Chapter Thirty-Five

Before he knew it, evening had arrived. Tonight was the time to meet Sakamoto Tomoryu at the Vivienne Bar. Yu Xingyue tried his best to pick out a nice outfit, though all the clothes he brought were decent and none of them were ugly. Even trying his best, it was impossible to wear something hideous. He randomly selected a suitable piece, put it on, and checked in the mirror—it fit quite well.

Since arriving in Japan, he rarely wore formal clothes. He didn't want to draw attention to himself; true life was found in simplicity. With everything ready, Yu Xingyue went downstairs. The moment he stepped down, he ran into Natsukawa Yumi. Natsukawa Yumi asked with a hint of gossip, "Xingyue, you're dressed so formally today, where are you going? Could it be a date?"

Yu Xingyue gave a faint smile and replied, "I'm going to meet a friend. To clarify, it's not a woman, but a man—a guy with a very powerful backing. I'm meeting him today, along with his boss." Hearing this, Natsukawa Yumi looked quite puzzled. She half-believed him, scanning his expression, which didn't seem like he was lying.

Natsukawa Yumi continued, "Let's put that aside for a moment. I've run into some situations lately that need your explanation. Perhaps you can clear up the doubts in my heart. No lying, understand?" Yu Xingyue didn't pay much attention to her stern tone. Answering a question wouldn't take too long, so he decided to hear what she had to say.

"Go ahead and ask, but make it quick. My time is limited." As soon as Yu Xingyue finished speaking, Natsukawa Yumi began to voice the confusion in her heart: "I don't know why, but ever since I met you, I always end up saying more than I mean to. I used to never speak more than twenty words, but since you appeared, I've found that I simply can't control myself."

"Is that really the problem that has been troubling you for so long?" Yu Xingyue asked.

Natsukawa Yumi pouted petulantly, "Of course! You need to give me a reasonable explanation. Why did you have to appear in my career? My image has been completely ruined by you, and you owe me compensation."

Yu Xingyue chuckled, "Compensate you for what? This falls under the category of force majeure. The reason you talk so much when you see me is entirely due to force majeure. Who can alter force majeure? Just accept your current persona and stop complaining. I'm leaving now."

Before Natsukawa Yumi could finish, Yu Xingyue walked away. She scratched her head in frustration, "Oh dear, what am I doing? I just went over twenty words again. Could this really be a case of force majeure?"

Ever since Yu Xingyue's arrival, Natsukawa Yumi had transformed from someone whose utterances rarely exceeded twenty words into someone who constantly surpassed that limit. It was no big deal, really; with others, she still gave concise replies and didn't chatter much. But Yu Xingyue possessed some kind of magical power that made her talk endlessly. She had no idea why it happened, but whenever she saw him, a multitude of questions always arose.

Following the navigation, Yu Xingyue arrived at the Vivienne Bar. Stepping inside, he glanced around. Aside from a few people drinking and dancing, the rest were either dead drunk or fast asleep.

Scanning the room once more, he finally spotted Sakamoto Tomoryu waving at him from a booth. Yu Xingyue nodded in acknowledgment, then froze when he noticed the man sitting next to Sakamoto. He thought to himself: So this must be Sakamoto's boss. He looks intensely murderous.

Yu Xingyue walked over to Sakamoto's table, sat down, and said, "You invited me out this late just to drink? My alcohol tolerance is terrible."

Sakamoto Tomoryu laughed, "How could it just be about drinking? Xingyue-san, let me introduce you. This is my boss, Koda Chisho."

Koda Chisho extended a hand toward Yu Xingyue and said, "Nice to meet you."

Noticing his politeness, Yu Xingyue reached out to shake his hand. Since the other party was being so proactive, he didn't dare refuse.

"I am Yu Xingyue. So you're Tomoryu's boss?"

"You could say that. Tomoryu told me yesterday that you two became good friends. It's something I've been wanting to know—how on earth did you tame Tomoryu? His personality is wildly arrogant. Was taming him pure coincidence, or just good luck?" Koda Chisho asked.

Sakamoto turned to Koda and said, "Boss, don't ask that right out of the gate. I know how I felt at the time, so let me answer for Xingyuen-kun. When I first met him, he looked frail and unimposing. But when he was breaking up that fight, his approachable warmth made it impossible for me to refuse him. So it definitely wasn't just luck."

Hearing this, Yu Xingyue wore a puzzled expression. Sakamoto claimed he had an approachable warmth; looking back, he had merely been trying to stop a fight—where on earth had any warmth come from? Sakamoto continued, "Xingyue-kun, don't be shy. Your approachable charm is irresistible to guys, let alone girls. You must have plenty of female friends, right?"

"Come on, Tomoryu-兄, I just understand girls a bit better, that's all. There's nothing special about it, and I certainly don't have the kind of charm you're talking about," Yu Xingyue said modestly.

"Let him speak," Koda Chisho ordered, cutting Sakamoto off. Not daring to disobey his big boss, Sakamoto obediently shut his mouth. Koda turned back to Yu Xingyue and said, "From where I'm standing, you really do have a natural charm. Actually, I could tell right away. You're just being modest, aren't you?"

"You can even tell that? What good qualities of mine made you want to come out and meet me in person? You must be a very busy man, right?" Yu Xingyue asked.

Koda Chisho replied indifferently, "Whether I'm busy or not is my own business. Everything I do is entirely up to me. So, I won't beat around the bush; let me state my purpose for coming here."

A sense of foreboding washed over Yu Xingyue. What was the point of the previous conversation then? Was it just a preamble for his actual agenda? Sure enough, Koda Chisho stated, "How about joining my motorcycle gang? As long as you join, all the brothers in the gang will protect you. If anything happens to you, everyone—including myself and Tomoryu—will have your back."

"Ah... this..." Yu Xingyue was dumbfounded by Koda's goal. Joining their motorcycle gang meant becoming part of a bosozoku biker crew, but Yu Xingyue had zero interest in that kind of group.

Sakamoto Tomoryu was equally surprised that Koda Chisho would make such a demand. Was he really going to recruit Yu Xingyue just like that?

Koda Chisho continued, "If you don't agree, I'll have to forcibly take you back for some 'interrogation' until you're willing to join. Don't think I'm joking. I'll give you one minute to think about it."

Sakamoto tried to persuade Koda, "Boss, are you trying to get my friend killed? You can't do this. He's just an ordinary person; I don't want him getting hurt."

"Thank you, Tomoryu, but I've already made my choice." Yu Xingyue spoke up, delivering his verdict directly to Koda Chisho, "My choice is to refuse. Even if you try to keep me here by force, I still won't agree. After all, I value freedom over imprisonment. What difference would that make from being a prisoner in a jail cell?"

Yu Xingyue rejected Koda Chisho cleanly and decisively. Joining a motorcycle gang offered him no benefits. Sure, you'd have "brothers" covering your back, but that was precisely the kind of life Yu Xingyue wanted to avoid. He couldn't even begin to imagine the conflicts with the police that would entail.

Koda Chisho laughed heartily. "Good lad, you've got backbone! Up until now, very few people have dared to reject me. You're the first one brave enough to say no. It seems your friendship was worth making, Tomoryu." With that, Koda patted Sakamoto on the shoulder. While Sakamoto was still trying to process the situation, Yu Xingyue realized that Koda had simply been testing him.

Recovering his wits, Sakamoto let out a sigh. "So that was it, Boss! You scared the hell out of me. Does that mean everything you said before was fake?"

"Not fake."

"Huh?!" Sakamoto asked in confusion.

Koda Chisho looked at Yu Xingyue and said, "Even if you don't join our motorcycle gang, we'll still look out for you. If you ever run into trouble in the future, just call Tomoryu's number, and he'll rush to the scene in no time."

Yu Xingyue smiled faintly. "Thank you. Now that this little interlude is over, how about we have a drink?" Knowing his alcohol tolerance was poor, he didn't want to ruin the mood and took the initiative to pour drinks for both of them. Neither man refused.

After downing five glasses of high-proof liquor, Yu Xingyue's vision began to spin wildly. Koda Chisho could tell Yu Xingyue was thoroughly drunk and merely putting up a brave front. Sakamoto Tomoryu decided to use this opportunity to truly understand Yu Xingyue, figuring that people always spoke the truth after drinking.

"Xingyue-kun, what kind of person are you in daily life?" Sakamoto asked the inebriated Yu Xingyue, who was already slumped over the table, listening to the question.

Yu Xingyue mumbled hazily, "I... am a... very pretentious person. I only... put up a front... to protect myself."