Chapter Two: The Banquet
Night quietly descended. A yellow and a red moon rose side by side in the sky, the twin moons hanging high, the crimson one shining ominously over the world.
The red moon appeared a hundred times larger than the yellow, its eerie red radiance cloaking anxious hearts for over a millennium.
According to the Star Chronicle, in the first year of the Star Calendar Era, the red moon appeared, starforce surged, and disasters followed one after another. Meteorites rained upon the earth, earthquakes were frequent, typhoons and tsunamis came in succession, snow fell upon deserts, and glaciers melted on snow-capped mountains. The earth, unable to bear the weight of starforce, was subject to new, mysterious laws. Multiple dimensions collapsed and fused; the planet expanded to a hundred times its former size. Landmasses shifted, collided, and merged into a single, unified continent—now the only land on Earth, spanning billions of kilometers. The earth's mass and gravity multiplied, beyond the resistance of human strength.
Sensing the imbalance, the rules of the universe infused starforce into living beings, fortifying them to survive the cataclysm. With starforce flowing through their bodies, humans could now lift a thousand pounds barehanded and sprint a hundred meters in a second. Domestic pets and wild beasts, too, awakened to intelligence, understanding speech and change. Yet, scarred by humanity’s past, they united in hatred and opposition, claiming the southern forests as their domain, calling themselves Star Beasts and founding their own nation.
Humans, divided by race, skin color, and the boundaries of former nations, held irreconcilable ideals; after more than three centuries of strife, two factions emerged: the Republic of Starlight and the Empire of the Star Gods. Their enmity, mutually exclusive beliefs, and accumulated hatred became irrepressible, yet neither could destroy the other. Ultimately, each occupied the eastern or western half of the continent, eyeing each other with suspicion, buffered by the Star Beasts to the south. Thus, a fragile peace and development took hold.
For over four centuries, peace reigned on Earth’s great continent. But the red moon brought ceaseless turmoil. On each full moon, its crimson light poured over the land, magic swelled, dimensional portals opened, and fiends invaded, plundering the starforce treasures of all three factions. Wherever the red light fell, fiends could descend; no defense was enough.
Each full moon’s invasion brought heavy losses in lives and wealth, and for three centuries, the continent was ravaged by fiends.
Faced with this threat, the three factions set aside their grudges and united to resist the fiends together.
A century later, scientists from all three sides labored ceaselessly and, with the aid of their strongest starforce wielders, finally changed the laws governing the red moon’s fiendish descent, restricting the red moon’s radiance to the northern continent. Around this region’s borders, they built ten mighty Fortresses of Demon Defense, holding back the fiendish onslaught. This greatly secured the people and property of all three factions, allowing civilization and starforce to flourish once more.
From then on, the continent entered a period of balance. The three great factions, though sometimes at odds, generally checked and balanced one another, progressing together in prosperity toward a brighter future…
——
Lu Huan donned his most beloved suit, paired with the genuine crocodile leather shoes his father had gifted him for his birthday. He transformed his Star Origin watch into the style of a classic mechanical wristwatch—a must for gentlemen before the Star Calendar Era. He parted his hair to the side and applied mousse.
Humming to himself, he thought, This suit is made from the silk of magic spiders, and the shoes from magic crocodile hide! With my handsome face, Xiaoyu will be stunned tonight for sure! Maybe she’ll be moved, dump that guy, and fall into my warm embrace!
The thought made Lu Huan smile unconsciously as he spread his arms wide, as if he were truly about to embrace Su Yu.
Immersed in his own world, he had forgotten that this wasn’t the first time he’d shown off this getup in front of Su Yu. If she were going to be moved, she’d have been moved already. Would there be today’s gathering otherwise?
After his self-admiration, Lu Huan remembered that Su Yu would be leaving next week for her teaching assignment—he ought to give her a gift, a token to remember him by.
“I’ve got it!” He snapped his fingers, stroked his freshly shaven chin, nodded with satisfaction. Now that he had the perfect gift in mind, it was time to seek some help from Old Lu.
“Dad…”
——
Eight o’clock in the evening, Dezhong Restaurant.
Carrying a bouquet of roses with great flair, Lu Huan stepped out of a taxi, surveyed the restaurant, and spotted Su Yu standing at the entrance greeting their friends. His eyes lit up—he strode over eagerly, presented the roses, and said with a roguish grin, “Here, Xiaoyu—the most beautiful flowers for the most beautiful girl!”
Su Yu, chatting with friends, paused in surprise. Seeing it was Lu Huan, she couldn’t help laughing as she accepted the bouquet. “Thank you, Young Master Lu!”
Lu Huan grinned as well. Su Yu’s appearance tonight was stunning—her long hair let down instead of her usual ponytail, adorned with icy jade ornaments, makeup that was subtle yet her lips were a vivid, alluring red. Her evening dress accentuated her graceful figure, tall and slender, her long, fair legs and high heels completing the look.
No wonder she’s my goddess—99 out of 100 points. I’ll give her the last point when I get home tonight…
Lost in pleasure, Lu Huan’s classmates laughed at his lovestruck expression. “Lu, your drool’s showing!”
He instinctively wiped his mouth—there was nothing there—and returned to his senses.
“Fang Ru, how many times do I have to tell you, don’t call me ‘Dog Huan’! I’m suave and lucky in love—how could you call me a dog?” Lu Huan protested, annoyed at the persistent nickname.
It was all that show, “Reply 1988”—if only he hadn’t listened to Fatty and watched that drama with everyone!
His resentment of the nickname stemmed from Su Yu. They’d grown up as childhood friends, but Lu Huan had been outmaneuvered—just like the character Dog Hwan in the show, only worse. At least Dog Hwan’s rival was also a childhood friend, while Lu Huan’s was someone Su Yu met in high school.
“It’s your own fault for always goofing around. What girl would believe your nonsense?” Fatty Wang, just arriving, added fuel to the fire.
“Wang Hong—Fatty Wang—my desk mate for six years, is this how you treat me? My heart’s broken. I might as well not eat!” Lu Huan pointed at him, feigning exaggerated heartbreak.
“Pfft!” The others jeered. They all knew what Lu Huan was like—never serious. “Wang Hong’s right, you don’t cherish what you have. Who’s to blame but yourself? Isn’t that so, Dog Huan?” Fang Ru jabbed again.
Su Yu just smiled, saying nothing. Their classmates all knew about her and Lu Huan, and she was indeed close to him—no need to take offense. Besides, they only joked like this in his presence.
Lu Huan feigned outrage, shaking his finger at each friend, but he didn’t actually leave.
“All right, that’s enough. Everyone’s here—let’s go in. The dishes are ready, everyone else is waiting for us.” Su Yu had to break up the banter and invite them inside.
They filed into the private room, found seats, and filled two tables. The spread was sumptuous—meat, wine, fruit, and juice.
“Hey, Su Yu, where’s your boyfriend? Haven’t seen him.” Someone finally asked, and everyone realized the room was full of classmates, but Su Yu’s boyfriend was nowhere to be seen.
——
“Uh… sorry, he had something come up last minute, he’ll be a bit late. Please start without him.” Sitting at the head of the table, Su Yu stood to explain, embarrassed.
“That won’t do! We can’t start without your boyfriend,” someone objected.
“Yeah, let’s wait and chat for a bit,” another suggested.
Lu Huan pursed his lips, too embarrassed to start eating, so he slumped in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.
Su Yu was at a loss when the door opened and in walked a handsome young man—short hair, suit and tie, his pale face marked by determination. Waving apologetically as he entered, he said, “Sorry, I was delayed by something. Sorry to keep everyone waiting.” Su Yu’s boyfriend arrived just in time, came to her side, and picked up her wine glass. “I’m late tonight, so I’ll punish myself with a drink.”
He tipped back a large glass of white liquor. Modern spirits, distilled from starforce-infused grains, were strong enough that even starforce users struggled with a glass. The drink hit him hard—he coughed, his face and neck flushing crimson.
Su Yu anxiously patted his back.
Wang Fatty, seated next to Lu Huan, nudged him and waggled his eyebrows, as if to say, “See how it’s done?”
Lu Huan pursed his lips, feeling sour but at a loss.
Everyone was impressed by Su Yu’s boyfriend’s “boldness.” Lu Huan seized the moment, stood up with his own glass, and said, “Since Ji Yue is being so gracious, let’s all join him, shall we?” The others echoed him, raising their glasses and standing.
The atmosphere warmed instantly. Guests toasted each other, chatted and laughed in groups—lively and cheerful.
Su Yu and her boyfriend Ji Yue stood up, cups in hand. Su Yu addressed her classmates: “Thank you all for your help these past six years, through junior high and high school. As you know, next week I’ll be leaving to teach in the countryside. It may be three years, maybe longer, before I see you all again. Here’s to all of you—may your futures be bright and your ambitions soar!”
Ji Yue followed, “Thank you for taking care of Xiaoyu all these years. If you ever need anything, just call. I’ll do what I can. Thank you, everyone.”
They drank, and the others returned the toast, insisting there was no need for such formality.
The banquet was drawing to a close, but Lu Huan was dissatisfied. He’d been watching Su Yu and Ji Yue all evening, and every time he saw them together, he burned with jealousy. He was waiting for a chance to let it all out.
“Hey, Ji Yue!”