Chapter 133: The Eight Great Clans and the World Alliance Assembly

Nie Ke'er had not even mentioned what the matter was yet, but Chu Fei flatly replied, "I'm not helping," and proceeded to head back to the villa with Zhou Mi and Wen Nuan.

Nie Ke'er was stunned for a moment, then quickly chased after him. "Hey, what is wrong with you? I didn't even say what it was, and you already turned me down!"

Chu Fei didn't even turn his head as he retorted, "Why on earth should I help you?"

"Putting everything else aside, considering our relationship, you have to help me!" Nie Ke'er insisted stubbornly.

Chu Fei raised an eyebrow. "And what relationship is that?"

"Have you forgotten? I'm your fiancée!"

"Since you've put it that way, I suppose it's not impossible to help." Chu Fei chuckled. "But what's in it for me if I do?"

This was the pinnacle of psychological maneuvering. When a girl asks for your help, you must appropriately set some conditions and deliberately make things difficult for her. Only then will you avoid appearing like a desperate sycophant.

Nie Ke'er feigned a sly expression. "Isn't my sincere gratitude enough?"

"How are you so thick-skinned?" Chu Fei rolled his eyes. "Pardon my bluntness, but at your level, you're barely a stubborn Bronze, failing to even hold your own in Silver-tier matches—and you want to try for a freebie?"

"What if I agree to be your maid for a month?" Nie Ke'er asked.

Chu Fei replied, "Those are two different things. Helping you is a separate service!"

"Then what do you want?"

"Sleep with me."

Nie Ke'er bristled immediately. "In your dreams! I knew you were just after my body; you're despicable!"

"Then I guess there's nothing to talk about," Chu Fei said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Change your condition!"

"Then give me a kiss."

This was the "opening a window" effect mentioned by the great Lu Xun. If you suggest opening a skylight in a room that is too dark, people will surely object. But if you propose tearing down the roof, they will compromise and agree to open the skylight. The same logic applies to romance—as they say, all truths are connected.

Sure enough, after hesitating for a while, Nie Ke'er finally agreed, provided that Chu Fei helped her first.

Only then did Chu Fei ask, "So, you can tell me now—what do you need my help with?"

"It's like this..."

Nie Ke'er explained the situation. The reason she had fled to Dragon City was to hide from Huo Chao of the Huo family. As one of the eight prominent clans of the Imperial Capital, the Huo family's influence was not much less than that of the Martial Alliance.

The World Alliance, which currently stands on equal footing with the Martial Alliance, was founded by these very eight clans. Unlike the Martial Alliance, which accepts members regardless of their background, the World Alliance only admits scions of aristocratic families from various provinces and cities. They share resources and connections, wield immense power, and it is no exaggeration to say that in certain dark corners, they can blot out the sky with one hand.

Incidentally, Meng Kaiwen of the Meng family is also a member of the World Alliance. As for Meng Ziyi, although she had been invited, she had no interest in it. She was one of the few who dared to refuse the World Alliance's invitation.

As for the Huo Chao that Nie Ke'er spoke of, he had been harassing her under the guise of pursuit. Recently, he had even gone to her home to propose marriage, and although he was rejected by Nie Renwang on the grounds that Nie Ke'er was already betrothed, he remained persistent, hounding her daily. Unable to bear the harassment, Nie Ke'er had fled to Dragon City to lay low.

"So you want me to beat him to death?" Chu Fei summarized the situation succinctly.

"It hasn't reached that point yet," Nie Ke'er shook her head. "Not to mention that Huo Chao is quite strong—he's consistently in the top ten of the Prodigy Ranking—he has the entire Huo family behind him. If he were to die, the Huo family would hunt you to the ends of the earth. The World Alliance would also intervene directly, leading to endless trouble for both you and me!"

Chu Fei lit a cigarette and offered a suggestion: "What if we just wiped out the entire World Alliance?"

"Do you have to act tough?" Nie Ke'er retorted. "Things aren't that simple. The eight clans have been entrenched in the Imperial Capital for years; their power is deeply rooted. They even have their people in the National Congress, not to mention the various officials in every province and city. If you actually managed to destroy the World Alliance, the whole country would fall into chaos. Why do you think my father doesn't act? It's precisely because of these considerations!"

Chu Fei said nonchalantly, "If it falls into chaos, so be it. What does that have to do with me?"

"Big brother, I just don't want Huo Chao pestering me. We don't need to turn this into a world war," Nie Ke'er sighed helplessly. Why did this guy always try to solve the person causing the problem instead of the problem itself?

Chu Fei was simply a man who hated trouble. After hearing Nie Ke'er's explanation, he realized that wiping out the entire World Alliance would indeed be a massive headache. Much like the Martial Suppression Bureau, these organizations were complex and interconnected; it was nearly impossible to root them out entirely, and doing so might bring endless, persistent trouble.

Especially now that he had ordinary people like Shen Miaoyu, Song Yalan, and Jiang Yunqi around him. There was no guarantee that these people wouldn't target his women, and no matter how strong Chu Fei was, he couldn't be everywhere at once. Not to mention that his attempt to change his fate was not yet successful—he didn't even know if he would be alive in a year. Who would protect them then? It was better to keep a low profile when dealing with such major powers.

That was exactly why he had let Wang the Fatty and his group off the hook earlier—to give the Martial Suppression Bureau a chance to ease tensions with him. Of course, if they dared to climb on top of his head to defecate, Chu Fei had the strength to flip the table.

But clearly, such a trivial matter didn't warrant escalating to that level. Moreover, looking at Nie Ke'er's expression, she obviously had a better plan.

"So, how do you want me to help you?" Chu Fei flicked his cigarette ash, wanting to hear her scheme.

"The news of the Martial Association trying to assassinate me has made such a splash that the World Alliance must have caught wind of it," Nie Ke'er said. "Huo Chao should know I'm in Dragon City. Based on what I know of him, he'll be here within a week. When he arrives, you just need to play along and act like we've already done the deed. He should realize the situation is hopeless and back off!"

That was the reason Nie Ke'er was so insistent on barging in and staying here. She didn't actually need to be so transparent with Chu Fei. She could have waited until Huo Chao showed up to explain, at which point Chu Fei would have been backed into a corner and forced to help.

Chu Fei realized this too, and he looked at Nie Ke'er with a suspicious glint in his eyes. "You didn't really need to tell me all this, did you?"

"Of course I did. You have to be fully informed; otherwise, I'd just be using you!"

Chu Fei paused, and looking at the earnest expression on Nie Ke'er's face, he let out a genuine, heartfelt laugh.

Nie Ke'er frowned. "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing. I have one more question." Chu Fei asked, "If I get too immersed in the role, can I beat him up?"

"As long as you don't kill him, go ahead! If anything happens, I'll have my father cover for you!" Nie Ke'er giggled.

This girl... she was genuinely cute in her sincerity.

***

Meanwhile, in a conference room, Meng Ziyi was discussing the details of tomorrow's banquet. Present alongside the senior executives of the Chu Group was a young man in a tailored suit.

This young man was none other than the second young master of the Meng family—Meng Kaiwen. He had arrived in Dragon City on an afternoon flight and had come straight here to listen in without even contacting Meng Ziyi. Although he had made up an excuse, Meng Ziyi knew perfectly well that this brat was here specifically to audit her, to see if she was trying to swindle him.

After reviewing the project proposal for Wanli City, Meng Kaiwen nodded with satisfaction and looked at Meng Ziyi with a playful smile. "Sister, it's settled then. We'll hand this project over to the Shen family!"