Confronting the Poison Lotus Chapter 04

 Li Xia glanced at the boy who should be around her age. He was handsome, the kind of vibrant and good-looking, but his eyes were faint, a bit indifferent. Without much ado, he walked to the machine and grabbed the bass, then threw the guitar directly to Li Xia.

Li Xia reacted quickly, catching it from the air.

He looked at the glowing arrow on the screen. "How do we divide the tasks?"

Li Xia tried pressing the electronic buttons on the fake guitar neck, using her index and middle fingers to control the up and down arrow cursors, and her ring and pinky fingers to control left and right.

"I'll handle up and down."

He had no objections.

People at the party gathered around. After all, Guitar Hero was such an exciting game, only seen in foreign movies.

The beginning was a few short and lingering guitar string plucks, melodious like a gentle breeze brushing through the heart, stirring a slight tremble in Li Xia and everyone else's heart.

Li Xia completely let go, flowing with the music.

The two of them cooperated tacitly, swaying along with the music in a relaxed and leisurely manner. Li Xia pressed buttons with her left hand according to the slowly moving colored cursor on the screen, while her right hand tapped the frets slowly and rhythmically.

The audience at the scene seemed enchanted, immersed in their slow and pleasant performance, feeling so free and genuine.

Their division of labor was perfect, with no missed cursor, and the screen flashed with a string of reward fireworks, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

Li Xia's heart, neither sad nor happy.

Waking up after a deep sleep, everything was unfamiliar, not a familiar person left.

In this world, she was alone, with an unknown path ahead, but fortunately, there was familiar music, and fortunately, there was a moment of tranquility.

"If I leave here tomorrow,

Would you still remember me

I must be traveling on, now,

'Cause there's too many places I've got to see.

But, if I stayed here with you, girl,

Things just couldn't be the same.

'Cause I'm as free as a bird now,

And this bird you can not change."

The two holding guitars seemed like free-flying birds, while the people present were ignited with the desire to fly.

The music gradually accelerated, sweeping away the previous decadent and mellow tone, becoming cheerful and lively. Li Xia's emotions also gradually soared, going high all the way, letting go of her worries, going crazy to the extreme.

After a long period of intense string plucking, urgent and unrestrained, the two of them were instantly activated, passionate to the point of excitement.

"I am free, you can't change me!

And this bird you can not change."

The whole crowd was roaring these lyrics over and over again.

The young boy bowed his head, his left hand fingers flying, dazzling, while his right hand fiercely strummed the guitar strings. The intense frenzy, like pounding on everyone's hearts!

This is a rock star!

Everyone cheered wildly.

Fu Yilan stood behind the crowd, especially lonely. Amidst the cheering crowd, Li Xia reached the peak of excitement, and her cooperation with the boy was also particularly tacit.

Amidst the wild music, she lightly bit her lip, lowered her head, and vigorously tapped the guitar strings in succession. Her unrestrained and free swinging was like being intoxicated, possessing an especially deep-seated charm.

This was something Fu Yilan could never achieve—such youthful boldness, such rock 'n' roll madness. This charm, she couldn't pull it off.

She despised Li Xia's unconventional beauty, yet couldn't help but admit that there was a certain charm in a woman like this, different from flirtation or seduction.

At this moment, Li Xia's charm was pure and untainted, attracting not desires, but freedom of heart.

She made everyone harbor the wish to become like her in this moment.

This party had nothing to do with the Fu family anymore; all the glory was snatched away by the freely dancing duo under the night sky, with their short hair wildly flying.

Fu Yilan smiled faintly, "It seems I'm just not meant to be the protagonist."

Fu Yilan seethed, accompanied by a inexplicable sense of shame. Why could Li Xia evoke the atmosphere, but not her?

The cursor on the screen became faster and faster, yet neither of them missed a single beat. Firework celebrations popped up densely on the screen, pushing the atmosphere at the scene to new heights in waves.

The boy and girl dressed in black seemed like the most harmonious rock duo. The languid yet intense movements of their bodies carried an irresistible infectiousness, making the cheers even louder.

In the intense and compact rock music, Li Xia suddenly chuckled mischievously, said something to her partner, and then without warning, she hugged the guitar and bounced around. This time, she abandoned all restraint, dancing like a child in wild abandon, shaking her head and swaying, more like a chaotic release and madness.

Her short hair flew wildly, colorful under the lights, like the most beautiful spring.

Even with this dance lacking in technicality, everyone raised their hands, dancing and shouting, turning the place into a chaotic frenzy. It was like some kind of bewitched gathering.

Even the lazy and unrestrained boy joined her chaotic dance, following his heart's desire.

The crowd was enchanted, worshipping the radiant boy and girl at the center, seemingly decadent yet active, seemingly fallen but fiery, just like the adolescence everyone had experienced.

Fu Yilan's eyes reddened, but she could only watch as the perfect score made the crowd go wild with excitement, the fervent cheers lasting for a long time.

Li Xia relaxed, turning to ask her partner something, but before she could, a girl rushed over and raised her hand as if to pat him on the back: "Ni Luo, you little rascal, hiding so deeply..."

Her hand hadn't even landed yet when Ni Luo leaned back, just avoiding it. It seemed he didn't like physical contact with people.

Ni Luo?

The only grandson of the Ni family?

Everyone was surprised; after all, the circle mostly consisted of businesspeople, and even with wealth, they weren't considered prestigious families. There were few families in the circle involved in politics, let alone a prominent family like the Ni family. Everyone's gaze carried a hint of scrutiny.

Even Fu Yilan was stunned, finding herself glancing at Ni Luo a few more times involuntarily.

The girl, dodged by Ni Luo, wasn't unhappy but raised her chin slightly, looking at Li Xia with a hint of arrogance, "Impressive, we should have a competition someday."

Li Xia remembered her, classmate Su Qiao, also a very unconventional girl.

Others also gathered around:

"Li Xia is amazing, she can actually play Guitar Hero so well."

"Seeing it live today was so thrilling."

"Yeah, super cool."

"If you have time, teach us too."

"Even seniors want to learn?"

"Guys playing would be even cooler."

"Really? Didn't you see Li Xia's performance just now?"

"Of course," Fu Yilan came over to join the fun, "Li Xia and I used to hang out at bars a lot before."

A deliberate reminder of her not-so-glamorous past.

Li Xia glanced at her faintly, before anyone could digest her words, she chuckled brightly, "Yeah, I used to be a resident DJ at a bar. If anyone wants to experience the most exhilarating atmosphere, feel free to find me."

Compared to confronting her head-on, denying it outright, or bitterly admitting it, it was better to brush it off with a laugh.

Everyone laughed, "Of course, next time we'll definitely ask you to introduce us."

Fu Yilan's words didn't have any effect, like throwing a punch into thin air, unsatisfying and even more frustrating.

She didn't know if she was unintentional or truly talented, adding, "Li Xia, later I'll take you to see Qiao Qiao. Seeing you will definitely make him happy. Lately, he's been crying for his dad, but I don't even know who his dad is."

The atmosphere cooled slightly, Li Xia looked at her, her gaze cold, without speaking.

Qiao Qiao would never look for his dad.

Li Xia glanced around at the people, clearly feeling Fu Yilan was being a killjoy, so she lightly said, "My sister has already become like that, how many times do you still want to bring up that man's affairs in public?"

Her words weren't emotional or harsh, but left people feeling helpless.

Everyone stared at Fu Yilan askew, thinking she was behaving abnormally today, why were her words all so off?

Fu Yilan had intended to provoke Li Xia, but she unexpectedly endured it, making herself seem harsh.

She had to salvage the situation, suddenly feeling guilty all over her face, her eyes as startled as those of a rabbit, "I'm sorry, I misspoke earlier, don't be angry." Her voice was as soft as whispering to a loved one, her cheeks crimson as she looked at Li Xia, full of apology.

Li Xia's goosebumps rose; she naturally knew that this coquettish and charming appearance wasn't directed at her.

She suddenly realized that this toxic lotus flower came with many additional skills. Able to play innocent, evoke desires, play tricks, dance deceit, be flexible yet firm—truly invincible.

Sure enough, Ni Luo glanced at her.

Fu Yilan's pure and watery eyes immediately turned to Ni Luo, shyly saying, "Hello." As she spoke, she gracefully reached out her delicate hand.

Ni Luo remained silent, his eyebrows were quite handsome, so even though they were slightly furrowed in hidden displeasure, it was hard to tell. His impression of Fu Yilan was actually quite simple: fake.

Without expressing any emotion, he lightly touched her hand with the glass of ice wine in his hand, then didn't drink it, placing it back on the bar.

And that was that.

Li Xia raised her eyebrows: truly proud.

Thinking back to his avoidance of Su Qiao just now, could it be... he was gay?

Looking at his indifferent yet faintly proud demeanor, he was definitely a bottom.

Fu Yilan was stunned, not understanding what he meant, but her hand was suspended in mid-air, feeling like everyone in the world was watching her. Fortunately, she reacted quickly and immediately reached for the drink on the bar.

Then she raised the glass toward Li Xia with a light smile, "I toast to you, welcome home."

Li Xia smiled faintly, but then stood up, "I want to go see Qiao Qiao first, let's chat as we walk."

Fu Yilan followed her towards the small garden.

As the surroundings gradually quieted down, Fu Yilan repeated, "Welcome home," and was about to clink glasses with her. Li Xia made a sudden movement, splashing the entire glass of vodka mixed with ice cubes onto Fu Yilan's face.

For a moment, her face was covered in wet alcohol, dripping down her hair and cheeks.

Fu Yilan was stunned, biting her lip, her eyes teary, "Third sister, I don't think I did anything to provoke you..."

"What did you put in my drink?" Li Xia's demeanor, which had been calm just now, turned fierce in an instant, like a wolf in the night, her eyes seeming to emit a ferocious light.

Fu Yilan was shocked; she only now realized that Li Xia had been restraining herself just now. Though she resented her own carelessness, she appeared tearful and said, "Third sister, what are you saying? Why can't I understand? You've misunderstood, I never meant to harm you. Why won't you believe me? I'm innocent..."

"I switched the glasses between you and your sister." Li Xia smiled coldly, interrupting her nauseating words, "Since you didn't poison the drink, let's go see Qiao Qiao."

Fu Yilan was shocked, unable to imagine how Fu Yilan looked when she went wild at the party. She turned around to run, but her hands were suddenly twisted back by Li Xia, as if they were broken. She was in so much pain she broke out in a cold sweat; just as she was about to scream, her throat was harshly squeezed, unable to make a sound.

"Fu Yilan, do you like talking about my past with people? Knowing I'm an orphan, you dare to provoke me?" Li Xia smiled faintly, like a wolf in the night, her eyes seemed to emit a fierce light. "Do you believe that even if I break your neck right now, no one will find out?"

The author has something to say: Actually, what Ni Luo wanted to say was that he was already immune to all kinds of strange women, right? Liu Feifei, shrew; Song Yan'er, white lotus; Mo Yun'er, green tea bitch; Ning Jinyue, malicious woman; and even his sister, the queen of sarcastic remarks. Tell me, is it easy for him?

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