Colin got into a fighting stance ready to punch Alex, who no longer felt so confident. He now knew that he couldn't beat his opponent in a fair fight. He stepped back and, as he planned, Colin did not hesitate to step forward. Alex took the opportunity and hit him hard in the chest.
The only reason that Alex was able to hit him was that Colin's arrogance was causing him to become complacent. He thought very little of his opponent and wanted to finish the matter quickly with one impressive blow. But suddenly Alex punched him again. He felt embarrassed and went into a rage.
"Bastard," Colin shouted without thinking. Onlookers were taken aback. At Richmond, he had always been the perfect image of a modest gentleman. No one had ever witnessed him losing his temper, or resorting to vulgar language.
He regained his composure and stood in a Taekwondo stance. Keeping his eyes fixed on Alex, he edged closer to him. Aware that he was a martial arts expert, Alex knew that he had to be careful as he stepped slowly back.
"Ah," Colin shouted when he was two yards away from Alex. He stood on the toe of his left foot and raised his right foot high in the air in front of Alex's head.
He was about to kick him in the face when he suddenly felt his foot being lifted, causing his whole body to fall backward.
Alex had predicted what was about to happen and had acted quickly. As Colin's foot was still rising, he had taken a step forward and grabbed it, straightened up at the waist, and thrown his opponent backward.
Fortunately, Colin was solid on his feet and managed to hop back without falling down. From ten yards away, he rushed at Alex, jumped up, and aimed to kick him hard in the chest. It was a Taekwondo flying kick and was Colin's specialty. This maneuver had scored him many points when he competed in the youth games. Often, it had been enough to finish his opponents.
He was planning to kick Alex in the head hard enough to give him a concussion or crack his skull. However, Alex had anticipated his attack. As he was still flying through the air, Alex managed to kneel and slip under him, avoiding the kick. Colin was astonished. Even more so when Alex kicked him from below. Colin lost his balance and fell to the ground. After several rolls, he stopped.
What he didn't know was that Alex had also had some combat training. He had been taught how to protect himself with a knife and had spent many hours practicing throwing a knife at moving targets. As a result, he developed excellent observation and anticipation skills.
Although Colin's attack was skillful, he had started from too great a distance, which gave Alex time to predict what he was doing. In anticipation of the attack, his body had moved reflexively before his mind had even processed what he had seen. He had not only managed to dodge the attack but had also used Colin's momentum against him.
"Colin," cried out one of his supporters.
"Are you okay, Colin?" another asked.
"Quickly, someone help Colin up," ordered another.
Many people gathered around him and helped him up. Leona also walked over to him quickly to check whether he was hurt.
"I
"I'm okay," he told them all. "I was just distracted for a moment." Although he had been beaten, he refused to admit that Alex was a better fighter than him.
"Colin, can I be the dancer in your program now?" Alex asked proudly. Colin had said that he would be qualified to be a dancer if he could knock him down.
"What? You still want to be a dancer? Just get lost," Colin replied angrily. "Colin, would you like me to call someone from the sports department to help you beat this boy?" one of Colin's friends asked.
As other people glared at Alex, he noticed that Leona was also looking at him with disdain. He was puzzled and hurt by her expression.
Colin looked at Alex coldly and said to the director, "Let him be a dancer in our program." Then Leona helped him walk off the stage.
He certainly didn't want Alex to stay, but he acknowledged that he had made that deal with him and he would look small if he tried to renege on it in front of Leona.
The audience was almost all friends of Colin, and they felt nothing but contempt for Alex. They thought that he had been disrespectful. The director particularly despised him and yelled at him to get off the stage.
Alex tried to remain calm. He quietly went backstage and found a chair to sit down and take a few deep breaths.
Colin was also sitting on a chair backstage. Leona was standing next to him, asking him whether he was in any pain and applying ointment to his injuries.
When Alex saw this, his blood boiled. He had also been wounded in the fight, but Leona was only worried about Colin. Not only that, but she was fussing over him and treating his wounds.
Alex sat in his chair and waited for a long time. Even when Colin left, she did not go over and check on him. Alex couldn't believe that he had made so much effort to become the dancer for her show.
The next day was Tuesday, and there was no class in the afternoon. Alex was supposed to go to the auditorium to practice, but the rehearsal was canceled because of Colin's injuries.
This left Alex with nothing to do, and he was lying on his bed bored when he received a call from Phillipa. She invited him to accompany her to the city. He had nothing else to do, so he agreed.
At the school gate, Alex saw Phillipa waiting for him. She was dressed in jeans and looked very energetic. She told him, "I want you to go to the Olympic Park with me. I'm going to sign up to be a volunteer."
"A volunteer?" Alex asked curiously.
"Yes, the Washington, D.C. Olympic Games are starting soon. I saw on their official website that they're recruiting volunteers who can speak foreign languages. It's a great way to earn some extra money, and it will be a wonderful experience. Volunteers also get certificates, which will look great on our resumes. It's a fantastic opportunity," Phillipa told him. She came from a modest family, and she knew that she would have to work hard to secure herself a good career.
"That sounds like a great idea. I'm happy to go with you." Alex smiled and hailed a cab to take them to the Olympic Park.
When they arrived, they quickly found the place for volunteers to sign up. It was in a large indoor gymnasium in the park, and there were already at least a hundred people waiting in line. There was a row of tables in the hall, where applicants were waiting to register. As Alex went to find the bathroom, Phillipa joined one of the lines.
After a moment, she heard someone calling her, "Phillipa, over here." She recognized that it was Myriam's voice and turned around. When she saw Myriam, she went and sat next to her.
Since the incident in the Ruby Hotel, the two of them had not had any contact. Myriam had been feeling too embarrassed to contact Phillipa, and Phillipa didn't want to make Myriam feel worse.
"I saw that you came here with Alex. Are you with him now?" Myriam had also come to sign up to volunteer, but she did it because she thought it might give her the chance to meet rich young men from exotic countries. She had spotted Phillipa and Alex as they arrived, but because of what happened at the hotel, she had been hiding from Alex and didn't want him to see her.
When she saw him head to the bathroom, she took the opportunity to speak with Phillipa.
That day in the Ruby Hotel, she had seen Ken and a mysterious lady helping Alex. She wanted to know who they were and what their relationship was with him. She suspected that maybe there was more to him than he let everyone think.
Over the last few days, Myriam had been thinking about it a great deal. She had found a lot of information about Ken on the internet and knew that he was a powerful man, and she was convinced that the lady was someone even more powerful. They had both gone out of their way to help Alex. She was desperate to know his true identity.
"You've got it all wrong. I just asked him to come with me to sign up. We're just friends," Phillipa explained.
"I thought he was studying in New York. Why are you friends with him?" Myriam asked. "He's switched to Richmond. He told me the woman who helped him in the Ruby Hotel that day also helped him switch universities.," Phillipa said.
"Okay, I wanted to ask you about that. Do you know what the relationship is between Alex and Ken and that woman from the hotel? Is Alex really just a poor student, or is he hiding something from us?" She was desperate to know what was really going on.
"Forget it. You're reading too much into it. Alex told me that Ken and the woman only helped him because they met him when they bought two pancakes from his stall and felt sorry for him. When they saw him at the hotel, they decided to help him. Alex is nothing special," Phillipa said.
"Really? Can Alex get in touch with Ken? What's more, did Ken give him any money? Someone in Ken's position could be very generous," Myriam asked.
Phillipa shook her head and said, "No, they just met him by chance. How do you know so much about Ken? And why are you asking about their relationship with Alex? You're thinking too much about it."
"So, Alex really is a loser?" Myriam confirmed. Hearing that Alex was not as she had imagined, she didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed.
Phillipa took her hand and said, "Myriam, don't say that. He's my friend. Besides, there's no reason for the two of you to hate each other. When he comes back, can you please make up with him?"
"Make up with him? Phillipa, it's easy for you to say, but remember, you left first that day. Do you know what a mess I was in by the end? I had to eat with my hands and drink soup on the floor. It ran down my chin and all over my clothes. Even my hair was dirty, and my whole body smelled of rice. Lester Yates called me a loser in front of everyone and kicked
me out. I felt so humiliated that day. And who did all that to me? It was all Alex's fault. I hate him so much. I will never be friends with him," Myriam said emotionally. Her face was scarlet, and her eyes were wet with tears.