Counterfeit Hero

Chapter 184: Volume 3, Chapter 58: Slanderous Accusations_2

Bruce laughed heartily and said, ”Mr. Zhang is indeed straightforward. Let me congratulate you on your success in advance.”

Fatty humbly said, ”Thank you, thank you.”

Seeing Ann Lei look puzzled, Bruce smiled and changed the topic, ”Are you all playing tennis? Can I join in?”

Christina laughed, ”Don’t drag me into this. I’m a sports idiot. You two go ahead and compete, I’ll watch from the side.”

Ann Lei shook her hands repeatedly, ”No, no, I can’t compete with the renowned sports prince of the Gazalin Royal Family.” She stuck out her tongue, ”I can’t even return your serve.”

Bruce smiled, ”What sports prince? That’s just a title others gave me. Compared to Bob, I’m far behind.” His tone was calm and natural, as if discussing something ordinary. However, Ann Lei and Christina knew that Bob was a famous tennis player from Gazalin, ranked seventh in the world, and also Bruce’s good friend and tennis coach. This comment seemed modest, but who in Gazalin would dare to compare themselves to Bob in tennis except him?

As a carefree prince with no ambitions, Bruce was quite gifted in sports. Whether it was tennis, fencing, or horseback riding, almost no one among the noble youths could match him.

Since their first meeting a year ago, Bruce had almost fallen in love with Ann Lei at first sight. He originally thought that with his prince status, noble demeanor, and handsome appearance, this beautiful girl who traveled frequently to various countries and made a living as a private dance teacher would accept his pursuit. To his surprise, a few weeks later, Ann Lei left without saying goodbye and continued her travels, without any intention of stopping for him.

Later, Ann Lei came to Gazalin twice, each time staying for a shorter period, leaving Bruce barely any chance to pursue her. This left him feeling frustrated. In Bruce’s mind, this girl’s beauty and temperament made her more than qualified to be one of his wives. The Morton family had an almost obsessive passion for what they wanted, and Bruce was no exception. He had always sworn to pursue Ann Lei, so when he saw her again, he was truly overjoyed.

Men always like to show off their best side to the women they admire, and Bruce, even though considered Prince Charming by many young girls in Gazalin, was no exception. However, inviting Ann Lei to play tennis was also a way to get closer to her.

Ann Lei smiled gently, took Christina’s hand, and said, ”Your friend has been waiting for a long time. How about we find a place to sit down and have some tea?”

”Sure, I have so much to talk to you about!” Christina nodded.

Bruce was about to say something, but Ann Lei nodded and smiled at him, ”Your Highness, Tina and I haven’t seen each other in a long time and would like to chat alone. Please excuse us.”

Bruce opened his mouth but couldn’t manage to invite her for tea. He smiled awkwardly and said, ”Of course, ladies’ topics are not for me. However...” He bowed and made an inviting gesture, ”I hope Miss Ann Lei would honor me as my dance partner at tonight’s ball.”

Ann Lei was taken aback, clearly not expecting Bruce to be so direct. However, as a prince with the best reputation in the Gazalin Imperial Family, she didn’t dislike him, and since she didn’t have a dance partner, after hesitating for a moment and seeing Bruce’s expectant eyes, she finally nodded slightly and smiled.

Bruce was overjoyed, and Fatty was filled with jealousy.

Ann Lei took Christina’s hand and walked towards the tea area by the tennis court. Fatty was just about to follow when Bruce stopped him, ”Mr. Zhang, it’s best not to intrude on the ladies’ chat. Would you be interested in playing tennis with me?” His courteous and gentlemanly manner respected Ann Lei’s wish to chat alone with Christina.

For Fatty, tennis was something he understood only theoretically but couldn’t play at all. He quickly shook his head while saying, ”No, no, you can’t beat me.”

Bruce was taken aback, obviously not expecting the somewhat clumsy-looking Fatty to say such a thing. But hearing the two girls beside them laugh, Ann Lei said, ”Mr. Zhang, why don’t you come have some tea with us?”

Fatty grinned triumphantly and said to the embarrassed Bruce, ”I’m going to have tea.” His honest and simple demeanor made Bruce laugh helplessly as he watched him happily follow Ann Lei and Christina.

Next to the tennis court, there was an outdoor tea area under a row of sycamore trees. Sipping tea on the green lawn under the warm early winter sun was indeed a pleasure.

The two girls had endless topics to talk about, and Fatty occasionally chimed in with some hilarious opinions on common topics, making Christina laugh out loud several times. Whenever Christina looked away, Fatty could see Ann Lei’s enchanting eyes glancing at him. He couldn’t tell if they were filled with resentment, hatred, love, or grievance.

The atmosphere was quite strange indeed. Two childhood friends pretending to be strangers but with some lingering feelings, and a matchmaker-like Christina, made the trio surprisingly harmonious in such an environment.

More and more nobles were arriving for the ball, making Red Leaf Mountain increasingly lively. The three were sipping tea and chatting when a young nobleman seemingly walked casually over to Fatty and exclaimed, ”Is that Mr. Zhang Yuan?” His voice was loud and surprised, drawing attention from the surrounding people. He continued, ”Are you here for another matchmaking date today?”

Christina’s face changed immediately. She recognized this person as one of the most obnoxious noblemen. Seeing the strange expressions of those around, she realized what a big mistake she had made and how it could negatively affect Zhang Yuan. She was about to speak when Fatty, with a simple smile, surprisingly said, ”Yes, and you?”

Before the nobleman could respond, Fatty’s voice was even louder, ”Last time, I saw you on Kazek Street, matchmaking with several pretty girls. How did it go? Did you find someone?” His candid and naive demeanor made the onlookers laugh, knowing well that Kazek Street was a well-known red-light district in Tanville.

Fatty earnestly continued, ”I heard the girls there love money and often switch husbands. If one day you’re out of money and someone replaces you, that wouldn’t be good. Think it over carefully!”

Laughter erupted around them. This Fatty was really entertaining.

The nobleman’s face turned steel blue. He could swear that ever since he got involved with that extremely sexy film academy girl, he hadn’t gone out for nearly half a year, let alone visited Kazek Street. He never expected this dumb-looking Fatty to make such a vicious and blatant accusation in this setting.

Although the young nobles sometimes indulged in nightlife, they usually chose top-notch clubs due to their status. Everyone was aware of this, but no one would mention it openly. Kazek District was a place frequented by commoners and even lower-class people, and being accused of seeking pleasure there was a real disgrace.

The young nobleman was about to retort when Christina disdainfully said, ”Martin, I didn’t know you were such a person.” Without hesitation, she chose to believe the honest Fatty and turned to Ann Lei, ”How disgusting. Let’s find another place!”

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The writing is getting slower and slower. I’m really sorry, how much do I owe you all? I’m feeling quite anxious.

(To be continued. For more Chapters, please visit WWW.CMFU.COM. Support the author and support legitimate reading!)