Clash with Hope

"Oh, right, sorry, I forgot. Compared to the name Clark, you prefer your Chinese name, Li Congxin… Uh, maybe my pronunciation isn't quite right, please don't mind." As she spoke, the legendary girl jogged over to Li Congxin's side. "Actually, I came to find you specifically to apologize."

Apologize?

The person you want to apologize to is already dead!

If apologies were useful, why would they need Avengers?

Li Congxin harbored no good feelings for this woman who completely disregarded others' feelings. He shrugged and said indifferently, "You don't need to worry about it, because I don't worry about you either."

After speaking, Li Congxin turned to leave.

"Wait, Clark." Crawford quickly caught up, then revealed a charming smile. "First, congratulations on your successful weight loss and fitness journey. Besides your physique, has that other aspect also been enhanced?"

She's really like a persistent shadow!

Li Congxin frowned and said coldly, "Do you want to try?"

According to the usual script, after Li Congxin said that, the other party should have left some Impression Points and stormed off in a huff, never to interact with Li Congxin again.

But the Impression Points Li Congxin expected didn't appear. Instead, Crawford's eyes lit up upon hearing his words, and she even said with some excitement, "Okay!"

Li Congxin: …

Are American girls all this forward?

And what's with that look in your eyes, devoid of any emotion, filled only with an intense passion for truth?

Is that boring test really that important to you?

Li Congxin felt he truly couldn't understand this legendary girl before him and could only speak truthfully, "Sorry, I'm not in the mood right now."

Only then did the girl snap out of her fervor. Seeing Li Congxin's cold attitude, she finally realized something, and her expression dimmed. "Are we still friends?"

Li Congxin replied very calmly, "No, we are classmates." The message of keeping her at arm's length was already evident.

Received +2 Impression Points from Crawford Hingirl!

Crawford then spoke again, looking at Li Congxin with pleading eyes, "Then, as classmates, if you saw me being bullied by four bad guys outside of school, would you help?"

Li Congxin pondered for two seconds, then gently shook his head, "No, I think four people should be enough."

Received +9 Impression Points from Crawford Hingirl!

After smoothly accumulating a wave of Impression Points, Li Congxin felt incredibly refreshed. However, the next moment, he noticed Crawford's expression turn somewhat unpleasant. From the direction of the alley entrance, four individuals dressed in a way that clearly marked them as troublemakers were approaching with sinister smiles.

There really are thugs, and exactly four of them!

Li Congxin finally understood why Crawford had asked him such strange questions earlier.

Encountering thugs would normally be a welcome event, but intervening now would inevitably lead to further entanglement with Crawford, which was quite bothersome.

While Li Congxin was deliberating, the four thugs had already closed in with ill-intentioned smiles. The oldest-looking one didn't even glance at Li Congxin, his eyes fixed on Crawford. "Beautiful, young people's stamina isn't that long-lasting. How about accompanying us for some fun?"

Seeing these guys so brazen, Li Congxin couldn't help but frown inwardly.

Should he hit these four guys, kick them, or beat them up?

As Li Congxin was hesitating, he suddenly saw a figure dart out from the side, directly into the middle of the four thugs. What followed was a fluid display of close-quarters combat. Before Crawford, standing nearby, could even react to what was happening, all four thugs had been knocked to the ground.

Brushing non-existent dust off his hands, the figure turned around. It was Hope!

Having instantly dealt with the four hoodlums, Hope showed no signs of pride, as if she had done something trivial. She scanned the four thugs one by one, then coldly uttered a single word: "Scram!"

The four thugs, hearing this, felt as if they had received a great imperial pardon. They quickly scrambled to their feet and fled, disappearing without a trace.

At this point, Hope's face once again broke into a gentle smile. She said to Crawford with a smile, "Classmate Crawford, I have something I'd like to discuss with Clark privately, so…"

Crawford, who had been quite frightened by the four thugs earlier, quickly said, "I won't disturb you, I'll leave now!" With that, she jogged away from the secluded alley.

After watching Crawford's graceful figure disappear at the end of the alley, Hope turned to Li Congxin and winked. "Aren't you going to thank me for intervening?"

Li Congxin was stunned for a moment, then immediately smiled, "Thank you for saving me."

"No!" Hope said seriously. "You not only train at the Nalan Martial Arts School in Chinatown, but due to your exceptional talent and being Chinese, you've received some genuine teachings from old Mr. Nalan Long. Of course, those four thugs earlier wouldn't be a problem in your eyes."

"What I'm actually referring to is Crawford." Without waiting for Li Congxin's reply, Hope continued, "She hurt you before, so when faced with a situation like that, you must have been conflicted."

"You wouldn't be able to stand by and watch a classmate be bullied by thugs, but intervening would feel like betraying yourself. My intervention has resolved a problem for you, shouldn't you express some gratitude?"

Upon hearing this, Li Congxin's gaze turned cold. "You investigated me?"

Hope retorted, "Do the things I mentioned earlier require deliberate investigation?"

Li Congxin thought about it and realized it was true. Whether it was the 9.58 incident or his martial arts training, neither was a secret. It would only take a little inquiry to find out, no need for deliberate investigation. He looked at Hope with confusion. "What exactly do you want?"

Hope cracked her knuckles, making "crack crack" sounds. "I want to have a match with you."

"I don't fight women."

"You have no choice!" Without further ado, Hope attacked Li Congxin first.

Hope's movements were agile and her attacks fierce, something Li Congxin had already witnessed when she dealt with the four thugs. He naturally didn't dare to hold back.

Although he didn't want to determine victory or defeat with a woman, he had to fight seriously if he didn't want to get beaten.

What else could he do? He was also helpless!

They exchanged blows at high speed, and in the blink of an eye, they had exchanged over twenty moves.

"Bang!" Li Congxin delivered another whip kick. Hope, unable to dodge, could only cross her arms in front of her chest to block it.

As it turned out, while Hope was skilled, she was no match for Li Congxin when it came to sheer strength. In a direct clash, Li Congxin's kick sent her flying backward out of the alley. After landing, she stumbled back several steps before managing to regain her balance.

"What's going on?"

Just then, two patrolling police officers happened to be passing by the alley entrance. Witnessing Hope being kicked out of the alley, they immediately became tense. They rushed forward to shield Hope, drew their guns, and pointed them at Li Congxin, shouting, "Hands up!"

Seeing this, Hope quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand, we're friends."

Li Congxin, meanwhile, had already obediently raised his hands. "Yeah, we were just playing around."

The two officers looked at Hope, then back at Li Congxin. As they holstered their weapons, one of them couldn't help but grumble, "Kids these days. Playing with their girlfriends in broad daylight..."