Chapter 25 – Exposed Completely
This time, there were not many spectators at the unfinished lot.
The news had already spread that the other side was made of street people. The trade college students who usually shouted loud inside school all became timid when they heard that.
Nobody wanted to watch a fight and accidentally get dragged into it.
So the area around the lot was quiet and empty.
After arriving, scar-faced Rex waved arrogantly for the four or five men behind him to step back.
Today he wanted to act personally.
He wanted to teach Evan a lesson with his own hands.
"Kid, today I'll teach you there are people beyond people and skies beyond skies."
Rex rolled up his sleeves while speaking.
Then he spread his legs, sank into a horse stance, and placed his hands in front of him like a martial arts opening pose.
Evan saw that posture and immediately laughed.
This was clearly a flower rack. Pretty gestures, no real street fighting experience.
This idiot probably did not even understand basic brawling.
"Come on, stupid."
Evan hooked a finger contemptuously.
"Damn you. Looking for death."
Rex cursed and rushed forward with a wild swing.
He was not tall, probably not even five foot nine. His fist carried wind as it drove toward Evan's stomach.
Evan's eyes cooled.
With one simple sidestep, he avoided the punch easily.
Then he ignored all proper rules. One hand grabbed Rex's oily hair and yanked downward. The other clenched into a fist and smashed heavily into Rex's back.
Thud.
Rex groaned in pain.
He staggered several steps forward and nearly fell flat on his face.
After taking a hidden loss, Rex felt his pride collapse. Furious and embarrassed, he spat bloody phlegm onto the ground and rushed at Evan again.
This time, he swung wide at Evan's face.
Evan sneered.
His head tilted slightly, and the fist scraped past his nose.
At the instant Rex's center line opened and his old force had gone while new force had not arrived, Evan bent his knees, dropped his shoulder, and drove a brutal uppercut into Rex's right ribs.
The hit landed deep.
That kind of pain was not something ordinary people could endure.
"Ugh..."
Rex's scream changed tone. He folded like a cooked shrimp and dropped to the ground, clutching his ribs and rolling.
His flashy floral shirt collected dirt and grass until he looked completely ridiculous.
Evan looked down at him and suddenly noticed that beneath the pulled-open floral shirt, Rex was wearing a work T-shirt with lettering.
Curious, Evan stepped forward.
Rip.
He pulled Rex's outer shirt open.
Under it was a dark blue work shirt.
Across the chest were white letters:
Shengxiang Auto Repair.
Evan stared for one second.
Then he burst out laughing so hard tears nearly came out.
"Damn."
"I thought you were some big-shot Downhill Tiger."
"Turns out you're from the Auto Repair Crew."
"I'm dying here."
Evan's public mockery turned the faces of Rex's men green.
Rex's own expression looked as if he had eaten a dead fly.
The most devastated person was Fiona, who had been standing beside Mason.
Her heavily made-up face shifted from blue to white and back again.
She had truly believed Mason's cousin was some powerful street boss. Who knew he would be dropped by Evan in a few moves?
And now, even his underwear had been metaphorically pulled off.
He was not a gangster at all.
He owned an auto repair shop for heavy trucks in the suburbs.
Yes.
That was Rex's real business.
He boasted outside all day about being street-connected, but the four young men he had brought today were not crew members. They were apprentices from his repair shop, dragged over temporarily to make the scene look bigger.
Rex had wanted to show off in front of his cousin.
After all, the opponent was just a young trade college student. Scare him a little, and would he not obediently kneel?
Who could have guessed he would kick an iron plate?
This Evan Carter not only did not fear his empty threats, he could actually fight.
In just a few moves, Rex was beaten flat.
The four repair shop employees finally woke up and rushed forward in a panic, helping Rex from the ground.
"Boss, are you okay?"
Rex clutched his aching side, face dark, and slapped dirt from his clothes.
He snorted coldly.
He could not stay in this place another second.
Too humiliating.
Without even leaving behind a dramatic line, Rex took his apprentices and ran.
Only Mason and Fiona remained standing in the lot, lonely and bewildered.
Leaving felt wrong. Staying felt worse.
Wayne, who had been hiding behind, saw Evan's great victory and immediately borrowed tiger power.
He walked over, grabbed Mason's collar, and cursed fiercely.
"Remember this, idiot."
"My big brother isn't someone a little shrimp like you can provoke."
"You've already made him unhappy twice."
"If there is a next time, don't blame him for being impolite and crippling you."
"Now take your trash woman and get lost."
After cursing Mason, Wayne turned and pointed at Fiona's nose.
"And you."
"If you dare trouble our boss lady Wendy again, I'll destroy you."
Mason was terrified. He did not dare say a word.
He left with Fiona like a pair of beaten dogs.
After they had gone a distance, Fiona grew angrier the more she thought about it. She shook off Mason's hand with disgust.
"That's the street cousin you bragged about every day?"
"You're useless. Your cousin is useless."
"Your whole family is useless."
Mason looked wronged enough to cry.
"Fiona, I didn't know."
"When he drinks, he always brags about how powerful he is outside, how he can cut through a whole street alone."
"I didn't expect him to be this weak."
"Get lost."
"Your whole family is full of bragging trash."
Fiona stormed forward.
Mason panicked and grabbed her wrist.
"Fiona, don't go."
"Does what you promised still count?"
"You said after this was done, you'd help me cool down..."
Fiona looked disgusted and flung his hand away.
"Cool down your mother."
"Get lost."
After cursing, she headed back toward school without looking back.
In the unfinished lot, Wayne saw Mason's miserable state and laughed loudly.
"Big brother, you're still the best. Too damn awesome."
"Those auto repair guys almost scared me."
Wayne danced with excitement.
"Don't worry, big brother. I remember the formula you taught me."
"Hands like iron, wrists like cotton, arms like whips."
"I've kept it in my heart. Whenever I have time, I secretly practice in the dorm."
"Sooner or later, I'll be as powerful as you. Then I can help protect the boss lady too."
Evan held back laughter and patted Wayne's shoulder with fake seriousness.
"Good. Practice well."
"As long as effort is deep enough, an iron rod can be ground into a needle."
"That punch I gave his ribs just now condensed twenty years of skill."
"Those repair shop people definitely couldn't withstand it."
Evan was not even twenty-one yet, but for the sake of showing off, he forced himself into having twenty years of skill.
Wendy rolled her eyes at him.
"You only know how to brag."
"But... thank you today."
The three walked back toward school, talking and laughing.
Wayne wanted to treat Evan to a big meal to celebrate.
Evan refused at once.
After all, the fat man had lost everything at the tables last night. His face was probably richer than his pockets.
Just as Evan prepared to show mercy and take them to the cafeteria for something simple, his phone vibrated.
He took it out.
It was Hannah.
Ever since Rowan had left that morning with his suitcase, Hannah had felt empty whether sitting at home or in the office.
When a person became idle, that empty feeling always made certain images float up.
For Hannah, Evan kept appearing in her mind.
Evan answered.
"Hannah, what's wrong?"
Her tired voice came through the phone.
"Evan, what are you doing? Have you eaten lunch?"
"Not yet. Just got out of class. I was about to eat with my roommate."
"Don't eat cafeteria food."
Her voice softened.
"I ordered several dishes outside and had them sent to my office."
"Come alone. We'll eat together."
Evan hesitated slightly.
"Uh... all right."
Thinking of Hannah's gloomy expression that morning, Evan felt he did have some duty to go talk with her and lift her mood.
After hanging up, Evan turned to Wendy and Wayne.
"You two eat at the cafeteria yourselves."
"The department director wants to talk to me about something."
As he spoke, he took a wrinkled fifty-dollar bill from his pocket and stuffed it into Wendy's hand.
"Buy something decent."
Evan actually had money. Before he came to Harbor City, Jack had given him several thousand in cash. After paying part of his school fees and dorm costs, he still had over two thousand for living expenses.
Wendy looked at the money and then at Evan with worry.
"Why is the director looking for you?"
"Are you okay? Did today's fight get discovered?"
Evan smiled casually.
"Don't worry. Definitely not."
"Stop worrying. Go eat. Be good."
After comforting her casually, Evan turned and strode toward the faculty office building.
At Hannah's independent office door, he knocked.
"Come in."
He pushed the door open.
On Hannah's desk sat several neat takeout boxes: three dishes and a soup.
Hannah looked up and lifted her chin, signaling him to close the door.
Evan shut it behind him and locked it.
He pulled out a chair and sat opposite her.
From close range, Hannah's makeup was delicate, but her eyes still looked lonely and tired.
Evan felt a little ache watching her.
"What's wrong, Hannah?"
"You've looked down all morning. Bad mood?"
Author's Note:
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Thank you for reading.