NOVEL NEXT Chapter 29: Chapter 29
It wasn't about self-discipline—Lip had been holding it in for so long he felt like he might explode.
He quickly rushed to the bathroom, releasing the swelling pressure with great relief. The sensation was indescribably satisfying.
After finishing, Lip stepped out of the bathroom, but something felt off. Even so, he returned to his room.
Checking his phone, it read seven o'clock.
Logically, shouldn't Ian be competing with him for the bathroom at this time?
Why was there no sign of him today?
Suddenly, Lip realized something and hurried to get dressed.
"Lip, why are you up so early?" Karen asked drowsily, her eyes barely open.
"Go back to sleep, baby. I've got something to do."
"All right."
Karen closed her eyes and dozed off again.
After dressing, Lip rushed to his old small room.
Sure enough, Ian wasn't there, and the baseball bat usually kept behind the door was also gone.
Now Lip was certain—Ian had gone to the Milkovich house to see Mandy, just as Lip had suspected.
He couldn't ignore this and had to check on Ian. Lip quickly dashed out.
"How long has Ian been gone?" Lip wondered as he ran. "And why haven't I seen anyone yet?"
Uncertainty about the situation made Lip pick up his pace.
"Shouldn't Mickey have beaten me up first, and Ian gone to find Mandy after? What's going on?" Lip was puzzled.
Finally, he reached the street where the Milkovich house was located. From a distance, he saw Ian crouching behind a black trash can, holding a baseball bat.
"This kid…" Lip panted, out of breath.
What normally took over ten minutes to walk had taken him under three minutes to run.
Lip quietly crept up behind Ian and patted him on the back.
Startled, Ian swung the bat reflexively.
"Hey, it's me!" Lip exclaimed.
"Jesus, Lip! You scared me."
"Do you have a death wish? What if the Milkovich family catches you?"
"Mickey's been hunting me down like crazy. He even threatened to make me a eunuch."
"So, what's your plan?"
"Wait for Mickey to come out and give him a good smack!"
Lip looked at Ian in shock. This kid's ruthless—to his future husband, no less.
"And what about his brothers?"
"They'll probably kill me."
Without a word, Lip picked up a nearby brick.
"Then we fight together!"
"This is my problem, not yours."
"What's going on?"
"Remember when Mandy hit you?"
"Of course."
"The next day, Mickey came to school and cornered me, accusing me of sleeping with Mandy and threatening to kill me."
"So, you're here to strike first?"
"Exactly."
"Ian, do you trust me?"
"Of course."
"Then let me handle this, okay?"
"Hmm… okay."
Lip and Ian reached an agreement.
The morning sun lit up the Milkovich house.
The door opened, and Mandy stepped out, her shapely legs catching the light.
"Ian, stay here and wait for me," Lip instructed.
"Got it."
Lip dropped the brick and ran toward Mandy.
"Hi, Mandy!"
"Who the hell are you? Do I know you?"
"Mandy, remember the incident in front of the Gallagher house two nights ago?"
"Oh, I remember. You're the jerk who blocked my way!"
"Jerk? You bumped into me while I was heading home!"
"Heading home?"
"My name's Philip Gallagher—I'm Ian's brother."
"So, what do you want?"
"I want to talk about Ian."
"Nope, not interested. You and your impotent brother can stay out of my life!" Mandy snapped. "Ian Gallagher is dead to me!"
She turned to leave, clearly unwilling to talk.
"Mandy, I think you misunderstood. Ian's not impotent—he's gay."
"What?"
"I said Ian's gay. He likes guys."
"Are you two messing with me?"
Mandy stopped, her interest piqued.
"I wish I didn't have to admit it, but I caught him reading a gay magazine recently."
"Seriously?"
"If you don't believe me, I'll call Ian over, and you can see for yourself."
"Fine. Bring him here."
Lip turned and motioned for Ian to come over.
Ian jogged over in seconds.
"Ian, are you gay?" Mandy asked directly.
"Yes," Ian replied bluntly.
"Great. Let's all have a chat," Mandy said, leading the way.
Ian followed, but Lip stood frozen.
Just now, Lip had used his At a Glance ability to check Mandy's core attributes.
What he saw left him utterly stunned.
Mandy's stats were unbelievable!
[Name: Mandy Milkovich]
[Level: Golden Legend!!!]
[Keywords: Little Taimei (White Tiger Mythical Beast)]
[Loyalty: 0]
[Current Status: Factory New]
[Pregnancy Progress: 0]
[Reward Instructions: 1. Unlock Super Family Genealogy Interface; 2. Be a Good Wife and Mother.]
[Super Family Genealogy Interface: Enables free selection of family members. The patriarch can adjust members' attributes at will.]
[Good Wife and Mother: Grants monthly living expenses based on the number of family members; family unity +20%.]
"Holy crap! I struck gold!" Lip thought, overjoyed.
Mandy's attributes were out of this world!
A golden legend paired with the white tiger beast? Lip felt like the luckiest man alive.
"Lip, why aren't you moving?" Ian asked, noticing Lip was frozen in place.
"Oh, sorry."
Lip snapped out of it and followed them to the wasteland behind the house.