[Chapter 215: No Negotiation—I'm Just Going to Hit You]
(Note: Skipping irrelevant promotional webnovel language from the original chapter intro for smoother novel translation.)
Looking at Evan Lin surrounded by the crowd, Sisi Shao and her group had complicated emotions in their eyes.
Thomas Zhao, Owen Ou, and Allen Zeng all looked at Evan with resentment and jealousy, but none of them had the guts to challenge him head-on.
"Damn! What the hell did you just say! Martin Ma! Say it again if you dare!"
In the lobby, Brandon Yang glared wide-eyed and kicked Martin Ma right in the butt.
For Brandon Yang, beating someone up in public wasn't shameful—it was a badge of honor.
"Brother Yang, I swear I didn't mean to! My brain just blanked out for a second—I made a mistake!"
Martin Ma looked terrified, staring at Brandon Yang, his voice trembling with a hint of tears.
"Why the hell can't you forget to eat shit, you bastard! How many times did I tell you up front, didn't I confirm it with you again and again! Now the exam's over and you tell me you screwed up!"
Brandon Yang kicked Martin Ma hard while he was lying on the ground, sending him rolling several times before he finally stopped.
"I really messed up!"
"I really messed up! Brandon, I swear I just wrote too fast and made a mistake!" Martin Ma's face was swollen as he looked at Yvonne Xie standing nearby. "Yvonne, Yvonne! Please, say something for me!"
"Students from the sticks have zero class. Can't even sit down to a meal without throwing punches—what a joke." Allen Zeng snorted, genuine contempt in his eyes.
"Kids from schools like that showing up at the Olympiad? Please. They're just here for a field trip. If they spent this time actually studying, maybe they'd scrape into a halfway decent college." Ivy Zhao muttered.
In Brightsea, Brightsea No. 1 High looks down on No. 2 High, but both of them together look down on the lower-ranked schools.
"That was just because I needed you to tutor me. Now my scores are as good as yours, and you haven't improved at all. Why should I keep treating you special?" Yvonne Xie rolled her eyes.
Her words hit Martin Ma like a punch to the gut, leaving him stunned and blank.
In their words, students from lower-ranked schools mostly have no manners. If they can get into public fights, it's just embarrassing.
"It's getting late, we should head back too. Jill, do you want to come with us?" A few boys from River City First High looked at Jill Jing, obviously wanting to play the role of her protectors.
A case just happened nearby, so they definitely wouldn't feel at ease letting Jill go back alone.
They all wore cold expressions, watching Martin Ma's misery like it was entertainment—some even looked like they were enjoying the show.
Evan didn't stop her. As for Jill's safety, Gavin Duan was secretly following her. Even if Lena Chu came back, with her current strength, she couldn't withstand a single punch from Gavin.
"Don't worry, loser. I'm not beating you up for free—I'll pay double your hospital bills when I'm done!"
Before leaving, Jill waved at Evan, then left with the group.
"And now that you blew it, you're worthless to me!" Brandon Yang stood up, beer bottle in hand, and stepped on Martin Ma's head. "Martin, grow up. Stop being so naive."
"And after I beat you up today, I'll send you to the hospital. When you get out, I'll beat you again, and then we're square."
"Don't blame me for smacking you—I'm giving you a chance, but you just spit in my face!" Brandon Yang sneered, raising the beer bottle to smash it down.
At this moment, the miserable, battered, and howling Martin Ma gave Brandon Yang a deep sense of accomplishment.
"You bastard, how did you agree to help me, huh?"
Evan Lin smashed the bottle over Brandon Yang's head in one smooth motion, then casually tossed the broken glass aside.
"Brandon Yang, grow up. Stop being so naive."
"I really messed up! Brother Yang, I swear I just wrote too fast and made a mistake!" Martin Ma's face was swollen as he looked at Yvonne Xie standing nearby. "Yvonne, Yvonne! Say something for me!"
Yvonne Xie stood to the side, looking at the battered and howling Martin Ma with a face of fake pity. "You were supposed to write Brother Yang's name on the test paper, weren't you? How could you mess that up?"
"It's too late to fix it now, and you were the one who messed up first. It's normal for Brother Yang to be angry. Just let him beat you until he cools off."
Hearing Yvonne's words, Martin Ma's heart turned completely cold. He stared at her, trembling with disbelief, unable to accept reality. "Yvonne, you never treated me like this before!"
"Wasn't that just because I needed you to tutor me? Now my scores are almost as good as yours, and you haven't improved at all. Why should I treat you the same as before?" Yvonne Xie rolled her eyes.
Her words hit Martin Ma even harder, leaving his face blank with shock.
"Ha! Martin, did you really think Yvonne would like you? You should check yourself in the bathroom mirror and see what you really look like."
"You've got no money at home, and all you do is bury your head in books, but your grades aren't even that good!" Brandon Yang slapped Martin Ma again.
Martin Ma covered his face, staring dazedly at Yvonne Xie and the other classmates who came to the Olympiad with him, but none of them stepped in to help.
They all wore cold expressions, watching Martin Ma's misery with schadenfreude.
The Olympiad was so hard this time that basically no one did well, so now watching drama was a way to relax—why not enjoy it?
"Don't worry, loser. I won't beat you for nothing—after I'm done, I'll give you double the medical expenses!"
"Aren't you short on cash? Oh, right, you agreed to help me cheat so you could save up for a gift for Yvonne Xie, didn't you?" Brandon Yang grabbed Martin Ma by the hair, yanked him over, and grinned. "Actually, that thing Yvonne wanted was something I told her to ask for—otherwise, why would you help me cheat?"
"No point telling you now, since you turned out to be useless!" Brandon Yang stood up, beer bottle in hand, and stepped on Martin Ma's head. "Martin, don't be so naive next time."
"And after I beat you today, I'll send you to the hospital. When you get out, I'll beat you again, and then we're even."
"Don't blame me for not giving you face—you're the one who doesn't know how to accept it!" Brandon Yang sneered, raising the beer bottle to smash it down.
But right as he was about to smash the bottle, it suddenly vanished from his hand.
Brandon Yang froze, not understanding what happened, then felt a sharp pain in his head.
Evan Lin smashed the bottle on Brandon Yang's head in one smooth motion, then casually tossed the broken glass aside.
"Brandon Yang, don't be so naive in the future."
Evan looked at Brandon Yang, his tone flat.