Chapter 27: Teach Me a Lesson? Are You Serious?
Rhodes was a skilled driver. Fortunately, his place wasn’t too far from the university. He sped down the road, and in less than twenty minutes, he arrived at the campus.
As he looked out the car window, a tall, chimney-like building came into view, its historical presence unmistakable.
The University of Texas, Austin.
Established in 1883, it was one of the world’s most prestigious public research universities and one of the top “Public Ivies” in the U.S. It consistently ranked among the top 100 universities globally.
For his predecessor to have been admitted here, he must have had excellent grades. Unfortunately, Rhodes hadn’t inherited much of his academic memory. After all, twenty years of life experiences were an enormous mental database. Fully digesting them could take months or even years.
So, when Rhodes took over the body, he only extracted memories he thought were useful. As for the academic knowledge, he absorbed only a fraction, probably equivalent to a high school level understanding at best.
The American university system didn’t strictly follow a fixed schedule. It was credit-based. As long as you complete the required credits, you can graduate in as little as three years, and others in five.
Rhodes was in his third year and was soon to graduate. Graduation meant stepping into society and starting a brand-new chapter of life. His ex-girlfriend Emma had broken up with him precisely because of that. He was an orphan with no background or status. She was the daughter of a wealthy business-owning family. Faced with looming social pressures, most women in the U.S. would choose the latter. That was just reality.
“Hey, look who it is!”
“Our school clown, Rhodes! Took three days off to cry about his girlfriend leaving him!”
“The coward finally dared to show up for his daily humiliation!”
A wave of mocking laughter rang out. Rhodes narrowed his eyes and turned to face the voice. A tall white guy with freckles was looking at him provocatively.
“So what if you bought a car? You still couldn’t hold onto your girl, loser.”
“Bet that slut of yours is blowing someone else right now.”
As Rhodes met his gaze, the guy thrust his hips forward in a lewd motion, hands resting on his crotch. Around them, some familiar classmates and others total strangers turned to watch with amused smirks.
Rhodes took in the scene calmly.
The crowd wasn’t here to help, only to spectate. Just like people in his homeland enjoyed a good drama, these Americans weren’t any different. No one wanted to stand up for him. They’d rather align themselves with the aggressor to enjoy the show.
The U.S. might boast of its civility, but deep down, it was a jungle. A society that revered strength and looked down on weakness, just like now. He hadn’t done anything to provoke these bullies. Yet they targeted him for one reason only: he was weak.
The body’s former owner had been a quiet, introverted guy with few friends and no real social ties. To kids in their rebellious phase, eager to assert dominance or vent frustration, he was the perfect target: lonely, passive, and physically weak. Someone who couldn’t resist, couldn’t fight back. An easy victim. Maybe race had something to do with it, too. But ultimately, it came down to one thing: weakness.
If he had been powerful, regardless of skin color, who would dare to mock him? In this world, being weak is the original sin.
“How pathetic.” Rhodes chuckled; his tone tinged with sarcasm. A
true strong man didn’t prove himself by bullying those weaker than him. That wasn’t strength. That was cowardice disguised as power.
What was the point of swaggering in front of someone who couldn’t fight back?
At the end of the day, these people weren’t strong; they were just loud.
“You laughing at me?”
The white guy’s smile faltered. This wasn’t the reaction he expected.
He thought Rhodes would break down in tears over his girlfriend and become even more of a laughingstock. But Rhodes’ calm and mocking smile had completely caught him off guard. That smile felt like a blade slicing through his facade and stabbing straight into his ego, exposing his cowardice under the sun.
“You already forgot the lesson I gave you three days ago? Looks like I need to jog your memory today… remind you that there are worse things than heartbreak!”
Fury boiled in his head as the guy stormed toward the car, ready to “teach Rhodes a lesson.”
“Teach me?” Rhodes raised a brow, smiling coolly. His voice held a calm amusement.
“Well then, go ahead.”
He opened the door and stepped out of the vehicle. A towering shadow loomed over the white guy like a nightmare. Whatever rage he had just felt vanished instantly. Rhodes stood there, his muscular body radiating an oppressive aura, like a small giant.
The bully gulped, visibly nervous. His instincts screamed at him, danger. Even his friends in the background froze.
Was this still the same Rhodes? The guy they used to bully without consequence? The timid loser who never fought back?
What they felt now wasn’t just intimidation; it was primal fear. Standing in front of them was no longer a victim. It felt more like… A starving grizzly bear, ready to devour.