The Secretly Rich Man Chapter 16-20

[Chapter 16]

Gerald accidentally swept the broom over the girl’s feet.

She was wearing a pair of white shoes and her calves were extremely fair. She was also carefully listening to Victor as he talked about his car, her full attention on Victor’s words.

Unexpectedly, Gerald had actually swept the dirty broom over her shoes, smearing dust all over her white shoes.

She couldn’t help but scream when she realized what was happening.

Her scream unexpectedly attracted the attention of Whitney, Victor, and the others who were in the auditorium at this time.

“What’s wrong, Mila?”

Whitney hurried over before she asked Mila with a concerned expression on her face.

Victor also rushed over to Mila immediately.

“No, no, I’m fine. There’s no problem at all.”

Mila Smith tucked her hair behind her ear and she took out some wet wipes before she leaned down and attempted to wipe the dust off from her shoes.

However, the more she tried to wipe her shoes, the dirtier they got.

Mila was also obsessed with cleanliness. Therefore, she couldn’t help but frown when she saw the mess on her white shoes.

“Gerald, did you do that to Mila’s shoes?” Whitney asked as she glared at Gerald.

She had a cold and aggressive expression on her face.

Moreover, Victor was also very angry at this time.

“Damn it, you pauper! Do you know how much Mila’s shoes cost? You’ll never be able to afford to pay for it!”

After that, Victor stepped forward before he grabbed Gerald by his collar.

“No, no, it wasn’t him!”

When Mila saw that Victor was about to beat Gerald up, she quickly stepped forward to dissuade him.

In fact, Mila had already been paying some attention to Gerald for a long time. She felt that he was a very different person compared to everyone else.

Moreover, she could tell that he was not from a rich family background.

Perhaps that was the reason why Victor and the rest of the boys were always bullying him.

However, despite being bullied and humiliated all the time, Mila could not see the slightest look of inferiority in Gerald’s eyes. He was completely indifferent and the fact that he was poor didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest.

Gerald always had a very humble and sincere look on his face.

Even if Mila wanted to lose her temper, she couldn’t bring herself to do so.

Therefore, Mila quickly stood up for Gerald when she saw that Victor was going to beat him up.

“Don’t worry, Mila! We should at least make sure that this pauper pays you back for your shoes!” Victor replied in a vicious manner.

Mila was not from the Language Department, but she was a student from the Broadcasting and Media Department instead.

However, she had been friends with Whitney ever since they were young and the reason why she came over to the auditorium today was because she wanted to have some fun.

Though Victor liked Whitney, he was even more interested in her best friend, Mila.

“Oh, no! There’s no need for him to pay me back for the shoes. I’ll just go back to the dormitory and change into another pair of shoes!” Mila said in a hurry.

She also nodded slightly at Gerald.

“You’re lucky today, kid!” Victor said as he glared at Gerald. In fact, Victor was glad that he was able to act as the hero in front of the two beautiful girls today.

When he saw that Mila was about to leave, he quickly approached her.

“By the way, Mila, why don’t we go out and have a meal together after you change into a new pair of shoes? After all, everyone must be tired from the rehearsal today. I’ll treat everyone to a meal at Orchard Gardens!”

“Wow! Orchard Gardens? I heard that the fruit salad and steak there is really delicious but dining there is also really expensive!”

“Brother Victor, I’d like to come too!”

All the girls were excited as soon as Victor said that he would be buying Mila a meal at Orchard Gardens.

“Sure!” Victor replied as he clasped his hands together.

At this time, Whitney grabbed Mila’s hand before she smiled and said, “Mila, we’ll wait below your dormitory for you!”

In fact, Gerald could tell that Mila did not feel like going at all.

However, Mila could tell that everyone was very excited to go there and Victor had just had a clash with Gerald because of her.

Therefore, she could not bring herself to turn down his invitation.

Mila nodded slightly.

“Okay, I will drive! See you guys there!”

Victor was very excited that his strategy to ask Mila out seemed to have succeeded. Therefore, he glanced at Gerald before he walked out of the auditorium.

Whitney turned and looked at Gerald before she said, “What are you looking at, Gerald? Do you really think that you are invited to join us for lunch too? Let me tell you, your subsidy isn’t confirmed yet! You’d better stay back and make sure you clean up this auditorium properly! Otherwise, I’ll make sure to teach you a lesson when I return!”

Gerald kept quiet as Victor and Whitney continued taunting him in tandem.

In fact, he was very angry at this time.

However, he knew that he would not gain anything from losing his temper and he would only be giving Victor the opportunity to beat him up.

It was really unwise to ask for a beating. Therefore, Gerald decided to just let it go.

“Come on, Mila! Let’s enjoy the ride in Victor’s new Audi A6 later!”

Whitney pulled Mila out of the auditorium after glaring at Gerald with a contemptuous expression on her face.

The other people also walked out of the auditorium, one after the other.

They would definitely not be able to get there in one car so Gerald couldn’t help but wonder how they would be getting there.

Gerald thought to himself as he cleaned up the mess that they had left behind.

Should he get a car too?

He continued thinking to himself.

When Gerald was done cleaning up the auditorium, it was almost noon.

At this time, Gerald suddenly received an incoming phone call.

It was a phone call from Harper, the head of his dormitory.

“Gerald, are you done cleaning up the auditorium?”

Gerald nodded. “Yes.”

“Is Whitney crazy? We’ve already discussed this matter among ourselves and we’ve decided that if she dares reject your subsidy application, we’ll bring this matter up to the chancellor!”

Gerald felt warmth in his heart as he said, “Thank you for looking out for me!”

“Gerald, if you’re free, come and join us for lunch!”

Harper invited Gerald for lunch but Gerald could hear the sudden change in his tone.

It sounded as though Harper was a little embarrassed.

Gerald was so close to Harper and he naturally knew that there was something amiss. This man was usually very manly, so why did he sound so embarrassed and shy today?

“Will there be anyone else joining us today?” Gerald could not help but asked with a weary smile on his face.

“Bingo! Gerald, do you remember the girl named Hayley who was with Alice at Naomi’s birthday party last night?”

All the girls from Alice’s dormitories attended Naomi’s birthday celebration last night.

Gerald had a vague impression of Hayley Ians. She had short hair and she looked very cute and petite.

However, her character and personality was similar to Alice’s.

She kept rolling her eyes at Gerald last night even though she did not say anything at all.

“Yes, I know who she is. Why? Did you ask her out?” Gerald asked with a surprised expression on his face.

“Well, I was heading back to the dormitory after class today when I ran into her. She lost her cell phone in the cafeteria and I offered to help her look for it. Fortunately, I’m quite familiar with some of the workers in the cafeteria. After checking out the CCTV and looking around the cafeteria, we finally found her cell phone!”

“I felt that it was fate because I was actually pretty interested in her when I met her last night. Therefore, I mustered up the courage to ask her out for lunch with me and my friends today. She agreed immediately!”

Harper was extremely excited over the other end of the line.

To be honest, Gerald was very happy for Harper when he heard his words.

However, Gerald really didn’t feel like going out with Alice and her friends.

He simply couldn’t tolerate them rolling their eyes at him!

“That’s great, brother! I wish you all the best! I think I’ll just skip lunch because I don’t want to be a light bulb!” Gerald replied as he laughed.

“Damn it! How could you do this to me, Gerald? All our brothers have already agreed to come with me. Moreover, Naomi will also be there today! It seems as though Naomi is going to introduce someone very important to you today. If you seize this opportunity and make the most out of it, you might be able to turn your life around in an instant!”

Harper was also very concerned about Gerald.

“A very important person?”

Gerald could not help but think to himself, ‘Damn it. Don’t tell me that Alice will also be there today?’

[Chapter 17]

Gerald could not describe the feelings he felt for Alice.

Alice was really beautiful, and elegant.

However, Gerald really could not tolerate her attitude because she wasn’t only very rude and arrogant but she also looked down on those who were poor.

Gerald could not understand what Naomi was thinking. How could she possibly have intended to matchmake him to Alice?

Therefore, Gerald really did not want to join them for lunch before he did not want the situation to turn awkward.

However, he could not reject Harper’s sincere invitation as he didn’t want to let his brothers down.

The place that they had decided to have lunch at was a western restaurant named Bludhaven.

Naturally, Harper could not afford to host a lunch at any five-star hotel unlike the second-generation rich kids such as Danny or Yuri.

The six girls from Alice’s dormitory turned up for lunch today.

Moreover, the six people from Gerald’s dormitory also came with Naomi.

However, since Gerald was not with the rest of the boys in the dormitory, he did not go to the lunch place with Harper and the rest of the boys.

“In my opinion, Naomi, we only need the five boys from Harper’s dormitory, you, and the six of us from my dormitory to come for lunch! Having the twelve of us eat together is good enough!” Alice said as

she sat in her seat as she drank her juice.

The meaning behind her words was self-evident.

In fact, Alice had a good impression of Harper and she felt that he was also a very stable and mature man.

However, Harper’s parents were just ordinary people who were teachers in a middle school. Therefore, he was naturally not up to Alice’s standards.

“Yes, I agree with Alice. Why should Gerald join us for lunch today? As soon as I see him, I start thinking about everything that he’d done last night! It’s so annoying!” Hayley also said jokingly at this time.

“Okay, okay. Alice, Hayley, please stop hating on Gerald. Did you know that he’s actually a really good person if you’d just give him a chance and get to know him better?” Naomi replied as she smiled.

“Yes, Gerald is really a very good guy…” Harper said immediately after.

“Well, if he was really such a good person, he wouldn’t make the twelve of us sit here just to wait for him alone, would he? Don’t you think I’m right, Hayley?” Alice said as she snorted coldly.

“Oh look! Gerald is here!”

At this time, Naomi stood up excitedly as she waved at Gerald, gesturing for him to come over and join them at the table.

“I’m sorry for being late. I had to go back to the dormitory to make an important phone call. There was something that I had to deal with.”

Gerald said as he smiled at Naomi.

Naomi was sitting directly opposite Alice at this time.

Her eyes wandered for a moment before she stood up and pulled Gerald to her seat and said, “Gerald, sit here!”

Gerald knew what Naomi was trying to do.

He simply sat down without putting too much thought into it.

“Jacelyn! Let’s switch seats!”

Unexpectedly, Alice had a cold expression on her face as she asked one of her girlfriends to switch seats with her as soon as Gerald sat down in front of her.

“Sorry, Alice! I don’t want to switch seats with you. If I sit opposite that pauper, I’m afraid that people who don’t know the truth would actually misunderstand and think that he’s my boyfriend!”

“Why? Wouldn’t you be happy if Gerald was your boyfriend? He could buy you a Hermes bag worth fifty five thousand dollars! Hahaha!”

“Yes, yes, Jacelyn! You should grab hold of this opportunity that is given to you!”

Jacelyn Leigh was a very gorgeous girl who was very interested in fashion and makeup.

As she was also from a wealthy family, she naturally despised Gerald as well.

When Jacelyn heard her roommates making fun of her, she quickly replied, “If you think that Gerald is so good, then you should just ask him to be your boyfriend!”

“Ahh! I give up. I surrender.”

The beautiful girls stopped joking around as soon as they heard her words.

They were obviously very sensitive to the fact that Gerald might actually end up being their boyfriends and they would definitely be ridiculed then!

Harper and Benjamin were both a little annoyed when they heard the girls’ conversation. However, they could only endure it silently.

After that, Gerald decided not to sit with Alice.

“Naomi, come and sit over here. I’ll just sit at the side!”

Gerald couldn’t help but laugh because he was treated like a plague in the eyes of all these beautiful girls.

Even though he was a second-generation rich kid like everyone else, the treatment that he received from all the beautiful girls was totally different.

Gerald had so many assets under his name, but why couldn’t he be favored by these beautiful girls?

Gerald thought about using money to win these girls over but he couldn’t bring himself to do so

Ahh!

Gerald decided to just step aside.

Naomi really wanted to mend and get rid of the misunderstanding between Alice and Gerald because she really felt that they would make a good couple.

Moreover, both of them were her good friends!

“Alice?”

At this time, a man’s voice suddenly sounded.

A tall and handsome boy dressed in branded clothing from head to toe approached their table and he looked at Alice with a surprised expression in his eyes.

“Are you Quinton Ziegler?”

Alice was also stunned. She touched her hair before she stood up with a sweet and pleasant smile on her face.

“Yes, Alice. I haven’t seen you in over two years and you’re really looking more and more beautiful. I almost couldn’t recognize you,” Quinton replied as he smiled.

“By the way, Quinton, didn’t your dad send you abroad to study? When did you return home?”

“I came back two days ago and I was just asking around for your contact information! By the way, did you manage to resolve the incident that you got into at Emperor Karaoke Bar? Our high school classmate, Desmond, called me and told me that you ran into some trouble there!” Quinton said with a concerned expression on his face.

At this time, Alice covered her mouth in shock.

Alice’s roommates had also come to a sudden realization.

“Ahh! Quinton, were you the one who helped us resolve the issue last night?”

Alice was very surprised.

In fact, Quinton had really wanted to help Alice out last night and he even asked his father to call the manager of the karaoke bar, Flynn.

However, Flynn did not pick up the phone.

When Quinton heard Alice asking him if he was the one who resolved this matter on their behalf, he did not think too much about it.

Instead, he simply nodded as he said, “Well, I asked my dad to help me deal with it.”

Alice felt very proud and excited at this time.

Women were always the ones with the most pride and vanity!

Right now, Alice felt as though all her doubts had already been cleared. It turned out that the person who had helped them to resolve the problem was not Nigel or anyone else that they had contacted last night. Instead, her childhood friend, Quinton, actually turned out to be the one able to calm Brother Flynn down and get him to waive the damages for them.

Alice used to be really close to Quinton in the past because of the friendship between their fathers.

However, as Quinton’s family business grew bigger and bigger, his father decided to send him abroad to further his studies.

Naturally, both of them no longer kept in touch after he left.

Unexpectedly, Quinton had actually done her such a big favor as soon as he returned to the country.

Moreover, Alice had no doubts that the Ziegler family would definitely be able to deal with someone like Flynn.

“Quinton, thank you so much for what you did for me!”

Alice was really very happy and grateful.

When Gerald saw how thankful Alice was towards Quinton, he could not help but feel a little uneasy.

He had just gotten rid of Nigel but the fruits of his victory were now stolen by this guy named Quinton.

Gerald had really wanted to tell them that he was the one who helped them to resolve the issue last night. He was the one who had gotten them out of that situation!

However, he knew that Alice would only hate and despise him more if he spoke up now.

Therefore, Gerald decided to keep quiet because he did not want to get into another argument with Alice.

He thought he should just let it go.

“I’m here to attend a birthday party organized by one of my high school friends. The birthday party is held upstairs. Alice, I will come down and chat with you again after giving a toast to my friend! You can also introduce your friends to me later!”

After that, Quinton smiled and bowed slightly as he looked at all the beautiful girls before he excused himself like a gentleman.

“Wow! He’s really very handsome!”

“Alice, how do you know him?

“Alice, does he have a girlfriend?”

Jacelyn and the other girls were very curious at this time.

Alice proudly replied, “Quinton is a really amazing guy! Do you know the Southern Food Industries? That’s his family business and they are a tycoon in the food industry!”

“Wow! The Southern Food Industries is a public listed company and it is rated as one of the top companies in Mayberry City! That’s really incredible.”

All the girls started discussing this matter amongst themselves.

“Didn’t the news mention that Southern Food Industries is currently facing capital and financial issues?”

Gerald had been quietly listening in on their conversation but when he heard their conversation, he wanted to contribute to the topic.

As soon as he spoke up, the atmosphere around the table became cold within seconds.

At this time, Alice glared at Gerald with a furious expression on her face.

“What do you mean by that? Isn’t it common for huge businesses and industries to face capital and financial problems? Why are you so jealous?”

“Some people are just like this. They are jealous and envious of others and they seize every opportunity to target their weakness and shortcomings to put them down. Such people are really disgusting!” Jacelyn replied in a contemptuous manner.

Gerald’s sentence almost started a war…

“Alice!”

Fortunately, Quinton and one of his classmates started walking down the stairs at this time…

[Chapter 18]

“Alice, you look like you’re in a bad mood. Is something wrong?” Quinton asked as he walked down the stairs with his hands in his pockets.

Quinton felt that his heart was a little moved when he saw Alice, who appeared to be even more beautiful than she was two years ago.

“I’m fine. I’m just a little disgusted by some people!”

Alice then glanced at Gerald with a cold expression on his face.

“Exactly! How can you just spout nonsense without knowing your own place?”

Jacelyn and the other girls also seemed to hate Gerald. All of them were glaring at Gerald with a sharp expression on his face.

Quinton looked at Gerald.

When he came into the restaurant earlier, he seemed to have noticed that Alice was already displeased with Gerald.

However, after coming down the stairs, Alice looked even more unhappy and displeased with Gerald.

Was it possible…that this kid was in an ambiguous relationship with Alice?

Hahaha. No, that wouldn’t be possible!

Quinton knew as soon as he looked at Gerald’s outfit.

The total price of all of his clothing was not more than thirty dollars! How could Alice probably be in an ambiguous relationship with someone like him?

“Is there any misunderstanding between you two? Why don’t you just talk it out? You’re all classmates so you should try to get along well with one another!”

Quinton smiled but his eyes were focused on Gerald at this time.

“Hello, my friend. My name is Quinton. It’s nice to meet you.”

After that, Quinton stretched out his hand to shake hands with Gerald, revealing a gold Rolex watch on his hand.

The gold Rolex watch was extraordinary at first sight and all the girls stared at him with admiration on their faces.

Gerald could immediately tell that Quinton was not sincere and he had malicious intentions instead.

As he was about to shake hands with Gerald, Quinton suddenly asked with a surprise expression on his face, “Wow! My friend, what brand is your T-shirt from? I’ve not seen this brand before. Do you think it’s because I’ve just returned from abroad?”

Quinton stared at Gerald as he made a jaw dropping expression on his face and his lips curled up slightly as he smirked at Gerald.

Quinton wanted to impress Alice and he could tell that Alice had a very bad relationship with Gerald. So, he might as well beat this kid down with a few words.

“Hahaha. It’s just an ordinary brand.”

Gerald did not intend to pick an argument with Quinton.

He couldn’t be bothered with someone like Quinton.

To be honest, Gerald had already planned to buy clothes using the Universal Global Supreme Shopper’s Card that his sister had given to him. However, he felt that the minimum consumption of fifty thousand dollars was a little too extravagant!

“Ooh. Is it really from an ordinary brand? By the way, Harold, have you seen this brand before since you’ve always been in the country?”

Quinton turned around to look at his classmate.

The man named Harold had blond hair and he had been busy staring at all the beautiful girls, from Alice to Hayley to Jacelyn.

Harold immediately knew what Quinton meant when he asked him the question.

After that, Harold shook his head before he smiled and said, “No, I’ve not seen this brand before. Would you like me to look it up on the internet?”

Both of them continued their discussion in a serious manner.

In fact, everyone could tell that they were just trying to mock Gerald.

However, Gerald did not look embarrassed at all.

At this time, Alice and the other girls had a satisfied expression on their faces as they looked at Gerald.

“Hahaha! Serves him right for being jealous of Quinton! Now we get to watch other people ridiculing him for being poor!” Jacelyn said as she laughed.

“After all, Quinton has just returned to the country after studying abroad. How could Gerald ever be compared to him anyway?” Alice also said in a low voice.

Alice obviously knew that Quinton was ridiculing and making things difficult for Gerald because of her. However, he was doing it in an indirect manner compared to Danny.

He was implying it without pointing fingers at Gerald.

This made Alice very happy as she felt that Quinton was a very intelligent person.

“Quinton, let me introduce you to my friends!”

After glancing at Gerald, Alice quickly introduced Quinton to everyone around the table.

After that, Quinton also introduced Harold to Alice and her friends. Harold’s family owned one of the biggest training academies in Mayberry City.

Both of them sat down at the table and Quinton naturally sat opposite Alice.

On the other hand, Harold seemed to be very interested in Jacelyn and Hayley.

The girls kept staring at Quinton and Harold as they continued chatting. The original theme of the lunch today was supposed to be the development of a relationship between Harper and Hayley.

Unfortunately, Quinton’s presence suddenly changed everything and this made Harper feel a little unhappy.

Gerald could also tell that Harper was a little upset.

He could not simply ignore this and watch as his brother was neglected.

Fortunately, Gerald was already prepared for this kind of situation.

Before leaving the dormitory, Gerald had already made a phone call to Zack, the manager of Wayfair Mountain Entertainment. He told him that he would like to bring a few friends there today and he asked

Zack to make the necessary arrangements for him.

He did not want Harper to lose face in front of Hayley today!

Moreover, Gerald knew that Naomi had always wanted to visit Wayfair Mountain Entertainment.

When Harold found out that Harper had invited Hayley out for lunch today, he started asking Harper all sorts of questions.

He kept questioning Harper about his family background and his parents’ occupations. In other words, he was indirectly asking Harper if he was wealthy.

Gerald really wanted to bring up the fact that he had already arranged for the group to go to Wayfair Mountain Entertainment after lunch.

At this time, Quinton suddenly said, “By the way, I heard something when I came back to the country. I heard that the Fisher family has gone bankrupt and that they’ve lost Grand Marshall Restaurant that they used to own on Mayberry Commercial Street! My dad used to be friends with Nigel’s father, Adam Fisher. I am trying to get him to buy over Grand Marshall Restaurant!”

Alice’s eyelids twitched slightly at this time.

Of course, they knew everything that happened to Nigel and the Fisher family.

This was because Nigel was right beside them when everything unfolded!

When the girls heard that Quinton was planning to take over Grand Marshall Restaurant, they could not help but feel extremely excited. They quickly made up their minds to become good friends with Quinton.

Alice nodded slightly before she said. “Yes, we know about what happened to Nigel and his family. We heard that he offended a very influential person in Mayberry City and that’s the reason why his entire family businesses went bankrupt overnight! The Fisher family had always relied on the profits that they made from Grand Marshall Restaurant on Mayberry Commercial Street, so I really wonder what they’re going to do now that they are forced to withdraw their shares immediately.”

Quinton watched in satisfaction as all the girls stared at him with admiration in their eyes. He really enjoyed the attention.

He nodded before he said, “Well, my father agrees with me and he wants to take over the restaurant too. After all, everyone knows the commercial value of any businesses or shops on Mayberry Commercial Street. As long as you can open a business there, you’ll definitely make money like running water! My dad also mentioned that there is a very grand and luxurious manor there with a hot spring inside!”

“Wayfair Mountain Entertainment!”

Everyone was very excited when they heard the mention of the manor with the hot springs.

Quinton nodded and smiled before he said, “Have any of you been there before?”

When Quinton asked this question, Alice suddenly recalled how embarrassed they had been the night before.

However, she didn’t want to hide the truth from Quinton.

Therefore, she quickly told him about everything that happened.

After listening to her explanation, Quinton smiled before he said, “Well, I really did not expect Nigel to make such a fool out of himself. Alice, since you did not manage to go into Wayfair Mountain

Entertainment the last time, I can bring you there today! I just need to give my father a call.”

“Ahh! Seriously? You’re the best, Brother Quinton!” Jacelyn said in a charming manner.

“Of course I’m serious. Give me a minute. I’ll call my dad now.” After that, Quinton took out his cell phone before he made a phone call to his father.

After explaining the situation to his father, Quinton hung up the phone immediately.

“Should we head there now? I am afraid that they’ll have more guests in the afternoon. If the place is overcrowded, there is nothing that my father can do for us then.”

“Okay! Sure!”

All of the girls were more than willing to leave at this time.

“Alright then, I will go and get the cars with Harold. We will leave in two cars.” Quinton said as he prepared to go and get the car with Harold.

“But Quinton, there are seven girls so two cars would be enough for us…but what about them?” Alice asked as she pointed at Harper and the rest of the boys.

Quinton looked at Harper before he asked, “Did you not drive here?”

Harper shook his head and he felt very embarrassed at this time.

“Forget it. We won’t be joining you guys.”

Naomi felt very uncomfortable to be caught in the middle. Therefore, she said, “Well, if they aren’t going, then I don’t want to go either!”

Gerald did not want Naomi to be placed in such a tough spot every time. He knew that she really wanted to go and check out Wayfair Mountain Entertainment.

Therefore, he quickly said, “Naomi, you can go ahead with the rest of them first. We’ll join you later. After all, we’ve already ordered a table full of dishes!”

In fact, Gerald intentionally said those words and he was targeting Alice and Hayley at this time.

After all, Harper was treating them to lunch today and he had already ordered a table full of dishes but they were leaving without taking even a single bite. Gerald felt as though they were not taking Harper seriously.

Being the sensitive person that she was, Alice could immediately hear the contempt in his voice as soon as she heard his words. She quickly replied, “Hahaha. You’ll come and join us later? Do you really think you’d be able to enter Wayfair Mountain Entertainment without Quinton? Moreover, why are you being so sarcastic? It’s just a table full of dishes. Do you want me to pay for the food, then?”

Harper waved his hand in a hurry before he said, “No, no, you guys can just leave first. I will see you later, Hayley!”

Harper glanced at Hayley. He really wished that he would be able to see her later but he knew that Alice was right. How would they possibly be able to enter Wayfair Mountain Entertainment later?

After that, Alice and the rest of the girls left with Quinton and Harold. Harper was just glad that the situation did not end up as awkward as it was last night.

However, after the girls left, Harper felt as though he no longer had any appetite.

He felt very discouraged at this time.

“Harper, don’t feel so discouraged. I said that we’ll go to the manor and I will make sure that we do so. Just trust me.”

Gerald comforted Harper as he patted him gently on the shoulder.

Harper smiled bitterly before he said, “I know you mean well, Gerald. Forget it. Let’s just eat and enjoy the meal before we go back to the dormitory to sleep after this!”

Gerald knew that Harper simply thought that he was being stubborn.

He smiled because he knew that he could not be as low-key as he wanted to be anymore. This was because he knew that most of the time, Harper and the rest of his roommates were ridiculed and humiliated because of him.

Gerald was also very upset at this situation.

Therefore, Gerald took out his cell phone before he called Zack. “Zack, I will head over to Wayfair Mountain Entertainment with my friends later. If it’s convenient for you, could you send two cars over here to pick me up?

Zack was very respectful on the other end of the line. “Of course, Mr. Crawford. Anything for you. Could you please send me your location?”

Gerald gave Zack his location over the phone before he hung up the phone immediately.

Harper looked at Gerald in surprise.

“Damn it, Gerald! Who did you just call?”

[Chapter 19]

Harper knew that Gerald was a very honest person, even if he could be a little vain sometimes.

Moreover, he knew that Gerald wouldn’t continue lying to his own brothers after the rest of the girls had already left. However, they couldn’t understand what was going on.

Did Gerald really have the ability to bring them into Wayfair Mountain Entertainment?

How could this be possible?

Gerald smiled as soon as he heard Harper’s question.

He would find out later!

“Excuse me, sirs. Will all of you continue having your meal here?”

At this time, a beautiful waitress came over to their table as she asked them in a polite manner.

Even though she was speaking in a very polite manner, she could not hide the contempt that she was feeling in her heart.

She naturally knew who would be paying the bill today.

However, she had also witnessed everything that had happened earlier and she knew that all the beautiful girls had already been brought away by Quinton and Harold.

At the same time, the other people who were dining in the restaurant at this time were also looking at Gerald, Harold, and the rest of the boys as they laughed at them.

The situation that they encountered was similar to getting robbed of their girlfriends in public.

That was also the reason why the beautiful waitress came to ask them if they wanted to continue enjoying their meal there.

“No, just pack up all the food for us. We will bring it over to Wayfair Mountain Entertainment to enjoy the food there later!”

Gerald could see the contempt in her eyes.

How could he allow Harper to continue eating in this restaurant at this time?

However, he felt that it was really a pity to waste all of the food on the table.

The beautiful waitress and the people around them almost burst out in laughter as soon as they heard Gerald’s words.

“Is this guy a fool?”

“Who do you think you are? You actually want to pack your food from this restaurant to bring over to the Wayfair Mountain Entertainment as dinner instead?”

“Doesn’t he know that Wayfair Mountain Entertainment also serves food? Hahaha…”

“I guess they’re trying to save their own pride since the rest of the girls had already left with the other two guys earlier. Hahaha. I think college students nowadays really have no sense of shame at all. They can just brag out of pride.”

The people around them continued mocking them.

Harper couldn’t help but lower his head in embarrassment.

The waitress rolled her eyes before she glanced at Gerald and said, “Alright then. In that case, may I know which one of you is going to settle the bill today?”

“Me, me, I’ll settle the bill immediately,” Harper replied in a hurry.

The dishes on the table would easily cost more than eight hundred dollars today.

That would be more than eighty percent of Harper’s living expenses for the month.

Gerald took the plastic bags from the waitress as he started packing up the food on the table.

Even though all the customers were ridiculing and making fun of them at this time, he wasn’t bothered at all.

“Sob. Sob.”

At this time, three luxury cars suddenly drove past the restaurant.

After that, the three luxury cars stopped and parked right in front of the restaurant.

“Wow! Three Rolls-Royce Phantoms!”

“Damn? Who is so incredible? One of those cars is worth almost one and a half million dollars!”

“Oh my god! Look at the car license plate!”

The license plate for all three of the luxury cars were 689. That number alone was worth a few hundred thousand dollars already!

Everyone in the restaurant could not help but look out of the restaurant and even the waitress was stunned at this time.

If the owner of the luxury cars was going to dine in the restaurant, she would run out to meet him now so that she could win some of his favor.

The waitress quickly straightened out her clothes before she strode towards the door.

She wanted to see if the owner would come in for a meal.

At this time, three people stepped out of the car. These three men were dressed in black suits and they were all wearing sunglasses and Bluetooth headsets in their ears. They really looked like bodyguards that were usually seen in a movie.

The atmosphere was very solemn at this time.

“Gentlemen, may I ask if…”

The beautiful waitress rushed forward to greet them immediately.

However, the three men did not even bother to look at her and they simply walked straight to Gerald who was busy packing up the food at this time.

“Mr. Crawford!”

The three bodyguards greeted Gerald as they bowed respectfully at a ninety degrees angle.

“What? Mr. Crawford?”

“The bodyguards are referring to this young fool as Mr. Crawford?”

Everyone in the restaurant was shocked.

Harper and the other boys were even more surprised at this time.

What was going on?

Was Gerald really so awesome?

At this time, Gerald finally finished packing up all the food.

“Guys, why don’t we get into the cars so that we can get to the manor now?”

“Mr. Crawford, please let us carry the food for you.”

The bodyguards ran over before they took the packed food from Gerald’s hand.

Harper and the rest of the boys followed Gerald out of the restaurant, as though they were living a dream.

“Mr. Crawford, please walk slowly…”

The beautiful waitress’ face was already pale at this time and she greeted Gerald in a respectful manner, while Gerald simply nodded.

At the same time, he felt a little embarrassed. He really wasn’t used to people staring at him.

The few of them quickly got into the luxury cars as they headed towards the manor.

On the way there, Harper couldn’t help asking Gerald about the situation.

“Gerald, this…what is going on?”

Gerald felt that it was still too early for him to reveal everything to them. Therefore, he simply said, “Brother Harper, I’ll certainly explain everything to you soon. Just remember that we are brothers and whatever happens to you will always be my business. I will make sure that you will not lose face today!”

Harper nodded and he did not ask Gerald anymore questions.

After a short drive, they finally arrived at the manor.

Initially, the bodyguards were also given the task of bringing Gerald and his friends around and making sure that they could enjoy all the food and entertainment in Wayfair Mountain Entertainment.

However, Gerald knew that Harper and the rest of the boys could not let loose and enjoy themselves with the bodyguards around.

In fact, even Gerald did not feel comfortable with the bodyguards around.

Therefore, as soon as they arrived in front of the entrance, Gerald asked the bodyguards to drop them off and he told them that they would like to go around the manor and have fun on their own.

“Damn! Gerald, you’re really too amazing! I can’t believe that we are really able to enter the manor today!”

Benjamin was very happy when they strolled around the manor.

“Well, I know the boss here! So, what would you guys like to do now? Tell me what you guys want to do!”

Gerald said as he smiled.

“Ahh! Gerald, is the boss that you are talking about the same person who gave you the shopper’s card before this?

“Well, I guess you could say that it’s somehow related…”

This was somewhat true because his sister, Jessica, was the one who had given him the cards and she was also the one who had introduced him to Zack.

Harper nodded immediately.

At this time, the boys were thinking of what they could do in the manor.

The entire manor was very large and it was covering half of the mountain. Even though the scenery outside the manor was really beautiful, there was nothing interesting to do outside.

The hot springs and the dining area was in fact the core entertainment center in the manor.

Since Gerald was already relatively familiar with the place, he said, “Well, let’s head inside the manor and we can eat a little before we enjoy the hot springs.”

“Erm, Gerald, I saw on the internet that they usually charge us for entering the manor and using the hot springs, am I right?” Benjamin asked out of curiosity at this time.

In fact, he would already be very satisfied if he could just play outside the manor.

However, if he could enter the manor, that would be an added bonus!

“Don’t worry about it!”

Gerald smiled. Even though his sister was the one who had opened this manor, he was still one of the owners of this place.

Everyone started to relax a little.

Moreover, they had to pass through a quaint bridge before they can get from the outer periphery into the inner periphery.

Gerald and the boys saw Alice and the rest of the girls as they were walking inside.

They were all taking pictures of themselves inside the manor at this time.

“Look! It’s Gerald and his roommates! How did they manage to enter?” Jacelyn exclaimed in surprise when she saw Gerald and the rest of the boys walking in.

At this time, Alice was busy chatting with Quinton. When she heard Jacelyn’s words, Alice frowned before she turned around to look at the direction that Gerald and his friends were coming from.

Sure enough, it was really them.

“How did they manage to get in?” Alice asked in surprise.

[Chapter 20]

“Damn it! Don’t tell me they secretly sneaked in?”

It was Harold who said that.

He was staring at Gerald and the rest of the boys with a contemptuous expression on his face.

In fact, this was the same question that was running through the few girls’ minds now.

Just think about it—what kind of place was Wayfair Mountain Entertainment? Was it possible for just anyone to enter this place whenever they wanted to?

Even someone as wealthy and powerful as Quinton had to call his father several times before his father could finally get someone to sort things out and ask the security guards to allow them in.

However, even if they could get in, they could only stay on the outer periphery of Wayfair Mountain Entertainment.

“Oh my god. How embarrassing would it be if they had really sneaked in here?”

“Yes, that would be really embarrassing! If the security guards find out about them and realize that they know us, wouldn’t we get kicked out of here with them?”

The girls looked at Gerald with a contemptuous expression on their faces as they murmured amongst themselves in an anxious manner.

“Harper, how did you enter this place?”

Hayley did not speculate. Instead, she simply walked towards Harper and asked him in a low voice. She was obviously worried for him.

“We came in through the front door!” Gerald replied immediately.

After that, Harper nodded as he looked at Hayley.

“Hahaha. The main entrance? Do you think the security guards would really be that blind as to allow you to pass through the front entrance?” Jacelyn, who had been scratching her head at this time, yelled at Gerald immediately.

She vowed that if she got kicked out of this place today because of Gerald, she would definitely give him ten slaps across his face!

Ten harsh slaps!

Alice was also worried about the consequences if Gerald and his friends had really sneaked in!

Therefore, she stepped forward and approached Gerald with a stern expression on her face as she said, “Gerald, I hope you can tell us the truth now. If you really did sneak in today, then you’d better tell us in advance so Quinton can help us figure out a solution.”

“Yes! Please don’t make the situation bad for everyone!” Quinton added this sentence.

Meanwhile, Quinton thought to himself, ‘Why are Alice’s friends so weird?’

“Hmm…”

Gerald was silent as he listened to them nagging and yelling at him endlessly. He felt so helpless at this time. He had obviously come in through the front door and he was telling them the truth now.

What did they expect him to say? That he had crawled in through a dog hole?

“I’m telling you the truth. If you want to, I’ll bring you into the manor and we can all have some fun together. We can eat, enjoy a bubble bath in the hot spring, and enjoy all the other facilities here.”

In fact, the only reason why Gerald was offering to bring them in was simply because of Naomi.

At this time, Naomi was also feeling a little worried for Gerald. She was afraid that Gerald would get into trouble because of this. Even though he was offering to bring them in with good intentions, everyone stared at him as though he was an idiot.

“What did you just say? You want to bring us into the manor? Do you even know who you are? Why don’t you take a look in the mirror instead? Don’t you see the bodyguards who are standing guard outside the manor?” Jacelyn asked angrily.

“Yes! It is already difficult for someone like Quinton to bring us into the manor and you think that this is really up to you?”

The group of girls started to chatter among themselves.

“There are fourteen of us here. Even if we don’t talk about the cost of the food, entering the hot spring itself would cost at least twenty thousand dollars! Moreover, if we were to eat in the manor, it would cost us at least thirty to forty thousand dollars! It would be easier for me to make the necessary arrangements if there were fewer people here today but it’s also a little difficult for me since there are so many of us.”

Quinton looked at Gerald as he smiled wryly at him.

Alice could not help but feel moved when she heard that Quinton had already thought everything out for them. After that, Alice looked at Gerald with a helpless expression on her face as she said, “Forget it. Why don’t we leave now and come back again next time to avoid getting embarrassed if they get caught?”

“No! Why should we leave just because of this pauper?”

“Yes! Sister Alice, why should we leave? We’re finally here and I want to continue looking around the place!”

All of the girls stared at Gerald with a furious expression on their faces.

In fact, Alice had intentionally said those words as she wanted to force Gerald to leave.

However, at this time, Gerald simply smiled bitterly before he shook his head and said, “If you are willing to follow us, then you can just come with me. It’s really up to you. You can do whatever you want to.”

After that, Gerald looked at Naomi before he said, “Naomi, do you trust me? If you trust me, just follow me and I’ll bring you into the manor.”

Naomi gritted her teeth as she nodded.

After that, Gerald led the few of them across the bridge before he led them into the inner periphery.

“Hahaha! Just wait and see! Gerald will definitely get chased out later! I hope he won’t implicate and embarrass us!” Jacelyn said as she watched silently.

“That guy really has no sense of shame at all!”

Quinton also stood aside as he waited to watch the show.

However, in the next second, their eyes widened in disbelief. They had initially thought that Gerald would definitely get kicked out immediately. However, Gerald managed to get into the manor. Moreover, the bunch of bodyguards also bowed respectfully when they saw Gerald.

“What’s happening?” Quinton asked with an incredulous expression on his face.

Jacelyn was so shocked that she had no choice but to cover her mouth with her hand.

Initially, she was gloating because she thought that Gerald would certainly get beaten up. However, Gerald got in without facing any problem at all.

All the beautiful girls had a very complex and complicated expression on their faces and Alice was in utter disbelief at this time. In fact, if she had not witnessed this situation with her own two eyes, she wouldn’t have believed that this was real.

In her eyes, Gerald had always been nothing but a pauper. She also knew that Naomi had been trying to get her to build up a relationship with Gerald. However, ever since she thought that Gerald had bought Naomi a fake Hermes bag, she already had a very bad impression of him and she really didn’t like him at all. She thought he was just a boring pauper.

But now, he could actually go in and out of Wayfair Mountain Entertainment as he pleased.

It was even difficult for Quinton to bring so many people into the manor.

“Alice, what should we do now?” Jacelyn asked as she stared at Gerald and the others as they entered the manor.

At this time, Alice glanced at Quinton and Harold who were standing on the sidelines, with an inquiring look in her eyes.

Since Quinton’s father had the ability to deal with Flynn from Emperor Karaoke Bar, Alice felt that they would certainly be able to enter the manor as long as Quinton’s father was willing to help them!

Quinton had a very ugly expression on his face at this time.

It certainly felt as though Gerald had just given him two slaps across his face.

If Quinton managed to bring the girls into the manor, then he would be on equal footing as Gerald! Everything would be settled then.

What else could he do?

Quinton decided to call his father again. He really did not want to embarrass himself in front of Alice, nor did he want her to look down on him. Hence, Quinton quickly took out his cell phone before he told his father about the situation.

Quinton’s father was also someone who cared a lot about his face and reputation. As soon as he heard that someone had beaten his son in terms of money, he could not tolerate it any longer.

Therefore, he did all that he could to ensure that Quinton could enter the manor with the girls.

Moreover, he had even promised to sponsor Quinton twenty thousand dollars for his expenditure today so that his son would not lose face.

Even though it was a lot of money, Quinton’s father felt that it was necessary to save face!

“Hahaha! What’s the big deal? Let’s go, Alice! I’ll bring everyone into the manor today,” Quinton said as he smirked.

“Okay! You’re really amazing, Quinton! How could a pauper ever be compared to you?”

Jacelyn and the other girls also cheered for Quinton at this time.

The admission price for each person was one thousand five hundred dollars each, excluding hot spring services, dining, gold, and any other services.

The admission fee for the eight of them had already cost twelve thousand dollars.

“So, what if Gerald could bring them in? I think that the only thing he’s able to do is to let them look around! I can pay for everyone to go bowling today!”

Quinton and Harold winked at one another because they felt that the twelve thousand dollars that they had just spent was worth it.

If they had to, they would be more than willing to spend up to twenty thousand dollars today!

Bowling should be the cheapest activity in the manor. At least, Quinton was sure that it would definitely be cheaper than dining there!

All of them followed Quinton into the manor.

The inner periphery of Wayfair Mountain Entertainment was indeed very different from the outer periphery. All of them felt as though they had just stepped into a new world.

It was no wonder why even the wealthiest and most powerful people from other provinces regarded this establishment as a paradise. It really felt like paradise!

Alice was shocked when she entered the manor, but soon started to calm down a little.

“Ah! Guys, look! What is that?”

At this time, Jacelyn, who was busy applying her makeup as she was preparing to take a selfie, realized that there was an elegant attic above the beautiful hot spring with a waterfall at the front.

Some people were eating in the attic at this time.

The surrounding water mist evaporated around them, creating an effect that looked like rainbow bedding around them.

Everyone looking up at the attic felt as though those people were dining on the clouds.

It was extremely gorgeous.

Alice also found it really beautiful. She couldn’t help but feel envious because she really wished that she was the one eating there at this time.

“Is that the micro dining pavilion? Yes, that is the micro dining pavilion!” Quinton said in an envious tone.

“Quinton, how much does it cost to enter and have a meal at the micro dining pavilion? The name already sounds so exquisite. It should be really expensive, right?”

Jacelyn asked as she looked at the girls.

“Very expensive? It’s not just expensive. Do you know how much it costs to enter and use this micro dining pavilion? It costs forty-five thousand dollars, excluding the prices of the food!”

Everyone was shocked as soon as they heard the price.

It costs forty-five thousand dollars to enter this place?

Damn it!

Moreover, Quinton knew more about the place than the rest of them. “Moreover, even if you have money, you might not necessarily be able to eat here because you have to have a certain identity to dine here! Only the very wealthy and powerful can afford to enjoy their dinners here.”

Alice was shocked at this time.

“Hey! Look there! Alice, Quinton, take a look up there. Why do I feel as though those people really look like Gerald and his roommates?”

After staring at the group of people for a long time, Jacelyn felt as though something was wrong.

Hayley nodded before she said, “You’re right! I can see Harper from here!”

Alice felt a tug in her heart as she tried to make out the people on the micro dining pavilion alongside Quinton and Harold.

Upon closer inspection, they realized that it really looked like Gerald and his roommates.

“Impossible!”

Alice could not believe her own eyes. How could a pauper possibly afford to be up there?

It was absolutely impossible!

Ring, ring, ring.

Just then, Alice received a phone call.

It was a call from Naomi.

“Alice, why did you guys come in so late? All the dishes have already been served! I can see you! Look up here. The scenery from up here is really amazing. Why don’t you come and join us?”

Alice could see Naomi standing on the micro dining pavilion as she beckoned for them to come and join them as soon as possible!

“Oh my god. It is really Gerald, Naomi, and the rest of the boys. This…this…”

Jacelyn gulped at this time. This was unbelievable.

The expression on Quinton and Harold’s faces changed immediately. It seemed as though they would never be able to keep their heads up high today!

“Alice, let’s go up now!”

Jacelyn could not wait anymore! This was because many of the wealthy and noble people who were in the manor were already staring at them with envy.

She felt very satisfied at this time.

Alice bit her lip slightly as she said, “Yes! Let’s go up!”

She had to go up and ask Gerald what exactly was happening. Otherwise, she would definitely not be able to sleep at night!

Harold looked at Quinton with a nervous expression on his face as he said, “Brother Quinton, it seems as though that pauper is even more incredible than we thought he is. I think we should just leave instead of challenging him any further.”

Harold was already frightened because he did not expect Gerald to be this powerful.

Quinton snorted coldly as he said, “Damn it! Why are you afraid of him? I don’t believe that the pauper can actually be so powerful. Let’s go! We should go up and find out what’s going on!”

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