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*****
Closing the door, Mike let out a soft sigh.
Maria...
Not everyone can resist that kind of temptation.
Howard really lucked out with a good wife.
As soon as Peggy Carter moved in, Maria followed immediately. This place...
"Wait a second!"
Mike said with a strange expression, "Don't tell me... they moved here just to make playing mahjong more convenient?"
Over the next few days, time proved Mike right.
Originally, their group gambling—uh, playing mahjong—sessions only happened once every few days. But now that they were neighbors, the two women were eager to play three times a day. They even dragged Steve into it.
Poor Captain America...
He probably never imagined that when he finally woke up, the world wouldn't be waiting for him to save it—but that he'd be reduced to a warm-body to fill the table.
Thankfully, Mike had enough self-control not to be blinded by the money he kept winning. He didn't let them rope him into playing every day. Otherwise, at the rate those two were losing, one of them would end up begging on the street and the other would sell off the whole company.
These past few days, Captain Steve's emotional journey had been quite something.
In the end, he had no choice but to take Peggy Carter on a trip, just to keep her away from the mahjong table for a while.
After they left, Maria also stopped coming by for several days due to a lack of playing partners.
Mike finally had some peace and quiet.
But life has a way of stirring things up. If it's not causing you trouble, it's not life.
…
Gwen's School
Noon. Outside the cafeteria.
After about ten days of lunch sales, Gwen had basically become the "Meat Bun Queen" of the school. Her customer count had gone from eight to forty—all limited only because Mike was only supplying forty buns per day.
Luke stood at the cafeteria entrance, watching familiar faces approach. He called out, "Everyone's here? Let's go!"
There were too many people. Since their last incident had drawn the attention of a teacher—and a warning—they had to move their "transactions" to the open space behind the cafeteria.
Leading the group to the spot, they saw Gwen and Peter already waiting. Each of them was holding a large food box. Even though they were freezing, their faces were glowing with excitement.
One hand delivered the goods; the other received the payment.
Gwen read names off the order list. Luke collected the money, and Peter handed out the meat buns.
The three of them worked in sync, quick and practiced.
As soon as someone got their bun, they left without lingering.
In just two or three minutes, they had sold out all of today's supply.
Looking at the cash in her hands, Gwen's eyes sparkled—but then she sighed and said, "It's almost been two weeks since the deal with my dad. I don't want this to end."
"But we've already made a lot of money!" Peter said softly, taking his meat bun with a satisfied smile on his face.
Luke groaned. "Why'd you have to remind me? I still have to turn in a fieldwork report!"
He turned to look at Peter, who was half a head shorter, and muttered, "Man, I envy you. Mike didn't catch you."
"Hehe!"
Peter giggled sheepishly and turned to Gwen. "You have to write one too?"
Gwen shrugged casually. "I already finished mine."
"What? So fast?"
Luke gasped in surprise.
Peter said earnestly, "Gwen's the best in our grade. Finishing it quickly is no surprise."
"Speaking of grades, Peter, you're second, right?"
Luke grinned and slung an arm around Peter's neck. "How about helping me with mine?"
"Luke, don't bully Peter. Do your own work," Gwen said, waving the money in her hand with glee. "Now it's time to split the profits!"
She counted out a few bills and handed them to Peter and Luke. "Cherish this, my friends. Opportunities like this are getting fewer and fewer."
Luke nodded, while Peter grinned happily.
With this cash, he'd saved up dozens of dollars already—enough to buy an Iron Man toy.
Just thinking about it made him happy.
"Yo, looks like you made quite a bit. How about sharing some with us?"
Just then, a group of tall upperclassmen walked over.
The trio's expressions changed immediately. Luke stepped in front of Gwen and said, "What do you want? Robbing people is illegal!"
"Illegal?"
The group chuckled. The leader laughed and said, "How much of a crime could it be, really... classmate?"
As they spoke, the group began to surround them.
Seeing this, Gwen let out a long breath and gave a soft snort. "Luke, get ready to take them down."
"Haha! Take us down?"
The older boys looked at the trio—who were at least a head shorter than them—and burst out laughing with mockery.
Gwen tucked the money into her clothes, took off her down jacket, and handed it to Peter. "Keep this safe."
With that, she bounced in place twice to loosen up. As Luke also removed his bulky coat, the two exchanged a glance—then charged straight at them.
They'd been training in mixed martial arts for a while now. That's where their confidence to fight back came from.
The older students laughed again as they saw this, swinging their fists casually. They didn't take the two little runts seriously at all.
But the moment they clashed, they regretted it.
Gwen and Luke moved fast, with sharp and practiced footwork. Every punch and kick landed cleanly. The older boys were left yelping in pain, flailing around like fools. Still, they had the numbers advantage, so the fight remained fairly even.
Peter watched the chaos, both nervous and amazed. When he saw Gwen knock down a kid who was more than a full head taller than her, he couldn't help but cheer.
"Quick! You two keep them busy—I'll grab the little guy!" shouted the leader, rubbing his sore chest and charging at Peter.
Peter froze, but he wasn't completely clueless. He turned and ran.
But he was too scrawny to outrun his pursuer. After just a few steps, he was caught.
"Hand it over!" the boy shouted, grabbing Peter's arm.
Though clearly frightened, Peter clung tightly to the jacket. "No! It's Gwen's!"
"It's mine now!" the boy snarled, yanking at the coat.
"No!"
Peter screamed. And somehow, his small, thin frame suddenly surged with surprising strength.
"Damn it! Let go!" the boy cursed, yanking harder and slapping Peter across the face.
Peter, who was still in the middle of losing his baby teeth, let out a whimper. A loose tooth flew from his mouth, and blood began to drip from the corner of his lips.
Seeing this, the older boy froze in shock.
Off to the side, Gwen and Luke cried out when they saw what happened.
Gwen shoved aside the person in front of her and ran toward Peter. Luke let out a furious roar—feeling something subtle but strange stir inside him. Fueled by rage, he tackled one of the boys to the ground and began pummeling him with his fists.
(End of Chapter)