"Nah, Brother Wu, there's no way I'd not welcome you. I'm stoked to have you along!" Max replied with an obsequious grin upon hearing Leo's words.
"Then what are you waiting for? Let's roll," Leo said, throwing his arm over the chubby guy's shoulder, looking all laid - back and nonchalant.
"Okay... okay," Max was still in a bit of disbelief. He never thought Leo would be into the same kind of stuff. But seeing how things were, he was convinced. "Brother Wu, I gotta tell you, there's this place where a few new hotties just showed up. They're gonna blow your mind, for sure."
"Is that so? If they're not up to par, you know what's coming," Leo said.
"Brother Wu, would I ever lie to you? They're the real deal... " Max promised.
As they walked away, chatting and laughing, with a sleazy air about their talk of women, Ryan and the others were left stunned. It took them ages to snap out of it. Leo's image in their hearts had taken a nosedive.
"Brother, is Leo really that kind of guy?" Xiaowu finally said, still unable to come to terms with it even after their figures had completely disappeared. In her opinion, Leo was so caring towards his classmates. He should be as decent as her brother, not doing such things. How could this be happening?
Ryan felt a bit awkward at Xiaowu's question. He scratched his head and said, "Maybe it's just a personal thing, you know?"
In fact, he had a rough idea why Leo was doing this. It was probably for Blake and Aria. If Leo was really that kind of person, why would he go to that kind of place? Just look at the chick at the registration desk in the Big Soul Battle Arena. She was way hotter than those girls. But with Aria around, he didn't want to spill the beans and expose Leo's intentions. He wasn't gonna be the bad guy.
At this moment, Blake was over the moon. Seeing Aria's frosty face, he feigned a sheepish smile and said, "Well, I never thought Leo was like this. His taste is really bad."
"You men are all dirtbags," Aria finally spoke up, lumping all men together with her words.
She herself didn't know why seeing Leo like this made her so angry. She even felt like crying, and this feeling was even worse than when she learned about Blake's deeds in the capital of the Xingluo Empire. Maybe Leo was the first person she really thought highly of, or perhaps it was the huge contrast between his confident look and careful guidance in the past and his current behavior that led to these negative emotions.
"Sister Zhuqing, you can't say that. Third Brother is not like that. He's nothing like Max and Blake," Xiaowu couldn't help but stand up for Ryan.
Blake had been thinking about showing off a bit, but upon hearing Xiaowu's words, he retorted irritably, "Fine, your Third Brother is as pure as the driven snow, and we're all filthy. Happy?"
"Hehe, you admit it. I wonder who was surrounded by girls at the Soto Hotel back then... " Xiaowu was about to continue when Ryan quickly stopped her.
Ryan was really helpless. Xiaowu was great in many ways, but she just couldn't keep her mouth shut. Couldn't she see that both Dai Xuezhang and Aria's faces had changed? If she kept talking, Leo's act would be in vain.
"Boring," Aria snorted. She was about to leave when Xiaowu was still wondering why her brother had stopped her.
"Hey, Zhuqing, wait up!" Blake shouted, hurrying after her.
"Brother, what's going on? Why did you stop me?" Xiaowu still didn't understand Ryan's intention.
Ryan gently tapped Xiaowu on the head and said, "Silly girl, can't you tell Leo is doing this on purpose? He wants to give Blake a chance. You're just messing things up by talking like this."
"Ah? So that's it. I knew Leo wasn't that kind of guy," Xiaowu said, finally getting it. But then she thought of something else and said, "But I think Leo and Sister Zhuqing are a better match."
Compared to Blake, Xiaowu had a better impression of Leo. Given a choice, she would definitely support Leo to get the girl.
"That's not our business. Let's go back," Ryan said, sighing, and then led Xiaowu along.
At the same time, Blake finally caught up with Aria. "Zhuqing, Leo has a wife," he said.
Aria, who was walking ahead, paused slightly when she heard this, but then she resumed walking after a moment.
"Aria, what the hell do you mean? Stop right there!" Blake couldn't hold back his anger when Aria ignored him. "You're my fiancée, and Leo has a wife. Do you want to make things messy for everyone?"
Aria, who had no intention of talking to Blake, stopped again when she heard his angry shout. She looked at him with cold eyes. "Since you know I'm your fiancée, how do you explain what you did in the Xingluo Empire? And I don't care if Leo has a wife. I just have a crush on him. Are you satisfied with this answer?" With that, she walked away quickly.
"You... " Blake was so angry that he almost used his soul skill. He never expected Aria to say such things. It was like a slap in the face.
Ryan and Xiaowu, who were following behind, heard their conversation and were shocked to a halt. As onlookers, they felt like they had stumbled upon a huge piece of gossip. Blake and Aria were engaged! And Leo had a wife! Each piece of news was a huge shock to them.
No wonder Leo was trying to give them a chance. No wonder he was willing to go with Max. He wasn't just trying to help Blake and Aria get together. He also didn't want them to misunderstand. But thinking about it, Leo was about the same age as them. How could he be married already? It was hard to believe. Although in the Evans Continent, people usually got married early, but at twelve years old, it still seemed too soon.
Leo had no idea that his well - intentioned act had not only failed to achieve its purpose but had also caused an even bigger misunderstanding. He was currently walking with Max.
"Hey, Fatty, I just remembered I've got some stuff to take care of. You go ahead without me," Leo said, stopping suddenly.
"Are you kidding me, Brother Wu? We're almost there, and you're bailing on me?" Max was dumbfounded.
Just then, a beautiful figure appeared in the distance. When Max saw her, he thought he understood. "Oh, I get it. Brother Wu, you're gonna have a little rendezvous with that registration girl from the Soul Battle Arena. No wonder."
"Okay then, Brother Wu. I hope you have a great night," Max said, winking.
Leo was confused. This wasn't what he expected. Why was Max being so cooperative? And what was with that look on his face? It was only when he turned around and saw the registration girl from the Soul Battle Arena that he realized Max had misunderstood something.