Chapter 24: Zhou Baiyun! Ever since the dimensional rifts appeared, the living creatures on Earth went through tremendous changes. The trees turned huge and luscious, the animals became enormous, and the unique characteristics of each species were enhanced. Those that were ferocious became more ferocious, while stupids turned even more stupid. In the wilderness, there were giant eagles with a wingspan of a hundred meters soaring in the sky. There were lions the size of lorries occupying the grasslands. There were also fierce tigers with wings roaring in the forest… Of course, in the cities, there were still stupid huskies devoted to their great course of dismantling homes. There were also cute cats dedicated to acting cute… The mutated star beasts were blocked by martial warriors outside the city. In the city, its citizens continued to get along happily with the animals. Mount Bao'an wasn't part of the wilderness. It was still within the vicinity of the city. The trees were lush and green, and they were all more than ten meters tall. It was a magnificent scene. Occasionally, colorful birds would fly out of the forest and stop at the side of the road, ignoring the cars going back and forth. In the past, these birds were just ordinary wild birds. Yet, now, their feathers were bright and colorful, their eyes were beautiful, and their posture was elegant. They could honestly be compared to the precious and rare birds in the past. However, in this era, they were just wild birds that could be seen all the time in the mountains. A white rabbit popped its head out from the bushes, peeking around with its ruby-like eyes. Its fur was smooth and glossy, and its long ears were folded back. "Little white rabbit! What a cute little white rabbit!" Bai Wei exclaimed in surprise. Wang Teng glanced at the rabbit from the corner of his eyes while driving his car. The corners of his lips twitched uncontrollably. "This little white rabbit isn't… little at all!" The car drove away quickly. The little white rabbit also disappeared into the bushes, leaving Bai Wei extremely disappointed. The two cars soon reached the middle of the mountain. A villa was built against the mountain wall, with a verdant landscape as the backdrop. It merged with nature, making it high-class but not extravagant. After parking their cars, Wang Teng and his friends walked towards the villa. A line of attendants was waiting to welcome the guests at the door. They walked into the villa and passed through a corridor, which opened into a huge hall. There were already many people happily interacting inside. Someone came forward and welcomed them when he saw the group. The person smiled and said, "Elder cousin, you came. Aren't you going to introduce your friends to me?" "Sun Gaoyan, my younger cousin. "This is my elder brother, Wang Teng. These two are my best friends too, Yu Hao and Bai Wei." Xu Jie gave a mutual introduction. Sun Gaoyan was a little surprised when he heard Xu Jie calling Wang Teng his elder brother. They were cousins and were quite close to each other. Hence, he had some understanding of Xu Jie's personality—indifferent and nonchalant. Yet, he called Wang Teng his elder brother. This meant that he respected the guy from the bottom of his heart. "Xu Jie is my elder cousin. Since he calls you elder brother, I will call you brother too," Sun Gaoyan smiled and said to Wang Teng. As the saying went, one can't be angry at a smiling person. Wang Teng also smiled in return and replied, "Each to his own. We are peers. There's no need to address each other formally as an elder brother. You can just call my name." Sun Gaoyan turned to Yu Hao and Bai Wei and chatted with them happily for a while. He took care of everyone and left no one unattended. With Sun Gaoyan bringing them around, Xu Jie and his friends quickly got familiar with the rest of the people. Wang Teng didn't like to socialize that much, but since he was here, he would respect other people when they came to speak to him. He would smile and reply to them. As a rich second generation, he had never especially learned such a skill. However, he had witnessed situations like these before, so he knew how to handle it. Also, he wasn't a lunkhead who didn't know anything and frowned upon everything. He still had to do the superficial greetings! Among them, the most popular person was actually Bai Wei. This young lady was pretty and lovely. When she stood with the other ladies, other young men kept turning their heads to look at her. Yu Hao felt unhappy when he saw this. A while later, more people joined the party, around 20 in total. They were all either rich second generations or the children of officials. Wang Teng couldn't help but exclaim over how influential the host of this gathering was. "Gaoyan, who is the host of this gathering? Give me some information," Xu Jie asked Sun Gaoyan softly. "Zhou Baiyun!" Sun Gaoyan chuckled before saying the name. "Zhou Baiyun!" Xu Jie was astounded. "That Zhou family?" "Yes, it's the Zhou family you are thinking of," Sun Gaoyan nodded and replied. "Then, who is this Zhou Baiyun?" Xu Jie was puzzled, almost bursting with curiosity. "The third child of the Zhou family. She stayed overseas in the past and just came back recently," Sun Gaoyan said. "She isn't leaving anymore?" Xu Jie immediately understood the situation. "That's right, she's not leaving anymore. I'm afraid that there might be a fierce battle within the Zhou family in the future." Sun Gaoyan gave a meaningful smile. Bai Wei and Yu Hao were eavesdropping on their conversation. As rich second generations, they were naturally able to imagine future events. Wang Teng remained indifferent, though. This had nothing to do with him. No matter what happened, he wouldn't participate in it. Also, as long as he became a martial warrior, family feuds would be just a joke to him. "She's here!" Someone suddenly shouted. Footsteps were heard outside the hall. Then, four people walked in from outside. "I'm sorry. I went to fetch a friend along the way. I apologize for letting everyone wait for such a long time," the lady in the middle of the four people scanned the crowd as she spoke. This lady seemed to be in her early 20s. She was tall and slender and could get 90 points for her beauty. However, she had a proud and domineering aura around her. She lifted her chin slightly and revealed her long slender neck, like an arrogant white swan. "You're not too late. We just arrived too." Everyone showed respect towards her and chimed in. "Why is Li Rongcheng here too?" Xu Jie leaned towards Wang Teng and frowned as he asked. "Didn't Miss Zhou say that he's her friend?" Yu Hao pouted. "Li Rongcheng has a grudge with us. Will he create difficulties for us by talking bad about us in front of Zhou Baiyun?" Bai Wei asked. "If he dares to talk behind our backs, Wang Teng will beat him to death. I didn't see him in school for the past few days. He must be dodging Brother Wang Teng," Xu Jie said with contempt. "Alright, this is their home ground. Don't talk so much," Wang Teng said. Zhou Baiyun had a strong background and was skilled with people. As she interacted with all the rich second generations and children of government officials, people quickly forgot their unhappiness about her late arrival. As for Li Rongcheng, he accompanied her all the time. It was obvious that Zhou Baiyun regarded him as an important person. Whether they were real friends or not, no one would know. After some time, Zhou Baiyun held a glass of red wine and walked towards Wang Teng and his friends. "You seem a little unfamiliar. May I know from which family talented youths like you come from?" As the saying went, respect other people and you would naturally get respected. The moment the third princess of the Zhou family opened her mouth, she gave high respect to Wang Teng and his friends. Talented youths? If students like Wang Teng, who didn't study well, were considered talented youths, they were dragging the standard for talented youths down to the abyss. Li Rongcheng's expression changed when he saw Wang Teng. Yuan Zhenghua was following Li Rongcheng, and his expression also followed his example. Their expression seemed to be carved out of the same mold. Before Sun Gaoyan could introduce them, Zhou Baiyun had already noticed the strange atmosphere between them. She smiled and asked, "Do you know each other?" "Of course. How can we not know each other? We are old classmates! We are old friends." Xu Jie sniggered. "Young Master Li, you look better recently." Wang Teng greeted Li Rongcheng casually since they knew each other. However, Li Rongcheng's expression worsened. Zhou Baiyun didn't know what was happening, so the smile on her face turned slightly awkward. Sun Gaoyan hurriedly introduced Wang Teng and his friends to her.