Chapter 143 The fight started

Luo Zhaohan was just wondering whether he should start a conversation when he heard Pei Ji suddenly speak in the same indifferent voice: "Do you come to Taibai Tower often?"

Her heart skipped a beat, and she answered subconsciously, "Not often. I've come once or twice with my sisters."

"Oh." Pei Ji responded without asking any further questions, still looking out the window.

But Luo Zhaohan was a little nervous.

She doesn't come here often, but... Xie Wuqi likes to come here.

The Xie family and the Luo family are old friends. She and Xie Wuqi grew up together. When she was little, she often followed him to Taibai Tower to steal the osmanthus cakes here.

Later, as I got older, I became more cautious and came less often. But Pei Ji suddenly asked this...

Did he hear something? Or was it just a coincidence?

She was daydreaming when there was a knock on the door. It was the waiter coming to deliver wine and food.

Several plates of delicious side dishes and a pot of wine were placed on the table, and the waiter left again.

Pei Ji finally turned around from the window, walked to the table and sat down, picked up the wine pot, poured himself a glass, and drank it down.

The wine was spicy and he frowned slightly.

Luo Zhaohan looked at his drinking posture and couldn't help but whispered: "Drink slowly, it's easy to get drunk on an empty stomach."

Pei Ji looked up at her, his eyes were deep and his emotions could not be seen.

He didn't respond, but poured himself another cup. However, this time he didn't rush to drink it, but just rubbed the warm cup wall with his fingers.

"Zhao Han," he suddenly called her by her full name, his tone quite formal, "Our wedding date is set."

Luo Zhaohan's heart skipped a beat and he clenched his fingers. "When will it be decided?"

"After the autumn, on the eighth day of the tenth month." Pei Ji finished speaking, and then added, "My father and your father decided on this date together."

"Oh..." Luo Zhaohan responded softly, unable to describe the feeling in his heart. A little confused, a little expectant, and a little inexplicably flustered.

She picked up the teacup and pretended to drink tea to hide her emotions.

At this moment, there was a sudden noise coming from the private room next door. It seemed that a few people were drunk and their voices were frighteningly loud. The sounds of finger-guessing games and boasting penetrated the wooden wall and came clearly over.

"Thank you, brother! Come again! I won't leave until I'm drunk tonight!"

"Haha, brother Wang, you're so generous! I admire you! Cheers!"

"If we talk about the free and easy and righteous man in Chang'an City, it has to be our Brother Xie Wuqi!"

The three words "Xie Wuqi" were like a needle, suddenly piercing Luo Zhaohan.

The hand holding the tea shook, and a few drops of tea splashed out and landed on the back of her hand, scalding her and making her wince slightly.

Pei Ji's gaze swept over instantly, landed on the back of her wet hand, and then slowly moved to her face.

His eyes were as calm as a deep pool of water, but Luo Zhaohan felt that they were suffocating her. The laughter and noise from the people next door continued, and every word seemed to be knocking on her nerves.

"Tsk," Pei Ji snorted lightly, his tone clearly filled with displeasure, "It's really noisy and annoying."

It sounded like he was talking about the noisy group of people next door, but Luo Zhaohan felt that he had a hidden meaning, and his cheeks couldn't help but feel slightly hot.

Pei Ji put down his wine glass and suddenly stood up: "I'm going out for some fresh air."

After saying that, he walked straight out of the private room without waiting for Luo Zhaohan's reaction.

The door closed behind him, and Luo Zhaohan was alone facing the table full of food and wine, feeling confused.

Xie Wuqi was indeed here. And judging by the noises, he was right next door.

Did Pei Ji…know this too? Did he just go out because he really wanted to take a deep breath because of the noise, or…

She was restless, her mind full of random thoughts, sometimes about the embarrassing times when she and Xie Wuqi climbed trees to rob bird nests when they were kids, and sometimes about Pei Ji's deep eyes that showed no emotion.

After about an incense stick of time, Pei Ji still hadn't returned.

Luo Zhaohan became more and more uneasy. She hesitated for a moment, stood up, gently pushed open the door of the private room, and walked out.

The corridor was quiet, and the noise from the next room had died down. She looked around but didn't see Pei Ji.

She wondered if he had gone downstairs or to a place to wash his hands, so she hesitantly took a few steps towards the stairs.

Just as I reached the corner of the stairs, I suddenly heard a strange movement coming from the lobby below. It seemed that someone was going upstairs. The waiter at the side attentively led the way: "Thank you, Master. The Tingxuexuan that you often use has been reserved for you!"

Luo Zhaohan's heart suddenly rose to his throat, and he subconsciously took a step back, trying to hide in the shadows of the corridor.

But it's too late.

A young man in a crimson brocade robe was walking up. He was tall, handsome, with a slightly upturned corner of his mouth and a somewhat unruly smile. He was holding a wine gourd in his hand. Who else could it be but Xie Wuqi?

He obviously saw Luo Zhaohan standing at the stairs at a glance. The smile on his face paused for a moment, then became even brighter, with undisguised surprise: "Zhaohan? Why are you here?"

He took just two or three steps to climb the remaining stairs and stood in front of Luo Zhaohan. He had a clear smell of alcohol on him, but it wasn't unpleasant.

He stared at her with sparkling eyes, completely ignoring his surroundings. "What a coincidence! I was drinking with some friends next door, and when I heard the noise, I thought I was mistaken! Are you alone?"

Luo Zhaohan was a little confused by his rapid-fire questions. His cheeks turned even redder and he shook his head subconsciously: "No, no, I came here with someone."

"Who are you with?" Xie Wuqi asked naturally, and even looked at the corridor behind her, "Your sister? Then I have to go say hello!"

"No..." Luo Zhaohan was so embarrassed that she almost dug her toes into the ground. Just when she didn't know how to explain, a cold voice suddenly sounded from behind her.

"Come with me."

Pei Ji had returned at some point and was standing in the corridor, only a few steps away from them.

His face was even colder than when he left just now. His eyes were like ice-hardened knives, falling straight on Xie Wuqi's hand on Luo Zhaohan's arm.

Xie Wuqi was excited just now and pulled her sleeve out of habit.

The smile on Xie Wuqi's face froze for a moment, then he let go of his hand as if nothing had happened. He looked at Pei Ji and raised his eyebrows. His tone was still as nonchalant, even a little provocative: "Oh, who was it? It turned out to be Brother Pei. What a rare guest! Brother Pei would also come to such a lively place to drink?"

Pei Ji ignored his teasing and walked over step by step. His eyes swept back and forth between Luo Zhaohan and Xie Wuqi, and finally fixed on Luo Zhaohan's pale face: "The food is getting cold, let's go back."

This tone, this attitude, was just like a husband coming home to catch his wife who was out of tune. Luo Zhaohan's face suddenly turned red and white.

Xie Wuqi sneered and took a half step forward, vaguely protecting Luo Zhaohan behind him. He said to Pei Ji, "Brother Pei, this is where you're wrong. We've already met, and we're old friends, so we should at least have a drink, right? Zhaohan, don't you agree?"

He turned his head to look at Luo Zhaohan again and winked at her.

Luo Zhaohan's scalp went numb. These two men, one cold as ice, the other hot as fire, now faced each other in this corridor, the air crackling with sparks.

She was stuck in the middle and felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Wuqi, I..." She was about to persuade Xie Wuqi to stop making trouble, but Pei Ji suddenly moved.

He grabbed Luo Zhaohan's wrist, not with much force, but very firmly, and took her to the private room without any explanation: "We have something else to do, so we won't disturb Mr. Xie's leisure time."

This action and this tone completely ignited Xie Wuqi's anger.

"Hey, hey, hey, Pei Ji, what do you mean?" Xie Wuqi also lost his temper and stretched out his hand to block Pei Ji. The smile on his face was completely gone. "Why are you pulling and tugging? Can't you see that Zhao Han doesn't want to go with you?"

Pei Ji finally looked Xie Wuqi in the eye, his gaze cold enough to freeze someone to death: "Xie Wuqi, she is my fiancée. It is only natural for me to take her away. What does it have to do with you?"

He emphasized the word "fiancée" with extra emphasis.

Xie Wuqi was choked by his words, and then his handsome face flushed red. He stiffened his neck and said, "What's wrong with my fiancée? Can't my fiancée talk to her friends? Pei Ji, don't think that you can lock up Zhao Han just because you're engaged! I tell you, I..."

"How are you?" Pei Ji narrowed his eyes slightly, and the murderous aura he had gained from his experience on the battlefield faintly shone through him. The temperature in the corridor seemed to drop a few degrees.

Luo Zhaohan felt a burning sensation on his wrist where Pei Ji was holding it. Listening to the two people's verbal sparring, it seemed that some guests in other private rooms had been alarmed and quietly opened the door to look in.

She was anxious and embarrassed, and wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.

"Stop arguing!" She tried to shake off Pei Ji's hand, but failed. Her voice was filled with tears. "In public, what a shame!" Seeing that she was about to cry, Xie Wuqi softened his heart and said in a softer tone, "Zhao Han, I don't want to argue with him, he is just too unreasonable!"

Pei Ji just looked at Xie Wuqi coldly, not bothering to argue with him anymore, and pulled Luo Zhaohan to leave forcibly.

"Pei Ji!" Xie Wuqi's anger rose again, and he pressed Pei Ji's shoulder. "Speak clearly to me! Did you bring Zhao Han here on purpose today? Did you know I was here?"

When this question was asked, even Luo Zhaohan was stunned and subconsciously looked at Pei Ji.

Pei Ji stopped, turned his head, and glanced at Xie Wuqi from the corner of his eye. A very cold arc appeared on the corner of his mouth: "So what if it is? So what if it isn't? Xie Wuqi, who are you to question me?"

He shook his shoulders violently, shaking off Xie Wuqi's hand with such force that Xie Wuqi staggered.

"My fiancée, Pei Ji, will be married to my Duke's mansion in the future." Pei Ji's voice was not loud, but every word he said could make a dent in the ground. "As for you, Master Xie, you should take care of your confidantes. Don't spend all your time thinking about people you shouldn't be thinking about."

These words were like a knife stabbing Xie Wuqi in the heart!

Everyone knew that the young master of the Xie family was a dashing and charming man, with numerous female confidantes throughout Chang'an. However, his feelings for Luo Zhaohan were the most serious and the one he dared not to violate. Xie Wuqi's eyes instantly turned red when Pei Ji said this in public, and in such an unbearable way.

"Pei Ji! You're talking nonsense!" Xie Wuqi roared, and without thinking, he punched Pei Ji in the face!

"Ah!" Luo Zhaohan screamed in fright.

Pei Ji seemed to have anticipated his attack, and he dodged the punch with ease by tilting his head slightly. But Xie Wuqi was also well-practiced, and his other hand quickly followed suit, grabbing Pei Ji's collar.

Pei Ji's eyes became fierce, he let go of Luo Zhaohan and raised his hand to block.

The two tall men immediately started fighting in this not-so-spacious corridor!

With a "bang", a high-legged table with a vase on it was knocked over, and the precious porcelain vase fell to the ground, with fragments scattering everywhere.

"Stop hitting me! Stop it now!" Luo Zhaohan was so anxious that he stomped his feet and tears were about to fall.

The commotion here was completely out of control. The doors of several private rooms were opened, and the guests and waiters all looked out, stunned to see that the two most outstanding noblemen in Chang'an City were actually fighting in Taibai Tower for Miss Luo!

"Oh! Gentlemen! Gentlemen, stop it! You can't do that! You can't do that!" Upon hearing the news, the shopkeeper came crawling up, his face turned pale with fear, and circled around the two men, not daring to go forward to pull them away.

Pei Ji and Xie Wuqi were both furious, and when they struck, they were merciless. Pei Ji's moves were steady and ruthless, reminiscent of a military career; Xie Wuqi's were more flexible and adaptable, with a touch of the martial arts world.

For a while, the fight was so intense that it was hard to tell who was fighting. Tables, chairs, and benches were all damaged and fell to the ground with a bang.

"Pei Ji! What else can you do besides using engagement to pressure others?"

"Xie Wuqi, what else can you do besides pestering other people's fiancées!"

The two men did not forget to challenge each other while fighting.

Luo Zhaohan looked at the scene that was completely out of control, saw more and more people watching the excitement around him, and listened to their whispers. He felt dizzy and extremely embarrassed and wronged.

She stamped her feet and cried out in a tearful voice, "Go ahead and hit me! Beat me as much as you want! I'm leaving! I don't want to see you anymore!"

After saying this, she could no longer hold back her tears, pushed away the crowd, and ran downstairs crying.

This shout was like a basin of cold water poured over Pei Ji and Xie Wuqi's heads.

The two men stopped fighting almost at the same time, both with bruises on their faces.

Pei Ji's mouth was cut and bleeding. Xie Wuqi had a black eye.

They looked at each other's miserable appearance, then at Luo Zhaohan who ran away crying, then at the mess around them and the eyes watching the show, and they all stood there in a daze for a moment.

"Zhao Han!" Xie Wuqi was the first to react. He shouted and started to chase after him.

But Pei Ji grabbed him tightly.

"Get out of here!" Xie Wuqi glared at him.

Pei Ji's eyes were terribly gloomy, and his voice was hoarse but carried an unquestionable command: "Xie Wuqi, if you dare to pursue me again, I will make your Xie family get out of Chang'an City tomorrow. Do you believe it?"

The harshness in these words chilled the fearless Xie Wuqi's heart and made him pause. He knew that with the power of the Pei family, Pei Ji's words might not be meant to scare him.

Pei Ji fiercely shook off his hand and said, "Boss, the loss will be charged to our government!"

Then, without even looking at Xie Wuqi and the people around him, he strode in the direction where Luo Zhaohan left.

Xie Wuqi was left standing there alone, panting, watching Pei Ji's disappearing back, then looking at the mess on the ground, and finally punched the pillar next to him hard, making a muffled sound.

His face was full of regret, resentment and anger.