"Bang, bang, bang!"
But Xia Mu deftly deflected every punch.
It was as if Xia Mu could see right through him, and a bad feeling began to creep into Yamada's heart.
Yamada attacked again and was about to defend himself when Xia Mu seized his chance. With his slender frame, Xia Mu used Four Ounces Deflects a Thousand Pounds to lift Yamada's two-hundred-pound body and throw him over his shoulder, slamming him hard onto the ground and sending water splashing everywhere.
Before Yamada could react, Xia Mu's rapidly flying fist was already coming down toward his face.
"Bang!"
The punch looked like it packed a lot of power, but its actual force was terrifying. Just one blow left Yamada seeing stars and his whole body limp, with no strength left to fight back.
That punch had more force than Long Yuan's.
"Bang!"
Xia Mu punched Yamada in the head again, his hand smeared with blood. "Go back and tell Long Yuan: if he dares bully my friends again, this is what'll happen to him."
"Bam!" Then a heavy blow finished Yamada off.
No fancy moves—just a straightforward punch.
Xia Mu shook the blood from his hand and stood up from Yamada.
"Whoa, Xia! I had no idea you were this fierce!"
Zhu Xincheng was dumbfounded. The whole thing had taken less than a minute. Xia Mu had beaten Yamada in one smooth motion, and Yamada hadn't even managed to touch the hem of his clothes.
He'd even glimpsed in Xia Mu the kind of bearing that martial arts masters on TV had, after perfecting a fighting style.
He was terrifying!
But Zhu Xincheng was so excited. If he practiced hard, he could reach Xia's level too, right?
After taking care of Yamada, Xia Mu felt nothing in particular. He simply saved the footage recorded on the action camera hanging from his chest.
Yamada had only been able to bully ordinary students because of his size and a little training in mixed martial arts.
Against someone genuinely ruthless, he probably wouldn't last more than a few rounds.
What a disappointment.
Xia Mu had even deliberately given him a chance, just to see how good he was.
Who could have guessed he'd be this weak?
Xia Mu hadn't even used a tenth of his strength.
With Modified Boxing and modified Wing Chun, it was hard to find anyone in this world who could match his level.
On the way back to the dorm, the chubby guy chattered excitedly the whole time. This time, Xia Mu didn't even have to tell him to do it—he went out into the rain to exercise on his own.
Xia Mu didn't stop him. Wanting to improve was a good thing.
Seeing him change made Xia Mu feel gratified, like a father watching his son grow up.
"Huh? Xia, Xia Mu!"
"Why are you soaking wet?"
As they reached the dormitory building, a figure who had been waiting there hurried over. She set down the things in her right hand, then patted the rain from Xia Mu's clothes with her delicate, pale hand and scolded him, "You didn't even bring an umbrella in this rain, you idiot."
When she saw the blood on Xia Mu's hand, she jumped in fright. "Blood? Xia Mu, what happened to you?"
Her voice was full of worry. She grabbed his hand, took out a tissue, and gently wiped it clean before softly blowing on it. Though her face showed reproach, her voice was filled with concern. "Good thing it's nothing serious. It's only a little blood."
"Xia Mu, what did you do? You didn't hit another student, did you?" Kikyo Kushida held Xia Mu's hand, her lively eyes blinking. "It's okay. Tell me—I'll keep it a secret."
Her expression was sincere, as if she meant every word. But inside, she was itching with excitement, wishing she could strip Xia Mu bare and record all his secrets.
Her favorite thing was having other people's secrets in her hands.
As long as someone did something she disliked, she would use their secrets to get rid of them.
Xia Mu ignored Kushida, pulled his hand free, and looked toward the path behind her.
Shiina stood in the rain, holding a transparent umbrella, her hand unconsciously tightening around its handle.
She had seen the whole thing, from beginning to end.
What did this mean?
Had I gotten in your way, Xia Mu...?
For no reason she could explain, her breathing seemed to catch, and a heavy ache pressed on her heart. With her head lowered, she walked past them and entered the stairwell.
Xia Mu looked away and turned to the smiling Kushida in front of him. "Kushida, what do you want?"
Kikyo Kushida blinked and put a finger to her lips, as though she'd just remembered something. She picked up the lunchbox from the ground. "Oh, I almost forgot!"
"You work out on the track every day. It must be exhausting, so I made this special love lunch just for you."
"The top layer is the food, and the bottom layer is my chicken soup."
Xia Mu narrowed his eyes. Was Kushida really being this nice? Had she poisoned it?
Besides, she was following him. Otherwise, how would she know his daily routine?
Looks like she'd begun her revenge.
Without waiting for Xia Mu to agree, she forced the lunchbox into his hands, then deliberately looped her arm through his. "All right, let's go. There's something else I want to talk to you about!"
But to Shiina, who was hiding by the stairwell, the two of them looked close. Everything they said and did seemed to be leading toward that kind of relationship.
Lovers.
Her small face was cast in the dim yellow light, her vision blurred. No one could tell what she was thinking.
"Kushida, can you stop pretending?"
In the elevator, Xia Mu spoke to her calmly.
He'd decided to come clean. He was tired of playing games with Kushida.
Hearing the coldness in Xia Mu's voice, Kushida's heart gave a sudden jolt, and sweat appeared on her cheek. "Huh? Pretending about what? Xia Mu, what are you talking about?"
"Let me check. Maybe you caught a chill in the rain and have a fever."
As she spoke, she reached for Xia Mu's forehead, but he caught her hand.
He narrowed his eyes and raised his voice. "I said, can you stop pretending? You're putting on an act every day. What's the point?"
Xia Mu's words struck Kushida's heart like a heavy hammer.
"I don't understand. What are you talking about, Xia Mu?"
Kushida stumbled back several steps, naked panic appearing on her face.
Impossible. Absolutely impossible...
How could Xia Mu, that big idiot, have discovered what she was really like?
They hadn't gone to the same middle school, and Xia Mu knew nothing about her past.
She had never shown him her other side, either.
"Ding!"
At that moment, the elevator doors opened.
Xia Mu stepped out and walked to the trash can. He threw Kushida's lunchbox inside, then turned to look at her coldly. "Do you understand what I mean now?"
At his words, Kushida's face fell into shadow. She stepped out after him. "Xia Mu, what's the meaning of this? You're joking, right?"
Her voice was distinctly hostile.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Keep pretending."
Xia Mu clicked his tongue. Kushida really wouldn't give up until she hit a dead end.
He shook his head and headed toward Sakura's dormitory.
"Stop!!"
Kushida's cold, crazed voice rang out behind him. "How did you find out?"
No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't understand how Xia Mu had seen through her.
They hadn't attended the same middle school, and he didn't know anything about her past.
She had never shown her other side in front of him.
"Did you really think you were good at pretending?"
Before you continue