Chapter 5
Barry lay on the floor, clutching his aching chest as he watched Alex's cold, indifferent back disappear through the front door. The bright morning sunlight made the scene feel even more painful.
He coughed harshly, his face flushed red, repeatedly patting his chest to clear his airway. After taking a deep, ragged breath, he finally recovered. Seeing Alex's figure vanish completely from sight, Barry's eyes dimmed with sadness.
He hadn't expected that after so much time, his old friend still couldn't let go of the past.
"Barry, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Aunt Mary asked worriedly. Only now did she realize Alex hadn't used lethal force. She quickly helped Barry sit up, gently rubbing his back to soothe his breathing, then pulled him to his feet. She brushed the dust off his clothes, sending clouds of it flying into the air.
"How could Alex do something like that?" Aunt Mary said with a pained expression. She remembered how close Barry and Alex had been as children. It broke her heart to see them like this now.
Bert walked over and saw that Barry was able to stand on his own. His face was just red from coughing, and after catching his breath, he seemed fine. Bert finally relaxed.
He knew Alex's strength all too well — he had personally witnessed Alex kill men with a single punch more than once.
Although Barry looked a bit pathetic right now, he hadn't suffered any broken bones. His clothes were dirty and he was a little disheveled, but it was clear Alex had held back. He had only wanted to humiliate Barry.
"Barry, you shouldn't have come," Bert sighed, looking at him.
He understood Barry's guilt and his strong desire to rebuild their friendship. But he also knew Alex's stubborn personality — forgiveness wouldn't come easily.
Barry forced a sunny smile onto his slightly gloomy face. "I'm fine, Bert. Alex and I are still good friends!"
"That didn't look like something good friends do for fun," Bert replied dryly.
"Alex is really… how could he do that!" Aunt Mary grumbled unhappily. After brushing most of the dust off Barry, she went to the bathroom, wet a towel, and gently wiped his face. She also helped straighten his wrinkled jacket.
"Barry, I think you should consider whether Alex actually wants to kill you," Bert said helplessly. "From what I know, all three of your previous girlfriends ended up in his arms."
"What? Alex stole three of Barry's girlfriends?!" Aunt Mary exclaimed in shock. She had never known about Alex's school days beyond the fact that he was very popular. The idea that her Alex had taken Barry's girlfriends left her stunned.
"No, Bert, Aunt Mary — you've misunderstood," Barry said awkwardly. "They… they were just using me as a joke. Alex was actually teaching them a lesson for me."
This was exactly why Barry still considered Alex his good friend. Whenever it really mattered, Alex had always stepped in to solve his problems.
"Bert, Aunt Mary, please don't worry. It's just a joke between Alex and me. We're still good friends," Barry said, shaking off the gloom and flashing his bright, sunny smile again. "You don't know the whole story.
"Once, my girlfriend Cindy and I were kidnapped by a gang. Alex didn't hesitate — he charged in alone, fought the gang without fear, and rescued me."
"I know deep down that Alex still sees me as a friend."
That's what true brotherhood is! Barry thought. I won't let Alex down either!
Every time he imagined working together with Alex at the Central City Police Department, overcoming difficulties and protecting the city, Barry's mood lifted. He felt full of hope for the future.
Bert was speechless. He continued, "Barry, I know about that incident… but didn't your girlfriend break up with you afterward and then start pursuing Alex?"
"Don't you think the reason you're still single is that every time Alex 'saves' you at a critical moment, your girlfriends end up leaving you for him?"
"No, Bert, you're wrong," Barry replied earnestly. "If they can find someone better, I'm happy for them. It just means I wasn't good enough. Alex really is a very charming man."
Bert looked at Barry with an expression of strange pity. He had nothing left to say.
If he were young and a guy like Alex kept stealing his girlfriends right in front of him, he would have pulled out his gun and shot the bastard without hesitation.
Barry's painfully upright and forgiving worldview was probably exactly why Alex wanted to beat him up.
"Alright then, Barry. I'm glad Alex has a friend like you," Bert finally said, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.
"Bert, Aunt Mary, I should get going. I still need to file a report at the station."
With that, Barry left the house under Bert and Aunt Mary's goodbyes. He headed toward the Central City Police Department, planning to take the bus to work.
Bert watched Barry disappear down the street. He felt both glad and amused that Alex had such a friend, yet he also couldn't help but feel a headache coming on because of Alex's difficult personality.
Ah, well… young people have their own way of doing things.
He shook his head and pushed the thought aside.
Aunt Mary closed the door and walked back into the house with Bert. She sighed worriedly, "I don't know what's wrong with Alex. He doesn't get along with Anna either, and now even with a good kid like Barry. It's really troublesome."
Anna was Aunt Mary's daughter — the youngest biology and genetics PhD from Central City University. She had been specially recruited into the important S.T.A.R. Labs branch in Central City during her junior year and was now the Deputy Director of the Genetics Department.
Her relationship with Alex was extremely tense — they were like fire and water. They could barely speak two sentences to each other. Years ago, Anna had even pulled out a gun in anger and shot at Alex.
The two of them avoided each other like the plague and showed zero sibling affection.
"Forget it. Let the young people deal with their own headaches," Bert said. "We should quickly clean out the garage so Anna has a place to park her car. She refuses to put her vehicle in the same garage as Alex's."
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