The Mighty Mage-Chapter 393: Thugs

Luo Meng hesitated when he saw Gu Jin’s cold eyes. He gulped but still stood his ground.

"I didn’t mean it like that," he said quickly.

"I just think... maybe you should stop thinking about the past and move on."

Gu Jin crossed her arms.

"And who are you to tell me what I should do?"

Luo Meng scratched his head, looking nervous.

"I’m just saying... If you keep holding onto your past, you’ll never be happy."

Long Yifan, who was standing nearby, clenched his fists.

He wanted to punch Luo Meng. Who was he to tell Gu Jin how to live her life?

Gu Jin let out a cold laugh.

"Luo Meng, you really think you understand me? You don’t know anything about my past."

Luo Meng flinched but still tried to keep his dominant act.

"I just want to help you. I care about you, Jin."

Gu Jin’s eyes turned even colder. "If you really cared, you wouldn’t try to control me."

Luo Meng opened his mouth to say something, but then he saw the look in Gu Jin’s eyes and decided against it. He sighed and stepped back. "Fine. I won’t bother you anymore."

Long Yifan smirked.

Just as Luo Meng walked away, Long Yifan took a deep breath and walked up to Gu Jin. "Are you okay?"

Gu Jin looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Why do you care?"

Long Yifan smiled a little. "Because I want to."

Gu Jin stared at him for a moment, then sighed. "I don’t need anyone’s help."

Long Yifan nodded. "I know. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be here."

Gu Jin rolled her eyes and left.

Luo Meng’s words hurt Gu Jin so much that she decided to ignore him for the next few days.

Luo Meng panicked and went to Yan Zhou.

"You said as long as I provoke her, she would feel challenged and listen to my words."

Yan Zhou scratched his head, looking a little guilty.

"Well... that was the plan," he muttered. "But maybe you were too harsh?"

Luo Meng groaned and sat down on the bench. "Now she won’t even look at me!"

Yan Zhou patted his shoulder. "Don’t worry, just give her some time. Maybe she’ll cool down."

Luo Meng wasn’t convinced. "What if she never talks to me again?"

Yan Zhou thought for a moment and then grinned. "Then you need a new plan!"

Luo Meng perked up. "What kind of plan?"

Yan Zhou smirked. "Something that will make her notice you again. If provoking her didn’t work, then maybe... you should try impressing her."

Luo Meng frowned. "How?"

Yan Zhou crossed his arms and thought hard.

"Maybe you should show her how strong you are. Women like strong guys, right?"

Luo Meng’s eyes brightened. "That’s true!"

At that moment, Long Yifan was walking past and overheard their conversation. His lips curled into a smirk.

"Trying to impress Gu Jin now?" he asked, leaning against a tree.

Luo Meng stiffened. "That’s none of your business."

Long Yifan chuckled. "Just don’t embarrass yourself again. You already made her mad once."

Luo Meng glared at him. "I’ll prove to her that I’m better than you."

Long Yifan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I’d like to see you try."

With that, he walked away, leaving Luo Meng even more determined.

"How should I show her that I am strong and worthy of her?"

"Save her from some thugs or assassins." Yan Zhou suggested.

"Ah? But she can deal with them on her own and how will I know when a thug or assassin will..." Toward the end, an idea appeared in Luo Meng’s mind and he stood up,

"I have remembered some work. See you later."

With that, he left. Yan Zhou smirked knowingly.

....................

The next day, Luo Meng took a deep breath and walked up to Gu Jin. She was standing alone near the training field, looking at the sky as if deep in thought.

"Gu Jin," Luo Meng called.

Gu Jin turned to look at him, her expression unreadable. "What?"

Luo Meng scratched the back of his head, looking nervous.

"I... I want to apologize for what I said before. I shouldn’t have tried to tell you what to do. I was just worried about you."

Gu Jin crossed her arms. "So now you understand?"

Luo Meng nodded. "Yes. And to make it up to you, let me take you to a movie."

Gu Jin frowned. "I don’t think so. I have things to do."

Luo Meng pouted. "Come on, just one movie. You need a break. It’ll be fun."

Gu Jin sighed. "No."

Luo Meng didn’t give up.

"Please? Just one time? I promise I won’t annoy you anymore if you don’t enjoy it."

Gu Jin stared at him for a moment before finally giving in. "Fine. But only this once."

Luo Meng grinned. "Great! After military training, we’ll go."

After the training session ended, Luo Meng and Gu Jin walked to the movie theater together.

The streets were busy, filled with people heading home or going out for the evening.

Just as they turned into a quieter alleyway shortcut, a group of thugs appeared in front of them.

There were five of them, and each one had a dangerous aura.

Gu Jin’s eyes narrowed. She could tell right away—they were all Super Rank.

One of the thugs smirked.

"Well, well, what do we have here? A little couple out on a date?"

Luo Meng immediately stepped in front of Gu Jin, his body tense.

"Stay behind me, Jin. I’ll handle this."

Gu Jin raised an eyebrow. "You? Are you sure?"

Luo Meng smirked, trying to act confident. "Of course. Just watch."

The leader of the thugs laughed. "Oh? A tough guy? Let’s see how tough you really are."

Without warning, the thug charged at Luo Meng. But Luo Meng was ready. He raised his hands, and flames burst from his palms. The fire roared to life, surrounding him in a fiery aura.

"Blazing Strike!" Luo Meng shouted, launching a stream of fire toward the thugs.

The flames shot forward, forcing the thugs to dodge. One of them wasn’t fast enough and got hit, rolling on the ground in pain.

"Not bad," the leader sneered, "but that won’t be enough!"

Three thugs rushed toward Luo Meng at the same time.

Luo Meng gritted his teeth and summoned more fire. He swung his arm, creating a wall of flames to block their attack.

One thug jumped through the fire, ignoring the burns, and threw a punch. Luo Meng barely dodged but was forced back a few steps. He wiped sweat from his forehead. This wasn’t going to be easy.

"I have to end this quickly," he thought.

Summoning all his energy, Luo Meng gathered fire in both hands. "Inferno Burst!"

A massive explosion of fire erupted, blasting the thugs backward. They groaned in pain, struggling to stand.

The leader scowled. "Tch. This guy’s stronger than we thought. Retreat!"

The thugs quickly disappeared into the shadows.

Luo Meng let out a breath of relief and turned to Gu Jin. "See? Told you I’d handle it."

Gu Jin looked at him for a long moment before smirking. "Not bad."

Luo Meng smiled and led her to the movie location.

Gu Jin couldn’t help but mutter, "Did this guy hire the thugs and put on a show for me?"

Shaking her head she called Luo Meng ’childish’.

As the movie played, Luo Meng kept sneaking glances at Gu Jin, trying to see if she was impressed. Every time there was an action scene, he would lean closer and whisper, "See? That move looks like my Inferno Burst!"

Gu Jin sighed, rubbing her temple.

"Luo Meng, can you just watch the movie?"

Luo Meng pouted.

"I was just saying... I could probably do it better."

From behind them, Long Yifan chuckled softly, making Gu Jin turn around.

Her eyes widened when she saw him sitting a few rows back, arms crossed, clearly enjoying the show—not the movie, but Luo Meng’s antics.

Gu Jin narrowed her eyes. "Why are you here?"

Long Yifan smirked. "Coincidence." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Luo Meng frowned. "Yeah, right! You’re stalking us, aren’t you?"

Long Yifan raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I waste my time stalking you? I just happen to like movies."

Gu Jin sighed again. She wasn’t in the mood for their childish rivalry. She turned back to the screen, trying to focus, but the movie was so boring that she found herself barely paying attention.

Halfway through, Luo Meng suddenly leaned in and whispered, "Gu Jin, if you get scared, you can hold my hand."

Gu Jin turned to him with a blank face. "It’s a comedy."

Luo Meng blinked. "Oh... right. But still, if you—"

Before he could finish, Gu Jin flicked his forehead. "Just watch the movie.

Luo Meng yelped and rubbed his forehead, pouting. Long Yifan who was sitting behind them, felt sour in his heart. If only Gu Jin flicked him on his head...he would have...