“Stop this madness!” she cried out. “Brock, do you realize who this is?” Fueled by anger, Brock Avila looked ready to fight Alex relentlessly.

“It doesn’t matter who they are. I’m going through with this today…”

“Don’t you see? This is the famous Neal! You’re the one who’s always watching his streams. How can you fight him now?” she screamed, trying to pierce his anger with her words.

Suddenly, Brock’s aggressive expression softened, his anger fading as her words sank in.

The rage in his eyes melted into a puzzled look. He glanced at the girl, bewildered, and stammered, “What did you say?”

Out of patience, she thumped him on the chest. “Open your eyes! It’s Neal, the one you idolize!”

At that, Brock turned to Neal, his eyes opening wide with shock.

And there he was—the real Neal!

Stunned into silence, Brock’s hostility melted away as he stammered, “Oh, this… I… I’m really sorry.”

Trying to smooth things over, he explained to the girl, “I thought a pretty boy was bothering you. I had no idea it was Neal. Please forgive me.”

The girl, still visibly angry, jabbed him in the chest twice more.

Brock awkwardly stepped toward Neal, his movements hesitant. “Neal, I’m really sorry. I got carried away. How about you hit me back to even things out?”

The force of the punch had left Neal’s face feeling numb, making it hard for him to even speak.

Dumbfounded, he realized the mix-up; his assailant was actually a fan. With an apologetic grin, the girl quickly said, “I should have cleared things up sooner. He just reacted without thinking.”

Brock was visibly remorseful, nodding continuously as he apologized and bowed deeply.

But Neal dismissed the apology with a wave of his hand, not wanting to hold any resentment towards a fan.

“In that case, let me at least pay for your meal tonight as an apology,” Brock suggested. “Hey, waiter, can we get some extra dishes over here?”

Sloane quickly said, “Really, there’s no need for more food; we’re quite full already. It would just go to waste.”

Given Brock’s sincere apologies and the fact that Alex had already retaliated, everything seemed squared away.

Rubbing the back of his neck in slight embarrassment, Brock asked, “We didn’t exactly meet on the best terms, Neal, but could I perhaps add you as a friend in the game like your other fans?”

With a light laugh, Neal accepted the cracked phone from Gifford and began to navigate the game app.

Despite its cracked screen, the phone was still working.

Seeing the condition of his phone, Brock’s cheeks flushed deeper. “Neal, I owe you a new phone for this mess.”

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