"Aaron Han!"
Annie Shu's face changed instantly at Aaron Han's words. "Last time, I only agreed to that bet because I believed you could win, didn't I?"
Who would've thought your entire Math Department would lose so completely!
Just thinking about it made Annie shake with anger.
She used to go to the library to read and do homework all the time, but ever since Evan Lin won first place in the Math Modeling Competition, no matter where Annie went, she kept hearing people gossip about her bet.
That wager was just too easy for people to misunderstand.
So these past few days, Annie had barely left her dorm room.
She'd already been feeling wronged, but even after thinking it over, she never took it out on Aaron. She never expected him to say something like this, and it really made her lose it.
"Losing was just an accident. You can't blame everything on me."
Aaron sneered, "Besides, didn't you agree to that bet because you wanted to rekindle things with Tyler Tan?"
"Don't think I don't know—Evan Lin is at the top of the school now, and you used to have beef with him. With no way to save face, a vain girl like you would obviously grab this chance to cozy up to Evan and the others!"
When Aaron finished, Annie shot to her feet, her face darkening. "What nonsense are you spouting!"
She raised her hand to slap Aaron, but before she could, someone grabbed her wrist.
"Anyway, this is your chance. You have no idea how powerful the Ancient-Martial Ma Clan is. In all of Rivercrest Province, almost no one can rival them. If you know what's good for you, you'd better make Uncle Cheng happy right now."
A man nearby spoke up. His gaze was cold and unreadable as he looked at Annie.
As one of the bosses of Harborview Water Park, the man was well-known in the Harborview area, had even appeared on TV and in business magazines. Seeing him, Annie's expression changed noticeably.
"Now Evan Lin is searching everywhere for you. I already lost the Math Modeling Competition last time. If I want to turn things around, I have to rely on Uncle Cheng!"
Aaron's gaze was vicious as he stared at Annie. "Are you really willing to go accompany Tyler Tan instead?"
"Even if I go through with the bet, at least I'm honoring my wager!"
Annie's eyes were completely red. She realized that no matter what she chose now, there was no good solution.
She felt like she was chained to Aaron Han, and in that moment, Annie truly regretted ever trusting him or following him here.
"It's too late now."
Uncle Cheng spoke coldly from his seat: "How dare a little girl like you disrespect me?"
"If word gets out, where am I supposed to put my face? How am I supposed to live? Are you trying to disgrace the Ma Clan?"
He rattled off several lines. Though Uncle Cheng was only an outer-gate member of the Ma Clan, he was still worlds apart from the true core members.
But ancient martial clans are a very special kind of existence.
Anyone from such a clan gets respect wherever they go; people are terrified of offending the Ma Clan as a whole.
After all, the power of an ancient martial clan is no joke. Even a random member can rival the top experts supported by other families.
"You... You're bullying me!"
Annie's eyes filled with tears, looking both wronged and helpless.
She looked around. Everyone was indifferent, as if they completely agreed with Uncle Cheng.
"Uncle Cheng, Evan Lin's martial skills are really strong, and I bet he's already back in Harborview City."
Aaron seized the chance, turning to Uncle Cheng: "Also, Evan Lin's roommate, Tyler Tan, has always had feelings for Annie Shu."
"So if Evan finds out Annie is here, he definitely won't let it go."
Aaron said this while looking at Uncle Cheng, who squinted, his face full of indifference. "Relax. Since you brought her to me, I'll handle everything perfectly."
"He's just some random punk who happens to be good at fighting. No matter how tough he is, he's not stronger than me."
"I'm from the Ma Clan. Our martial arts aren't something ordinary people can understand."
Uncle Cheng's voice was steady and confident, as if everything was under his control.
"That's perfect!"
Aaron's face lit up with joy. Deep down, he was thrilled—once Uncle Cheng stepped in, he believed Evan Lin would immediately back down.
"Evan Lin! I hope we meet soon—when that happens, I'll make sure you suffer everything I did, and pay you back in full!"
Aaron Han gritted his teeth, his face twisted with malice.
Just as he was speaking—
"If you've suffered so much, why not pay me back right now?"
A young man's calm voice came from outside.
At that moment, Aaron's expression changed dramatically, his body instinctively trembling.
He was all too familiar with that voice. Back at Rivercrest State University, Aaron used to have everything go his way—until Evan Lin showed up and made him a laughingstock.
Now, just hearing Evan's voice made Aaron tremble reflexively.
"Who is it?"
The man in the suit frowned and looked toward the entrance.
Uncle Cheng raised his eyebrows, his face icy, following the sound to see someone walking in from outside.
The boy in front walked in calmly, looking like nothing in the world could bother him.
Behind him were three guys and one girl.
Sophie Ge peeked curiously inside. The moment she entered, she felt an overwhelming pressure—but Evan Lin's presence somehow made her feel at ease.
Eric Wang stood protectively in front of Sophie, while Ming Zhao tugged at Tyler Tan's collar to keep him from running off.
"Evan Lin!"
Aaron Han saw Evan, his voice nearly coming out through gritted teeth: "I can't believe you showed up right when we were talking about you!"
"Well, that's perfect! Since you dared to come, let me introduce you to someone!"
"This is Uncle Cheng from the Ancient-Martial Ma Clan!"
"He took a liking to Annie Shu today, and promised me he'd show you just how powerful he is!"
Aaron's face was wild, full of crazed laughter, as if he was eagerly awaiting a showdown.