Chapter 5 Friend
"Really thank you for your help, sir." Gwen thanked Yang Le while supporting Peter.
"Thank you." Peter gently freed himself from Gwen's support and, holding his Glasses with a broken leg, thanked Yang Le. He didn't care about his own injuries, but he would feel incredibly guilty if Gwen got hurt because of him.
"Sir? That's too formal." Yang Le stood up from the three Larrys who were piled on top of each other, serving as a makeshift seat.
"I'm only eighteen. How old are you two? Sorry, I've never been good at guessing the age of white people."
"Fifteen. Peter and I are both fifteen. Sorry, I didn't realize you were only three years older than us. After all, I'm not very good at guessing the age of Asian people either."
Gwen retorted to Yang Le using his own words. Yang Le didn't mind; he found this girl interesting, a bit assertive, and even cute. Talking to her was fun.
"Yang Le, Chinese. Nice to meet you." Yang Le extended his hand to introduce himself.
"Gwen, Gwen Stacy." Seeing him extend his hand, Gwen didn't hesitate. She reached out, gave a polite handshake, and then withdrew her hand.
Yang Le heard Gwen's Name, raised his eyebrows. Gwen Stacy, that Name was truly thunderous. Anyone who read American comics should know it. Then the timid boy next to her must be…
"Peter, Peter Parker. Thank you again for your help." Peter shook hands with Yang Le a bit awkwardly. Peter wanted to be more enthusiastic, but he was afraid of annoying Yang Le, so he just gave a quick handshake and let go.
'Wow! I was wrong earlier. *This* is what you call a household Meme.' Yang Le felt thunder in his chest but kept a calm face. Spider-Man was his favorite American comic Hero. His current mood was like a fan meeting their idol, incredibly excited.
However, Peter didn't seem to have been bitten by a spider yet. Yang Le could tell from their handshake – he was too thin and weak, with very slender wrists. There was no Strength at all.
To get more Message, Yang Le decided to become Friends with Peter and Gwen.
Yang Le was wondering how to start a conversation when he noticed Peter's broken Glasses.
"Your Glasses are broken?" Yang Le asked, feigning ignorance.
"Yes, I fell earlier, and I think they broke then." Because the arm of his Glasses was broken, Peter had to hold them in place. He was severely nearsighted and couldn't see anything clearly without Glasses.
"Just go Home and tell your family to get a new pair." Peter's smile was a bit forced. His Home wasn't wealthy, and this kind of unexpected expense made him uncomfortable.
Gwen looked at Peter worriedly. She knew about the Parker family's financial situation and was considering going Home to ask her dad to help pay for the Glasses.
"Then come with me." Yang Le said and started walking towards the Alley entrance.
"Excuse me, where are we going?" Gwen Inquired.
"To get your buddy here a new pair of Glasses."
"This, this isn't right. Sir, you don't need to pay for me." Peter said nervously, watching Yang Le who was almost at the Alley entrance.
Yang Le reached the Alley entrance and realized neither of them had followed. He turned his Head back to Peter, feeling helpless.
"Sigh~" Yang Le sighed, then turned around and walked back to where the three Larrys were lying on the ground.
Larry and his Friends had actually woken up a while ago, but they were pretending to be asleep because they were afraid Yang Le would hit them again.
Larry, who had been pretending to be asleep with his eyes closed, heard footsteps approaching. When they stopped, he felt a sharp pain in his scalp as his Head was yanked upwards.
Yang Le looked at Larry, who was still pretending to be asleep, and slapped him hard across the face.
"Big bro, let's talk this out! Let's talk this out!" Larry, no longer pretending to be asleep after the slap, begged for mercy.
"Listen up, kid. Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy are my Friends now. If you ever bother them again, I'll be back for you." Yang Le said, punctuating each sentence with a slap to Larry's face.
"I understand! I'll never appear in Peter's or their sight again! Please spare me! Waaah!" Larry was crying, his face swollen, begging for mercy. His two cronies didn't even dare to lift their Heads, pretending to be dead and praying Yang Le would forget about them.
"Mr. Yang Le, it's okay, let him go." Peter said, unable to bear seeing Larry crying.
Gwen also wanted to stop it, but Peter had been the victim for so long. Gwen felt it wasn't her place to forgive Larry on Peter's behalf, so she remained silent.
Hearing Peter plead for mercy, Yang Le finally let go of Larry's hair.
"You should be grateful Peter pleaded for you. Otherwise, hmph!" With that, Yang Le ignored Larry, who was wiping away tears, and stood up to face Peter.
"Let's go. We're Friends now, and Friends should help each other, right?"
"But…"
"No buts. I just helped you deal with those bullies. If we get you a new pair of Glasses, you can go Home and pretend you just fell off your bike. That way, your family won't worry. Is there a better outcome than that?"
Yang Le's words struck a chord with Peter. The money for the Glasses wasn't the main issue; it was that he didn't want Uncle Ben and Aunt May to worry.
Seeing Peter still hesitating, Yang Le walked up, took Peter's hand, and started to lead him away.
"Come on, instead of overthinking it, let's just do it. At worst, consider it a loan from me, and you can pay me back later."
"Then… it's a deal. I'll save up to pay you back."
Peter had initially wanted to protest, but Yang Le's words convinced him. He repeatedly emphasized that Yang Le was only lending him the money and that he would definitely pay it back.
"Hey, have you two forgotten about me?" Gwen, watching the two reach an agreement, picked up her bag and followed them.
"Sorry, Gwen. It's just that Mr. Yang Le is holding my hand." Peter explained. Yang Le's Strength was too much for him to resist.
"Calling me 'sir' all the time is too formal, Peter. What did I do to make you so disrespectful to me, my Friend?" Yang Le said, sounding displeased.
"Oh no! 'Godfather' is way too old-fashioned. Young people these days don't get those Memes, old man." Gwen interjected before Peter could say anything.
Gwen knew Peter was actually quite witty once he warmed up. He could roll with anything you threw at him. But Peter and Yang Le weren't familiar yet, and Peter would probably make things awkward with someone he didn't know well. So, Gwen jumped in to answer for him.
"Oh, you have to understand. This is the trendiest foreign Meme an old-fashioned Chinese guy like me can think of, trendy girl."
"Oh! Please! 'Trendy girl' is also outdated."
Peter stared blankly at the two bantering back and forth so smoothly, feeling like *he* was the newcomer who had just met them today.
(End of Chapter)