Chapter 263: Mortal Enemy

The laughter lasted only a few seconds.

But for Lu Chen...

It felt much longer.

Rose laughing.

Lin Yue trying and failing to hide her smile.

Bear staring into his drink.

Ghost looking anywhere except at him.

And standing in the middle of it all...

Shen Tian.

Blond hair.

Green eyes.

Hands casually resting in his pockets.

Smiling.

Again.

Always smiling.

Lu Chen slowly clenched his fists.

Something inside him...

Changed.

Before, Shen Tian had been irritating.

An arrogant rich young master who happened to be stronger than expected.

Then...

He became competition.

Someone who kept appearing in his path.

Then...

A rival.

A man Lu Chen desperately wanted to surpass.

But now?

After everything?

The humiliation.

The defeats.

Gu Qingya.

Tang Meilin.

Rose.

Lin Yue.

Black Wolf questioning him.

His authority being undermined.

His pride being crushed over and over again.

And now...

Shen Tian was standing in front of his own brothers and sisters...

Telling him he could finally be useful.

Something snapped.

Lu Chen slowly raised his head.

His eyes locked onto Shen Tian.

The amusement in Shen Tian’s expression disappeared.

Not because he was afraid.

But because...

This was different.

There was no irritation in Lu Chen’s eyes anymore.

No wounded pride.

No petty jealousy.

No childish frustration.

There was hatred.

Pure...

Undisguised...

Hatred.

Shen Tian stared back.

Xu Ning appeared beside him.

For once...

She wasn’t smiling.

[Host.]

"I see it."

[His emotional state changed.]

A translucent panel appeared.

[Lu Chen]

Title: War Wolf

Current Fate Value: 409,000

Relationship With Host: Hostile → Mortal Enemy

Hatred: 97/100

Warning: Protagonist’s hostility has crossed a major threshold.

Lu Chen no longer views Host as a simple rival.

Current Desire: Defeat Shen Tian. Humiliate Shen Tian. Surpass Shen Tian.

Shen Tian’s eyes moved across the panel.

Then...

A faint smile returned.

Xu Ning stared.

[Why are you smiling?!]

"Because this is better."

[Better?!]

"He finally stopped pretending."

Xu Ning went silent.

Shen Tian looked directly into Lu Chen’s eyes.

"So."

His voice was calm.

"You hate me now."

The entire room went silent.

Rose’s smile disappeared.

Lin Yue slowly straightened.

Bear looked toward Lu Chen.

Ghost frowned.

Lu Chen stared.

Then...

He laughed.

It wasn’t his usual arrogant laugh.

There was no humor in it.

"Now?"

His voice was low.

"You think this started now?"

Shen Tian raised an eyebrow.

Lu Chen stepped forward.

"I’ve hated you for a while."

Rose frowned.

"Lu Chen."

"Stay out of this."

Her expression immediately hardened.

Shen Tian lifted one hand slightly.

Rose looked toward him.

He shook his head.

This time...

She understood.

This wasn’t about her.

Not anymore.

Rose stepped back.

Lu Chen noticed.

And somehow...

Even that irritated him.

She listened to Shen Tian.

Again.

His jaw tightened.

But he forced himself to ignore it.

His eyes remained on Shen Tian.

"You want honesty?"

Shen Tian smiled.

"Preferably."

"Fine."

Lu Chen walked closer.

"You disgust me."

Silence.

Lin Yue’s expression changed.

Bear looked uncomfortable.

Shen Tian?

Nothing.

Lu Chen continued.

"You walk around like everything belongs to you."

"Money."

"Power."

"Influence."

"Women."

"Opportunities."

"You’ve never struggled for anything."

Shen Tian’s eyebrow rose.

Lu Chen’s voice grew colder.

"You were born into the Shen Family."

"You had everything handed to you."

"Protection."

"Resources."

"Connections."

"People bow because of your surname."

"You speak like you’re above everyone because nobody ever taught you what it means to crawl through hell."

Shen Tian stared.

Lu Chen stepped closer.

"I have."

His eyes became sharp.

"I’ve watched brothers bleed out in my arms."

"I’ve spent weeks sleeping with one eye open."

"I’ve eaten things you wouldn’t feed to an animal because there wasn’t anything else."

"I’ve been shot."

"Stabbed."

"Buried."

"Betrayed."

"I built Black Wolf with blood."

His fist tightened.

"I earned everything."

"And then..."

He stared directly at Shen Tian.

"...you appeared."

Silence.

Rose watched carefully.

There was pain beneath Lu Chen’s anger.

Real pain.

But...

It had twisted.

Become bitterness.

Lu Chen continued.

"You walk into a room..."

"And suddenly everyone looks at you."

"You meet people I’ve known for years..."

"And suddenly they trust you."

"You show up..."

"And somehow you’re stronger."

"Faster."

"Better."

"Every..."

His jaw tightened.

"...damn..."

His Qi started leaking.

"...time."

The lights flickered.

Bear slowly stood.

"Boss."

Lu Chen ignored him.

"I hate your face."

Shen Tian blinked.

Rose almost choked.

Even now?!

Lu Chen pointed directly at him.

"I hate that stupid smile."

Shen Tian’s lips twitched.

"I hate your voice."

Shen Tian nodded thoughtfully.

"I hate those ridiculous green eyes."

Shen Tian finally spoke.

"Those are natural."

"SHUT UP!"

BOOM!

Lu Chen’s Qi burst outward.

Several glasses shattered.

Tables shook.

Rose immediately stood.

Bear’s chair flew backward.

Lin Yue covered her face.

Ghost braced himself.

Shen Tian...

Didn’t move.

His clothes fluttered from the pressure.

Blond hair shifted slightly.

That was it.

Lu Chen stared at him.

Shen Tian sighed.

"Finished?"

That single word...

Nearly drove Lu Chen insane.

"You..."

Shen Tian’s expression finally hardened.

"No."

The room suddenly became colder.

"You wanted honesty?"

He stepped forward.

"Then you’ll get mine."

Lu Chen stared.

Shen Tian stopped directly in front of him.

They were close now.

Neither backed away.

"You don’t hate me because I’m rich."

Lu Chen’s eyes narrowed.

"You don’t hate me because I’m arrogant."

Another step.

"You don’t even hate me because Rose likes spending time with me."

Rose’s cheeks instantly turned pink.

Not the time.

Definitely not the time.

But...

Still.

Lu Chen’s jaw tightened.

Shen Tian continued.

"You hate me because every excuse you’ve made for yourself..."

His green eyes sharpened.

"...stops working when I’m standing in front of you."

Lu Chen froze.

Shen Tian smiled faintly.

"You say you earned everything?"

"Great."

"So did millions of people."

"You suffered?"

"So have millions of people."

"You lost friends?"

"That doesn’t give you ownership over the ones who survived."

Rose’s eyes widened slightly.

Lu Chen’s expression darkened.

Shen Tian didn’t stop.

"You built Black Wolf?"

"Then act like its commander."

"Stop using your trauma as permission to treat everyone around you like supporting characters in your life."

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