Chapter 3: Meeting Taylor’s Parents? First, a Little Accident

　　Lin Feng was still immerse in the pink bubbles of "Taylor praising me for being handsome," his mouth grinning so wide it almost reached the back of his head, with the lingering pink steam of happiness seemingly hovering above his head.

　　He didn't notice at all that from the shadow around the corner ahead, several malicious gazes had already locked onto him!

　　"Hey! You over there!"

　　A slouching senior (Thug A) in a floral shirt with two buttons deliberately undone, thinking he looked tough, swaggered into the middle of the path with two equally unsavory underlings. He hooked a finger at Lin Feng arrogantly:

　　"I'm talking to you! Red-haired monkey! You're a freshman, right? Spit out your name!"

　　Lin Feng was still having a "deep conversation of the star athlete" with the Taylor in his head. Startled by this rough voice, he snapped to his senses (but only halfway!)

　　He blinked blankly, looking at the guys blocking his way. The images in his mind hadn't switched back yet, and his tone carried a bizarre mix of pride and unshakable determination (a leftover from his fantasy):

　　"Hmph! I don't hide my name or change my surname! Freshman, star athlete—Lin Feng is my name!"

　　"Oh? Star athlete? Pretty bold, huh?"

　　Thug A was amused to anger by this cheesy, cocky self-introduction. His eyes turned cold, and a cruel smirk tugged at his lips,

　　"What I hate most is you freshmen hotshots who don't know your place!"

　　Before the words faded!

　　Thug A moved without warning! His movement was quick enough to stir up wind! (At least in his own eyes.)

　　He suddenly lunged forward in a bow stance, his right knee shooting out like a cannonball, carrying a fierce gust of wind. It struck Lin Feng's unguarded stomach with pinpoint accuracy—solid and hard!

　　"Boom——!!!"

　　A dull thud, sounding absolutely excruciating!

　　"Ugh!" Lin Feng doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach.

　　Thug A flicked his leg contemptuously,watching Lin Feng curl up on the ground, writhing in agony. His face was filled with the pride of "I'm invincible."

　　He knew full well: "Hmph, I've had proper training for years! With that force, if an ordinary person gets up in three to five minutes, I'll admit defeat!"

　　Thug A stood tall, nose in the air, delivering a final ultimatum to the curled figure on the ground:

　　"Pah! What kind of star athlete? Just a loser! Listen up, red-haired monkey!"

　　He raised his voice, laced with unshakable threat:

　　"After school, meet me on the rooftop of the teaching building! Dare not come? Or dare tell a teacher? Heh heh..."

　　He waved his fist in front of Lin Feng's eyes, his knuckles cracking, his gaze vicious:

　　"I'll beat you every time I see you! Beat you until your own mother doesn't recognize you! Got it?!"

　　With that, Thug A turned around arrogantly, followed by his two equally smug underlings, strutting away with a swagger that cared for no one.

　　Thug A, along with his two unsavory underlings, was busy strutting in their "I'm the king of the world" style, ready to make their exit, feeling pleased with themselves.

　　BUT!

　　He soon realized something was wrong!

　　What was going on?

　　Why were the onlookers looking at him not with fear, but with... shock + sympathy + the look of watching a monkey show?!

　　And their eyes seemed to be focused behind him?!

　　A sense of foreboding had just crawled up Thug A's spine—

　　"Hey! You with the hairstyle that looks like a possessed broom!"

　　A low, anger- suppressed voice suddenly exploded behind him!

　　Before he could react!

　　A pair of palm-sized hands, as precise as iron clamps, locked onto his shoulders beneath that gaudy shirt!

　　"Turn—around—for me!!!"

　　A terrifying, inhumanly powerful force erupted without warning!

　　Thug A in fear found himself spinning like a top toyed with by a toddler, his feet lifting off the ground in an instant. With a "whoosh," he performed a flawlessly smooth, completely helpless 180° spinning kick—on steroids!

　　When he finally blinked through the dizziness and focused...

　　Fuck! The giant red-haired tomato (Lin Feng) who'd been writhing on the ground moments ago was now standing before him, face dark with killing intent!

　　What made Thug A's soul nearly flee his body—

　　His feet flailed uselessly in the air... unable to reach the ground!

　　He was actually being lifted by the neck with one hand! Like a chick being dangled by its scruff!

　　"Ugh... er... gag..."

　　Thug A struggled frantically, his face turning from red to purple, eyes bulging nearly out of their sockets. Only a broken bellows-like "huffing" escaped his throat. Cursing was impossible—even breathing had become a luxury!

　　Thug B (the glasses guy), one of the underlings, was so scared that his glasses slid down to the tip of his nose. He shouted, trying to sound fierce but his voice betraying his fear:

　　"R... red hair! What do you think you're doing?! Let go of my boss!"

　　At the sound of this, Lin Feng slowly turned his head. His eyes, blazing with anger (and the grievance of being ambushed), fixed tightly on Thug B. The corners of his mouth curled into a so-called "kind" smile:

　　"What am I doing? Heh... are you blind? Obviously—"

　　He even lifted the arm holding Thug A a little higher. The latter was already rolling his eyes. "I want to beat you up!"

　　"Ugh ugh ugh——!!!"

　　Suspended in mid-air, Thug A struggled even more violently at these words (like a fish out of water). Saliva dripped uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with the despair of "Help! Mom, save me! I'll never act tough again!"

　　"Fuck! Stop it! You're gonna strangle him! Murder! Someone help!!"

　　Thug B was terrified out of his wits, no longer bothering to put on a tough act. In a panic, he lashed out with a hard kick at Lin Feng's calf!

　　"Thud!"

　　A dull sound!

　　Thug B felt as if he'd kicked a titanium-alloy-reinforced city wall! A piercing pain shot through his toes!

　　As for Lin Feng? Not only did he not move an inch, he didn't even furrow his brow. His terrifying muscles didn't so much as twitch!

　　Steady as a mountain!

　　Thug B: "(;´Д｀)???"

　　He clutched his throbbing foot, plopping down onto the ground. His face was written all over with confusion—"Who am I? Where am I? What did I just kick?"—and deep-seated fear!

　　This is bad! I kicked an iron plate!

　　No! I kicked a humanoid mecha!

　　This redhead... is a Godzilla in human skin, isn't he?!

　　"Hel... help! Quick... someone stop him! He's gonna kill someone!!!"

　　Thug B completely lost his cool, no longer looking like the arrogant underling he'd been a moment ago. He screamed, scrambling away in a panic, his voice cracking!

　　Onlookers: (⊙ˍ⊙)! (⊙▽⊙)! Σ( ° △ °|||)︴!

　　Wow! The annual blockbuster! Red-haired warrior pummels the three thugs! Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Anyone need melon seeds, drinks, mineral water?

　　At this moment, a sweet voice echoed down the corridor. "Lin Feng!"

　　"Lin Feng——!"

　　A nuclear-grade sweet sound wave, as if dipped in honey, wrapped in marshmallow, and bring a soft light filter, cut through the corridor's noise and chaos with pinpoint accuracy, landing gently yet clearly in Lin Feng's eardrums!

　　BOOM—crack!

　　In 0.0001 seconds of hearing that voice, the fierce, fire-breathing fury in Lin Feng's eyes underwent an ultimate transformation—from "destructive death rays" to "clear (foolish) puppy eyes"!

　　Taylor! It's Taylor's voice! My goddess is calling my name!!!

　　A huge wave of happiness exploded in his mind like the Big Bang, "Duang"—blasting away all thoughts of anger, grievance, and beating someone into a QR code, leaving not a trace!

　　"Thud!"

　　Thug A, who'd just been clamped in mid-air by Lin Feng's unyielding iron grip, experiencing the thrill of near-death, suddenly felt his neck loosen!

　　Newton's coffin lid finally stayed closed!

　　He didn't even manage a complete groan before crashing down onto the cold, hard floor in an utterly in a mess "butt-first, flat-as-a-goose-falling" pose—hard and solid!

　　The fall left him dizzy and seeing stars. Clutching his nearly broken neck and his butt that felt split into eight pieces, he lay like a dying fish out of water, only able to gasp and roll his eyes: "Huff... huff... I... I survived?" (Tears of relief welled in his eyes)

　　And what about our protagonist, Lin Feng?

　　He didn't even bother to glance at the "Thug A paste" on the ground!

　　The "red-haired war god" who'd just been ferocious with bulging muscles had seemingly been reset to factory settings in an instant, switching from "Godzilla" to "Giant Hello Kitty" at superluminal speed!

　　Lin Feng spun 180 degrees on the spot in a sudden, manly turn (kicking up a small whirlwind), moving so fast he was little more than a blur!

The "kindly" murderous look on his face had long vanished, replaced by a bright smile that mixed extreme surprise, simple-mindedness, and 10,000% pure "adoring dog" radiance—nothing short of "a happy fool"!

　　His mouth stretched nearly to his ears, revealing a row of bright white teeth!

　　"Heheh..." His voice trembled, brimming with unparalleled excitement. His eyes, as bright as searchlights, locked straight onto the blonde figure where the voice had come from, sparkling with admiration:

　　"Tay... Taylor?"

　　(Inner thoughts spamming wildly: Ahhh! The goddess called my name! She took the initiative to call my name! Am I dreaming?!!!)