CHAPTER 848: CHAPTER 448: ENTERING THE INNER CIRCLE

Boss’s mother, upon hearing his heartless order to leave, widened her already round eyes even more; if Xu Ke were to look, it would seem as though those eyes were about to pop out.

"You’re truly heartless, not wanting to deal with family matters. Had I known you were such a heartless creature, I should have drowned you right after giving birth, instead of enduring hardships to raise such a miserable excuse of a son," the old lady cursed harshly, while Boss just listened with his head down, not refuting.

"Mom, I told you this wouldn’t work, but you insisted on trying. See now? He doesn’t buy it at all," the brother, who had been playing games on his phone all along, spoke flippantly. The game’s sound was still echoing, but now that the argument had paused, it seemed particularly grating.

"I was foolish to expect anything from this beast, thinking of him as family he doesn’t even care. Now I won’t stop you; do as you wish," the old lady glared at the Boss, not a hint of her resentment fading even though he was coughing incessantly, as if the person before her was not her child but an enemy.

"If you’d said this earlier, it would have saved a lot of time; I’ve been delayed for so long," the man rolled his eyes, put his phone in his pocket, twisted his neck, and walked up to the Boss.

"I’m not as temperate as our mom. I’ll ask you one last time, are you not planning to give a penny for my wedding?" the man’s heavily tattooed arms came into view.

"I’ll give a gift, nothing more. I’ve already spent enough on you these years, as a brother, I have a clear conscience. You’re not a kid anymore; I’m just your brother, not your dad. I won’t support you forever. From today, you’re on your own," Boss took a sip of water to soothe his throat and said.

"Don’t talk to me about principles; whether you support me or not is my say, not yours," the man pointed to his chest, left Boss a meaningful smile, and then led the old lady out of the hotel.

But everyone knew this was just a temporary lull, far from over. Judging by the man’s tone, this issue wouldn’t be resolved easily.

Once the mother and son left, Xu Ke finally came down from the stairs.

Hearing the footsteps, Boss looked at Xu Ke, his voice carrying a hint of dejection, "You heard all that just now?"

"Yeah." Xu Ke nodded.

"I’ve embarrassed myself in front of you. What you saw was my mom and my brother. My brother has been spoiled by our family. Though he talks big, he can’t really do anything to me. You can safely continue staying here," Boss said, looking at Xu Ke.

"If you need help, just ask. Don’t hesitate; it feels awkward to stay here for free," Xu Ke said with a smile.

Boss looked into Xu Ke’s eyes, trying to see if his offer was genuine or just polite. Seeing the sincerity in Xu Ke’s eyes, Boss’s gaze softened, "Alright, I won’t stand on ceremony," he replied with a smile, even coughing less frequently.

They chatted and laughed, but the earlier incident had left Boss in low spirits. Xu Ke kept him company, drinking for a while until Boss grew tired, and then helped him to bed before stepping out.

Since the town rarely saw outsiders, Xu Ke wasn’t worried about guests arriving. He closed the hotel, hung up a ’temporarily closed’ sign, and went out strolling around the town.

When Xu Ke finally returned, he found a crowd gathered around the hotel, blocking the view inside.

"Excuse me, I stay here," Xu Ke tapped someone in front of him.

The onlookers, bothered by Xu Ke’s interruption, were about to turn around angrily, but once they recognized him, their anger vanished without a trace, and they quickly made way.

Many in the crowd had either seen or heard of Xu Ke’s battle with Bro Five, and they were wary of him. No one dared to stop him as he moved forward.

Quickly, Xu Ke made his way through the throng into the hotel.

The hotel was packed, yet it was wrecked compared to when Xu Ke left; shards of glass and wood bits littered the floor, and the glass door was extensively broken, making the little inn look like a condemned building.

Boss’s brother sat on the lone chair, while Boss himself lay bruised and battered on the ground, surrounded by big men. However, for some reason, no one guarded the entrance, allowing Xu Ke to enter smoothly.

"This place isn’t open for business today, so you’d better leave if you don’t want any trouble," Boss’s brother said impatiently.

Xu Ke stood in the doorway, blocking the light from streaming inside. This backlit position made it hard for Boss to see Xu Ke’s face, but he knew it was Xu Ke.

"This has nothing to do with you; you should leave," Boss said, lying on the ground, panting heavily.

"Oh, listen to that, an acquaintance," Boss’s brother straightened from the chair, eyes filled with malicious intent, "Since you know him, then don’t leave." As soon as he finished speaking, someone blocked the door.

"This is between us, not him. Don’t get innocent people involved," Boss stretched his neck and said, still lying on the ground.

"Having him here already means he can’t leave unscathed," the brother said, a cigarette unlit in his mouth.

"What would it take for you to let him go?" Boss said, taking a deep breath with his eyes shut.

"You already know what I want, so why pretend?" the brother sneered, his gaze full of uncovered ridicule.

"Fine, I’ll give you whatever you want; just let him go," Boss said, eyes still closed.