[Chapter 116]
A young man dressed in a suit and leather shoes opened the door and walked in.
Well dressed, he looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.
As soon as he came in, George and his wife immediately stood up as a gesture of respect.
“Yuvin, what did Charles say about this?”
The man standing in front of him was Charles Zeller’s secretary. He was also the son of George’s wife’s distant cousin.
They were somehow connected in some way, where he was also a distant cousin of Alice.
George intended to ask for Yuvin’s help in creating a path for him so he could depend on Charles’ connections. At the very least, he didn’t want his company to go bankrupt, just like that.
Yuvin shook his head and smiled wryly.
“I’m sorry, Uncle. Charles came to this restaurant just now, so I thought he would come down. However, it seems he’s busy entertaining a very important guest here. It means he’s really indisposed at this moment. I told you not to wait for him here.”
“I know Charles is not going to come down, but Yuvin, can we at least go up and give him a toast and express our feelings?” George bitterly pleaded.
He knew it was very impolite.
However, Charles’ connections were his last resort, and without them, he would really have no other way out.
Having offended an influential family in Mayberry City, they were basically done for.
George was also in a rut himself.
“Yes, cousin Yuvin. If you are to help, help our family, then!”
Although Alice had always been an icy, arrogant person, she had no choice but to beg for Yuvin’s help this time.
Yuvin sighed. “As your nephew, Uncle and Auntie, I understand your feelings very well,” he said. “However, what you’re asking is impossible; perhaps I’ll help you if there’s a future opportunity?”
And that was what he said.
If this matter were not resolved today, there would be no future at all anyway.
George quickly came to a realization.
It wasn’t that Charles was busy. He simply refused to help them.
After all, it would be too much of a hassle since this was the Rye family they were talking about.
Thus, their last glimmer of hope was diminished.
Everyone had grim expressions on their faces.
“The boundless horizon is my love. The flowers bloom at the foot of the mountain range. What rhythm has the most swing? Which song is the happiest one?”
It was then that Gerald’s ringtone played the song ‘Coolest Ethnic.’
Ahh!
Since when did he turn that into his ringtone?
How could this be?
Thanks to the sudden tune, the atmosphere in the room became very awkward.
The corners of George’s mouth twitched a little.
Alice, Jacelyn, and the others all stared at Gerald in disgust.
“Oh my god. How could such a person exist? How pathetic!” Jacelyn roared unceremoniously.
At that moment, Gerald had already answered the call.
It came from an unknown number.
“Hello?”
“Is this Mr. Crawford?”
The voice of a middle-aged man came over the other end of the line.
Gerald could guess that it was Wesley as soon as he heard the voice.
Wesley Harrison from the Bureau of Commerce!
“It’s me!”
“I know it’s a little presumptuous of me to call you. It is like this, Mr. Crawford, we’ve already gathered the leaders from different regions to discuss some issues of the company’s land and several entertainment centers that you’ve invested in. I’d like to take the liberty of asking if you have any spare time? We do hope you can make a trip here in person!” said Wesley with a smile.
“Oh, oh, yes!”
Gerald decided that he’d go over and take a look since he was almost done eating anyway.
“That’s great, Mr. Crawford! We’ll be meeting at the Majestic Phoenix Restaurant now. Where are you? I’ll arrange for a driver to go pick you up.”
“Huh? The Majestic Phoenix Restaurant? It happens that I am at the Majestic Phoenix Restaurant now too!”
[Chapter 117]
”You’re dining at the Majestic Phoenix Restaurant too? That’s great, Mr. Crawford! I’ll come over, and we can toast to a glass of wine!”
Cough. Cough.
If anyone were to make a toast, it should have been Gerald. No matter what it was, Wesley was still his senior, after all.
But since Mr. Harrison had invited him, he should just come over anyway so they could enjoy a drink together.
How could he not give face to Mr. Harrison? He even gave his room number to Mr. Harrison.
It was no big deal. At most, he would simply invest more in the future.
Gerald hung up the phone.
George and everyone else was still staring contemptuously at Gerald.
“That’s unexpected! A person of this sort could have friends in the Majestic Phoenix Restaurant?!”
“Yeah. How pretentious!”
The girls sneered.
Now, Gerald’s status in their hearts had significantly plummeted. Yes. Gerald was either a low profile second-generation heir or someone who had won the lottery of their hearts before this.
He was really very wealthy.
They could have garnered heaps of benefits from him.
At this time, however, Gerald was nothing more than a playboy. He was loved when he had money, of course, but what would happen when his lovers got sick and tired of him?
What would he be then?
As a result, everyone had a surprisingly consistent attitude toward him.
Then, the door to the room suddenly opened.
A large number of people were outside. About twenty to thirty middle-aged and elderly all dressed in suits and leather shoes, had gathered outside.
They all stood outside the door with wine glasses in hand.
George was left dumbfounded.
Even Alice and everyone else became extremely nervous.
What was happening?
“Zeller…Charles Zeller?”
“This…this…this…Mr. Harrison?”
“Chairman Myers, Chairman Lloyd, why are you guys here?”
George trembled as he spoke.
Amongst the twenty-odd people who were standing in front of him, which one of them wasn’t an influential figure of Mayberry City?
Even Wesley Harrison from the Bureau of Commerce was here.
Also, Charles Zeller, the most influential and powerful figure in George’s eyes, was here, standing amongst the crowd, laughing with a glass of wine in his hand.
Could they have all gathered here for me?
George was in a hazy, dreamlike state.
“Sit down, please have a seat!” George and his wife exclaimed in excitement.
“You’re too polite. We are just here to make a toast, and we’ll be leaving after that!”
Wesley bowed slightly as a gesture of respect towards George.
This respect, however, was actually not for George, but it was because of Gerald.
Wesley held a wine glass in his hand. Amid the room’s exciting atmosphere, Wesley stood before Gerald, followed by the large group behind him.
“Raise your glasses to a toast for Mr. Crawford!”
After that, he finished the glass of wine.
“Mr. Crawford, a toast from us to you!”
Standing behind Wesley were investors for this project, and many of them were officials from the Bureau of Commerce.
Gerald was also speechless.
He initially thought that Wesley would come here on his own, even thinking of asking him to help with Alice’s matter.
Gerald would never have expected so many people to come at once.
Not wanting to be impolite, he hurriedly finished his glass as a reply.
The scene left George dumbfounded as well.
Alice had stiffened up, seeming startled and shocked.
Jacelyn’s mouth was opened so wide that an egg could easily fit inside.
Of course, they had initially thought he was nothing but a playboy.
But whatever their impression on him was, even the renowned Wesley Harrison from the Bureau of Commerce was present.
Moreover, they all addressed him as Mr. Crawford.
What did this indicate?
Gerald couldn’t simply be a rich playboy! After all, Wesley was one of Mayberry City’s most prominent and influential!
[Chapter 118]
”Mr. Crawford, when your banquet is over, please, come up and join us to discuss the issues I mentioned earlier.”
Wesley then warmly shook hands with Gerald.
When the young man waved his hands, he couldn’t help but wonder how many companies would rise overnight in Mayberry City.
Mayberry City’s economy had already improved significantly.
It was all because Gerald signed his name a few times.
He was a young man of such power and stature, yet, never one to be pretentious or showy, from the very beginning to the end. He remained polite to everyone around him.
Rare! This was really rare!
After he was done talking, Wesley left the room with everyone else.
The room was all but dead silent at this time. Nobody spoke a word, all looking toward Gerald with open mouths.
George and his wife thought to themselves.
They had initially thought that Charles was the greatest man around, albeit a little arrogant.
However, now, it seemed the really powerful person turned out to be this young man standing in front of them!
“Gerald, what did they call you? Did they just address you as Mr. Crawford?”
Jacelyn swallowed hard.
Alice looked at Gerald in shock as well.
“It is just a title!” Gerald replied with a slight smile.
He really didn’t want to appear to be pretentious or ostentatious. Seeing how things had turned out, Gerald could not help but feel a little embarrassed.
“Could Gerald be the Mr. Crawford from the Mayberry Commercial Street?”
“Mr. Crawford? The Mr. Crawford from Mayberry Commercial Street? It seems it’s the only reason Mr. Harrison has been so respectful toward him, right?” “Impossible. How could this be? How could Gerald possibly be so rich?”
Everyone continued speculating, but Jacelyn, on the other hand, was simply in utter disbelief.
If this was indeed the truth, she really wanted to die!
“Thank you for your hospitality, Uncle and Auntie Bradford. This incident occurred thanks to the birthday party of my good brother’s girlfriend. Allow me to deal with it on your behalf. Please excuse me. I’ll be retiring to my room upstairs.”
From the way he had been stared at, Gerald would have been very uncomfortable if he stayed any longer.
So he took this opportunity to slip away.
Gerald neither confirmed or denied anything when they asked if he was Mr. Crawford from the Mayberry Commercial Street.
After leaving the room, Gerald called Zack, asking him to come forward as a mediator to deal with the matter.
Zack quickly followed suit.
“Alice, could you have been mistaken? Didn’t you say he was a player?” George asked with a hint of regret.
If he had known this was the truth, he wouldn’t have mocked and satirized him.
Earlier, when Wesley bowed a little to George, he was so excited that he almost peed his pants!
Alice Muttered to herself. “Impossible! There has to be something hidden behind all this. How could Gerald possibly be the Mr. Crawford from Mayberry Commercial Street? To make matters worse, we even offended the Rye family this time. How could Gerald have possibly settled this with one word?!”
Undoubtedly, the knowledge of this matter had taken a tremendous toll on whoever was listening.
Then, George’s cell phone suddenly rang.
He was surprised when he saw the number.
“It’s me. It’s me. Hello? Okay! Okay! Okay! Huh? What did you say? …that’s great! Thank you. Thank you so much!”
George hung up in excitement.
Everyone looked at him.
“Alice, this time, we have really met a very noble person. Seriously! Gerald… no, Mr. Crawford is really our benefactor! A senior from the Bureau of Commerce just called to tell me that a very powerful and influential person had just come forward. The matter has been resolved successfully!” said George.
Alice slumped weakly into her chair when she heard this.
Everything was really linked to Gerald. He was indeed very powerful!
But what was going on? Who was this Gerald?
Everyone had lingering doubts in their hearts.
Gerald was already upstairs in his room. He had called Zack to help the people from Hayley’s dormitory, both Alice and Jacelyn’s families. He didn’t care for Chad and Danny, though, and did not want to care for them. What did they have to do with him anyway?
Gerald thought no more about the matter. After entering the room, he continued drinking with Wesley and the others.
As for the essential matters that Wesley spoke about, he was simply hoping that Gerald would be able to attend the opening ceremony on the day the major entertainment establishments opened.
Since it wasn’t an issue, Gerald agreed immediately.
It was almost eleven o’clock when Gerald returned to the campus.
He was lying on his bed but kept tossing and turning around as he found himself unable to sleep.
“Ding! Ding!”
Notifications rang on Gerald’s cell phone, one after the other.
“Gerald, Gerald… are you asleep yet? Let’s meet up early tomorrow morning at our school’s west cafeteria! I have something important to tell you! You don’t need to reply to this!”
At first glance, it was a text message from Mila.
[Chapter 119]
Early the next morning.
Since it was a Saturday, Harper and the rest of the boys wanted to wake up at their own time.
Gerald did not bother them either, heading to the west cafeteria on his own.
Mila had arrived early, and she was already waiting for him there.
She even brought two sets of breakfast.
Fried rice with egg and ham!
“I bought some rice for you! Hurry up and eat it!” said Mila with a smile.
Gerald wasn’t shy at all. “What’s up, Mila? What did you want to tell me?” he asked as he took a bite.
Mila was dressed beautifully today. Her fair legs were exposed, and it made his heart flutter.
Gerald couldn’t help but stare at her.
“Hehe! It is my grandmother’s birthday today. I’ll be going back to celebrate it for her!”
Mila blinked. “You should know about my relationship with Irene, right? Don’t blame me for being petty. In fact, I am not the kind who likes to compare or make comparisons. That said, my relationship with Irene is very special. We’ve been like that ever since we were born. We compared everything, from whose name sounded better, to who was better at studying, who wore the prettier clothes, and who received more praise from everyone!
“I don’t know if she was born with her competitive nature, but no matter what it is, I don’t want to lose to her!”
“Oh, right! Do you get what I was saying?” Mila asked as she pouted.
Gerald seemed to understand, albeit very little of it.
“I don’t quite understand!” he lamented.
He didn’t really get what she was saying. Perhaps it was because Gerald grew up in a completely different environment. After all, he knew that there would always be people in this world who lived better and had better things than him.
Even if Gerald wanted to compare, he once used to be so poor that he couldn’t even afford new clothes for the New Year. Compare? How could he possibly compare to anyone at all?
Naturally, Gerald had always been a little disgusted over those who would fight over or show off their wealth.
There was even some resistance from the bottom of his heart.
Perhaps, it could be said that he was deeply troubled because of the antics of the rich.
Although he was filthy rich himself, Gerald never understood the wealthy’s thoughts and in what direction their mentality went.
“I’ll just tell you this plainly. Gerald, you know she has a boyfriend, right? I heard Kyle saying that Irene will be bringing back that bastard boyfriend of hers to celebrate my grandmother’s birthday. I also heard that the bastard prepared a special gift for her.
“When that happens, many will be complimenting Irene. So, I’ve decided that I should bring a boyfriend back with me too!”
“Are you asking me to pretend to be your boyfriend?”
Gerald seemed to understand what was really going on now.
“Um, yes! I want you to keep pretending you’re my boyfriend, and you can continue pretending to be a wealthy heir too. I’ll return to my dorm to wash up before I go out and buy you some clothes.
“Gerald. Good old Gerald. Please help me till the end!” Mila flirtatiously cooed.
To be honest, this young girl was really very beautiful.
Gerald found he couldn’t turn down her request when she blinked her beautiful eyes and opened her beautiful small lips.
He, however, felt a very strange feeling.
Apparently… he wanted to be her real boyfriend. Hehe…
“Actually, there is no need for me to pretend anymore. I am really a rich heir!”
Gerald smiled bitterly in his heart.
Once he agreed to Mila’s request, she brought him out to buy some new clothes.
Gerald really looked very handsome once he was all dressed up.
Now, both of them were rushing to her grandmother’s birthday feast.
Mila’s phone suddenly rang. “Huh? What did you say? Okay, okay. I will get there first!”
After hanging up the phone, Mila let out a long sigh.
“Gerald, I have to leave first. Kyle and I ordered a birthday gift for my grandmother, but apparently, there’s something wrong with it. It is making me really anxious. Why don’t we do this? Let’s meet at 11 in front of the Royal Dragon Villa’s entrance. I’ll call you!”
“No problem!” Gerald nodded.
Mila hurriedly called for a cab before she left.
Gerald smiled bitterly. It was only a little past nine in the morning. What was he going to do for two hours?
Oh, right!
Driving license!
His driving license should have been mailed to him!
He made a phone call to ask about it. As expected, the package had already arrived at the courier.
“Damn!”
Gerald was so excited he nearly jumped up high.
[Chapter 120]
His biggest dream was to drive a car. He wanted to drive a vehicle that belonged to himself, and it needn’t be an expensive car.
Now, he could finally drive!
Not to mention, he had a Lamborghini! He would be lying if he said he wasn’t excited!
After picking up his driving license, Gerald went to his car.
“Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!”
A brand new black Passat skidded past Gerald’s body.
After that, the beautiful car drove around the park.
Many people were walking around the park, and the Passat also attracted many girls’ attention.
“Wow, it’s a Passat! It’s the latest model from this year. Looks pretty good!”
“Isn’t it more than thirty thousand dollars?”
“Looks like it’s the top-spec. That car should be at least forty-five thousand dollars!”
“Oh, god. More than forty-five thousand dollars?! Must be another rich guy!”
A group of girls quietly whispered among themselves as they pointed at the luxurious cars.
This park was popular thanks to the Lamborghini.
The past few days saw a strange but familiar pattern. Everyone from university who had a car would drive around this park to attract beautiful girls’ attention.
Especially if it was a new car.
The owner of this Passat was obviously driving around the vicinity to show off to the crowd.
“Haha, isn’t that Gerald? What a coincidence!”
The car suddenly stopped, and the windows came down. A handsome young man poked his head out of the car.
When Gerald saw who it was, he realized he knew him.
It was Jordan Lourd, a guy who attended driving lessons with him.
It was the guy who mocked him together with a student from his department called Nathaniel.
In the beginning, Jordan was interested in Mila, but when he heard that Victor was pursuing her, he immediately gave up.
Both Jordan and Gerald took the same course, and Jordan had instantly purchased a car after passing the exams.
He was obviously here just to show off.
Gerald did not like him that much, merely nodding slightly.
“I just bought this baby for fifty-two thousand dollars! We just got our driving license today, Gerald. You should drive a little. Otherwise, you might just forget how to!”
Jordan smiled triumphantly.
Many girls looked over when they heard Jordan speaking loudly.
They could see that Jordan was mocking Gerald.
Although Gerald had nothing against Jordan, he had his own reason for doing this.
First, he looked down on Gerald because he was a pauper and felt a sense of accomplishment after trampling all over him.
Then, Jordan wanted to talk to Mila when they had their driving lessons. Mila, however, was only interested in talking to Gerald.
This had incredibly upset Jordan.
After mocking Gerald, Jordan couldn’t help but feel even more fulfilled and satisfied.
“Jordan, where are you headed? We feel like going out for a stroll. Can we take your car?”
A few girls finally came over shyly.
“Oh, of course!”
Jordan laughed. After that, he turned to Gerald again.
“Gerald, would you like to drive my car and take the girls for a drive?”
Gerald shook his head, “Forget it.”
“Oh! Jordan! You are so bad. Who wants to be in a car driven by your sort, eh?”
“Exactly! Just look at his state. Looking at him is more than enough. I’d be extremely embarrassed to ride in the same car as him!”
“Haha. Even if Jordan is willing to lend him his car, will he dare drive it? If it gets damaged, he wouldn’t be able to pay even if he sold himself!”
The three girls laughed. After that, they got into Jordan’s car.
Ladies nowadays were all very bold. All they wanted were rich boyfriends or sugar daddy’s that would pamper them through their college days.
They could save their own money and still buy themselves lots of nice clothes.
How perfect would that be!
Gerald said nothing after listening to their nefarious insults.
He simply pulled out the key to his Lamborghini and walked toward his supercar.
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⌚Every ★Saturday / Wednesday ★-------------------------------------------
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