Chapter 27
He could tell that Xu Ke carried an extraordinary aura, and his attire was expensive, but so what? The Tian Family’s background wasn’t lacking either, and the girl he liked was being bullied in front of him. How could he let it go?
“You made someone cry and think you can just leave? Are you even a man? Hurry up and apologize to Mengchen.” Tian Long said, stiffening his neck against Xu Ke’s cold gaze, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of his goddess.
Tian Long was about the same height as Xu Ke, with a buzz cut and muscles that gave him a thuggish look beyond his age, but in Xu Ke’s eyes, he was still a kid who hadn’t fully matured. Xu Ke didn’t want to fuss with a kid, so he said, “Move aside!”
“I’m telling you to apologize!” Tian Long said, glaring.
“Considering you’re just a kid, I won’t argue with you. Step aside.” Xu Ke said coldly.
Xu Ke’s oppressive presence frightened Tian Long a little, but he couldn’t step aside. If he moved just because of a few words, how would he continue to live with himself? How would his classmates view him? How would Lin Mengchen see him? Tian Li bit his lip, relying on his self-esteem to prevent himself from backing down in front of Xu Ke.
“You’re the damn kid here. I told you to apologize to Mengchen, or this won’t end today.” Tian Long’s voice was loud, attracting people in the hallway to join the growing crowd, their attention focused on Xu Ke and Tian Long.
“Tian Long, forget it. If he doesn’t apologize, then he doesn’t. I’m fine.” Lin Mengchen softly said in a voice tinged with tears.
She tried to calm the situation, but instead added fuel to the fire. How could Tian Long endure it, especially with so many people watching?
Xu Ke was used to being in the spotlight, unfazed by such situations, but Tian Long was a hot-blooded young man. At their age, they were rebellious and craved attention. Being the center of attention for the first time, hot blood rushed to Tian Long’s head, making him forget his fear. Seeing Xu Ke’s silence, he became more arrogant and even got physical.
“Mengchen, don’t worry. I’ll get you justice.” Tian Long said gently to Lin Mengchen beside him.
“Are you even a man? Bullying a girl and not even apologizing. Is that right? If you don’t want to get beaten, apologize. Do you hear me?” Tian Long jabbed Xu Ke’s shoulder with his finger.
“I’m the one who should be saying that.” Tian Long said fiercely, swinging a punch at Xu Ke’s face.
A girl in the crowd let out an instinctive “ah” and closed her eyes. They knew Tian Long’s fighting reputation; he was the school bully who never lost a fight, always drawing blood with his punches.
Although Xu Ke appeared intimidating, his suit and tie gave no impression of a fighter. Seeing Tian Long swing, they instinctively presumed Xu Ke would end up like others, beaten black and blue. Seeing a handsome face turn into a pig head was truly distressing. But when people expected Xu Ke to be knocked out by Tian Long, a heavy thud sounded, followed by a muted groan.
They opened their eyes to see Xu Ke standing unaffected, while their favored Tian Long was on the ground, clutching his stomach, face pale.
“Wha-what happened? How did Tian Long end up knocked out?” someone asked dumbfoundedly.
It turned out that when Tian Long punched, Xu Ke was a step ahead, kicking Tian Long’s knee, then punching his jaw as he staggered. As Tian Long struggled to regain his footing, Xu Ke landed another kick to his stomach, putting Tian Long down.
“Next time, mind your mouth.” Xu Ke casually kicked Tian Long’s leg, saying indifferently, then stepped over him, intending to return to his booth.
“Stop, I haven’t lost yet. I was caught off guard earlier, but it won’t happen again.” Tian Long staggered up, enduring the pain in his jaw, defiant with youthful determination. He couldn’t admit defeat today, not with people watching.
Seeing the suddenly spirited Tian Long, Xu Ke raised an eyebrow. As Tian Long charged again, deciding to kick first to send Xu Ke flying, Xu Ke smirked, met his kick with his own. Their legs collided mid-air, and the next moment, Tian Long staggered back limping, falling to the ground, while Xu Ke stood unchanged, unfazed, the outcome clear.
“Tian Long, are you okay? If you can’t beat him, stop fighting. I can handle the grievance.” Lin Mengchen came to Tian Long’s side, biting her lip like a little rabbit, her eyes red as she spoke, her pitiful demeanor drawing accusatory gazes towards Xu Ke from those who hadn’t witnessed the full scene, as if he had wronged Lin Mengchen.
“Hey, don’t cry. I-I can beat him.” The once ferocious guy now didn’t know where to put his hands and feet as Lin Mengchen cried, causing his chest to ache. He wanted to stand but his weak legs couldn’t support him, collapsing halfway.
“Are you okay? Does it hurt?” Lin Mengchen asked, tears falling like raindrops, looking pitiful, though she was inwardly fuming at Tian Long’s incompetence and the man who rejected her, even discarding clothes she touched. Yet she was glad to see her taste validated, as the man she liked was not only handsome but could fight, far better than the loser Lin Mengyao found.
Though Lin Mengchen had many thoughts, Tian Long was flushed red due to her presence, “I’m not hurt.”
“Are we done or not? If not, I’m leaving.” Xu Ke, like a villain, checked the time coldly, disrupting the mood Lin Mengchen had tried hard to create.