"Watch out!"
Henry Zhang suddenly made his move. Lynn Chen and Yolanda Fang's expressions changed simultaneously.
Evan Lin stayed bent over, with a blank face. He opened a bottle of beer one-handed. Only when the chair behind him was about to crash onto his back did he slowly reach out his left hand, palm flat, and press it squarely against the chair's backrest.
Henry's fierce, heavy swing landed as if it had fallen into water—all its force suddenly disappeared.
Henry was still gripping the chair, his face full of shock, unable to comprehend what just happened.
"How is that possible..." Henry's eyes widened. He was still holding the chair—he'd been sure that swing would take down the kid in front of him.
But why?
The atmosphere suddenly became silent.
Jason Zhao looked upset, while Simon Li's eyes flashed with a barely noticeable darkness.
Lillian Wang's mouth hung open, Maggie Ma's eyes went wide, and Cathy Li was frozen in place.
What just happened defied the laws of physics—force can't just vanish for no reason.
"What's the rush to drink?" Evan shot Henry a cold look, then, without another word, kicked him hard.
Henry flew backward and slammed into the table. He doubled over, clutching his stomach in pain. His face twisted viciously as he glared up at Evan: "Just because you can fight, you think you can do whatever you want? I'll make you regret this!"
"Sorry, but I've never regretted anything." Evan casually tossed the chair aside, stepped forward, and shoved the beer bottle into Henry's mouth, one hand bracing the bottom, his eyes cold and indifferent.
"Enough! Stop it!" Lynn Chen couldn't sit still anymore.
She'd brought Evan along hoping everyone would have fun, but now things had gotten out of control because of him.
She couldn't figure out when he'd become so forceful.
That thought flashed through Lynn's mind as she looked at Evan, suddenly feeling he was a stranger.
Evan glanced at her, shook his head. "This is between me and him. Even if Aunt Lu were here, I wouldn't stop."
"If I decide to do something, no one can stop me. You, Aunt Lu, anyone—it makes no difference."
"I'm here because I promised Aunt Lu I'd keep you safe, but that doesn't mean I have to listen to you. Get that straight." Evan's gaze locked onto Lynn, and her face went pale.
Henry coughed painfully after Evan forced another bottle of beer down his throat.
Just as Evan reached for another bottle, his phone rang. He pulled out his ancient Nokia, glanced at the screen, then looked down at Henry on the floor. "Lucky you. I'll take this call and let you catch your breath. Later, I'll make sure you finish the rest."
With that, Evan left the private room, phone in hand.
As soon as Evan walked out, Simon Li snapped out of his daze and rushed forward to help Henry up. "Henry, are you okay?"
Henry got to his feet, his face twisted with anger. He grabbed some napkins from the table and wiped his face roughly. "Simon! That punk is dead meat today! Even if your dad shows up, it won't matter. This has nothing to do with you! Stay out of it!"
Without another glance at Simon, Henry strode to the door, yanked it open, and stormed out.
"Henry's going to get reinforcements. The staff here at White Dragon Mountain Resort are just as tough as the ones at Imperial Grand KTV. Plus, this place is halfway up the mountain—it's sealed off, nowhere to run."
Simon glanced meaningfully at Lynn. "Lynn, don't say I didn't give you any face today—your friend really went too far. Not even Henry was spared. Last time someone caused trouble at White Dragon Mountain Resort, Henry and his crew tossed them in the fish pond."
"Of course, since it's you, if Henry's guys go too far, I'll step in and say something for you." Simon watched Henry storm out, knowing this wouldn't end peacefully.
Which was exactly what he wanted.
After losing face at Imperial Grand KTV, Simon had wanted his dad to step in and help him get revenge—but instead, he'd just gotten chewed out.
Now he'd run into Evan again, but couldn't beat him. He'd wanted to mock Evan at the table, but Evan shut him down so hard he didn't even dare speak.
"He brought it on himself, being so arrogant." Sisi Shao looked at Lynn, trying to comfort her. "It's better to see someone's true colors early, Lynn. Otherwise, who knows how much trouble he'd cause you later."
"Good thing we came with Simon. If Henry really tries to beat Evan senseless, at least we'll have someone to speak up for him."
It was obvious from Sisi Shao's tone that she didn't think much of Evan at all.
Lynn grew more and more anxious. No matter what, Evan had come with her—if he got seriously hurt, she had no idea how she'd explain it to her mom.
She gripped Yolanda Fang's hand tightly. "Should we tell him to run?"
"Not much point. I noticed when we arrived—there's only that one mountain road up here, no cars around, just forest everywhere. Even if Evan tried to run, he wouldn't get far." Yolanda saw Lynn's worry and thought for a moment. "If things really go south, you call the cops, and I'll jump in to help him fight."
"You're going to help him fight?" Lynn was shocked by Yolanda's words, but seeing her serious face, realized she wasn't joking.
"Don't overthink it, Lynn. The food's getting cold—let's eat first. We've got to hike this afternoon anyway." Jason Zhao served Lynn some food, but there was a hint of annoyance in his eyes as he overheard her whispering with Yolanda.
"Jason, will you help Evan later?" Lynn asked, glancing at Jason—he was probably the best fighter here besides Evan.
"Probably not. Evan made his own choices—he should've known there'd be consequences. We're not kids anymore; everyone has to take responsibility for what they do." Jason smirked, his tone full of schadenfreude.
"Come on, let's eat. After lunch, we get to watch the show." Lillian Wang giggled, clearly excited for the drama to come.
"I've never liked that guy—country bumpkin from some mountain village, acting all tough. Hmph." Cathy Li chimed in from the side.
"Yeah, daring to mess with Simon's friend? He's just asking for it." Maggie Ma added with a laugh.