Chapter 399: Chapter 296: The Past (Part 2)
"Yves? We all call him Underpants. Yeah, I know him. I’ve known him since we were kids. Everyone in our little town knows him."
As he spoke, a hint of nostalgia appeared in Cook’s eyes, as if recalling the days he and Yves used to play together as children.
But then, as if remembering something, his gaze swept over Feng Mountain, and a fawning expression appeared on his face.
"Boss, does Yves work for you? I can tell you’re a big shot from your private jet. No one in Baird can afford a private jet. Hell, no one in all of Donglan County can afford one."
As Cook spoke, his mind started racing. ’If I could work for a big shot like Feng Mountain,’ he thought, ’I’d never have to worry about money again.’
"Interested in hiring me? I have a G-Class license, I’ve competed in the Camaro Mustang Challenge, and I’m a licensed jockey who’s raced in Listed-level competitions."
Feng Mountain gave a weary smile, pulled out a US Dollar bill, and held it out to Cook, hoping to stop the young cowboy’s rambling. He wasn’t in the mood to hear Cook’s sales pitch; all he could think about was Yves.
"Look, pal, I don’t have any race cars or racehorses. Let’s get back to talking about Yves, alright?"
When the young cowboy Cook saw the portrait of President Ulysses Grant on the bill, his eyes lit up.
He let out a sharp whistle in an instant, his hand moving as fast as lightning to snatch the bill, his face unable to hide his delight.
"No problem, Boss. I’ll tell you anything you want to know. I even know how long Underpants’ first date with his first girlfriend lasted."
Cook thumped his chest, making a solemn promise. He looked so confident, as if there was nothing in the world he didn’t know.
"I don’t need that. Just tell me what happened to Yves after he was discharged from the army. And keep it simple."
Feng Mountain waved his hand, cutting Cook off. He had no interest in hearing irrelevant gossip; he was most concerned about what Yves had gone through after his discharge.
Cook quickly and carefully stuffed the bill into his pocket. The fawning smile returned to his face as he nodded repeatedly.
"Okay, no problem. I’ll be sure to tell you everything."
"Where to start... okay. After Underpants got out of the damn army, his mental state was never very good. Valerie was fooling around all the time, constantly cursing Fiona and calling her a burden. Even though Fiona isn’t Yves’s biological daughter, Yves never cared about that."
"My God, you have no idea how inspirational Yves was back in the day here in Baird Town. He was our idol. Not only was he top of his class, but he was also incredibly self-disciplined. Back then, Teacher Mary said Yves could definitely get into an Ivy League University."
"Wait, what did you just say? The daughter isn’t Yves’s biological daughter?" Hearing this, Feng Mountain shot upright, his eyes locked on Cook. His face was a mask of shock. He never imagined Yves’s family situation was so complicated.
Seeing his reaction, Cook just shrugged nonchalantly, a ’what’s the big deal’ expression on his face.
"That’s right. You didn’t know?
"Yves, Valerie, and Black Eye were all classmates. Valerie was the school beauty, and she was really close with Black Eye. Later, Valerie got pregnant, and Black Eye dropped out and skipped town for some reason. Yves gave up his chance to go to college, and then he and Valerie got married. Right after that, Fiona was born."
"Later on, to support his family, Yves joined the army."
"He was gone for eight years. When he came back, things seemed okay at first, but everyone knew that was just for show."
"In reality, Valerie started messing around with Black Eye again and even got hooked on drugs. In a fit of rage, Yves crippled Black Eye by breaking both his legs, and then he took off on his own."
"He said he left home because of war-related trauma?" Feng Mountain narrowed his eyes, his brow furrowed slightly. The story Yves had given him was completely different from what Cook was telling him now. ’It seems this is even more complicated than I thought.’
"That’s right. War-related trauma was definitely part of it. When Yves first came back, his mental state was terrible. He had to use alcohol to numb himself every day, and sometimes when he was drunk, he’d get into fights. But he was always very good to Valerie and Fiona. It’s just that later..."
At this, Cook’s expression became troubled, as if what came next was difficult to say.
Seeing this, Feng Mountain pulled another bill from his pocket—a 50 US Dollar one this time—and handed it over.
Cook’s eyes lit up at the sight of the money. He quickly took it and continued.
"Hey, this is just what I heard from other people... but one day, Yves came home drunk, and as soon as he walked in, he saw Black Eye and Valerie messing around. And after they got high, they were even going to go after Fiona."
"Yves just snapped. He grabbed a baseball bat and broke both of Black Eye’s legs. Then he dragged him to Hangman’s Bar, put a gun to Black Eye’s head, and was going to kill him."
"Valerie was there, trying to pull him away, and Yves wasn’t paying attention. The gun went off by accident. Luckily, it didn’t hit Black Eye, but the whole thing had a huge impact on Fiona."
After recounting these stories about Yves’s past, Cook sat in the driver’s seat, quietly waiting for Feng Mountain to ask more questions. ’If he asks a few more things,’ he calculated, ’I can make a little more money.’
But to his surprise, after hearing all this, Feng Mountain’s face instantly darkened. He cursed, "Fack," then violently threw open the car door and rushed out, running in Yves’s direction.
At the same time, Nash and Director Roland jumped out of the car and ran after him.
Cook was completely baffled by this sudden turn of events. Confused, he turned and looked out through the windshield.
What he saw made his head spin.
He saw Yves surrounded by several men. They all looked vicious, and one of them was holding a gun, gesturing with it at Yves.
"Shit, Fack!"
Seeing this, Cook didn’t hesitate. He immediately pushed his door open and jumped out of the car.
However, he had only taken a couple of steps before he seemed to remember something and turned back, running to the car.
He bent down and fumbled around under the driver’s seat.
When he pulled out a handgun, his eyes filled with determination. He spun around and sprinted in Yves’s direction.
When Feng Mountain got there, he saw Yves holding a little girl in his arms.
The little girl had beautiful, wavy golden hair that shimmered like sunlit satin. Her face was as adorable as an Angel’s, with delicate features that would make anyone’s heart ache with affection.
She looked to be about ten years old, but her face was pale and her frame was thin and frail. She was clearly malnourished, a heartbreaking sight to see.
"Underpants, put Fiona down, then get the hell out of Baird."
A skinny man covered in all sorts of Demon tattoos yelled at the top of his lungs. One of his arms was wrapped around a blonde woman who was wearing heavy makeup, her eyes dazed and unfocused. She didn’t look right.
Beside the skinny man, two other men were each holding a handgun, their muzzles aimed right at Yves.
Behind Yves, two more men stood guard, blocking his escape route.
Feng Mountain could tell at a glance that these guys were bad news. They all had a capital "Z" tattooed on their shoulders, which probably meant they belonged to some gang.
"Yves, what’s going on?" Feng Mountain asked, slowing his pace as he cautiously approached. He slipped one hand inside his jacket, his fingers already touching the grip of his gun, ready to draw it in an instant.
Hearing Feng Mountain, the tattooed man turned his head. He gave Feng Mountain a disdainful look, then let his gaze linger for a moment on Nash, whose face was covered in tattoos, his eyes full of scrutiny and wariness.
But when his eyes moved to Director Roland, he dismissed him completely, probably figuring he wasn’t a threat.
"Hey, yellow monkey, Indian, this has nothing to do with you. Get lost."
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