Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 280 Lin Yan's Furious Outburst

In the elite-filled El Morocco club, Lin Yan's table stood out—three high school-aged boys plus Ethan, a composed adult. This group attracted a few casual glances, but those who frequented such places were all worldly-wise; they merely exchanged a few glances before continuing their conversations.

Until Locke Hudson's gaze inadvertently swept over this corner.

His hand, which was about to raise the glass, froze in mid-air.

Through the flickering lights and swirling cigar smoke, the profile of the young Asian man made him gasp. He had seen too many beautiful faces in Hollywood, but this face—with its clean, sharp features, a straight nose, and the light shining on his slightly drooping eyelashes—made him seem meticulously sculpted, yet possessed an innate sense of aloofness.

Hudson felt a dryness in his throat.

He stood up almost involuntarily, not even hearing his female companion's soft question beside him. Those brown eyes, always full of affection, were now fixed on Lin Yan, like a collector who had discovered a rare treasure.

Just then, a slight commotion came from the bar area. It turned out that Locke Hudson had suddenly stood up, ignoring his female companion's soft calls, and walked straight toward their table.

"My God..." Tom gasped, "Is he...is he heading this way?"

Mike was so nervous he couldn't speak, he could only nod frantically.

Lin Yan was sipping his drink with his head down, completely unaware that he had become the center of attention. It wasn't until a shadow fell over the table that he belatedly looked up.

As he looked up, he met Locke Hudson's burning gaze.

The Hollywood star was completely devoid of his on-screen composure; his fingers tightened slightly around his wine glass, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. His gaze seemed to want to etch every detail of Lin Yan into his mind.

"Sorry to bother you," Hudson's voice was even lower than it sounded in the movie, "I just... had to get to know you."

Lin Yan blinked blankly, clearly not understanding the situation. Ethan, on the other hand, immediately stepped forward, cleverly blocking Lin Yan's path by half a body length.

"Mr. Hudson." Ethan's tone was polite but carried an unapproachable distance.

Hudson then seemed to snap out of his daze, realizing his lapse in composure. He tried to regain his usual demeanor, forcing a slightly stiff smile:

"Who is this...?"

"My young master." Ethan's answer was brief and forceful, clearly indicating his unwillingness to elaborate.

The atmosphere became somewhat tense for a moment. Hudson's gaze remained fixed on Lin Yan, while Lin Yan looked completely bewildered. Tom and Mike stood by, dumbfounded, like two startled groundhogs.

Finally, Hudson broke the silence: "I wonder if I have the honor..."

"Young Master should go back now," Ethan interrupted at the right moment, giving Lin Yan a wink.

Although Lin Yan didn't fully understand what had happened, he obediently stood up. He nodded politely to Hudson, then turned and left under Ethan's escort.

Hudson stood there, watching the boy's departing figure, unconsciously gripping his wine glass tighter and tighter.

Lin Yan and his group hurriedly left the club and got into Ethan's Rolls-Royce. As soon as the door closed, Lin Yan couldn't help but ask, "Ethan, why did we leave so early? And what was that celebrity trying to do?"

Mike and Tom, sitting on either side of him, rolled their eyes simultaneously, feeling despair at their friend's slowness.

Ethan glanced at Lin Yan in the rearview mirror, both amused and exasperated: "Young Master, did you completely ignore what Tom said? That Mr. Locke Hudson, he's attracted to men. The way he was staring at you just now... he's taken an interest in you."

Lin Yan was stunned for a moment, then froze in his seat as if struck by lightning. He shivered violently, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

"W-what?!" His voice suddenly rose eight octaves. "I don't object to others being gay, but don't come after me! Holy crap, you deadbeat gay bastard, how dare you make a move on me!"

Enraged, he slammed his fist on the leather seat, turned to Ethan, and roared, "Ban him! Completely ban him! I'll make sure he can't make it in Hollywood!"

Tom timidly reminded him from the side, "But Lin, he's the hottest star right now..."

"I don't care if he's famous or not!" Lin Yan gritted his teeth. "Anyone who dares to mess with me will pay the price!"

Ethan glanced at his young master's flustered state in the rearview mirror, barely suppressing a laugh, and replied seriously, "Yes, young master. I will take care of it immediately."

Lin Yan stormed into the house, grabbed Xiao Qi who was rolling around on the carpet, and started ruffling her white fur.

"Awooo!" The little guy kicked wildly with all four paws, desperately trying to break free from the clutches, but in the end he was defeated and collapsed into a blanket, utterly dejected.

Ethan stood in the entryway, his shoulders twitching suspiciously, and whispered a few words in Charles's ear. The next second, the two well-trained Golden Core cultivators simultaneously turned around, their faces flushed.

"You two..." Lin Yan narrowed his eyes, his voice rising dangerously, "Do you find it funny?"

Charles finally couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Young Master originally wanted to see pretty ladies, but because he's too beautiful, he ended up being the object of men's attention... Forgive me, I just can't help it, hahaha!"

Even Lin Gang and Wang Yuling, who were sitting on the sofa, couldn't hold back their laughter and were laughing so hard they almost fell off the sofa.

"You...you..." Lin Yan was so angry that he couldn't speak coherently. In the end, he simply grabbed a wool blanket, covered his head with it, and shrank into the corner of the sofa, pretending to be dead.

Little Seven slipped into the blanket and affectionately placed its paws on his shoulder, earning its owner an even more vigorous rub.

The next day, as soon as the school bell rang, Tom and Mike exchanged a glance and put their arms around Lin Yan's shoulders, one on each side.

"Hey? What are you doing? Aren't we going to the court today?" Lin Yan was half-pushed and half-led away by the two, looking completely bewildered.

"Don't ask, just come with us!" Tom grinned.

Without a word, the two shoved Lin Yan into the car waiting at the school gate. Mike yelled at Lin Gang in the driver's seat, "Gang! Times Square, full speed ahead!"

Seeing that Lin Yan still looked completely bewildered, Tom patted him hard on the shoulder and announced loudly, "Lin! We both called Coach Holt last night to ask for leave!"

Mike waved an envelope in his hand, clearly filled with spare change, and chimed in excitedly, "That's right! It's the allowance we saved from our summer jobs. Today, it's on us—we'll take you to Times Square to play arcade games!"

"I heard they got some new machines over there, they're really awesome!" Tom added, his eyes gleaming. "Come on, we're going to let you have a blast today!"

Lin Gang glanced at the three teenagers with their arms around each other in the back seat through the rearview mirror, shook his head with a smile, and started the car.