Everyone was at a loss for words. There was a long silence. Xavier's smile froze a little, but he eventually laughed and reached out his hand to Quinton cheerfully. "Ah, you're an old friend! I've heard so much about you!""We're indeed old friends." Quinton had a cold look in his eyes. He said, smiling, "After all, there were many times when I wanted to chop you up and feed you to crocodiles!""Hahaha! Quinton, you're such a funny man!" Xavier pointed at Quinton. "I thought Stefan had beaten you into depression. Is that why you've been hiding in Water Dock?""You must be joking, Mr. Stuart. Do I look depressed? You can try to find out.""If I do, I'll die."The two men were going back and forth with smiles on their faces, but it felt like they were fighting it out with their words.Renee and Leia held each other's hands and retreated to the side, afraid of being accidentally injured."Okay. Have you had enough? Can you stop fighting? Don't block the entrance and hinder traffi
"Ah, monster!""That's so scary! Did someone cut off half of his face? That's terrible!"The passersby's reactions hurt Quinton's self-esteem badly. He quickly put his mask back on and smiled bitterly. "Sorry for scaring you.""N-No..." Renee felt sorry for Quinton and comforted him, "I think you're very handsome. Your eyes are very much like Mom's—gentle and determined. Your mouth is very much like Dad's. You have beautiful lips. You're really my brother. If we weren't blood-related, I would've fallen in love with you at first sight!""Really?" Quinton's eyes brightened immediately. Quinton had always wondered what his mother looked like. He had imagined it countless times, but it never felt real. However, when Renee described her, her image immediately came to his mind, and his heart softened."Of course. You can ask Lei too. She's Mom and Dad's goddaughter and often visited us. She knows Mom and Dad's faces very well… Right, Lei?""Y-Yes!" Leia had been startled by Quinton's s
"Why would I lie to you?" Xavier draped his arm around Quinton's shoulder and patted his chest with his other hand. "Don't worry, bro. You are Ren's brother, so you are also my brother. I only want the best for you!""But you are Stefan's friend, so how good can you be?" Quinton frowned and looked at the man's arm in disgust, restraining the urge to cut it off. Years of bloody battles had made him wary of people and unfamiliar with intimate interactions."No, no, no. I am no longer his brother. From now on, I will cut ties with that cold-blooded and heartless man!" Xavier crossed his arms, and smiled earnestly. "I am now your buddy, so I will listen to everything you say. And I wasn't joking earlier. If you want, I can bring you to the plastic surgeon and let him see if your face can be reconstructed.""Sure." Quinton nodded, the defensiveness in his eyes fading slightly.They got into the car and started talking happily. Quinton even warmly invited Xavier to Carmine Pawnshop to ha
"This is just my brother's hobby. There are dozens more in his display case. If you like them, I can ask him to send you a few.""My gosh, Ren, you are simply too rich!" Leia pretended to wipe away tears as she complained. "Ren, you're literally living the perfect life! You were born into a rich family, you're skilled at practically everything, and are currently the president of KCL. Not only that, your children are pretty and clever, and even your brother who appeared out of nowhere is a magnate. How are common girls like me going to live? Oh, but I forget about the scum from the Hunt family that tainted your life. Anyway, it doesn't matter. You have cut ties with that pathetic being, so you can live a beautiful life alone in the future…"Renee was amused by Leia's dramatic monologue. "My dear Ms. Lei, aren't you born into a rich family? Don't you have a powerful brother? And the most precious thing is that you have a reliable man. I am the one who should envy you.""Man?" Leia fro
Xavier paused briefly, and his playful smile turned stiff, but he admitted openly, "You're really smart. I indeed like your sister so I don't want to fall out with you or else I would have a thin chance of meeting her again.""I know you are a hopeless romantic like Stefan who can betray your friends for the sake of a woman. If Stefan knows about this, I bet he will want to kill you."Quinton smiled cryptically and continued. "Anyway, he might not be in the mood to care about this now, so it might be the best time for you to pursue my sister.""What happened to Stef… I mean, that scum… Isn't he enjoying his life now with a beautiful woman in his arms? How can he be in a bad mood?""Why are you so concerned about him now that you have betrayed him?""No, I'm just curious about whether karma will find the bad guys.""Rest assured, it will."Looking at Quinton's triumphant expression, Xavier knew that Stefan must be in some kind of trouble. Before he could ask about it, Renee pushe
"Bah, you really are the king of playboys and jerks. So, what you're saying is that you don't really like Lei, and you're just messing around with her out of habit?" Renee questioned sharply. She had to confirm Xavier's feelings for Leia before she could help Leia make her choice."I don't want to answer this." There was a subtle uneasiness under Xavier's nonchalance. He looked at Renee indifferently and said, "You're not my girlfriend, so I'm not obligated to tell you about my feelings.""Don't try to evade this with your playfulness, Xavier. Answer my question if you're a man. I know you're not a real playboy, you're just disguising yourself." Renee had hit the nail on the head. She still remembered that he nearly died in the fire to save her. No matter how vile he pretended to be, he could not hide his true self as a brave and responsible man."What does it have to do with you? Your righteous indignation may make me misunderstand you.""Huh? What do you mean?"What do you think
Renee felt nervous when she turned around and spotted Leia. "Lei, when did you get here? Why didn't you say something?""I've been here for a while. It looked like you both were having a good chat, so I didn't have the heart to interrupt." Leia slowly approached them, her tone indifferent and cold.'Darn!' Renee knitted her eyebrows. She did not expect that Leia would overhear her conversation with Xavier.As someone with high self-esteem, Lei must be very hurt!"Don't listen to his crap, Lei. He is just speaking casually. He is not such a person, he…" Renee anxiously tried to make excuses for Xavier, but then realized that the man's words were simply unforgivable."You don't have to defend me, darling, I am that kind of person. It's good for Lei to know this early so that she will give up on her unrealistic fantasies." Xavier put his hands in his pockets. The corners of his lips curved upwards, and his gaze was carefree and charming.Leia looked at the man coldly and said disdai
"Eh, well…" Renee tried to join their conversation but found that they were too engrossed in their conversation. She had no chance to get a word in. Hence, she decided to leave first. "I'll leave you to your chat. Bye." When she was back in the dining room, Quinton had almost finished cooking. He was now enthusiastically arranging the dishes on the table. "Sis, you're home. You're just in time for the meal. Where's Xavier and Lei?" "They're still chatting." "What are they talking about? They're so engrossed in it." "Er, they're discussing how to gain my heart." Renee became quite helpless. While arranging the dishes, Quinton's hands stiffened briefly. He asked tentatively, "What do you think of Xavier?" "Although he's not very serious, he's a good man. He even saved my life." "That's good. You can consider him." "Oh, please. Quinton, why do you behave like Lei? Why do you keep setting me up with some random guy? Didn't you promise to take care of me for the rest