Chapter 1096: Tall Tales
"Your mother, was sent inside by someone," Ren Tianye sighed, shook his head and said. His expression showed sadness and sympathy. If he weren't Ren Tianye, Xiao Yifei and Qianxi might have believed his lies already.
Honestly, Xiao Yifei, watching Ren Tianye's facial expressions change beside him, couldn't help but feel admiration. His acting skills were wasted if he didn't go into filmmaking. "Alright, since she's inside, take us in," Xiao Yifei said impatiently, tired of Ren Tianye's acting.
Ren Tianye coldly laughed and then extended his hand, "Please!"
"Hey, Hua Xiangrong, who bullied you? Why do you seem so down?" A colleague of Hua Xiangrong asked, noticing her gloomy expression in the office.
Hearing this, Hua Xiangrong glanced at her colleague, pursed her lips, shook her head. Her colleague, curious, teased, "Judging by your look, aren't you missing a man?" Saying this, her gaze provocatively glanced at Hua Xiangrong, who quickly waved her hand.
However, Hua Xiangrong's face was full of embarrassment from having her secret exposed. "What are you thinking? I think you're the one missing a man," Hua Xiangrong rebutted quickly, making her colleague even more convinced she was right and pushed further, "Come on, what kind of man? Tell me and I'll check him out for you."
That's how women are; once one of them is involved with someone, the rest won't miss the chance to scrutinize him. This was the current situation, but how could Hua Xiangrong mention that name? In her panic, she simply said, "Yes, I miss a man. Help me investigate someone named Ren Tianye."
After speaking, Hua Xiangrong's eyes became evasive. Hearing this, her colleague was stunned, and suddenly remembered who Ren Tianye was, looking shocked, "Xiangrong, don't think about him; you don't even know what kind of person Ren Tianye is." Her colleague seemed to genuinely believe her, and quickly advised Hua Xiangrong.
Seeing this, Hua Xiangrong was speechless. Of course she knew what kind of person Ren Tianye was. If she were to think about him, she might as well think about a dog. However, Hua Xiangrong was too lazy to joke with her colleague, so she dismissed her by saying, "I know, I know, hurry and help me investigate him."
With that, Hua Xiangrong stood up, gently pushed her colleague toward her workstation. Even as she was pushed, the colleague didn't forget to remind Hua Xiangrong, "Xiangrong, make sure to look closely at a person, not just at his money..."
Pushing her colleague out, Hua Xiangrong helplessly patted her own head and then sighed deeply. Having such an extraordinary colleague was both a blessing and a curse for Hua Xiangrong. Although her colleague babbled nonsense sometimes, she was right about one thing—Hua Xiangrong indeed was thinking about a man.
Thinking of this, Hua Xiangrong's mind conjured a familiar face, and seeing this face, she smiled through all worries, leaving them behind.
Following Ren Tianye into this bustling world, Xiao Yifei also seemed cautious because, after all, this wasn't his territory. How could he carelessly come to such a place without being vigilant?
Upon entering, they arrived at the lobby. There were hardly any staff members, seemingly decorative, and indeed, they were merely decorative to prevent anyone from probing here. Thus, the lobby served as a slight disguise.
In reality, it wasn't just that; beyond the lobby, Xiao Yifei saw one karaoke room after another, with people having fun inside. It seemed this place was well-packaged, resembling a typical karaoke bar.
However, those singing inside couldn't imagine the deeper layers of the structure hid an underground fight club. Following Ren Tianye to the farthest room, Xiao Yifei saw Ren Tianye easily open the door to the room and walk in. But it was just an ordinary room.
The real entrance was in the room's bathroom. Ren Tianye skillfully opened its door, revealing that it wasn't his first time here, as the door opened, Xiao Yifei heard deafening roars alongside bright lights coming from inside.
Ren Tianye entered without hesitation. Seeing this, Xiao Yifei and Qianxi exchanged glances before following him.
Upon entry, a large arena appeared, circular, resembling a sports field, but its central area was smaller. It was composed of cages and a platform made of small blue stones—the Duel Arena, where people were confined, tall or short, stout or slim.
Yet they could not escape a destined fate: standing on that slate and fighting each other. While the battles were life-or-death struggles for them, to the spectators, it was merely a game, requiring only their money flow and loud cheers.
"Berserker! Berserker!" At this moment, everyone in the stands stood up, shouting a name. A cage in the arena slowly opened as the iron chains grated, mingling with the spectators' roars, morphing the place into a mad circus.
As the gate opened, a bald man with muscles walked out. He wasn't tall, but his face was fierce, scars crisscrossing his body, some freshly healed, evidently from recent fights.
Nonetheless, he paid no heed. With a loud yell to the sky, his muscles stretched fully. Though some scars slightly cracked, the roar surely had an effect. The already fervent arena erupted further due to his act.
The crowd's cheer surged higher and higher, yet the name remained unchanged, "Berserker, Berserker." Witnessing the mad scene, Qianxi frowned slightly, his gaze glued to the cage, not for those wagering their lives, but searching for his mother.
However, after so long, Qianxi still hadn't found his mother and thus inquired with Ren Tianye beside him. Yet Ren Tianye advised him not to rush, promising knowledge would come later after a thrilling bout. Ren Tianye understood, his suggestion merely stalled time.
"Let our Berserker onto the stage!" The announcer shouted boisterously. The venue's atmosphere hit a climax with the announcer's words. During the Berserker's approach to the stage, Ren Tianye led Xiao Yifei and Qianxi to sit down.
Ren Tianye was clearly a VIP here, with his seating different from common folks, situated at the top of the stands, accompanied by a maid, red wine, and cigars—a complete luxury package. Nonetheless, Xiao Yifei and Qianxi cared little for such excesses.