A voice full of anger rolled in from afar.
Martin Wu strode toward them, his body more robust than before. His dark muscles radiated fierce fighting spirit, and his face, compared to his time in Whitewood, now carried several new traces of steely resolve.
Now that Martin Wu had passed the Tiger Special Forces Reserve, he was officially a Tiger Special Forces operator.
Ever since the five Blades from Jinnan all perished during a Tiger Special Forces mission, Tiger's training regimen had been upgraded across the board.
The current training intensity far surpassed anything from before.
Better to sweat in training than bleed on missions.
This became the hard policing motto for all Tiger Special Forces instructors.
Although Old Master Wu was far away in Jinnan, he had won honors in his military days and still held considerable influence within the army.
Martin Wu was young, bold, and now part of Tiger; with Old Master Wu's support, and having grown up with Allen Ju since childhood, his future looked bright.
As he walked over, the Tiger badge on his chest instantly drew the attention of many present.
His presence was overwhelming.
"Honestly, the older he gets, the less shame he has."
Following beside Martin Wu was Hannah Liu, a freckle-faced girl, who chimed in just then.
Last time on Tidewatch Island, she and Gloria Rong accompanied Allen Ju, but today she skipped that to wait for Martin Wu instead.
Hearing Martin Wu and Hannah Liu's comments, Charles Cheng squinted at them from his seat, but his face showed little anger. Instead, he grinned and said, "This time, I only managed to find Mia Liao thanks to Tyler Tai, and then Mia helped me reach Allen Ju."
"So I thanked Tyler because, without him, I couldn't have reached Mia. And without Mia, there'd be no help from Allen. From where I'm standing, I don't think I'm wrong about that."
Charles Cheng spoke slowly, his tone firm.
He'd already planned out this explanation in advance.
If he went to Allen Ju himself to ask for help, odds are he'd never get it. But with this crowd, everyone knew Allen would never refuse a request from Mia Liao. So from start to finish, Charles never planned to thank Allen directly.
Even though, in the end, it was Allen Ju who gave him a meal.
But he didn't accept the favor.
Thanking a younger member of the courtyard, even if only a few years younger, is something Charles Cheng could do, but he feels there's no need.
Either way, whether he thanks him or not, Allen Ju will still honestly arrange something good for Charles Cheng.
“He really is shameless to a certain degree, huh?”
Martin Wu barked, his voice booming like thunder. He strode forward and, without a word, shoved Charles Cheng's shoulder with his palm.
The force nearly knocked Charles Cheng out of his seat, startling him.
“Martin Wu, what do you mean by this?”
Seeing this, Mia Liao immediately stood up, positioning herself in front of Charles Cheng and glaring angrily at Martin Wu: “We all grew up together in the courtyard. We should help each other.”
“Besides, what business is it of yours if I asked Allen for help? Why are you making such a fuss here?”
Mia Liao’s rebuke was loud and clear.
“You’re lucky you’re a girl, honestly.”
Martin Wu looked at Mia Liao, his expression dark: “All these years, do you even realize how much Allen has done for you?”
“Why don’t you just make things clear today—if you like Allen, then cut ties with those shady people you shouldn’t be associating with. If you’re really willing, I’ll apologize for everything I just said!”
Martin Wu’s words shocked many in the room.
Gloria Rong and Leon Lu raised their eyebrows, while Selina Wu unconsciously tightened her grip on Evan Lin’s wrist.
Grace Liu’s eyes widened; she was still young and hadn’t caught on yet. She glanced at her cousin Hannah Liu, who gave her a reassuring look.
Bi Fangzheng and Zheng Qiucai exchanged glances, then also understood what Martin Wu meant.
“Martin.”
Allen Ju had just started to speak when Wanwan Sun stepped in front of him, making it clear that she too wanted Mia Liao to give an answer.
“Wait a second, Martin Wu, what business is it of yours what’s going on between Mia and Third Young Master Ju? Why are you meddling here?”
Gordon Guo saw things weren’t going his way and called out.
But before he finished, Martin Wu shot him a glare that shut him up.
“Martin, it’s really not such a big deal. No need to make it so tense—it feels like you’re here to interrogate someone.”
Tyson Tai stepped forward, trying to smooth things over.
“I wasn’t talking to you. Get lost.”
Martin Wu didn’t give him any face, and Tyson Tai’s expression shifted between green and white.
Tyson Tai wasn’t afraid of Martin Wu, but the Tai family couldn’t really compete with the Ju family. Otherwise, Tyson and Tyler Tai wouldn’t always try to leverage Allen Ju’s influence through Mia Liao.
“Give us an answer, Mia.”
Martin Wu’s face was grim: “Allen should really be the one asking you this. But he’s too thin-skinned—he’s put up with a lot over the years and never complained. He’s always patient with you, but I’m not.”
“I’m a bit thicker-skinned, so I’m asking today—give us a straight answer, will you?”
Martin Wu pressed the issue, aggressive and forceful.
Mia Liao was momentarily stunned, but stayed composed: “Did Allen ask you to say all this?”
“Are you speaking for Allen?”
She frowned, her tone chilly and dissatisfied.
“This has nothing to do with Allen. I just can’t stand it anymore.”
Martin Wu shook his head: “Allen isn’t young anymore. He’s turned down quite a few girls for you, some of whom were introduced by his family and had good backgrounds. You know this.”
Good backgrounds, of course, compared to Mia Liao.
Martin Wu spoke bluntly. When they arrived at the entrance to the Southern Court Club, he took a swig of alcohol to steel himself, determined to say these things even if Allen Ju got angry.
After all, he couldn’t let their whole group be subject to the whims of some inexplicable woman, letting her boss them around just because she had Allen Ju’s backing.
In the past, Mia Liao at most just borrowed Allen Ju’s status. Martin Wu and Bi Fangzheng let it slide, mostly saying nothing.
But over the years, it’s gotten worse. She’s openly asked Allen Ju’s inner circle for favors, money, power, and face.
It’s a different situation now. As Martin Wu and the others make their mark in different fields, their influence grows, and more people and issues get involved—there’s no telling what problems might arise.
Martin Wu made it clear: if Mia Liao agrees to be with Allen Ju, admits she likes him, and is willing to be his girlfriend, then Martin Wu and the others will treat her as one of their own.
But if Mia Liao shakes her head, at least Allen Ju will get a clearer sense of the situation.
Mia Liao didn’t look at Martin Wu, but instead looked at Allen Ju.
Allen Ju’s expression was complex, shifting and uncertain, as if hesitating.
But before he could speak, Tyler Tai, who was standing nearby, suddenly looked toward a spot not far away. His face lit up and he laughed.
“Sorry, just saw an old friend.”
He stepped in front of Mia Liao, interrupting Allen Ju’s question. Without looking at Allen or the others, he naturally turned to the still-hesitant Mia Liao: “Let’s go say hello—it’s not every day you get this chance!”