"What's wrong?" Yang Kai asked in a low voice.
Yue He replied, "He's lovesick!"
Only then did Yang Kai catch on, turning to look around — and sure enough, Chen Yue was nowhere to be seen! He knew that Meng Hong harbored feelings for Chen Yue, and after hearing Yue He's words, he immediately understood that Meng Hong's behavior must be because of her.
Yang Kai hadn't known Meng Hong for long, but the man was generous and straightforward in character — the only area where he seemed a bit reserved was matters of the heart. As for Chen Yue... Yang Kai's impression of her was neither good nor bad; he simply felt that the girl seemed rather high-minded. Her character wasn't particularly terrible, though of course that was because they hadn't had much deep interaction, so he couldn't make any firm judgments about what she was really like.
After all, knowing someone's face doesn't mean knowing their heart. Someone who seemed perfectly pleasant could very well be rotten inside.
Once he knew the cause was Chen Yue, Yang Kai let out a laugh of helplessness. "If Brother Meng is interested, he should pursue her boldly. Why sit here feeling sorry for himself?"
"No chance anymore," Yue He said, looking rather as though she relished stirring up trouble. She clucked her tongue. "Someone else cut in and stole her away!"
The moment those words left her lips, a flicker of pain crossed the face of Meng Hong, who sat blankly across from them. He grabbed the wine jug in his hand and started drinking deeply.
"Senior Brother, stop drinking." One of the Big Moon Province Disciples couldn't stand it any longer and reached out to take the jug, saying indignantly, "If that woman is so fickle-hearted, she's not worth worrying about. There are plenty of good girls out there — why torment yourself like this, Senior Brother?"
Unfortunately, he wasn't as strong as Meng Hong, and after several attempts to grab the jug, he failed. After draining the entire jug, Meng Hong's eyes had turned red.
"What exactly happened?" Yang Kai was thoroughly confused. Someone cutting in to steal his love, the woman being fickle — it seemed quite a bit had transpired during the months he'd spent in seclusion refining pills.
Yue He sighed lightly and explained. "While you were away, they met someone — apparently a minor leader from the Crimson Star. He helped them out quite a bit, and over time they got familiar with each other. They thought he was a loyal and warm-hearted fellow, but it turned out he had ulterior motives. He'd had his eye on that girl the whole time. And that girl... well, water flows downhill, people climb upward. Having a backer here in the Taixu Realm means she won't have to worry about anything going forward."
Though she spoke only in a few sentences, Yang Kai understood well enough. And since Yue He was an outsider, her account should be relatively impartial.
If what Yue He said was accurate, then Chen Yue had latched onto that other man's coattails.
It was only human nature, really. Just as Yue He had said, having a decent backer in the Taixu Realm would make everything more convenient and provide a great deal more sense of security.
The Crimson Star was now a formidable power, occupying this Star Market and using it as a base to recruit followers. Even a minor leader would be someone many people fawned over and tried to curry favor with.
He couldn't help recalling that Chen Yue had seemed to show interest in him at one point as well...
There was little anyone else could do about matters of the heart. Though Yang Kai felt some sympathy for Meng Hong's situation, there really wasn't much he could say. He could only offer, "Brother Meng, if you can't let it go, it's not too late to chase after her now. And if you can put it aside, then don't dwell on it. Go back and get some rest — we'll be leaving this place tomorrow."
Meng Hong gripped the wine jug, his knuckles turning white. His mouth moved, but not a single word came out.
Yang Kai could tell that this man had genuinely fallen for Chen Yue. Telling him to just walk away would be something he couldn't bring himself to do. But staying here would only add to his distress.
He gave the two Big Moon Province Disciples a meaningful glance, signaling them to take Meng Hong back to rest.
But before they could act, Meng Hong suddenly looked up, his face alight with excitement, gazing toward the door.
Yang Kai turned to look and saw none other than Chen Yue standing in the doorway, her eyes meeting Meng Hong's. Her expression was somewhat awkward and self-conscious, her gaze darting evasively.
Meng Hong rose to his feet in excitement, his mouth opening and closing — before he could even call out "Junior Sister Chen," another figure flashed in through the entrance.
The newcomer was a handsome young man dressed in green robes, fair-complexioned and wearing a bright smile. Without the slightest hesitation upon entering, he placed his hand on Chen Yue's slender waist and drew her close, then turned his head and said, "Come in — why are you standing here?"
The awkwardness on Chen Yue's face deepened slightly, and she shifted her body a little.
The young man seemed to sense something and looked up, meeting Meng Hong's bloodshot eyes directly. He immediately broke into a grin, tightened the arm around Chen Yue's waist, and regardless of whether she was willing or not, led her straight over.
Yue He nudged Yang Kai with her elbow and transmitted her voice, "That's the one — apparently his name is Zhao Xingchen. Even when he talked to me before, his words were quite forward and disrespectful. He's no good!"
Yang Kai gave an imperceptible nod, his brow furrowing slightly.
He'd heard earlier that Meng Hong had his love stolen, but hadn't thought much of it. Matters of the heart were between two willing people. His sympathies leaned toward Meng Hong, but if Chen Yue didn't care for Meng Hong, there was nothing he could do about it.
For a girl like Chen Yue who lacked a sense of security and was willing to rely on the strong, the only way to win her heart was to be powerful oneself.