The bar did not erupt into noise immediately.Instead, it breathed.A collective inhale passed through the crowd as Terence’s question settled into the space between him and Benjamin. The air felt heavier, thick with anticipation, as if even the walls were waiting for an answer.Benjamin however, remained silent.His gaze did not waver from Terence Lin, but his thoughts were anything but still.This was different.For the first time since everything had changed, since the truth of his identity had been revealed to him and unimaginable wealth had been placed within his reach, Benjamin felt truly exposed.Not as a poor student.Not as the discarded boyfriend.But as himself.Money could buy protection. Influence. Status. It could bend situations, silence people, open doors that had once been sealed shut. It could summon bodyguards in moments of danger and make men like Ryan tremble with a single sentence.But here, now, Terence Lin was offering something money could not solve.A fight.

Terence straightened slightly, clasping his hands behind his back.“Very well,” Terence said. “Since you’ve agreed, we’ll do it properly.”The words spread through the bar like a spark catching dry grass.For a brief moment, there was silence.Then laughter broke out.It started with a few people near the edges of the crowd, low and restrained, as if they were testing whether it was acceptable. When no one stopped them, the sound grew bolder, louder, spreading from table to table until it filled the entire space.Benjamin stood where he was, expression calm, posture relaxed, as if none of it concerned him.“Did you hear that?” someone said loudly. “He actually agreed.”“A poor guy like him wants to fence Terence Lin?”“This is ridiculous.”Fencing.The word itself seemed to inflame the ridicule.To them, unlike street fights or bar scuffles, fencing carried a certain weight in Memoville’s upper circles. It was a sport tied to lineage, refinement, and money. Private tutors. Exclusive c

“You said it takes an hour to reach full effect?”“Yes, young Master,” the butler replied. “It takes just an hour.”He leaned his head back against the cool metal of the streetlight pole, the distant noise bleeding through the glass doors behind him. Music thumped faintly, voices rose and fell, and somewhere inside, Terence Lin was likely enjoying every second of the suspense. But out here, under the dim glow of the streetlights, the air felt heavier, quieter. It felt real.Benjamin exhaled slowly, steadying his breathing.“One hour,” he repeated, more to himself than to the man on the other end of the line.“Yes,” the butler said again, patient as ever. “From the moment administration is complete, the enhancement process begins immediately. The full physiological optimization stabilizes within sixty minutes.”Benjamin closed his eyes briefly.The words sounded unreal, yet nothing about the past few days had been ordinary. Ever since learning the truth about his identity, the world ha

“Good,” Terence said. “I was beginning to wonder if you needed more time.”The word hung in the air like a deliberate provocation, light in tone yet sharpened with intent. The bar had not fully settled after the earlier exchange, and the crowd remained tightly packed, glasses still raised, eyes darting between Benjamin and Terence Lin with barely concealed anticipation.Benjamin stood near the counter, one hand resting against the polished wood, his posture relaxed enough to suggest indifference. Only the slight narrowing of his eyes betrayed that he had heard every syllable clearly.Terence leaned back into his chair, one arm draped over the backrest as though he owned the place. His tailored jacket remained immaculate despite the cramped space, and his expression carried the same easy confidence that followed him everywhere. He looked like a man who expected the world to move at his pace and had rarely been disappointed.Benjamin turned his head slowly. His gaze settled on Terence,

“Well, I don’t plan to disappear,” Benjamin said.Ryan searched his face, as if trying to provoke a reaction. When he found none, his irritation deepened.For a brief moment, the air between them was taut, like a string pulled too tight. Ryan clearly wanted a crack, a flicker of doubt, something to latch onto. But Benjamin gave him nothing. He stood there, calm to the point of indifference, as if the entire bar, the crowd, the jeers, and even Terence Lin himself were all secondary concerns.Terence watched the exchange with narrowed eyes.Then, slowly, he smiled.It wasn’t a warm smile. It was the kind that came from someone who believed the situation was firmly under his control.“So you’re really going through with it,” Terence said. “Hospital and all.”Benjamin inclined his head slightly. “That’s right.”A ripple of mockery spread through the crowd.Someone scoffed openly. Another laughed and shook their head. A woman near the bar covered her mouth as she whispered something to her