Chris, who was next to me, and his girlfriend were dumbfounded.
It was obvious that they could not figure out why these two men were suddenly treating me with fear and respect.
I was worried my identity would be revealed if this continued, so I said to Shar Pei, “Give yourself twenty slaps, and we’ll consider this even.”
“No problem, no problem.” A look of wild delight appeared on his face.
It was obvious he had not expected me to punish him with only twenty slaps.
He began slapping himself with great vigor.
Every slap he gave himself was hard as if he was worried it would not be enough to appease me.
His cheek began to swell tremendously after a few slaps.
I had already lost all interest in humiliating him at this point. I turned to Lorne. “Hey, you. What’s your name?”
“Lorne. Just call me Lorne.” Lorne rubbed his hands together and approached me in a friendly manner.
He was nothing like a boss right now, acting more like a lapdog eager to please his master.
“Alright, Lorne. Remember my buddy’s face. If he ever gets bullied around school, I’ll hold you responsible.”
“No problem, no problem. I’ll make sure he’s well looked after,” Lorne guaranteed while patting his chest.
“Alright. I have matters to attend to. I’ll be leaving now.”
With that, I left the suite along with Chris and his girlfriend.
…
I sent Vincent a short message after leaving the suite to inform him that things had already been handled and that he could call his men off.
“Freddie, what exactly happened just now? Why were those two so afraid of you? They were even calling you Young Master Lang,” Chris asked me a bunch of rapid-fire questions.
His girlfriend looked curiously at me too.
“Haha, just look at how you were trying your best to hold it in. You’ve been dying to ask me all that, haven’t you?”
“That’s right. I was full of questions back in the suite. I’ve finally gotten my chance to ask you now, so hurry up and tell me what exactly is going on!” Chris was red in the face trying to hold back his curiosity.
“Actually, it’s a pretty simple explanation. I’m with Lindy Lowry now.”
“Lindy Lowry?”
“That’s right. She’s the boss of that restaurant, Sicily. She’s quite powerful locally, and I’m her benefactor, which is why it doesn’t matter who someone else might be—they’ll have to show me some respect.”
I was not hiding the truth from Chris on purpose.
I was just worried that our friendship would be affected if he found out I had a vast fortune. I had no choice but to use Lindy as my cover.
Anyway, if Lindy had been able to open such a high-end restaurant, it meant that she did have some power locally.
Just as I expected, Chris believed my words. “That explains it. I was wondering how a rascal like you was brazen enough to act with such arrogance. So, it’s because you were hiding behind her power. To be honest, you’re pretty lucky.”
“Hehe, of course. And you’re pretty lucky yourself.” I laughed as I looked at him.
“What do you mean?” Chris was puzzled.
“Well, Lindy works at Stamen Group, doesn’t she? I asked for her help to get you a job there, and she agreed. You can begin interning at Stamen Group anytime.”
“Fuck, are you for real?” Chris’ eyes widened with a look of disbelief on his face.
“Of course I am. Why would I joke about something like that?”
“How incredible is she? I heard that Stamen Group forbids people from getting in via connections.”
“It wasn’t as easy as you think. I begged for quite a long time before she quite reluctantly agreed. You owe me big, buddy.”
“Bro, you’re a real bro.” Chris jumped about excitedly.
“Alright, I’ve said whatever I have to. Seize the moment, and go celebrate your girlfriend’s birthday.”
“Okay.”
With that, Chris pulled his girlfriend into his arms and said goodbye.
When I turned away, I suddenly remembered something and called out to him to come over to me alone.
“Take these.”
I pushed a few wads of cash into his hands. “It’s Natasha’s birthday, so you should bring her to a nice restaurant and go to a high-end hotel. Stop going to those messy, unhygienic motels.”
I knew Chris’ quality of life had fallen drastically all these years because of me.
Now that I was rich, it was time to repay him.
Chris shook his head. “Nope, this won’t do. You’ve helped me enough. How could I take your money?”
“Stop it. When was I ever reluctant to accept your help every time you reached out to me? If we’re really buddies, you’ll take this money.”
Chris no longer rejected me when he heard my words. He gave me a grateful look and stuffed the money into his pocket. “Fine. I’ll get going now.”
“Have fun.”
Chris left with his girlfriend after saying goodbye to me.
I stood where I was and watched them walk further and further away. I felt happy.
This was the happiness some described as ‘giving someone a rose with a lingering fragrance’!
I realized that this happiness contained much more joy than using money to humiliate someone.
…
I strode away only after Chris’ figure completely disappeared. I headed to my rented home outside of school.
I had just walked a few steps when a girl stopped me with some trepidation. “Mister, we’ve just started sales for our properties. Would you be interested to have a look?”
“I’m sorry, I’m busy.” I waved her away and continued walking.
However, the girl chased after me. “Mister, our properties are pretty excellent. We have multi-story modern housing, townhouses, and single villas. They’re of high value at a good price.”
Why was this person so annoying?
I was a little impatient from being harassed by her and was about to reject her again.
However, I suddenly noticed under that girl’s baseball cap was a pretty face that I had been dreaming about for quite some time.
No, to be exact, it was a face I had been actively searching for to no avail.
It was a memory from my first year of university.
I had been working three part-time jobs outside of school to put together enough money for my second semester that year.
I had been unable to take the stress of working so many physically demanding jobs.
That was why I ended up passing out by the roadside.
Coincidentally, it had been raining heavily that day.
I had had a high fever that would not subside, and I was on the brink of death.
However, everyone who passed by me that day had thought I was a homeless man, and no one was willing to help me.
Luckily for me, I met a kind girl. She carried me to the hospital on her back and helped me pay the expensive hospital bills.
I was fortunate enough to still be alive because of her.
I wanted to thank her after I was discharged from the hospital.
However, she seemed to disappear without a trace, and I had never seen her since.
I had been looking for her all these years.
I never expected her to appear right in front of me this way, especially after inheriting billions in fortune.
“Mister, if it’s inconvenient for you, that’s fine.” She thought I was unwilling when she saw me keeping silent.
“No, no, I’m willing to have a look.”
I lifted my head to look at her. I found that she had changed a lot in the last two years.
She was prettier and taller. The only thing that had not changed was the kind smile on her face. It made me feel very comfortable around her.
She led me into the majestic sales hall.
After leading me to a table, she left to prepare some drinks for me.
It was not long before she was back with a steaming cup of coffee.
“Mister, have a taste. I grounded the coffee beans fresh myself! It’s really good.”
“Alright.”
I answered her and was about to ask her about the villa.
At that moment, I heard the sound of high heels clicking on the floor.
The next second, an expression as chilly as a fridge appeared in front of my eyes. “Yvette Sullivan, what’s wrong with you? Didn’t I tell you to get us some clients? Why are you sneaking around and drinking coffee here?”
Oh, her name was Yvette Sullivan.
I silently took note of her beautiful name.
“No, it’s not like that, Ma’am.” Yvette stood up anxiously after getting berated by her manager.
“I prepared this coffee for the client, not for me.”
She pointed at me.
“Client?”
The female manager darted a cold look at me in my seat before giving me a look of disdain. “How many times have I told you that not everyone is worthy of being our client?! Yet here you are making him coffee. Do you think he deserves it? He’s obviously a poor student who stays nearby and is looking for some free food and drinks.”
“Ma’am, it’s not like that. I think…”
“What do you think?” The manager interrupted her angrily.
“The money for the coffee will be deducted from your salary. Also, Mr. Campbell will be coming over soon. Go freshen up. We have to get some sales from him this time.”
“A-alright.” Yvette was obviously unwilling, but with her manager intimidating her, she had no choice but to agree.
Her manager was about to leave after she finished berating her.
I called out to her suddenly. “Wait.”
“What do you want?” The manager frowned impatiently.
“I’d like to ask. What sort of people are considered your clients?”
“People who can afford a house, of course.” The manager kept her explanation brief, as if saying anything more would be considered a waste of breath.
“People who can afford a house? In that case, I’m a client.”
With that, I took out a Stamen Bank’s ultimate black credit card and slammed it on the table.