The crew-cut thug rubbed his nearly dislocated jaw, his face twisted with rage.
He roared at Kael.
"Who the hell are you?! Daring to ruin my fun?!"
Lila stared at Kael, stunned that he had actually appeared.
After a moment of shock, she panicked and shouted.
"Kael, call someone! Hurry!"
Kael ignored her, his gaze cold as he stared at the thugs.
The dismissive look enraged the crew-cut man.
He sneered, "A college brat trying to play hero? Boys, beat him down!"
The six men were seasoned brawlers, used to fighting dirty and ganging up on others.
They spread out at once, surrounding Kael.
Lila screamed in panic, "Kael! Call the police, are you deaf?! You can't fight—what are you doing?!"
Kael tilted his head toward her.
"You think you know me that well?"
Lila froze.
Did she not know him?
They had grown up together, after all.
Seizing the moment Kael looked away, the crew-cut leader threw a vicious punch at the back of Kael's head, sneaky and brutal.
He thought he had landed the hit—until Kael tilted his head back in an impossible, fluid motion and dodged.
"Damn! He's got eyes in the back of his head! Get him!"
Kael gave them no chance.
He grabbed the man's arm and twisted it.
A scream like a slaughtered pig rang out as the arm dislocated, hanging limply.
He slammed the man's head down, then spun and kicked two charging thugs away with a powerful sweep.
A quick hook to the shin sent another man crumpling to the ground, clutching his groin and twitching in agony.
Every move was sharp, efficient, designed to disable instantly.
Eliot watched from afar with a cold glare and a scoff.
"All flash, no substance."
Kael ended the fight with a sharp knee strike, and the last thug collapsed.
Only the crew-cut leader remained, held by his hair, one arm useless.
Sweat poured down his face; he dared not move.
Kael let go of his hair and muttered.
"Your hair is too scratchy."
The thug immediately began slapping himself hard with his only good hand.
"I'm sorry, sir! I'm so sorry! I'll shave my head bald tonight! I promise it won't be scratchy ever again!"
He slapped himself again and again, brutally.
One cheek swelled up instantly.
Kael watched silently.
The man did not dare stop, slapping harder until his speech was slurred and his face was swollen like a pig's.
Only then did Kael speak calmly.
"Leave."
The six men scrambled away, some limping, some clutching their groins.
Lila's head spun.
She stared at the fleeing thugs, then at Kael, who had appeared out of nowhere to save her.
Yet she felt no gratitude.
Instead, she asked coldly.
"Kael, why are you here?"
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Night run."
"Night run?!" Lila laughed, holding her aching head. "A night run that just happens to bring you right to me? Just in time to see me being harassed?"
Kael's eyes narrowed. "What are you implying?"
Drunk and delusional, Lila latched onto a twisted idea.
She stood up, looking at him with contempt, as if she had seen through everything.
She stepped close.
"These men… you hired them, didn't you?"
"What?"
Kael had not expected this.
But Lila sounded certain.
"That's why these thugs showed up, and why you appeared right after. I know you. You never knew martial arts—but you just beat six men. They're just actors you paid, right?"
Kael crossed his arms.
He had received Combat Mastery from the system.
She had no way of knowing that. To jump to such a conclusion, she was truly drunk.
"Why would I do that?" he asked.
Lila laughed, loud and bitter.
"Because you still want me! You've chased me for years—you'd never give up that easily. You're just putting on an act."
"Oh?"
Kael smiled, his smile sharp with mockery.
But Lila was too far gone to notice. She grew more convinced of her own logic.
Drunk, she rambled on.
"You ignored me at the school gate after the car crash, just to upset me and lower my guard.
You bought that phone for another girl to make me jealous. You spent so much money just to get my attention.
You pretended not to see me at the concert hall and the restaurant, but you didn't take back my tickets. You still cared, didn't you?
And that song—Blue and White Porcelain—it was beautiful. You sang it for me, didn't you?"
Lila grew hysterical, pointing wildly at the moon.
"And now this! You hired actors to pretend to attack me! Hahaha, how tacky can you get?"
Kael listened quietly.
The woman had trapped herself in a closed loop of logic.
She was too drunk to see the truth. If he had hired actors, would they have fought so brutally? Who would risk crippling injury just for a show?
Everything else was just her wishful thinking.
At that moment, the Divine Choice System activated.
Option 1: Admit to everything, embracing the role of a desperate simp. Reward: Lila's Arrogance +10, Lila's Contempt +10.
Option 2: Beg and explain, letting her dictate the narrative. Reward: 20% Off Coupon for Psychiatric Hospital.
Option 3: Shatter her delusional logic completely. Reward: Ancient Medical Legacy – Meridian Manual.
Ancient medical knowledge.
Kael's eyes sharpened.
He had to have this.
Against Lila's twisted reasoning, only one sentence would work.
"Let's end the engagement."
Every one of Lila's assumptions rested on one foundation:
That Kael still loved her, still cared.
Three simple words.
The act, the jealousy, the song—all of it collapsed.
If he no longer wanted the engagement, why would he stage such a ridiculous show?
Lila's laughter died instantly.
She stared at Kael in disbelief, frozen.
Kael's gaze was cold and unyielding.
Lila tilted her head, forcing a shaky smile.
"You're joking, right? That's not funny!"
"I'm not joking," Kael said calmly. "You used my family's name to demand tickets. I can't watch over you forever. This is the permanent solution. End the engagement, so everyone knows you have nothing to do with me anymore."
"Are you serious?!" Lila shouted, her voice cracking. "I'm warning you—there's no going back!"
She raised her voice, trying to hide her panic.
Kael nodded gently, confirming his decision.
Lila hid her trembling hands behind her back.
Her mouth opened and closed, stubborn and terrified.
The alcohol drained from her head in an instant.
His words scared her more than the thugs ever had.
She swallowed hard.
"F-fine then! It's not like I wanted to marry you anyway! Hahaha! I've been waiting for this day! I… I want to end the engagement too!"
Kael nodded. "Good."
Before they could speak further, Eliot Storm walked over.
Zoe grabbed his wrist.
"Eliot, what are you doing?"
Eliot smiled, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Nothing. Just want to have a little… sparring match."
For some reason, the sight of Kael infuriated him.
He was supposed to be the hero.
He should have been the one to save Lila, planting the first seed of affection in her heart.
As a scion of the Storm family with the Inferno Bloodline, Eliot was certain he would have won her admiration.
But this stranger had stolen his moment.
And it made him furious.