"Cut it out! Is it really that hard to take off your underwear? Seriously... Remember, you're the real creep here. If you keep calling me a perv, I'll bust your balls! Now, hurry up and strip!" Shawn Young shot the punk a fierce glare, barking out the order.
The little punk had nowhere left to run. He turned around, slowly took off his underwear, then stuck his butt out and whispered sadly, "I... I'm ready... Go ahead! But please be gentle, it's my first time..."
Shawn Young was dumbfounded. Apparently, this little punk thought he was some kind of guy who liked to 'break in' other men. Shawn felt a wave of despair, almost wanting to cry. He stepped forward and gave the little punk, who was bracing himself for a 'wild ride,' a solid kick—"Wham!"—sending him sprawling face-first into the grass, mouth stuffed with dirt and leaves.
The little punk couldn't take the double blow—both physical and emotional. His vision went dark and he fainted on the spot.
Shawn Young didn’t bother with him. He walked over and picked up the underwear, holding it to his waist. That’s when he realized—it was way too small for him. And for some reason, his own little buddy had mysteriously gotten bigger. If he tried to squeeze in, he’d probably rip right through. Annoyed, he tossed it aside and started picking up clothes and pants from the grass.
After wrestling with the clothes for a while, Shawn finally squeezed into the punk’s shirt and pants. He looked absolutely ridiculous—like a wannabe hipster gone wrong.
"Pfft..." As soon as Shawn turned around, he saw Sylvia Snow watching him and laughing. His face flushed red, and he fumbled for a lame excuse: "Heh, the weather’s so stuffy, I went out for some air and forgot my keys, then got chased by a dog, and then..."
"Heh... You're not trying to tell me you were chased here by a dog and just happened to see me getting... bullied by these little punks, are you?" Sylvia Snow asked, trying not to laugh.
"Uh... yeah, that's exactly what happened... What a coincidence!" Shawn’s face turned even redder as he hurried to respond.
Sylvia Snow grinned at him and said, "Heh, you’re terrible at lying. Sigh... Anyway, you’re my lifesaver. My name’s Sylvia Snow."
"I—I'm Shawn Young. Uh... How did you know I was lying?" Shawn asked curiously.
"Heh... I'm super smart, I could tell right away... hehe! Hey, lifesaver, what's your deal anyway? Running around dressed like that in the middle of the night—if it was daytime, people would think you were crazy! And your martial arts are amazing! Where did you learn that?" Sylvia Snow asked quickly.
Of course, Shawn couldn’t tell her he ended up like this because he was out looking for some action. That would be social suicide in front of a pretty girl. So he scratched his head and said, "Actually, I’m practicing a special technique!"
"A special technique? Does it require you to dress like that?" Sylvia Snow asked, intrigued.
"Sigh... See, you just don’t get it! The technique I’m cultivating needs to be close to nature. At midnight, you have to find a quiet spot, face east, channel your energy, and absorb the essence of heaven and earth. If you stick with it, you’ll master advanced skills... It’s not easy!" As Shawn recalled the basics of qi cultivation from the Codex of Ascension, he just started rambling, but it actually sounded pretty convincing, leaving Sylvia Snow stunned.
Since Sylvia Snow had just seen him take down a bunch of little punks in seconds, she believed most of what he said. So she nodded and replied, "Oh... So you have to strip down to master advanced techniques... That really does sound tough!"
Just then, Shawn’s stomach suddenly growled loudly. He realized how hungry he was and rubbed his belly. Sylvia Snow saw and laughed, "Are you hungry?"
Shawn nodded awkwardly and said, "Training uses up a lot of energy! And I just got into a fight, so..."
The more Sylvia Snow looked at him, the more interesting she found him. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. She grabbed his hand and said, "Come on, I’ll treat you to some late-night snacks."
"Uh... It’s so late, where are we even going to find a snack stall open?" Shawn asked quickly.
"I never said we were going out for snacks—I meant come to my place to eat..." Sylvia Snow said.
"Uh... your place? Isn’t that a little awkward? What if we disturb your family? I’d feel really bad." Shawn wanted to go, but still hesitated out loud.
"Don’t worry, I live alone. There’s no one to bother. Come on, lifesaver!" Sylvia Snow continued, pulling Shawn by the hand.
"Whoa... living alone! A single hottie! Is this my lucky night? Maybe my spring has finally arrived!" Shawn was buzzing inside, his mind running wild.
"Hey, lifesaver, you’re not planning to hit on me, are you? Just look at that excited face!" Sylvia Snow teased, leaning in to study Shawn.
"Don’t get the wrong idea! Do I look like that kind of guy?" Shawn snapped back, quickly putting on a serious face.
"Hehe... Whether you do or not depends on how you behave..." Sylvia said, hooking Shawn’s arm as they walked out of the little grove. Outside, the punk called "Big Dave" was still passed out on the fence, and in the grove, one little punk was unconscious while the other had already escaped during their conversation.
"Should we call the cops on them?" Sylvia Snow asked Shawn.
"No need! I gave them a pretty solid lesson—I doubt they’ll try anything like this again!" Shawn said. Honestly, he just didn’t want to deal with the police, especially after almost getting caught earlier.
"Alright, whatever you say. Wait here, I’ll go get my car..." Sylvia Snow said to Shawn.
"You—you have a car?" Shawn asked, surprised.
"Of course! What’s so weird about that? I’ve had this car for a year," Sylvia replied, turning and heading toward the nearby parking lot.
In less than five minutes, a pale yellow Beetle pulled up in front of Shawn. Sylvia stuck her head out and called, "Hop in!"
Shawn opened the door and climbed in. The Beetle sped through the city for over ten minutes before pulling into the garage of a private villa in Uptown, Brightwater City. Uptown was the exclusive enclave for Brightwater's rich and powerful—if you had a villa here, you were loaded, no question. Only now did Shawn realize Sylvia was from a seriously wealthy family.