Hearing the inflection in his voice, the rising tail of his tone, slightly aggrieved yet unstated, Redhead instantly understood the situation. They were all adults; without needing to ask, she knew she might have inadvertently ruined someone's moment, perhaps even caused them internal injury, otherwise, why would she receive a silver-call at this hour to pick a fight?

This seemed slightly immoral!

Redhead felt a pang of embarrassment and tried to smooth things over with awkward laughter: "Ah, ah, then I wish you a good night's sleep, sleep well, okay!"

An Junlie snorted through his nose: "Hmph, cut the nonsense!"

If Redhead still didn't know why An Junlie had called, she could write her name backward; her years as a pirate weren't for nothing.

However, she understood perfectly well that the thin-skinned An Junlie wouldn't bring it up directly. Besides, even if his skin were as thick as the hull of a space station, he would still need to consider Ye's feelings and would certainly not treat her with any hostility. Thus, she laughed heartily: "What? Want to hit me? Don't worry, I promise, I absolutely, definitely won't disturb you so late again!"

In reality, An Junlie's target wasn't Redhead. He wasn't bored enough to ignore Zi Ye and stay up late chatting with Redhead about that. He said, "Fine, pass the silver-call to Lan Li."

Damn it!

Redhead cursed silently. Was all her previous performance just a waste of emotion?

She put on a serious face: "If you want to find him, dial his ultra-call directly. Why bother with me?"

An Junlie threatened her overtly: "If you don't want me interrupting whatever you and Lan Li are doing in the future, you had better give it to him first."

He would absolutely not admit that he resorted to this tactic because both the internal-call and silver-call lines were jammed.

Those in power always prized their reputation, and he was no exception.

Redhead: "..."

Lan Li noticed Redhead's expression falter and guessed: "Is this about the team battle?"

Redhead grew even angrier. She yanked the silver-call off and thrust it into his arms, "Take it! I have absolutely no damn relationship with you!"

Lan Li was utterly bewildered. Seeing the call was still active, he asked, "Team battle, you’re looking for me?"

An Junlie replied, "Yes, how is the situation on your end?"

Lan Li shot back, "Forget about my situation for a second. What did you just say to that tigress? She completely plastered me!"

An Junlie's mood brightened considerably upon hearing this. "It’s nothing, just catching up."

Lan Li immediately mirrored the tactic back to An Junlie: "If you don't tell me, don't blame me if the next time you and your little brat are together—" He didn't finish his sentence before An Junlie's face turned green. "Are you sure you want to bicker with me?"

That single sentence successfully stabilized Lan Li.

When two tigers fight, both are wounded, but he wasn't a tiger. Fighting the tiger before him would only result in his own injury.

Lan Li dejectedly salvaged his statement: "I mean, the next time you and your little brat are together, I will definitely prepare a grand legionary gift; you can rest a hundred and twenty percent assured."

An Junlie couldn't be bothered with his wordplay. "Keep an eye on the movements around the Kelaige Hotel. These past few days, several legions have been getting restless, trying to seize sovereignty over the Hope Legion. It might have something to do with you all."

Lan Li's expression turned serious: "Understood."

Only then did An Junlie relax and smile, saying with satisfaction, "Thank you for your hard work. Hurry and accompany your Queen." Before he could say anything else, he hung up the silver-call.

Lan Li disconnected the silver-call with a face full of internal injury and silently handed it back to Redhead. Seeing his expression, which suggested he was constipated, Redhead chuckled: "Oh my, it's just a team leader, is there any need for you to be this scared? He isn't going to eat you."

Lan Li’s mood soured slightly. The worse his mood became, the more captivating his smile grew. Hearing Redhead say that, he said with a slight smile, "Yes, no matter what, my relationship with him isn't as good as our damn relationship."

Redhead was already sulking, and Lan Li had walked right into the line of fire. She shot back testily: "Oh, damn-guy, cut the crap, you should be looking for the President."

Lan Li raised his left hand and mournfully covered his eye. He had actually been called 'damn-guy' by Redhead. He must be having a terrible day today; everything was going wrong.

It was all because of An Junlie's call!

The two headed off together to find the President.

Redhead was venting her frustration at An Junlie, and concurrently, at this taciturn jerk before her.

—He was usually so elegant and articulate, yet he spoke to her like that. She really wanted to clock him!

Lan Li was also gloomy.

However, his gloom didn't stem from An Junlie, but from the inexplicably irritated Redhead, and also from himself.

Thus, they traveled in silence.

Redhead considered herself somewhat familiar with Lan Li; walking side-by-side usually meant silence wasn't awkward.

But for some reason tonight, the less they spoke, the more awkward it felt, especially after midnight when people were either sleeping or seeking private liaisons. The quiet was eerie. The further they walked, the more lost they felt, until they were both fidgeting, desperately wishing for an excuse to talk.

Redhead was a proud person who prioritized face; it was impossible for her to speak first.

She desperately hoped Lan Li would speak first, but there was no sound. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and saw him pursing his lips, not even showing the mild impatience he usually displayed, yet still managing a veneer of warmth. This only fueled her irritation. She mentally grumbled: "You could usually talk so much, why are you suddenly a silent block after I say one thing?"

—It made her seem like she was the one making an unreasonable scene!

This man truly had 'annoying' written all over him. It was a waste that she had found him quite agreeable earlier. It must have been the angle from which she looked at him.

Just as she pulled her gaze away, Lan Li also glanced in her direction with the corner of his eye.

They were not on the same frequency; their gazes didn't meet, and they both caught only a fleeting glimpse of green light, neither noticing the other's abnormality.

They walked until the end of the corridor, where it split into two paths, one left, one right.

They both turned their heads simultaneously, and this time, their eyes locked.

Lan Li immediately seized the opportunity, looking at her properly, since they were facing each other—might as well look! Seeing this, Redhead immediately returned a sultry glance, "What? Want to come with me?"

Lan Li's action was her reply.

Lan Li's gaze was deeply affectionate (huge exaggeration), and with elegant movements, he took Redhead's hand, raised it to his lips, kissed it lightly, and flashed a smile that could charm anyone to death: "Did you just realize how much handsomer I'm getting? I don't mind being loved by you, you know."

Redhead was caught off guard by the kiss on the back of her hand and momentarily froze. Lan Li used the momentum to flip her palm over, intending to kiss her palm. She snapped back to reality instantly, and with one swift move, executed an over-the-shoulder throw! RS