Upon learning that Li Xiaolong might come looking for trouble,

None of the three roommates showed any fear, and all said they would face it together with Zhou Chen.

As the saying goes, what you say comes true.

One second Li Xiaolong was surrounded by the crowd, the next second he headed straight for the food section, where Zhou Chen and the others were.

When he saw Li Xiaolong stop in front of Zhou Chen,

In an instant, almost all eyes in the hall were focused on it.

Just now, with the introductions of several game company executives, many people at the scene learned about Li Xiaolong's identity. They knew that he came from Hong Kong Island, was a wealthy young master, and came from a family with considerable wealth and a well-known reputation in Hong Kong.

Most people know Zhou Chen. After all, the Dungeon Fighter Online game is so popular. As the boss of Hope Technology Network, Zhou Chen was recently exposed on the internet. Almost everyone in the industry knows him.

Right now, Li Xiaolong has come to Zhou Chen. Is it to make friends, or to compete with him?

No one can help but be curious.

Zhao Kun and Zhou Ling both laughed when they saw this, because they knew that Li Xiaolong was definitely going to cause trouble. Zhou Chen would probably be humiliated in public soon, which would be a great relief for them.

After exchanging a glance, the two of them both revealed expectant expressions.

In the crowd,

As Zhou Na listened to the whispers around her, her brows furrowed slightly, and her complicated gaze fell on Li Xiaolong.

Because she probably knew who Li Xiaolong was.

"Mr. Zhou, we meet again."

This was Li Xiaolong's first sentence. He had a faint smile on his face, which made him appear polite and courteous.

But Zhou Chen knew that a dog that bites doesn't bark, but Li Xiaolong was a venomous snake. If he didn't bite, all was well, but once he did, it would be fatal.

"Yes, what a coincidence."

Zhou Chen smiled and engaged in awkward small talk with a nonchalant expression.

Li Xiaolong's lips twitched visibly, speechless. He was the one who had sent the invitation to Zhou Chen and said that he would definitely go, but Zhou Chen said it was a coincidence. This had nothing to do with coincidence at all.

"Haha, Mr. Zhou is really humorous."

Li Xiaolong gave a fake laugh, then his face turned serious as he continued, "Boss Zhou, if you're willing to change your mind and agree to the conditions I mentioned before, I think we can become good friends, and you'll gain my friendship in return."

Outsiders wouldn't understand this statement or know what it meant, but Zhou Chen knew that Li Xiaolong hadn't given up on Hope Technology Network and wanted to make one last attempt.

Unfortunately, cats and mice cannot live in peace.

"So, Mr. Zhou is comparing himself to a cat?" Li Xiaolong raised an eyebrow. Although he knew that Zhou Chen was unlikely to compromise, he was willing to give it a try. After all, if Zhou Chen agreed, he could temporarily change the rules without having to resort to drastic measures. Since he wanted network technology to belong to him, he certainly couldn't do anything that would damage the foundation.

However, Zhou Chen, who identified himself as a cat, called him a mouse and disdained his friendship, which was clearly a veiled rejection. He even called him a rat, which made Li Xiaolong very unhappy.

"I don't like being a cat; I prefer lions and tigers," Zhou Chen said calmly.

Li Xiaolong's brows furrowed even more, and a flash of anger appeared in his eyes.

The fact that Zhou Chen doesn't act like a cat, but instead becomes a lion or tiger—a creature at the top of the food chain—is the greatest disregard for him.

After all, in Zhou Chen's eyes, he was a mouse, which was far inferior to a lion or a tiger.

"Hehe... Mr. Zhou has lofty ambitions, but I still want to remind him that sometimes, knowing when to stop is the best outcome. If you are greedy and try to swallow an elephant, you will end up with nothing, which is not worth it."

Since the negotiations failed, Li Xiaolong stopped wasting words and prepared to unleash his killer move, leaving Zhou Chen with nothing to laugh about.

"You're right, but unfortunately, I was born unable to bend over."

Zhou Chen smiled faintly again.

A cold glint flashed in Li Xiaolong's eyes. He chuckled softly, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

The onlookers could all sense the tension between the two. Although they didn't know exactly what the two had just discussed, there were quite a few clever people in the crowd who had already guessed the gist of it.

"Brother Chen, this guy's a real show-off. What do you suggest we do? Let's all go for him."

After the crowd dispersed, Wang Rui was the first to feel annoyed.

Zhang Hao and Li Wei also looked over, expressing the same sentiment.

Zhou Chen laughed and said, "No need to rush, and you don't need to go on stage. Just wait and watch the show."

"Brother Chen, did you have a plan in mind?" Wang Rui's expression flashed.

Zhou Chen smiled, neither admitting nor denying.

Seeing this, the three roommates were relieved.

Not long after,

A voice came through the speakers in the hall; it was the host of tonight's banquet, announcing the official start of the event.

But with the host's next sentence, Wang Rui and Zhang Hao were both excited, because their favorite part was about to begin.

The organizers of the banquet invited top players from the gaming industry, including a top-five player in the Dungeon Fighter Online game.

Not long after,

Several people then appeared in front of the crowd and introduced themselves, each with their own game account.

"The number one ranked player in the dungeon is actually a girl, Deep Blue?"

"I always thought she was a man."

"Luckily, I dressed up specially today. What a close call! I hope I can leave a good impression on Shenlan, hehe..."

After a brief moment of shock, Wang Rui became even more excited. He had come to see his idol, only to find out that she was actually a girl. How could Wang Rui not be thrilled? It was an unexpected delight. Most importantly, his idol was not only good at games, but also beautiful and adorable.

"Guys, I think I'm in love again."

Wang Rui's words immediately drew the attention of Zhou Chen, Zhang Hao, and Li Wei. The reason was simple: the three of them knew this phrase all too well. Every time Wang Rui met a female netizen, after seeing her photos, he would say the same thing, only to later say it was a joke after meeting her in person.

"Ahem... This time, I'm serious. I swear, I've never been so excited before. None of you can take it from me."

Wang Rui bowed to the three of them, his face full of flattery.

Seeing this, the three were speechless, but still expressed their support.

Then, in front of Wang Rui, they placed a bet on whether Wang Rui's one-sided romance would succeed this time.

"Brother Chen, Brother Haozi, Brother Wei, you guys are going too far! Why are you all betting that I'll break up again? You should believe me!"

“Rui Zi, it is precisely because we believe in you that we bet that you will not succeed. We believe in your abilities.”

It would have been better if Zhang Hao hadn't explained; once he did, Wang Rui was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Is he really that unpopular?

...