“Ryan Smith哥哥, can you hug me again?”

　　Ryan Cooper hesitated for a moment, but in the end did not move.

　　“Ryan Smith哥哥, you are so heartless.”

　　Emily Carter’s tears fell like rain as she turned and ran into the courtyard.

　　Ryan Cooper numbly turned around and walked toward his own home. His heart was filled with boundless bitterness. When a pure feeling becomes tainted, he chose to let go, but he also felt as if he was running away.

　　First love is unforgettable.

　　Unforgettable, because in that innocence there is passion, in that carefree time there is hidden childlike purity, and in that care there is deep sincerity.

　　Unforgettable, because the vows once made still echo in the ears, because the smiles and voices of the past still appear before the eyes, because the mutual understanding of those days has not faded even now.

Chapter Six: Dismal

　　Ryan Cooper’s heart was bitter to the extreme, and he returned to his room like a walking corpse. What happened today was too sudden; he never expected that Lily Smith, who once made vows of eternal love with him, would become fickle. He could not accept this fact. He walked into the kitchen, grabbed a jar of wine, returned to his room, slapped open the seal, and downed the entire jar in one gulp, then lay on the bed and drifted into a hazy sleep.

　　The next day, just as dawn broke, the three brothers of the Carter family ran to Ryan Cooper’s house.

　　“Ryan Smith, wake up, hurry and wake up.” The three shook and jostled him, finally waking Ryan Cooper.

　　Samuel Carter said, “Brother-in-law, stop sleeping. My sister cried all night, and early this morning she packed her things and is getting ready to return to the Wushuang Kingdom.”

　　Ryan Cooper sat up in shock.

　　William Carter said, “Ryan Smith, hurry and go after her, or it’ll be too late.”

　　Ryan Cooper sat dazed on the bed, recalling the words he said to Emily Carter last night.

　　“Lily Smith, you don’t need to blame yourself. Back then we were young and didn’t really understand what love was. Love is not only a promise, but also a responsibility, and it requires two hearts to always be together.

　　……

　　Go back to your Mr. Smith. Although I only glanced at him, I can feel that he truly loves you, and he can bring you happiness. Go, I wish you a long and happy life together.”

　　He lay back down on the bed and slowly closed his eyes. She left just like that, not only because he hurt her heart, but also because she truly had that Mr. Smith in her heart.

　　Andrew Carter called out anxiously, “Ryan Smith, get up quickly, if you don’t get up now it’ll be too late.”

　　The three of them pulled him up from the bed.

　　Ryan Cooper said angrily, “Let go of me. What does her business have to do with me? I’ve already cut all ties with her; from now on, we have nothing to do with each other.”

　　The three were stunned, looking at him as if he were a stranger.

　　“Brother-in-law, do you really not like my sister anymore?”

　　“She already has someone else in her heart.”

　　“But last night, she clearly told the three of us that you don’t like her anymore.”

　　“I want a complete love. If a love has already been split in two, or has been tainted, it’s better not to have it. If it continues, it will become a twisted romance, ending in endless pain. Rather than that, it’s better to end it early.”

　　The Carter brothers fell silent.

　　“You three came at just the right time. We didn’t get to fight yesterday, so let’s continue today, in my backyard.”

　　Ryan Cooper dragged the three of them to the backyard.

　　The Carter brothers didn’t use any fancy moves or strong inner power. Just like when they were kids, the three of them charged at Ryan Cooper together, wrestling with him using brute force.

　　“Ping ping pang pang”

　　The courtyard was filled with the sounds of their scuffle.

　　Half an hour later, all four of them were lying on the ground, their faces bruised and swollen.

　　After a while, Ryan Cooper staggered to his feet, looked at the three of them with their swollen faces, laughed twice, then burst into tears, and finally fell silent, turning to walk back into the house.

　　The three looked at each other in silence, then turned and left.

　　In the days that followed, Ryan Cooper seemed to truly become obsessed with martial arts, spending all day learning from his father. Of course, it was all just basic martial arts moves.

　　In recent years, as Ryan Cooper grew older, his body became stronger and stronger. He used to only go looking for his hooligan friends for a fight every ten days or so, mainly because after each fight, the hooligans needed “a few days to recover.” Now, he would go looking for a fight every two or three days, and the hooligans complained endlessly.

　　In addition, because of the incident with Emily Carter, Jason Carter specially allowed the three William Carter brothers to take turns, one each week, to accompany Ryan Cooper in a fight to help him vent.

　　Ryan Cooper was numbing himself. Every time he dragged his battered body home, it was as if the wounds in his heart had healed a little.

　　Finally, after getting drunk one time, he was carried by a group of hooligan friends into a brothel. In a daze, he felt someone undressing him. He slapped out with his hand—“pa!”—and hit the other person’s face.

　　“Ah!”

　　A startled cry.

　　Ryan Cooper opened his eyes and saw a seductive young woman. “Who are you?”

　　“I am Rose Smith.”

　　“Where is this?”

　　“This is the Lichun Courtyard.”

　　“What? This is a brothel?”