"Blake, I told you this girl had found some wild man, and you didn't believe me! Well, do you believe me now?" the white young man on the right said with a mocking chuckle, clearly relishing Blake's ignorance.
Blake and Su Muqing were classmates at USC.
For the past few years, Blake had relentlessly pursued Su Muqing, but his affections were unrequited.
Su Muqing harbored no romantic feelings for Blake and had rejected his advances multiple times.
However, Blake remained stubbornly persistent, determined to win her over.
Earlier that day, Blake had been bowling with some friends when he learned the unwelcome truth: Su Muqing was involved with an Asian man.
Enraged by this revelation, Blake abruptly abandoned his game. He contacted his teammate Smith, and together they had followed Su Muqing all the way to Lin Feng's residence.
They then witnessed Su Muqing carrying a lunch box, her graceful figure swaying as she approached Lin Feng's home.
"Fuck!" Blake seethed, his anger reaching a boiling point. Smith's taunting only poured fuel onto the flames, and Blake wished he could tear Lin Feng limb from limb.
"Lusa, is this the gigolo you've been hiding? He's so ugly! Your taste is atrocious!" Blake spat, using Su Muqing's English nickname.
At USC, her classmates all referred to Su Muqing as "Lusa."
Lin Feng also had an English name, Raymond Lam, but he rarely used it.
As a descendant of the Yan and Huang emperors, why bother with an English name?
From this day forward, he had only one name: A Lin!
Su Muqing turned around in surprise, spotting Blake and Smith. Her brow furrowed instantly, and she asked coldly, "What are you two doing here?"
"Shouldn't Smith and I be here? If we weren't, would you be sleeping with that Asian monkey tonight?" Blake retorted, his words laced with racial prejudice. Sadly, racial discrimination was still a stark reality in the United States.
He held a deep disdain for people of Asian descent and an even stronger contempt for Black individuals.
Although Su Muqing was of mixed heritage, her fair complexion led Blake and Smith to perceive her as more "white."
This was largely due to her striking resemblance to her mother, Polina, who was indeed a white woman.
"Damn it, Lusa! We really can't understand how this Asian monkey even compares to Blake!" Smith chimed in, Blake's loyal friend, eager to defend his companion's bruised ego.
"What business is it of yours?" Su Muqing shot back, wanting to end the unpleasant encounter. She then turned to Lin Feng, offering a gentle smile. "Baby, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize they were following me. These are just some classmates."
"Oh, never mind. These two guys are just annoying," Lin Feng replied calmly. He and Su Muqing had spoken in Chinese, a language Blake and Smith couldn't comprehend.
"Lusa, have you been sinicized too? This is America, not A-whatever! Speak English, damn it!" Blake exploded, the unintelligible conversation between Su Muqing and Lin Feng further fueling his rage.
"Damn it, I really can't understand why such a bizarre language as Chinese even exists in this world!"
"Chinese is the worst language in the world, bar none!" Blake continued, his prejudice escalating into a blatant attack on Chinese culture.
Lin Feng, with the blood of the Chinese nation coursing through his veins, couldn't stand idly by while his heritage was denigrated by an ignorant fool.
Without a word, he stepped around Su Muqing, walked directly in front of Blake, and delivered a swift, hard slap across his face without any warning!
"Bang!"
The crisp sound echoed in the air. Blake, caught completely off guard, had no time to react and was struck with considerable force.
His seemingly sturdy body spun a full circle, stars momentarily danced in his vision, and a wave of dizziness washed over him.
Clearly, Blake was unprepared for the power behind Lin Feng's slap.
"Scram!" Lin Feng commanded in a chilling voice after striking Blake. "The Chinese language is not something you two idiots can insult at will. I'll count to three. Get out of my sight immediately, or I won't hesitate to teach you a more thorough lesson."
"Damn yellow monkey! How dare you hit Blake?" Smith roared, raising his hand as if to retaliate or assist his dazed friend.
However, to Lin Feng, Smith's movements appeared not only weak but also incredibly slow.
"Didn't you eat? Is that all the strength you have? In our China, even an old lady can throw a faster punch than that!" Lin Feng scoffed.
"Crack!"
He easily intercepted Smith's clumsy attempt, his own large hand, like a pair of steel pliers, clamping down tightly on Smith's fist.
"Bang!"
With a sudden surge of explosive force, Lin Feng squeezed Smith's palm with crushing intensity.
"Ah!!"
The next second, Smith buckled under Lin Feng's terrifying grip, a primal scream of pain erupting from his throat.
Su Muqing watched in stunned disbelief as Lin Feng's hand vise-like grip tightened on Smith's palm, a sickening cracking sound audible in the air. It was as if the joints in Smith's hand were being dislocated.
Smith's hand was already turning red and swelling rapidly, eerily reminiscent of the scene in Slam Dunk when Sakuragi Hanamichi fought the school thugs and squeezed their hands into something resembling braised pork trotters!
"Ahhh! It hurts! It hurts! Damn it, let go! My hand is already swollen!" Smith howled in agony, while Blake remained utterly useless, still reeling from Lin Feng's unexpected slap, his head swimming and vision blurred.
"Next time, you two pieces of trash, will you dare to insult our Chinese culture again?" Lin Feng's grip remained unyielding, the swelling in Smith's hand unmistakable.
"No... I won't dare anymore! I really won't dare anymore! Please, just let me go!" Smith pleaded, tears welling up in his eyes. He had never encountered such raw, crushing strength in another person's grip. It felt like his hand was caught in a vise.
"Useless! Get out!" Lin Feng punctuated his words with a swift kick to Smith's lower abdomen, sending him stumbling backward.
"And you," Lin Feng turned his menacing gaze to Blake. "Get out of here right now. If I ever hear you insulting Chinese culture or bothering Mu Qing again, I will break both of your legs!"
Lin Feng's sudden ferocity and menacing demeanor visibly terrified Blake and Smith.
Neither man was a skilled fighter, nor did they possess the raw power of a Mike Tyson. Having been decisively dealt with by Lin Feng, they had no choice but to swallow their pride and retreat.
"Go, go!" they stammered, scrambling into their car in shame and speeding away, their tails metaphorically between their legs.
Su Muqing stood a short distance away, her sapphire eyes sparkling with admiration.
This guy is so incredibly handsome, isn't he?
Not only was he a phenomenal basketball player, but he was also fiercely protective and a formidable fighter. It was undeniably thrilling.
"Baby," she said, a look of pure admiration on her face, "I swear, you're looking more and more like Sakuragi Hanamichi! Even your fighting is so cool!"
Lin Feng remained silent, watching as Blake and Smith's car disappeared down the street. Suddenly, a familiar system prompt chimed in his consciousness.
[Bite!]
[The host is detected to be acting realistically as Sakuragi Hanamichi, restoring the character's authenticity, and the similarity is increased by 5%]
[Congratulations to the host for reaching a 55% similarity with Sakuragi Hanamichi. Your ball skills and physical fitness have improved, and you have activated a new skill: Court Overlord]
Lin Feng froze for a moment, a bewildered expression on his face. What the hell?
New skills? Dominating the court?
What in the world does that even do?