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nLucas didn’t rush in immediately. Instead, he waited for William and the others to enter before lighting a cigarette at the entrance, then walked in with a gloomy face.

nIt was clear that Bella had expressed her refusal emphatically. While Lucas could let go of pursuing her, he was determined to teach that William a serious lesson.

nIf he can’t even handle a freshman, then hasn’t he lived all those years in vain being older than William? Wouldn’t that be extremely embarrassing?

nWilliam didn’t care about Lucas’s thoughts. After entering the club, he noticed many paintings hanging on the walls.

nMost of these paintings were unimpressive in William’s eyes.

nTo him, the artistry was mediocre at best, and he couldn’t understand why they were on display.

nIf William had created such pieces, he would most likely have discarded them, let alone display them for others to see.

nHowever, upon reflection, finding a truly extraordinary masterpiece in this day and age was like trying to ascend to the heavens, a nearly impossible task.

nAfter all, even the so-called masterpieces of renowned painters from the Renaissance era seemed average to William.

n“William, Lucas painted this,” Bella said, pulling William in front of a painting titled “Galloping Wild Horses.” “Someone once offered half a million dollars for this painting, but he didn’t sell it. Do you think your painting skills are at his level?”

nWhen Bella said this, her intention was to slightly embarrass William, especially after the harsh words he had spoken outside.

n“It’s worth five hundred thousand?” William glanced at the painting on the wall, clearly astonished. Could someone really be willing to pay that much for this painting?

nHe knew he couldn’t earn that much even by accompanying people for a night of drinking.

n“Don’t you think this painting is worth that price?” Bella said with a provocative tone. “Or do you think you can paint something better?”

n“The issue isn’t whether or not I can paint something better,” William contemplated for a moment, then said, “In any case, I’m certain I couldn’t produce a painting like this.”

nIn his mind, he felt that even if he held a brush with his toes, he wouldn’t create something this terrible. The nine horses in the painting lacked spirit and vitality; it was simply a joke. It was just like Lucas himself – empty and soulless. One could discern a person’s character from their art, and this painting was simply atrocious.

nBella assumed that William was admitting defeat gracefully, which brought a smile to her face as she felt she had salvaged the situation. She said, “Well, if he comes to trouble you later, we can just challenge him to a drinking contest. You are surely much better at drinking than he is.”

n“Maybe.” William was indifferent. He initially wanted to maintain a low profile. Did he really need to prove his artistic abilities to someone like Lucas?

nWas Lucas even worth it?

nAlice and the others trailed behind, watching the pair walking hand in hand in front of them. The sweetness radiating from them was making her rather uncomfortable.

nIn a low voice, Evelyn asked, “Alice, do you think William is really into this Bella?”

n“How could that be possible?” Alice became agitated, “I told you, they are just putting on an act.”

nEvelyn chuckled softly, “Who knows? What if William wants to turn the act into reality? They do seem quite compatible.”

n“Compatible where?” Alice rolled her eyes, taking Evelyn’s arm, “Bella is already twenty-seven years old, while William is just twenty, a whole seven years difference. How could they possibly be a match?”

nEvelyn countered, “So what? Many couples with even larger age gaps end up together; it all comes down to whether they truly love each other.”

n“Anyway, there is absolutely no way those two could become a couple…” Alice started, her voice rising in frustration before she stopped herself halfway.

nMaster!

nHow can I defend you when you behave like this in front of Evelyn? Who is to blame if she misunderstands?

nThis time, I’m not helping you!

nWhat a flirt!

nAfter a brief silence, Alice couldn’t hold back any longer, “Evelyn, don’t you have any feelings for William? Doesn’t it upset you to see them like this?”

nEvelyn halted, countering, “Why would I be uncomfortable? I have no interest in William whatsoever.”

nAlright! Master, you’re doomed!

nAlice didn’t quite understand her own feelings at the moment. There seemed to be a hint of schadenfreude mixed with… a sense of relief? What was going on?

nAlthough William was walking ahead with Bella, he was still keenly tuned in to the conversation between Alice and the others.

nHearing Evelyn’s words, he remained unaffected, his emotional fluctuation was not significant as he continued walking forward with Bella.

nAt this moment, William finally confirmed something.

nRegardless of whether Evelyn had any spiritual connection with someone from tens of thousands of years ago, the Evelyn of now was a completely new and independent individual. In reality, there was no story like in novels where a person, reincarnated after tens of thousands of years, would fall in love at first sight with him again.

nEvelyn’s recent words felt as if a stone had been thrown into his heart, yet surprisingly, it didn’t create much of a ripple within him.

nAt this moment, William let go, his heart experienced a subtle change as he just offered a light smile.

nHe would no longer obsess over Evelyn.

nBillions of years had passed; regardless of how many times they reincarnated, they remained separate entities. In the old days, the social environment was different; travel was difficult, letters took a long time to reach their destination, and the average person had enough time to love only one person in their lifetime.

nTimes have changed. Who said Evelyn must fall for him without any reservation?

nWilliam smiled, feeling that at his age, matters of love and affection were simply not suited for him.

nBella asked, “What are you smiling at?”

nWilliam glanced at Bella, “I’m smiling at my own thoughts. What does it have to do with you? You didn’t pay me not to smile, did you?” 𝒃𝒆𝒐𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝙘𝙤𝒎

n“…” Bella was almost choked up by William’s words. Has this person formed a habit of speaking in such an infuriating manner?

nHow could someone like this possibly find a girlfriend?

nBella asked again, “Do you like that girl behind us?”

n“With all the questions you are asking, I don’t like her, do you suppose I like you then?”

n“Hiss—” Bella bore a smile, but internally she was grinding her teeth in anger. Who was the one who took her hand as soon as he approached? Not to mention the gentle smile at the beginning.

nForget it! She had misunderstood!

nShe was nearly deceived by this performance.

nAlice and Evelyn were always five or six meters away from William and the others. Evelyn didn’t overhear William and Bella’s conversation and whispered softly, “Look at them whispering to each other; they really look like a couple.”

nAlice nearly burst into laughter again.

nEvelyn was an ordinary person, naturally, she couldn’t hear what William and Bella were saying, but with Alice’s current abilities, she could hear every word clearly.

nWith William’s tone and the words he was using, how could they resemble a couple?

nShe guessed that by now, Bella, like Lucas, must be so angry that she was on the verge of having a heart attack.

nThis scene reminded Alice of the way William chatted with Lila before.

nTrue to her master’s style, the way he spoke to everyone was the same, it would never change.

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