Chapter 135: Brawl

"Boss, take me with you. I promise I won't cause you any trouble." Davis and Qiu Fengyu were sitting opposite each other in the living room, pulling out every oath and promise they could think of, but Qiu Fengyu couldn't even be bothered to lift an eyelid to look at him.

Right beside Qiu Fengyu lay an invitation card. There were actually two invitation cards: one was physical, just like the one next to Qiu Fengyu, and the other was electronic. Only by obtaining the electronic card could one pass through the electronic security gates at the end of the red carpet and the entrance of the theater.

The reason for this was to prevent unauthorized individuals from slipping into the theater and carrying out a terrorist attack. Therefore, security measures were relatively strict. When the time came, Qiu Fengyu would only need to bring that electronic card.

"Sorry, buddy, this isn't some sightseeing trip. It's a major event, and I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to handle it," Qiu Fengyu said, shaking his head. "Forget it, Davis. I'll get you some photos—live photos, maybe even videos. Or tell me which celebrity you like, and I'll get you an autograph, how about that?"

"No, you can't do this..." Davis said with a bitter expression. "You can't just go to Los Angeles all by yourself. What's the deal with leaving us behind? Don't you want your companions anymore? I'm your brother."

"What, do you want to link arms with me on the red carpet?" Qiu Fengyu couldn't help but widen his eyes in disbelief. "Damn it, just imagine what kind of scene that would be! I can't possibly bring a male date. Remember the photo on Ryoko's phone? Are you gay? Oh my god!" Qiu Fengyu slapped his forehead dramatically.

A dark cloud instantly gathered over Davis's face. That was true—if he were a woman, it would be one thing, but with Ryoko's photo as background evidence, wouldn't that just cement the damning fact that he was indeed gay?

He sat in a daze, speechless for a long time. After thinking it over, he said to Qiu Fengyu in deep frustration, "Fine. I admit what you're saying is true, and I really do want to see what it's like. Since I can't go, at least let me look at your invitation card. It's very exquisite."

Qiu Fengyu shrugged and said indifferently, "Suit yourself! Alright, I need to pack. I have to leave early tomorrow morning. Also... I've prepared some dumplings. If you guys are going to keep the diner open, you'll be in charge. Just boil them through; the people in town aren't very picky anyway, even with your cooking."

"Leave it to me," Davis nodded firmly.

"Once you're done looking at it, leave it right here. I'm going upstairs to pack my things," Qiu Fengyu said as he stood up and walked toward the stairs.

"Don't worry, everything will be just fine!" Davis called out loudly to Qiu Fengyu's retreating figure.

After Tim came home from school, he felt quite envious too. But envy aside, he had school and simply couldn't go. Ryoko Yonekura also knew about the matter; nothing could be kept from her. As long as she still had Davis's flirtatious photos in her possession, she would always know whatever she wanted to know.

However, Ryoko Yonekura didn't care at all, displaying her usual indifference. This fit her rather aloof personality. All in all, none of them could go with Qiu Fengyu.

The next day, Qiu Fengyu had Davis drive him away. Because in California, he had always assumed he couldn't drive yet—he didn't have a California driver's license and had to take California's written test before he could exchange it for a local one and drive within the state. The fact that driver's licenses weren't interchangeable between certain states was truly a bit of a headache.

When they arrived at the bus station in Pecos and he had bought his ticket with a credit card, just as he was about to board the bus, Davis smiled at him and said, "Actually... Boss, if you're only staying in California for a short while, there's really no need to exchange your license..."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Qiu Fengyu slapped him on the head and turned to board the bus. Driving or not driving didn't really matter; the main point was being able to attend the premiere. Qiu Fengyu genuinely wanted to experience such a star-studded, grand affair.

Once on board, there were still plenty of empty seats, with only a dozen or so people scattered throughout the entire carriage, making it look rather sparse. Qiu Fengyu casually chose a window seat so he could enjoy the scenery along the way. To be honest, the scenery in Texas was quite monotonous, but the small towns along the route possessed a unique charm of their own.

"Hey there, buddy, how's it going?" A young Black man wearing a small round hat, sitting across the aisle, blinked at Qiu Fengyu. "Are you Chinese?"

Qiu Fengyu glanced at him and nodded. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"No, I just wanted to say hello. You boarded at Pecos—where are you headed?" The young Black man looked at Qiu Fengyu with curiosity. "It's rare to see a Chinese person traveling alone by bus. You're the first one I've seen."

"Is that so strange?" Qiu Fengyu shrugged. "I'm usually on my own, though this is my first time taking a Greyhound."

"Why didn't you drive yourself? You Chinese people are usually pretty well off," the young Black man continued chatting with Qiu Fengyu. "I've seen plenty of wealthy Chinese folks—they're generous, drive luxury cars, and live in huge mansions..."

"I'm not. I'm just a poor guy!" Qiu Fengyu glanced sideways at him. "What is it you're actually trying to say?"

"Martin Carter," the Black youth simply got up, moved over to Qiu Fengyu's side, sat down next to him, and extended his hand. "You can call me Martin. To be honest, long-distance travel is just too boring. I want to make friends, but... you know, our white friends are so reserved. They always seem to be on their guard around a Black guy like me."

"So you decided to make friends with an Asian person instead?" Qiu Fengyu smiled as he looked at him. "Should that count as racial discrimination too?"

"No, no, no, man, I don't have anything like that in mind at all. I just purely want to find a friend during this long trip, nothing more." Martin Carter looked at Qiu Fengyu, his hand still outstretched. "Shake on it? That way we'll be friends. I live in the small town of Nogales, Arizona. It's right on the border with Mexico. To be honest, I hate that damn place. Mexicans are crawling all over the place like lice on a cow."

"You don't like Mexicans?" Qiu Fengyu glanced at him.

"Yeah, they're stingy. And a lot of them come over and make a living by stealing and robbing. Heaven knows why we have to be neighbors with them," Martin Carter complained bitterly at the mention of it. "That's why I ran away. Damn Mexicans—they make me not even want to go home."

"Hey... ni**er, did you just say Mexicans are damned?" Suddenly, a voice rang out from the back row. A tall, bulky figure stood up and glared angrily at Martin Carter.

"I said it, I'm the one who said it. Damn Mexicans, so what?" Martin Carter shouted back, refusing to show any weakness. "If you happen to be a damn Mexican yourself, then shut your mouth and stop asking for trouble, pal."

"Damn ni**er, I'll make you shut your mouth. I'll make sure you learn to keep it shut!" The tall Mexican strode toward Martin Carter. Compared to Martin, this guy was indeed much taller and sturdier, making Martin look quite frail by comparison. Yet, Martin still stood his ground.

"Stay out of this, man, this is between him and me!" Martin Carter turned his head to glance at Qiu Fengyu and said.

"Don't worry, buddy, I promise I won't interfere. I'll just sit right here and watch the show!" Qiu Fengyu said with a grin, folding his arms and striking the pose of a curious spectator.

"Alright, alright, then... come on, how do you want to settle this?" Martin Carter stood up, facing the Mexican. Obviously, he wasn't feeling quite as righteous anymore.

*Thud.* A dull, heavy sound echoed.

Martin Carter's upper body jerked backward, and he stumbled several steps before landing squarely on his rear. He quickly scrambled back up, wiped his nose, and immediately found his hand smeared with blood. Instantly, rage took over.

"You're dead, man, you're dead." With that, he charged straight toward the Mexican.

*Thud.* Another dull thud rang out, and Martin Carter hit the floor once more. At this point, gasps and loud shouts erupted inside the carriage. Passengers nearby, terrified of getting caught in the crossfire, hurriedly scrambled toward the front.

The bus pulled over to the side of the road and came to a stop. The driver, a middle-aged white man with a stout build, left his seat and roared at the top of his lungs facing the Mexican and Martin Carter, "Damn assholes! If you don't stop right now, I'll throw both of your asses off my bus, you hear me? Damn ni**er and Mexican pigs."

"Hey, what did you just say?" Hearing this, the Mexican raised his head and glared furiously at the driver. "Say that one more time, and I'll give you something to look at."

"Damn Mexican pig... get the hell off my bus," the chubby driver continued to bellow loudly.

This provocation set the Mexican off once again. Stepping past Martin Carter, he charged straight toward the white driver. Because the driver's area and the passenger seating were not partitioned off in this bus, the Mexican easily reached the chubby driver and delivered a punch.

It was a hook to the driver's face, instantly filling his mouth with blood. Struggling, the driver reached out to press the emergency alarm on the dashboard, but the Mexican grabbed him, dragged him out into the central aisle, and delivered a swift kick that doubled the driver over so hard he curled up like a shrimp.

"I told you, you'd regret it. You shouldn't have insulted Mexicans. Now you need to apologize—apologize for your low-class, racist remarks!" the Mexican roared at the chubby driver.

"I'm sorry..." Having suffered enough, the chubby driver quickly apologized.

"I didn't hear that clearly. Louder, so everyone on the bus can hear!" the Mexican shouted again. "If I can't hear you, I'll beat you until you can shout it out loud. Hurry up!"

"I'm sorry, it was my fault... God, let me go!" The chubby driver was practically pleading.

"Hey, man, you're going too far. Even if he said things he shouldn't have, you shouldn't beat him like this!" Martin Carter's mouth got the better of him once again, marching straight toward self-destruction. "Come on, fight me! I'm not afraid of you, you damn Mexican!" *(To be continued.)*