73: Chapter 73 Old Friends Reminiscing

The one in the lead wore a motorcycle-style black leather jacket, tight jeans outlining his slender legs, and his Dr. Martens were polished to a shine.

His eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, a diamond stud in his left ear sparkled under the lights, and his whole being exuded a roguish air of cynicism.

The moment he saw Li Dakang on the sofa, his eyes lit up; he rushed forward in two or three strides and, without a word, gave him a bear hug.

"Third Young Master! I've missed you to death!"

Third Young Master's voice trembled with excitement, his arms squeezing Li Dakang so hard he could barely breathe.

Li Dakang was left speechless by this sudden outburst of enthusiasm, patting his back while teasing: "Oh, it's been half a year, Third Young Master, has your orientation changed? I'm not into that!"

Third Young Master quickly let go, stepped back, and scratched his head with a laugh: "Oh, Third Young Master, don't tease me! I was just too happy!"

At this moment, Sun Xin, who was following behind, walked up unhurriedly.

He wore a well-tailored navy blue suit, the collar of his shirt casually open, with a Patek Philippe watch faintly visible on his wrist.

Compared to Third Young Master's flamboyance, Sun Xin had a touch of restrained nobility.

"Third Young Master." Sun Xin said with a smile on his lips.

"You're not being very fair; you didn't even tell us you were back, so we could have picked you up."

It turned out that these two were Li Dakang's closest buddies from his circle, Third Young Master and Sun Xin.

Third Young Master came from the Qian family, one of the eight great families, while Sun Xin came from the Sun family, the leader of the second-tier families; both had extremely prominent backgrounds.

"Little Xin, I was in a rush to get back."

Li Dakang said with a smile: "Look, I only got back yesterday, and here I am meeting you all today, right?"

"Brother Bowen, Brother Xin, let's sit down first."

Zhou Mingyuan intervened at the right moment, calling the waiter to pour tea.

"Oh, Zhou Mingyuan is here too."

Third Young Master only then noticed Zhou Mingyuan on the side and patted his shoulder familiarly.

The four of them sat down, and the atmosphere in the private room immediately became lively.

The purple clay teapot on the rosewood coffee table was emitting wisps of steam, and the aroma of premium Longjing tea permeated the air.

Outside the window, the sound of flowing water from the clubhouse courtyard could be faintly heard, interweaving with the laughter inside.

"Third Young Master, why are there only you and Zhou Mingyuan?"

Third Young Master's sharp eyes scanned the private room, his face full of confusion.

Hearing this, Li Dakang's lips curled into a playful smile.

He leisurely picked up his blue and white porcelain teacup, gently blew the tea leaves floating on top, and asked back: "Why? Are the two of us not enough? Who else do you want to see?"

His voice carried a hint of teasing, but his eyes were sharp as knives, as if he could see through people's hearts.

Third Young Master felt a bit uncomfortable under that gaze and explained with a sheepish smile: "Third Young Master, don't misunderstand, I was just thinking... it's livelier with more people."

He rubbed his hands, a flash of cunning in his eyes: "You don't know, there are a few new girls in the Forbidden City recently, and they are so fresh and lovely."

"It's a pity that I don't have enough status, and they don't even look at me properly. I was just thinking that with you here, Third Young Master, I could bask in your glory..."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Li Dakang's teasing scolding: "You brat, your mind is full of these fickle ideas!"

He put down the teacup and said seriously: "I have turned over a new leaf now, don't try to tempt me with those things."

"What?!"

Sun Xin widened his eyes exaggeratedly, his mouth open wide enough to fit an egg.

"Third Young Master, you haven't been bewitched by some village girl down there, have you?"

Sun Xin deliberately dragged out his tone, causing a burst of laughter from everyone, and the atmosphere in the private room immediately livened up.

Outside the window, a bright moon rose quietly, its silver glow spilling onto the carpet through the carved window lattice, interweaving with the warm yellow light in the room.

Zhou Mingyuan, who had been silent, spoke up at this moment, his voice very soft, but it made everyone quiet down: "Brother Bowen, Brother Xin, you don't know."

"Brother Kang has changed too much in the past six months, even my grandfather often says at home that we should take Brother Kang as an example."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of Third Young Master and Sun Xin froze.

The two looked at each other, seeing shock in each other's eyes. What kind of person was Elder Zhou?

He was the anchor of the Zhou family, notoriously strict.

To be praised by him, what earth-shattering thing had Li Dakang done in the past six months?

Third Young Master still remembered the scene of seeing Li Dakang off six months ago; at that time, the Third Young Master was still a playboy who spent his days drinking and having fun. Who could have imagined such a transformation in just half a year?

"One should look at a person with new eyes after three days of parting..."

Sun Xin murmured, his tone full of emotion.

"Come, let's have a drink, just as an early celebration for the New Year."

Li Dakang raised his glass, the crystal glass refracting brilliant light under the lamps.

"Cheers!"

Four glasses clinked in the air, making a crisp sound.

The mellow aroma of aged Moutai permeated the private room.

Putting down the glass, Third Young Master showed a gloating smile: "Third Young Master, we ran into Wu Jianmin in the corridor just now. Tsk tsk, that kid is not as arrogant as he used to be."

"Indeed."

Sun Xin took over the conversation: "The Wu family is having a hard time these days."