The Bet

"Ah!"

With a sharp cry, another fierce strike landed on the punching bag!

After being furiously kicked by three people in a row, the punching bag swayed as if resigned to its fate.

The red numbers kept jumping.

The venue fell silent.

Then a burst of cheers erupted!

"Yeah! Not bad luck!" Jason flashed a handsome smile.

The black man named Ku Cha nodded expressionlessly, but Ronan saw him unconsciously clench his fists.

The counter clearly displayed the dramatic number: 810.

Just a tiny bit higher than his.

To the others, Jason really did seem to have been slightly luckier.

Only Ronan could tell that this had nothing to do with luck!

When Jason exerted force, not only had he not gone all out, but he had also controlled his strength with astonishing precision!

"This man's ability to control his strength is terrifying."

Ronan gently shook his head.

The crowd was full of amazement. Countless girls screamed and cheered, while those who had lost their bets shook their heads and sighed, though they did not seem too bothered. The winners, meanwhile, looked smug and began boasting about their keen judgment.

However, one person had been staring at Ronan from beginning to end.

It was Su Jie.

The instant he saw Ronan shake his head, Su Jie became furious.

"What do you mean by shaking your head?"

"Are you saying you don't acknowledge Big Brother Jason's strength?"

In an instant, this qualified wielder of a hatred aura drew everyone's attention.

Su Xiao wanted nothing more than to drag her troublemaking little brother home! She was even starting to regret bringing this clingy pest to Wei Wei's party today!

Ronan had only shaken his head. How could Su Jie find fault with even that? Had Xiang Feihu brainwashed this guy too thoroughly?

"Enough! Stop making trouble, Su Jie!" Su Xiao said, anger simmering in her voice.

Yet by then, everyone's gaze had already settled on Ronan, who had quietly appeared at some point.

Someone in the crowd even murmured, "Hehe, I wonder what Young Master Ronan's Side Kick score is?"

"Do you think it's even 200?"

"Probably not. Look at how skinny he is. I bet 99 is about right... Hahaha!"

Though the voices were not loud, they still landed clearly in everyone's ears.

Wei Wei's face turned green. The scene she had feared most had finally happened.

She was only angry at Ronan's attitude; she had never wanted him to be humiliated in front of everyone.

So she stepped forward a few paces and said coldly, "If any of you could walk away unharmed and continue living your little lives after tangling with a B-rank assassin from the Rose Blood Knight, I would admire you too."

The moment she said that, those people did not dare speak again.

Everyone knew that the two from Yi Lin Manor had just suffered an assassination attempt a few days ago. Wei Wei had chosen the perfect excuse to shut them up, and no one dared disagree.

However, everyone thought Wei Wei was merely praising Ronan. Little did they know that she was simply stating the truth.

Su Jie was indignant, but Su Xiao held him back, preventing him from acting up.

Christine also smiled and tried to smooth things over. "How about we go check out the other new equipment? Wei Wei, I heard you brought in the latest Light Mech Virtual Combat Pods. Shall we go take a look?"

Wei Wei was just about to agree when the silent Ronan suddenly spoke.

"Wait."

Everyone looked at him curiously, wondering what he was about to say.

Ronan stared expressionlessly at Su Jie and said calmly, "You're Su Jie, right?"

"You think your big brother is impressive?"

The moment those words came out, Wei Wei immediately sensed trouble, and Su Xiao's expression froze as well.

The crowd erupted into chatter. What was this guy trying to do?

Su Jie's big brothers were either Xiang Feihu or Li Nanbei, and neither of them was someone Ronan could compare to. Had Su Jie's provocation driven him mad?

But by then, no one could stop Ronan.

Su Jie shouted even more aggressively, "What? You're not convinced? Both my big brothers are a hundred times stronger than you! No, forget them. Even I'm stronger than you."

"Can you kick a Side Kick score above 500?"

"If you can't, then stop acting so arrogant and stay away from my sister!"

Everyone was speechless.

When had Ronan acted arrogant? Su Jie was clearly the one who had been arrogantly stirring up trouble the entire time!

Still, what he said was not entirely unreasonable.

In a martial arts gym, strength was everything. So what if one had a powerful background? That was the rule of the Steel Empire's nobility! Even here at Yi Lin Manor, Ronan's home ground, he could only speak through strength. Otherwise, he could not convince anyone.

A boy from a farm might possess brute strength, but he surely could not handle a specialized discipline like this without proper training.

Su Jie had banked on that. He hated anyone bothering his sister. A few days ago, he had learned from Xiang Feihu that this guy had somehow tricked Su Xiao into giving him her phone number, and he had declared that he would teach Ronan a lesson.

He had only gotten Su Xiao to bring him to today's banquet by pestering her relentlessly. Otherwise, he had not even been on Wei Wei's guest list!

With such a perfect opportunity before him, he naturally wanted to suppress Ronan properly and make him abandon any thoughts of approaching his sister.

Besides, an occasion like this was a rare chance for him to show off, so of course he intended to seize it.

"Above 500?"

Ronan looked at Su Jie. "Kid, you should learn some manners."

"You've been making a scene all over Yi Lin Manor. Miss Wei Wei is a lady, and she has tolerated your behavior because you're young, but that does not mean what you've done is right. In fact, I think even your sister would feel that your actions have brought shame upon the Su Family."

"I don't know what Xiang Feihu told you, and I don't care. But since you think your big brother is so impressive, how about we make a bet?"

"Although I've been cut off from the world for a long time, I've had decent luck and practiced a little."

"This bet will be on my Side Kick score. Name a number. If I exceed it, you will take back every word you said earlier, apologize to Miss Wei Wei, and from then on, every time you see me, you will call me Big Brother three times first."

"If I lose, then I'll call you Big Brother whenever we meet from now on."

The moment he finished speaking, the entire venue exploded!

Leaving aside how shocking it was for the usually quiet Ronan to suddenly make such a long speech, the content alone was enough to ignite the crowd!

This guy was truly impulsive!

At the previous banquet, he had directly clashed with Xiang Feihu. This time, he was facing Su Jie head-on without any intention of backing down!

With that skinny frame of his, how good could his Side Kick score possibly be?

That question rose in everyone's minds.

Most people looked as though they were watching a show. A small number, however, had flickering eyes as they calmly observed Ronan's every word and movement.

Although Ronan's background had already been proven clean, many people were still watching this target Yi Lin Manor had pushed forward to draw fire. Who knew whether the Earl was playing some game of misdirection?

In truth, many factions had long wanted to uncover Ronan's background, but they had never succeeded.

Thanks to Su Jie, it looked as though they could accomplish part of that task today.

"No!" Su Xiao said firmly. "I'll apologize to Yi Lin Manor on his behalf."

"Don't force yourself, Ronan!" Wei Wei finally could not sit still any longer. She hurried over. "You don't need to pay attention to him at all."

Su Jie, meanwhile, wore a faintly mocking smile.

Ronan gently shook his head, indicating that he had already made up his mind.

"Name a number." He looked at Su Jie.

Su Jie thought for a moment, then his eyes shifted. "I'm two years younger than you, and I can still score above 500. If it's only 500, that'd be too easy, wouldn't it?"

"How about this? I won't make things too hard for you. 600! As long as you exceed that number, I lose!"

He was quite shrewd.

A score of 600 basically separated most ordinary fitness enthusiasts from true martial arts experts.

No matter how well Ronan hid himself, he could not possibly be a martial arts expert, could he?

The moment they heard that number, the crowd was somewhat disappointed.

With a number like that, Ronan probably would not accept, right? Then there would be no show to watch.

Yet reality slapped them in the face again.

Because Ronan said only one word.

"Fine."

Mm, during the new book period, everyone might find Coconut annoying, but there's nothing I can do about it. I need it for the rankings, so please forgive my shamelessness as I continue asking for recommendations!