Clear sunlight poured through the window, gradually waking Mei from her slumber. With eyes still closed, she smiled and stretched her arms upward, revealing her slender waist and the developing curves of her figure.
It was early summer. Dressed only in a thin, light-purple nightgown, much of her porcelain-white skin was exposed to the air. After a moment, she opened her violet eyes, recalling the events of the previous night.
"What an interesting man~"
With a faint smile, she rose to wash up and change. Last night, Luo Hong hadn't just told her about her father's situation; he had also explained the current state of Anti-Entropy. She now knew that Cocolia was actually her father's "colleague," albeit one with a different philosophy.
So, Bronya was originally one of Cocolia's people? A complex emotion flashed in her eyes. Fortunately, Luo Hong told her that Bronya was now completely trustworthy; otherwise, she wouldn't know how to face her.
Mr. Luo Hong is so kind. I must clear up the misunderstanding between him and Bronya!
While Luo Hong's information could be considered part of the "tuition fee," she didn't want to owe him too much. She wanted to find out what exactly had happened between him and Bronya.
However, when she went to knock on Bronya's door early in the morning, she was stopped by Ji Xuanyuan, who had sensed her approach.
"Good morning, Miss Mei." Floating past the bedroom door, Ji Xuanyuan—who didn't know Mei had also entered Luo Hong's world—said cautiously, "Miss Bronya played quite late with Cangxuan and Danzhu last night. Please excuse her."
"Good morning, Miss Ji Xuanyuan." Mei recalled that the others had entered Luo Hong's world very late. "I understand. I'll head downstairs to make breakfast. When they wake up, please tell them to come down and eat."
"It's no trouble at all, Miss Mei," Ji Xuanyuan said with a wave of her hand. "If only I had a physical body, I would certainly help you in the kitchen." In her soul form, any attempt to influence the physical world through the Xuanyuan Sword might accidentally vaporize the kitchen.
After exchanging pleasantries, Mei went downstairs. Since they had just completed a mission, the dorm was unusually quiet. Only she maintained her routine of early to bed and early to rise.
She assumed Bronya and the sisters had stayed up late on purpose because it was a day off. What she didn't know was that because they hadn't left Luo Hong's world with her, they had fallen right into his hands.
"Hmph!" Luo Hong whispered into Bronya's ear, making her stand on her tip-toes. "Weren't you acting tough earlier? Why are you so 'soft' now?"
After Mei left, it wasn't that he "exposed" his true nature; rather, he found the three girls to settle their bet. The result? Total defeat for the trio.
Cangxuan and Danzhu were currently lying on the bed hand-in-hand, staring blankly at the ceiling, seemingly unable to process their loss. Their plan was a best-of-three bet:
1. Does Hua still remember them? Luo Hong chose No without hesitation. "You know the power of Fenghuang Down. Memories are burned until nothing remains." This loss was expected by Danzhu—a move to make Luo Hong lower his guard.
2. Will Hua continue to follow Otto's orders? Luo Hong had to guess here since he didn't know if the sisters had contacted Fu Hua in reality. He chose No.
He suspected Bronya was setting a trap, hoping he'd guess "No." To turn their hope into despair, he stepped into it.
"Hehe!" Danzhu smirked provocatively. "I thought the great Lord knew everything. Turns out there are things you don't know? Wrong answer!" She made an 'X' with her arms. "We haven't contacted Hua yet. She's still following that Otto guy's orders."
She was ready to gloat. But Luo Hong remained calm. He was already picturing exactly how he would "train" Danzhu later.
3. Is Hua the richest person in the world? This was Cangxuan's trump card—info a "player" wouldn't know. It was a double trap. First, Fu Hua might not be the richest now, but under Cangxuan's management in the past, she certainly was. Second, if Luo Hong said "Yes," they could argue they meant "Hua" (from the previous era), not "Fu Hua." No matter what he chose, they planned to win through "interpretation rights."
They were ready to pop the champagne. But Luo Hong didn't choose Yes or No. He chose: "Or"!
"What defines 'rich'?" Luo Hong asked like a pedantic scholar. "Wealth without power is like Raven's island—one wave and it's gone. In terms of strength, Fu Hua has never been the absolute strongest. Even if she was 'wealthy' on paper, it was only because she luckily existed in an era without her true rivals!"
He countered their "interpretation rights" with his own. This was his path to victory!