Just then, the TV caught everyone's attention as the news began. The anchor's voice was sharp and excited:
"All eyes are on tonight's major showdown With Team Dragon taking the stage without their legendary Everstay, speculations are wild. Will they rise, or fall hard under pressure? We'll find out soon…"
"Losers," Su Li muttered, not even looking up from her phone.
"Shut up," Tai Xun said
She turned to him with a teasing smirk. "Dragon fanboy, huh?"
He gave her a bored stare.
"Watch them fall tonight," she continued, leaning back smugly. "Without Everstay, they're nothing."
Tai Xun opened his mouth to argue, but paused midair. He sighed instead and took a sip of his drink.
"I'm afraid you might be right," he admitted quietly.
Even though he was Grayworm, one of Dragon Team's top players, his family had no idea. To them, he was just....Tai Xun.
"Hey," Su Li said, nudging his shoulder. "I heard there's this super fancy club that just opened in Beijing—Club Halo."
"Mmm, yeah," he replied distractedly, eyes still fixed on the news segment.
"Really?" She lit up, tapping rapidly on her phone. "I heard its a vary fancy place, It's all over the media. Have you seen it?"
"Hmm," he muttered with a lazy nod.
"How fancy is it?" she asked, leaning in with interest.
"Very fancy," he replied flatly—still not looking at her.
Then it hit him. He blinked and finally turned toward her.
"Wait. What does a club have to do with you? Aren't you like... twelve?"
Su Li rolled her eyes and smugly pulled a card from her pocket. "I have an ID, thank you very much. I'm a legal adult now. The club's 18 plus and guess what? I'm 18."
She smirked and waved the ID in front of his face.
"You, on the other hand, might be technically an adult, but I doubt you're legal by Club Halo standards. Bet you don't even have a proper ID. Immigrants like you? Pfft. That place won't let you in."
Tai Xun stared at her, expression deadpan.
"You're actually going to a club?" he asked.
She nodded confidently.
"All the way to Beijing?"
Another nod. Even prouder
"Oh no… I hope Mum doesn't find out Su Li's sneaking off to some Nightclub," he said louder, projecting his voice toward the kitchen.
But Su Li didn't even blink.
"Don't worry, Xun," Mrs. Rou called from the kitchen without even turning around. "She's old enough now. She can make her own choices."
Tai Xun blinked, stunned.
"Besides," she added, "won't you be there with her?"
He turned to see Su Li still smiling, ID card spinning between her fingers like a trophy.
"What the hell happened to this house?" he muttered. "What else am I missing? Last time I checked, Su Li wasn't even allowed to look at boys. Now she's going to a building full of them? What's next—Mo Yao gets her driver's license next week?"
He said it loud enough for his little sister Mo Yao, who was helping in the kitchen, to turn around and wave a spoon at him.
"We grow up fast when you're not around, Grandpa," she teased as he raised a brow
"You are...." He glance at her from head to toe "really getting a license?" He asked
"No," came a dry voice from the kitchen. "I'll be getting married next week." She added trying to open a stubborn jar.
"Right. Might as well believe that too," he muttered, walking over and easily popping the jar open for her.
"If you'd just stay home for once, you wouldn't be so surprised all the time," Grandma Cheng muttered from her seat.
"Don't worry, Gramms. I like surprises," he grinned, handing the jar to his mother.
Just then, something caught his eye.
"Bone soup?" Tai Xun asked, lifting the lid slightly. "Won't that take too long to be ready?"
"That's why I'm cooking it now," Mrs. Rou replied, gently stirring the pot. "So we don't end up eating dinner too late."
"Dinner?" he blinked. "What about breakfast?"
"Breakfast?" she echoed, confused. They both turned to look at the clock on the wall.
"Few minutes to four pm!" he nearly choked on the sip of water he just took. "You mean I slept the whole day? And no one bothered to wake me up?"
Mrs. Cheng just chuckled softly as she peeled an apple in the corner.
"Mum?" he turned to his mother, incredulous.
"Don't look at Mum," Su Li called out from the living room. "Grandma said no one should disturb your beauty sleep."
He sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. "Grandma… C'mon you knew I had to leave today."
"Why won't you just stay at home?" Mrs. Cheng suddenly snapped, her voice sharp with frustration.
Not wanting to argue, Tai Xun just threw up his hands and walked off toward his room without another word.
"Rou Ming," Mrs. Cheng turned to his mother with a frown, "are you really going to let him leave like this? Why am I the only one doing the talking around here?!"
"He's an adult," Mrs. Rou said calmly. "We should all respect his decision."
"Of course," Mrs. Cheng muttered bitterly. "I expected that kind of answer. You never care."
"Mum, come on," Mr Liang interjected. "Don't start now. This is what Tai Xun's already decided. What can anyone do about it? Even you can't change his mind."
Mrs. Cheng just rolled her eyes but said nothing.