Across the street, five men stood together, each about 1.8 meters tall, all wearing matching white tank tops. Their shoulders bulged with muscle, the kind of physique that instantly marked them as the toughest guys around.
These guys had just finished working out at the gym and were heading out to grab a meal when they suddenly heard shouting from this direction and turned to look.
"Big Mike, isn’t that Darren Chen over there?" One of them, quick-eyed, spotted Darren lying on the ground clutching his leg in front of Whitewood Mall.
Big Mike was massive—his forearms were as thick as a normal person’s thighs, and the whole guy looked like Popeye after a spinach binge.
"Looks like it. Let’s go check it out," Big Mike nodded and headed over.
Darren Chen lay on the ground. When he saw Big Mike and the others approaching, his voice instantly turned pitiful: "Big Mike! That kid hit me!"
Darren pointed straight at Evan Lin standing nearby. Big Mike and his crew saw Darren’s twisted right calf and all of them looked shocked.
These guys all knew each other from the taekwondo gym. Darren was always good at schmoozing—he’d treat them to food and drinks for no reason, and every time they met, he’d call them 'bro' nonstop.
Because of that, Big Mike and the others had helped Darren out plenty of times when he got bullied.
Now, seeing Darren writhing in pain on the ground, Big Mike’s face immediately darkened.
All five muscle-bound guys turned their eyes to Evan Lin.
"You did this?" Big Mike’s tone was anything but friendly.
"He kicked himself," Evan Lin glanced at the group, frowning slightly.
Whitewood Mall faced a busy street—people were coming and going. If a fight broke out here and someone they knew saw it, things could get messy.
"Kicked himself? Why don’t you try kicking yourself and see if you end up like that!" Big Mike’s voice was low, his glare full of menace.
He pointed at Darren Chen on the ground, eyes locked on Evan Lin. "Don’t you know Darren’s under my protection?"
"Hey, kid, before you mess with someone, you’d better find out if you can actually afford to. Darren’s our little bro—hurting him like this is just not cool," another guy chimed in, nodding.
"Just look at Darren’s leg! He’s probably out for at least ten days, maybe half a month. You’re so young but already this ruthless—what do you practice, taekwondo? MMA?" One of the crew, a bald guy, looked Evan up and down.
Even Big Mike had been shocked when he first saw Darren’s leg. Now, as they looked at Evan Lin, their eyes were still full of disdain, but there was a hint of caution too.
Darren’s fighting skills weren’t great, but he’d at least trained a bit. For someone to mess him up this badly, maybe this kid actually had some moves.
Just as Big Mike and the crew waited for Evan Lin to speak, Chloe Cheng—who was squatting by Darren’s side—shouted, "He was hiding a steel plate in his hand the whole time! When Darren tried to kick him, he blocked it with the plate!"
"If it was a real fight, Darren would’ve kicked him flat! That guy’s mom is just a primary school teacher, he’s never had a dad, and his grades are total trash!"
Chloe Cheng was yelling at the top of her lungs.
As soon as she said that, Big Mike and his crew got it. If Darren really did use a full-force taekwondo whip kick on a steel plate, it could definitely mess up his leg like this.
So basically, this kid was just a weak little punk who couldn’t even fight?
"Figures. Only way you could hurt Darren was with a cheap trick. So how do you want to settle this?" Big Mike nodded, finally relaxing as the group stepped forward, coldly staring at Evan Lin.
"Oh? So what do you want to do?" Evan Lin’s eyes turned icy.
"Pay for his medical bills—100,000 yuan should cover it," one guy said.
"And let us beat you up for Darren’s sake, then we’ll call it even," another chimed in.
The commotion had already drawn a crowd. When the mall security guards rushed out and saw Big Mike’s five hulking guys, they immediately turned around and left without a word.
Seriously, those five guys’ biceps were thicker than the security guards’ necks—who’d dare step in and try to break it up?
Inside the mall, Yolanda Fang and Lynn Chen were excitedly picking out shoes.
Hearing the commotion outside, Lynn Chen stood up and glanced toward the entrance.
But from where she was, there was still a corner between her and the main door, so she couldn’t see what was happening.
"Hey, Lynn, what do you think of these shoes?" Yolanda grabbed a pair of red sneakers, face glowing with excitement.
She saw Lynn Chen peeking outside and immediately grabbed her, muttering, "What’s so interesting out there? Help me pick shoes!"
"This time I’m definitely going to milk Evan Lin for all he’s worth. Hmph, he’s getting more outrageous by the day—if I don’t make him spend some real money, he’ll forget my name! Gotta make him feel the pain." Yolanda thought to herself, smugly.
Normally, if there was a commotion, Yolanda would be the first to rush over and watch.
But right now, with a chance to spend Evan’s money, shopping was way more exciting than any drama outside.
Dragged along by Yolanda, Lynn lost any urge to go check outside and instead looked at the shoes Yolanda held. "They really do look great—they totally suit you," she nodded.
Yolanda tried the shoes on—they fit perfectly and felt great. But when she spotted the price tag, she sighed and put them back on the rack.
"What’s wrong?" Lynn Chen blinked in surprise.
Back in the day, whenever Yolanda bought something, she’d just grab whatever she liked—never worried about anything else.
"It’s just too expensive—860 yuan for one pair! If I were paying, I’d just buy them, but Evan’s footing the bill today. As much as I want to squeeze him, it feels kinda wrong."
Her face scrunched up, Yolanda sighed and shook her head, still reluctant to let go of those red sneakers.
In Yolanda’s mind, Evan was still pretty poor. Plus, he’d just agreed to buy her shoes—if she paid herself, it’d probably hurt his pride.
Thinking that, Yolanda stood up and dragged Lynn over to the cheaper section to pick out shoes.
Lynn let herself be pulled along, mulling over what Yolanda had said and sighing inwardly.
Most people thought Yolanda was a wild, flashy girl—always dramatic, always showing off. But hardly anyone realized she was actually thoughtful, kind, and not materialistic at all.
The two of them kept searching for shoes that were both cheap and cute.
Outside the mall, Evan Lin looked at the group in front of him and sneered, "A hundred thousand? That’s way too little. How about a million instead?"