to him immediately.

"Xia Liang, how did it go? Are they giving it back?"

"No," Xia Liang said, shaking his head. His tone, however, was relaxed. "They said they’re done with it and promised to return it tomorrow. By the way, how’s Cousin Wenlin?"

Luu Qi stepped forward, her expression grim. "As soon as Cousin Wenlin got back, he locked himself in his room. He won’t come out, no matter how much we call."

Xia Liang knew it would be pointless to try talking to him right now; Luu Wenlin needed to be alone. Still, he knew he had to try.

He saw his uncle on the phone, notifying friends and family one by one. Some had even traveled thousands of miles to be here. Not to mention the money spent on hotels for everyone, they had been preparing for this wedding for over half a month. All that time, effort, and anticipation... all for nothing.

A harsh glint flashed in Xia Liang’s eyes.

This house was built by his uncle’s family on their own land. It had three floors, and Luu Wenlin’s room was on the second.

Without a word, Xia Liang headed upstairs. Seeing this, Luu Qi followed him.

"Bro, I don’t think we should disturb Cousin Wenlin right now. Let him have some quiet time."

"This is precisely the time when someone needs to talk some sense into him." The cold light in Xia Liang’s eyes didn’t fade.

After a moment’s thought, Luu Qi nodded in agreement. "You’re right. If all else fails, we can just get drunk with him."

"Exactly!" Xia Liang said, his voice ominously low. And while we’re at it, I need to see if he has truly given up on her for good.

"Uhm..." Hearing this, Luu Qi swallowed hard. "Bro, what are you planning to do?"

She knew that look on his face all too well. It was the same one he’d had when he beat the thugs who bullied her half to death. No one understood Xia Liang better than she did. He was fiercely protective of his own. If you targeted him alone, he might just brush it off. But if you dared to bully anyone close to him... well, let’s just say Xia Liang would show no mercy.

The only reason he hadn’t made a move yet was out of consideration for Luu Wenlin’s feelings. After all, they were dealing with family.

If Xia Liang confirms that Cousin Wenlin has truly given up in despair... I don’t know what he’ll do to Zheng Jin’s family, but I’m sure it won’t be pleasant for them.

Still, Luu Qi felt the need to caution him. "Bro, let’s try not to solve this with violence."

"Don’t worry, I won’t," he said, patting her on the shoulder.

With that, the two continued up the stairs.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

Xia Liang rapped on Luu Wenlin’s door. "Cousin Wenlin, don’t just hole up in there. If you’re upset, let’s go grab a few drinks, get hammered, and put it all behind us."

As expected, there was no sound from within the room. His words had no effect. However, it didn’t matter. Xia Liang hadn’t expected those words to work anyway.

Luu Qi, on the other hand, looked puzzled. She wondered how Xia Liang was going to determine if their cousin had truly lost all hope.

Soon enough, Xia Liang made his move.

BANG! He slammed a fist against the door.

"I get it, Cousin Wenlin! I don’t know what’s so great about that woman, but we’re family! It’s just about the money for the betrothal gift, isn’t it? Your cousin has saved up a little over the past two years! I’ll go to their door and apologize right now, and make it so you can get married tomorrow!"

With that, Xia Liang turned as if to leave.

Holy crap! Why didn’t I think of that? Luu Qi’s eyes widened as she watched Xia Liang’s performance. Clearly, this tactic of feigning retreat to force an advance was brilliant. Whether or not Luu Wenlin still cared about Zheng Jin, he’d have to come out. If he cared, he’d have to stop Xia Liang from leaving, especially since Xia Liang was offering to help with the betrothal gift. And if he didn’t care, he’d still have to come out to stop Xia Liang from going.

Sure enough, the sound of Xia Liang’s receding footsteps was too much for Luu Wenlin. He scrambled off the bed and threw the door open.

"Xia Liang!"

Hearing his cousin’s voice, Xia Liang stopped and turned around.

Hearing the commotion, everyone downstairs rushed up, only to find Luu Wenlin already out of his room. The tall, 1.85-meter man was crying his eyes out.

"Cousin Wenlin, don’t be like this over some money. It’s nothing, I really have it."

"I know." Tears streamed down Luu Wenlin’s face. "I... I know. Thank you, Xia Liang. Thank you... But she... she isn’t worth it!"

Luu Wenlin’s declaration was firm and resolute, the words practically ground out between clenched teeth.

From the very beginning, he knew Zheng Jin and her family were snobs. But he had truly loved her. He’d foolishly complied with nearly every request from her and her family, thinking that if he just kept treating them well, he could eventually soften even a heart of stone. But alas... in the end, it was all for nothing.

Hearing this, a smile touched Xia Liang’s lips. This meant Luu Wenlin had completely given up on that woman. In that case, he could finally make her pay the price without any reservations.

"Alright!" Xia Liang walked right up and slung an arm around Luu Wenlin’s shoulders. Thankfully, the Gene Potion had boosted Xia Liang’s height to 1.82 meters; otherwise, the gesture might have looked quite comical.

Xia Liang patted his cousin’s shoulder. "That settles it, then! Whatever is making you unhappy, we’ll drink it away. Let’s go, brother. We’ll get drunk, and everything will be fine."

With that, he guided Luu Wenlin downstairs.

Watching Xia Liang successfully coax Luu Wenlin out of his room, the adults exchanged glances. When they heard the two were going out for a drink, none of them objected. They had all been through similar things and understood how much pain Luu Wenlin was in.

"Mom, Dad, Uncle, we’re heading out for a bit."

They all nodded. As they were leaving, one of them called out to Luu Qi, "Keep an eye on them. Don’t let them drink too much."

"Mhm." Nodding, Luu Qi ran out after them.

At eight o’clock that evening, in a karaoke lounge, Luu Wenlin’s face was flushed from drinking. He was clutching a microphone, belting out the sorrowful notes of "Sad Pacific."

Meanwhile, on the Feiyu Platform, Su Yi was in the middle of her 50-into-25 PK battle. This time, it was clear Su Yi’s luck wasn’t as good as it had been before. Fortune’s wheel had turned.

Her opponent was a top-tier anchor. His broadcast room normally had over a dozen "Emperors," and his VIP section boasted more than 200 people. Now, it was Su Yi’s PK bar that was crushed down to a single centimeter.

"What’s the matter? Weren’t you guys so feisty before?"

"Go on, call out your Summer God Hao!"

"Is that all you’ve got? Don’t tell me your God Xia was so scared by our Brother Li that he doesn’t dare show his face!"

"This is hilarious! And you wanted to compete for the Feiyu Star?"

"Just go home and sleep it off!"

As Xia Liang remained absent, trolls from the opponent’s channel flooded Su Yi’s broadcast, showing off and taunting her. The barrage of mocking comments made the blood of Su Yi’s loyal fans boil. Of course, none of them believed that Xia Liang was scared off or had run out of money. They knew something else must be keeping him away.