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[Chapter 251]
“I’m really sorry for being late, aunties!”
“Don’t be! It’s okay, child!” Harriet smiled at Elena and glared at Gerald while judging him from top to toe.
“Nice to meet all of you!” Gerald greeted them politely.
“You must be Gerald!” Harriet said as she folded her arms. She already had a first impression of him.
He was dressed very casually. Even though he looked decent she could tell that he was from a small village with no fashion sense! Harriet shocked her head. She would never allow someone like him to be his son-in-law! She would not just insult him but also give him a few slaps!
“Hi!” Harriet greeted him back.
“Hah! Haven’t seen you in a while and you still look the same!” Ruby said rudely.
The other cousins turned to their own boyfriends and shook their heads at them.
How could their cousin find someone like that?
That fashion sense was so bad!
Gerald just smiled lightly.
It seemed like Amber had not mentioned anything ever since she went back! Though he really wished that she had mentioned something to her family!
“The car is ready, aunties. Let’s get in the car and go look around first!” Gerald was still smiling.
“The car is ready? Why, you’re already talking like the car is yours!” Ruby could not stand it when she saw Elena was holding onto Gerald’s arm tightly. She immediately pulled her away unhappily.
There were two luxurious cars to bring them around Mayberry. After they got onto the car, they were ready to leave for the attractions.
“What do you plan to do after you graduate, Gerald?” Harriet asked with a fake smile on her face.
As they were on their way, they started chatting and the conversation landed on Gerald.
“Maybe some of my resolutions!” Gerald answered in a very blunt way.
“What?” Elena cousins laughed and their boyfriends shook their heads.
Since Elena’s cousins had brought along their boyfriends, they must compete with one another.
Before this, they all heard that the prettiest among them, Elena had found herself a boyfriend. They all brought their own boyfriends to make some comparisons.
The three sisters were nervous at first. But now, they were not pressured at all! They did not even see Gerald as an opponent.
“You? Your own resolutions? You’re so naive!” Harriet shook her head speechlessly. This child was way too arrogant.
“Aunt, it’s good that he has such a mindset. But again, after graduating you should gain some experience first before you could venture into the business world!” The boyfriend of the youngest cousin said.
Since he was the youngest, he should have called Gerald a big brother but he did not and it showed how much he disrespected him.
“Pierre is right. This is what someone with a big business empire would say. Will you be working at your father’s company?”
“I’ve thought about it!”
“I wouldn’t work with my father. I’m ready to venture!” Elena’s second cousin’s boyfriend spoke.
“Felix is right too!” Ruby laughed as she said, “It seems like both my nieces have found themselves good husbands! Now I’m just worried about Amber and Elena. When will they find someone like Felix?”
“Um, auntie, Gerald is still here.” Elena’s second cousin was trying to cover her own laughter.
“Haha! Him?”
[Chapter 252]
They could not stop talking and Gerald almost threw the drinks at them.
He saw that their drinks were finishing and he decided to get up to get more drinks for them. “I’ll go get some more milk tea so you guys could continue talking!”
Gerald immediately stood up and left.
After Gerald had left, the two sisters and Elena’s other cousin went to surround her. They saw each other a lot and they were very close. “Elena, what’s going on? Why would you choose him!”
“That’s right, sis! This person is so cheap and it’s unbelievable!”
“Yes! This kind of person in our school doesn’t get any friends!”
“You all really shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover you know. Gerald is a great person. He’s loyal and honest but most importantly he has great ideas! Isn’t these the qualities to look for when dating someone?” Elena was feeling helpless.
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“Elena, you’re too naive! You’ll soon realize that money is the most important thing in the future! But this isn’t a money issue, Elena. Even if he has a bit of money people would still look down on him! Just breakup with him already, okay? I’ll introduce you to someone better!”
The three sisters were trying to persuade her but Elena lowered her head and she decided to not say a single word while everyone was worried for her.
Meanwhile, Gerald came back with hands full of drinks. He brought back some milk tea.
“Have some drinks, everyone! The weather is too hot these days!” Gerald felt better after leaving for a while. In fact, these are just Elena’s relatives. He did not really have a reason to be mad at them.
“No, thanks. You can have it all!” The three sisters shook their heads speechlessly.
“We don’t want it either!” Harriet and Ruby said as they shook their heads.
“I think we are well rested here. We should move on to the next location!” Ruby continued.
“Alright! Let’s visit the Mountain road and then we could have lunch at Wayfair Mountain Entertainment!” Elena nodded her head.
Gerald did not dare to mention anything about his identity!
Everyone walked toward the car and was ready to go on to the next location.
Suddenly, Elena’s third cousin turned to her own boyfriend and said, “I’m so thirsty! Could you please get me a drink and buy a few more.”
“Yes please, and less ice. I don’t like cold drinks!” Harriet said.
“Alright! I’ll go get it!” Pierre said as he ran off.
Gerald shook his head speechlessly as he held those milk tea. He thought he was just poor but he did not know even the drinks he bought could ‘quench’ their thirst so nicely.
They finally set off to the Mountain Road and Gerald did not say a single word. He was playing his phone in the co-pilot seat the whole time.
Meanwhile, the three sisters and Harriet put their heads outside the window discussing the scenery.
“Wow! This is so beautiful, mom! Look at the mountain view!” They were amazed by it.
“It has been a while since I’ve visited Mayberry and this mountain view is just so iconic!” Ruby said happily.
“Stop the car now! Mom, aunt, look what I just saw! I think it’s a mirage!” Elena’s third cousin shouted excitedly.
“What? Mirage? Let me have a good look!”
Everyone got out of the car to catch a better view.
There was a luxurious and fancy house on top of the mountain with clouds covering it slightly.
The house seemed like it was floating on the clouds.
“It’s so beautiful! But I don’t think it’s a mirage!” Harriet was very excited. She immediately took out her camera and started taking pictures of it. Harriet was just a general manager, she was also a photography enthusiast.
“You’re right, aunt! It’s not a mirage. It’s a bungalow on top of Mayberry City called the Mountain Top Villa!”
“That is the Mountain Top Villa?”
[Chapter 253]
“I know I know! It was very well known among the rich people a while ago because Crawford’s son bought it with eight million dollars!”
“So it’s here! It looks amazing!”
“Anyways, Elena, since your family has something to do with Mayberry Commercial Street. Do you think you could bring us to the villa just to have a look at the surroundings?”
The aunts were very envious about it.
Elena turned and looked at Gerald. He did not reject them and she nodded back at them.
They immediately reached the place.
Whenever Gerald was not around there would be security guards outside to stop people from going in.
They were only halfway through and the guards were already there to stop them from going up.
“What are you guys doing here? This isn’t an attraction, please leave right now!” the two middle-aged security guards were really strict.
“We aren’t tourists, okay? This pretty lady over here is the daughter of Mr. Larson from Mayberry Commercial Street! Can’t we go in and have a look since Mr. Crawford hasn’t moved in yet?” Ruby said proudly.
“Oh! It’s Elena Larson. Our apologies!”
The Commercial Street and the Mountain Villa were all under the same company and these securities were Michael Zeke’s people hence they would know about the important people of the Mayberry Commercial Street.
When they saw Gerald standing beside Elena, they smiled happily.
“Ms. Elena, we are just here to look after Mr. Crawford’s villa. It would not be possible to let you all into the villa and if Mr. Zeke finds out, we would be in big trouble. So, please, Ms. Elena if you all aren’t planning to go into the villa, you all can stroll around!”
The people that wanted to visit the villa were all people that were very well known. For example, Yoel Holden claimed that Gerald was his godbrother and kept bringing people here. Even though they could not verify if he was the real deal but just his name alone was terrifying.
However, the villa was really not opened to the public.
The securities did not dare to stop Elena Larson either.
“Okay, We’ll just stroll outside the villa!” After noticing that Gerald did not say anything she turned to securities and said.
“Another thing, Ms. Elena. Don’t you think the people that you’re bringing in are slightly too many? We would be fired if the management sees it!” The securities were troubled.
“You’re so troublesome! We’ll just leave one behind, that’s all! Nine of us are going up” Harriet said.
Everyone knew that one person that was going to be left behind was Gerald.
Gerald was utterly speechless. Afterall, it was his own house and now he was not allowed to look at his own house.
Gerald was not planning to pamper them anymore when they reached the mountain top later.
He actually wanted to be low profile but they were way too much. Because they do not even care about him!
“That would be our arrangement! Let’s go, Elena!”
“There’s no point for him to go up there. People like him are good enough even with a house. He can’t afford a bungalow!” Ruby sneered.
Everyone else went up excitedly leaving Gerald behind.
Gerald smiled bitterly as he shook his head. He would not just stay there. Since he was already here, he would go and have a look and see if Michael has finished his work.
“What the hell are you trying to do?”
One of the securities stopped him from going up.
Gerald was stunned. “What? You guys don’t know who I am?”
How could the security from Wayfair Mountain Entertainment not know himself?
He thought they only acted as if they did not know who he was because they were told to. He did not realize that they were not aware of his identity!
“You? Who do you think you are? Aren’t you just a lowly peasant that is going to marry a rich family? You don’t seem very welcomed by them either!”
[Chapter 254]
“Look at you! Your job is to be insulted!” The securities laughed as they humiliated him.
“Mr. Crawford!”
Someone shouted.
The securities were nervous now. They stopped laughing.
What did she call him just now?
Gerald?
Gerald turned his head. “Rita! It has been a while!”
Rita was the designer for the villa and soon she would also be the butler at this villa.
Beside Rita was Nyla and a few others. They all met the last time when they were dealing with the villa.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Crawford!”
They used to look down on him before knowing his identity. After knowing that he controlled the entire Mayberry Commercial Street and he was really low profile, they all thought they should try their best and hope that they could marry him.
“My sister was asking about you yesterday but don’t worry. I’ve not said a single thing!” Rita said.
Gerald understood because after that day, Cara went back to dine in again and they did not get a discount for the second time.
He must have gotten the attention of Cara and she was investigating him!
“Don’t mention it. Your sister is worse than you!”
Gerald smiled bitterly. “Did you bring them here to visit?”
Rita nodded her head, blushing. She could not reject them after they had been asking her for so long.
But seeing Gerald there was a surprise!
“Alright, follow me then! I’ll bring you all into the villa!” Gerald smiled.
Rita took out a spare key from her bag and passed it to Gerald.
Gerald walked through the guard house leaving those securities dumbfounded.
“Quick, Elena! Help us take a picture!”
“I need to stand close to the entrance. I want to post it on my social media to let my friends see it!”
“Elena, help us too!”
Ruby and the others were standing at the front of the door excitedly.
The view up here and the villa was amazing.
Elena’s cousins were all very happy.
Meanwhile, they saw Gerald walking up the mountain.
“What the hell is he doing here?”
“Did he sneak up here? It’s going to be so embarrassing if people find out!” The sisters complained.
“Why are you up here, Gerald? Did you sneak up here by yourself? You could have just asked Elena to video call you!” Ruby was frowning.
“Um, excuse me, everyone. But if I’m not here, all of you won’t be able to see the interior of this villa. So please allow me to show you around as a host and then buy all of you a drink!”
Gerald was still holding onto the milk tea that nobody was willing to drink and his other hand was holding the remote key.
He pressed the button and the door automatically opened up.
“What?”
“What the fuck?”
[Chapter 255]
Everyone was dumbfounded.
“Who are they, Mr. Crawford?” Rita asked. She was envious when she saw the pretty Elena Larson.
Rita did not feel comfortable there but she did not want to trouble Gerald.
Gerald can’t actually say that Elena was his girlfriend because it would be another trouble if Mila found out.
“It’s a story for next time. They are all my guests so please make some arrangements!” Gerald smiled.
“Yes, Mr. Crawford!” Rita nodded her head.
Ruby was stunned when she heard what Rita called him. “What? You’re a Crawford? Mayberry’s heir, Gerald Crawford?” Ruby shouted.
“Yes, auntie! That’s me!” Gerald laughed interestingly.
“Elena, is it true?”
Even Harriet was shocked and she felt as if her face was swollen from being ‘slapped’ by Gerald. The poor peasant that had been humiliated by them along their way was Gerald Crawford!
Elena nodded her head.
Elena’s cousins were all taking deep breaths. Clearly, they had heard about him many times and could not believe the person standing right in front of them was the very well-known Gerald Crawford.
They all felt regrets rushing through their heads. They must have looked like a circus show in front of Gerald!
Everything has become way more interesting for the following hours. Their conversations were still about Gerald but whatever he said, they would just agree with him. Gerald knew this time he would make them look like a fool and they just became really quiet.
“The house has completed, Mr. Crawford. When will you be moving in?” Rita asked Gerald softly before they left.
“Within these few days. Michael is quite efficient. He only took six days to complete the job!” Gerald answered and brought them downhill.
“Gerald, where are you? I would like to see you for dinner tonight. There’s something we need to talk about.” It was Mila. She texted Gerald.
Gerald was shocked by the text message after all he had done today.
“I’m at campus. I’ll see you at the canteen tonight then!” Gerald replied.
“Elena, I still have things to do in school and I have to leave now. You could bring them to Wayfair Mountain Entertainment tonight!” Gerald said.
“It’s okay, Gerald. We had been troubling you for the entire day! Don’t worry about us!” Ruby said.
“That’s right, Gerald! Don’t worry about us! You three! Bid your brother-in-law goodbye now!” Harriet said while she embarrassed the three sisters.
“Goodbye, brother-in-law!” The three sisters said as they smiled at him seductively. These women were having thoughts in their heads!
[Chapter 256]
She could not help but feel that Gerald did not only look very refined but the more she looked at him, the more she felt that he was very handsome even though he was dressed so casually. He definitely looked much better compared to her boyfriend in every way!
“Um…”
Gerald could not take this enthusiasm anymore and left immediately.
As for whether he hated them or not, he did not feel anything whatsoever. After all, both he and Elena were just pretending anyway.
“Oh my God! Elena, you did not tell me that Gerald was Mr. Crawford! Your aunt nearly offended Mr. Crawford just like how your eldest aunt did!”
Ruby clapped her hands excitedly.
Harriet was obviously unhappy when she heard this. “I say, Ruby, you were the one who was speaking viciously in the first place, and you are clearly the one who had offended Mr. Crawford. So, how could you say that it is me? If you don’t believe me, you can ask my daughter. Was my tone impolite at all when I was speaking to Mr. Crawford earlier? Wasn’t it your second aunt who was sneering at him all along?” Harriet hurriedly asked her daughters.
Her daughters did not know what to say.
Fortunately, her son-in-law, Pierre, said, “I don’t think so! Hehehe! Besides, Mr. Crawford’s attitude was pretty good when he left just now. He certainly did not look like he was holding anything against us at
all!”
Harriet looked at Pierre in disgust as she said, “Don’t you know your own place? I was asking my daughter so why are you trying to speak up now? Do you think that you can show off just because you have some money? You are so vile! Why can’t you learn something from Gerald who is so mature and stable?”
Pierre’s face turned green immediately.
At this time, her second cousin’s boyfriend, Felix, suddenly laughed.
“You’re laughing? What are you laughing at? Do you think that you are that great? You are always pretending to be so mature and oppressive all the time. Do you have enough money to be so pretentious? A bunch of good-for-nothings who are not promising at all! I want both of you to stay away from my daughters in the future!” Harriet yelled.
After meeting Gerald, who was none other than Mr. Crawford today, Harriet finally realized that both of her future sons-in-law were so lowly. No, they were not only lowly, but they were not even fit to be human at all!
Ruby simply ignored her sister.
She simply turned around and held Elena’s hand as she said, “Elena, we really have to go around more in the future. Your aunt has never been to Wayfair Mountain Entertainment before. Since Gerald has already talked about it, why don’t you bring us there to look around?”
“Yes, Elena! Bring us there!”
“I am not in the mood. If you want to, you can go and have a look on your own!” Elena simply replied lightly.
Her voice was very cold.
She was not intentionally directing her anger at her aunts, however, Elena was in a state of confusion right now.
This was because Elena had been sitting with Gerald just now. Therefore, Elena had happened to see the contents of a text message that Gerald received on WeChat.
It was a text message sent by a girl named Mila, and she was asking Gerald to accompany her to have dinner.
After that, Gerald had lied to her and told her that he was actually at the university before he had left in a hurry.
Gerald did not even dare to tell the other girl that he was with another girl at this time.
Elena could tell that Gerald obviously cared a lot about this girl!
This made Elena feel as though she had received a direct blow to her heart.
To put it bluntly, what was the reason she had been asking for Gerald’s help the last three to four times?
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Was it because she truly needed Gerald’s help?
Besides, couldn’t Elena get anyone else to pretend to be her boyfriend?
Why did she have to look for Gerald?
Wasn’t it just because she wanted to create more opportunities to spend more time with Gerald?
However, all that Gerald could think about was that girl named Mila! She could tell just by looking at the nervous expression on his face!
Thus, Elena’s mind was completely blank at this time, and she was not in the mood to do anything at all!
She simply wanted to be alone.
At this time, Gerald was already back at campus.
He headed straight toward the entrance of the cafeteria.
Upon arriving there, he hurriedly sent Mila a text message: [Why aren’t you at the cafeteria yet? I am still waiting for you at the entrance of the cafeteria!]
Gerald thought of the tricks that Naomi and Harper had taught him—to interweave the truth with some falsehood at the same time.
Mila replied apologetically: [Hehe! I will be right there! I am just done with the meeting for our broadcasting department!! Sorry for making you wait!]
‘This trick really worked!’ Gerald thought to himself.
“Hey! Did you hear that a girl almost committed suicide today?”
At this time, Gerald happened to hear the discussion that was going on between some of the girls who were walking past him at this time…
[Chapter 257]
”Huh? Suicide? Why?!”
“Hmph! Isn’t it just because she confessed her love to Silas but he did not accept her feelings? After that, the girl could not think right anymore!”
“Ah, so that’s what it is. Sigh. It seems as though more and more people are beginning to confess their love to Silas recently. However, I seem to have heard something over the past two days. It seems as though there is a girl who is actually getting pretty close to Silas!”
“D*mn it! I am so jealous. Which girl could possibly be so fortunate to be favored by Silas?”
“No matter who the other girls are all interested in, I only have one goal in mind, and that is none other than Mr. Crawford! Hmph!”
At this time, a very cold and beautiful girl who looked like a goddess spoke up.
“Wow! No one can see or touch Mr. Crawford at all! How could he possibly be as glamorous as Silas?”
“Oh! Is there something wrong with you? Why are you standing in front of the entrance of the cafeteria and blocking everyone’s way? Don’t you realize your own stupidity?”
The few girls continued their loud discussion as they glared coldly at Gerald.
Pfft!
Gerald snorted as he ignored them directly!
“Hello, Gerald!” By this time, Mila had already walked over to him.
As soon as she walked up to him, Mila took Gerald’s hand in hers.
They were just like any other boyfriend and girlfriend.
In fact, the encounter between both of them was a little strange.
After their last misunderstanding, Mila knew what Gerald’s true feelings were, and Gerald also knew what Mila wanted.
That night, Gerald had asked her “Will you become my girlfriend?”, to which Mila had replied, “Hasn’t it always been that way?”.
There was no glamorous or big love confession, and there was nothing dramatic at all, but both of them had eventually ended up as a couple.
Gerald did not even bother to ask whether Mila was implicitly implying that she had always been his fake or real girlfriend. No matter what it was, the situation right now was perfect to him anyway.
“Let’s go and eat now. What should we eat tonight?” Mila asked.
“I feel like eating braised pork!”
Both of them continued chatting and laughing as they entered the cafeteria together. Many boys who were witnessing this scene could not help but feel a little jealous and envious.
Mila was such a beautiful girl. Why had she ended up with someone like that?
This was unbelievable!
After that, a plate of braised pork and a few plates of vegetables were served.
Gerald and Mila were having dinner face to face.
At this time, many boys and girls were sitting around them.
All of them were talking about Silas and the number of girls who had failed to pursue him.
Gerald was also bewildered.
“Why is this Silas so high-profile? Is he really here to attend school?” Gerald asked as he smiled bitterly.
“Haha! Do you think that everyone is just like you? Your family trained you by making you live in poverty for so many years, but on the other hand, he has been spoiled ever since he was born. By the way, Gerald, why don’t you tell me how powerful your family really is? Why haven’t you told me anything at all?” Mila asked softly.
She was not a materialistic person who worshiped money, but she had always been very curious to find out about Gerald’s family’s strength. After all, what kind of power would Gerald’s family actually possess that they could actually mobilize so many helicopters and allow Gerald to spend money so endlessly.
“I do not know much about my family, but I only know that my family is very rich and we have so much money that we will never be able to finish spending it!”
Gerald replied honestly.
“Pfft! I don’t believe you! How could you have so much money that you can never finish spending it?” Mila felt that Gerald was just bragging.
However, Gerald was really telling the truth.
Both of them continued arguing amongst themselves and it was rather noisy and lively.
Suddenly, at this time, the entire cafeteria exploded with various people shouting and screaming.
Gerald was taken aback.
When he looked up, he saw a group of people walking toward the cafeteria.
And this person was not just anyone. It was none other than Silas.
The atmosphere in the cafeteria was similar to a scene where a big celebrity had just appeared.
“Silas, I love you! Can you accept me?” Some of the girls yelled shamelessly.
“Silas! What must I do before I can finally become your girlfriend? Can you please tell me?”
“Wow! I have to take a picture right now!”
These kinds of girls who were yelling out so boldly would often be those girls who always liked to dress and doll themselves up.
[Chapter 258]
However, it seemed as though Silas was already used to it.
“I am just here to accompany one of my friends to have a meal, okay? There is no need for you to make such a big fuss!” Silas replied with a wry smile on his face.
After that, he looked at the doorway behind him.
At this time, two girls stepped forward under everyone’s watchful eyes and stood beside Silas.
“Puff!”
Gerald had just taken a sip of the soup in front of him, but he nearly spat the food out at Mila’s face when he saw the two girls who came in after Silas.
“D*mn it!” Gerald was shocked.
The two girls were naturally very stunning and beautiful, and they were none other than Alice and Jacelyn.
“Oh my God. Is that Silas’s girlfriend? Why? Is it just because she is beautiful?”
“You are so disgusting! Why are you trying to seduce Silas?”
Some of the girls began to scold them indignantly.
“She is not his girlfriend. Didn’t you hear what Silas said just now? She is a friend! She is just his friend! That simply means we still stand a chance!”
“Alice, Jacelyn, why don’t you sit down? To be honest, if both of you did not say that you liked the food in the cafeteria, I would not have come here at all. This is the first time I have ever stepped into the school’s cafeteria after growing so big! Hahaha!” Silas said as he smiled.
After that, he sat down at the table in the center of the cafeteria.
As for Alice, she simply straightened out her hair and smiled slightly before she sat down.
She obviously did not want to say too much.
In fact, Alice was already scared after getting hurt by Quinton, followed by Gerald.
Therefore, although Alice was excited and flattered that Silas, who was now well-known to everyone in Mayberry University, was endlessly pursuing her, she was still very conservative.
She would not be the kind of girl who would take the first step anymore.
Moreover, to be honest, it would be impossible for Silas to date her just because he was rich and had some money.
What Alice was interested in was love, not sex.
Either way, Alice wanted to protect and defend her own innocence and virginity before she got married.
Besides, she had been in a very bad mood for the past few days after she had gotten dumped by Gerald.
At the same time, she had only proved to herself that she had been thinking too much.
Perhaps Gerald was not truly as powerful as she imagined him to be?
No!
After getting to know Silas over the past two days, Alice had discovered that Gerald might not be as good as she thought he was. All he had was just some money.
She had really thought too highly of Gerald!
Compared to Silas, Gerald’s various behaviors were at an elementary school level! Simply a joke!
This was especially so because of all the attention Alice was currently enjoying—as though everyone was in awe of her. Gerald could not possibly give her any of this.
Jacelyn was also enjoying this refreshing feeling at this time, and she had a look of arrogance on her face.
“Hey! Hey! Hey! Are you looking at beautiful girls?” Mila stretched out her hand before she waved it in front of Gerald’s eyes. After that, she put down her chopsticks as she felt a little angry at this time.
“Ahh! No!” Gerald hurriedly explained himself. “I was just curious as to how Alice met and got acquainted with Silas.”
“Hmph! What do you mean no? I think you must be a little upset and uncomfortable now, aren’t you? Alice still liked you two days ago, but it is obvious that she likes someone else now. You must be feeling very uncomfortable, right?” Mila asked as she frowned.
“I am not feeling uncomfortable. Even if I am feeling uncomfortable, it is just because I pity Alice. She is actually a pretty good girl, but she is simply too materialistic. I am afraid that she will lose her confidence and wallow in self-despair after getting stimulated and hurt by another guy again!” Gerald replied truthfully.
“Who else has stimulated and hurt her before aside from you?” Mila continued questioning him to get to the bottom of this matter.
“There was also this boy that we knew before. She was truly hurt very deeply at that time. Hahaha. Forget it. Let’s stop talking about this, okay? Let’s continue eating!” Gerald replied as he shook his head helplessly.
However, after taking two bites of his food, a small peanut suddenly hit his table.
Who was it? This person was simply too idle, right?
Gerald could not help but curse inside.
After that, another peanut hit Gerald’s table again.
Gerald was finally certain that someone was trying to provoke him.
When he looked up, he saw Jacelyn, who was wearing branded clothes from head to toe, staring at him with an arrogant look on her face as she sneered at him. She was holding a peanut with her chopsticks…
[ Chapter 259]
It seemed as though Jacelyn was trying to say ‘Gerald, you never would have expected this would you? I, Jacelyn, could actually end up in this favorable situation today. A local tycoon like Silas actually favored me and took me in as his godsister! He even bought me clothes, bags, and many other things!’.
Jacelyn wanted to return Gerald all the humiliation he had made her suffer in the past.
Of course, Gerald simply ignored her as he continued eating his food.
Alice naturally noticed what Jacelyn had been doing.
In fact, Alice had already noticed that Gerald was here when she entered the cafeteria just now.
However, she simply glanced at Gerald before she looked away in a huff.
Speaking of how Alice had gotten acquainted with Silas, this also had something to do with Gerald.
Hadn’t Gerald dumped Alice in the small park the other day before he went to pursue Mila instead?
She had felt very ashamed and angry at that time, and she had happened to meet Silas by coincidence.
After Silas had added her as friends on WeChat, both of them had become good friends.
It was also precisely because she had met Silas that the damage to her self-esteem because of Gerald had completely disappeared.
Therefore, Alice did not feel the need for her to talk to Gerald anymore!
She could also find other boys who were a hundred times better than Gerald! Hmph!
“By the way, Mila, didn’t you say that you had something to tell me? What’s the matter?” Gerald withdrew his thoughts and asked Mila the question as he continued eating.
“Oh, yes. It is about me going to the Hong Kong Television Station for a three-month study plan. I will be leaving the day after tomorrow. I’ve already registered and would like to go there so that I can learn and study more. After that, I will come back to Mayberry City to look for a job internship!” Mila replied.
“Oh my! Why is it so sudden?” Gerald was taken aback.
“I received the notice this morning, and then, I began to proceed with the registration. After signing up, I’ve been attending the meeting for the whole day. The study period is for three months! I also want to stay in Mayberry City, but I do not want to constantly be living under my family and your shadow! I want to be able to prove myself!” Mila replied firmly.
Gerald was slightly dejected as he nodded. “It’s okay. We should be learning more since we are still young. It is not only you, but I will also have my own study plans.”
This was not a breakup, however, Gerald could not help but feel a little reluctant because they would be separated for three whole months.
Mila held Gerald’s hand as she smiled and said, “You can come and visit me anytime you want to! I am not going missing anyway!”
“Okay. Alright then, I will come and see you whenever I have time!”
Anyway, he heard his sister saying that the core location of his family was in Northbay, so, they would probably have many estates and industries in Hong Kong.
When the time came, he could just give them a heads up, and he would be able to feel relieved even when Mila was there.
Gerald could not help but feel that this was so dramatic.
When he was poor in the past, he felt as though the whole world had abandoned him.
Now that he had money, he felt as though he owned the whole world.
As for Alice, Gerald did not want to think about it anymore.
Fortunately, he did not have much interaction with her anyway. Gerald really did not want anything to do with a girl who had this kind of personality, not to mention, Jacelyn.
On the third day, Gerald sent Mila off on a plane.
After sending Mila off, Gerald calmed himself down completely. If he had nothing to do, he would learn about the relevant knowledge of economics and management or he would take a look at the development issues of Yorknorth Mountain.
Time flew by quickly, and soon, it had already been three days since Mila had left.
It was a Friday afternoon and Gerald was lying on his bed as he was playing with his cell phone as he was being idle. Harper suddenly came in and asked nervously, “Gerald, Gerald, have you seen Benjamin?”
“No. Didn’t you guys go to the internet café together?” Gerald thought that they would certainly be at the internet café at this time.
Over the past two days, something had not been right with Benjamin. He had been extremely depressed every day, however, he would not say anything at all when Gerald or the others asked him
about it!
In short, a person who had always been very lively had suddenly become very weird.
When they were having lunch together at noon, Harper had asked Benjamin to go to an internet café with him to relieve some boredom.
However, he could not be found anywhere at all in the evening!
[Chapter 260]
Harper was a little worried.
Gerald was also starting to break out in cold sweat. Could something bad have happened to Benjamin?
Gerald took his cell phone and tried to call Benjamin.
However, his cell phone had already been turned off.
“D*mn it. What’s going on?” Harper asked as he scratched his head anxiously.
Gerald no longer had the mood to lie down anymore, so he jumped off his bed as he whispered, “Speaking of this, Benjamin has indeed been acting strangely recently. Since last week, I have realized Benjamin would be smiling at his cell phone sometimes. When I wanted to peek at his cell phone, he refused to let me see it. However, he seemed really depressed over the past two days. He had to be hiding something from us!”
Gerald spoke up as he thought about Benjamin’s performance and behavior over the past two days.
However, since Benjamin had always been a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky person, no one in the dormitory took it to heart when he was depressed once in a while. They simply thought of bringing him out to relax and have some fun.
“Yes. I also noticed that. The most important thing right now is for us to find him as soon as possible. I hope that nothing bad has happened to him!”
After Harper was done speaking, the brothers immediately got ready to go out and look for Benjamin.
Gerald felt so anxious that he was even thinking of calling the police.
As soon as they opened the dormitory door, everyone was stunned.
Benjamin was back!
He was soaked in sweat from head to toe, and he looked unusually haggard.
“F*ck! Benjamin! Where did you go?” Harper scolded him anxiously.
“Oh, oh, I went out for a while. I had something going on in the last two days!”
Benjamin seemed a little preoccupied as he replied to them. After that, he yawned before he entered the dormitory.
“Why was your cell phone turned off?”
When Gerald saw Benjamin’s appearance and reaction, he felt that something was a little off.
“Benjamin, are you hiding something from us?”
“Huh? I… I’m fine!”
“Then, didn’t you say that something happened in the past two days?”
Gerald and Harper exchanged glances with one another. It would be strange if Benjamin was truly fine. At this time, everyone in the dormitory had already surrounded Benjamin.
Benjamin lowered his head and stopped talking, but he had a very gloomy expression on his face.
“Benjamin, are you trying to make us die from worry?” Gerald asked as he patted Benjamin on his shoulder.
Benjamin’s mouth twitched slightly as he was faced with everyone’s questioning and concern. He could not help but grabbed his hair frantically at this time as he said:
“Don’t ask me if everything is okay. Don’t worry about me. I, Benjamin, am worthless. I am a scumbag! Please, I beg you. Stop asking me about it!”
“I… I have been lying to all of you all this while. I am truly a scumbag. All of you don’t have to treat me as your buddy anymore in the future. If I tell you about it, all of you will definitely look down on me!”
“?!”
Both Gerald and Harper were a little confused.
After that, Gerald said, “How could that be possible, Benjamin? We will only look down on you if you are running away from your own problems. Unless you mean that you have never regarded us as your brothers?”
“No, no, no! Of course I have always regarded all of you as my brothers! My feelings for all of you are absolutely true!” Benjamin replied as he scratched his head earnestly. “Okay, I will tell you everything. Perhaps, I will feel a little better after telling all of you about it!”
“In truth, Gerald, Harper, my family is actually quite poor. Haven’t all of you always thought that I come from a pretty good family background? I have always been faking it! To be honest, my family’s situation is not any better compared to how Gerald used to be in the past. My parents are both ill, and I also have a sister who is seriously ill!”
“Everyone looked down on my family ever since I was young. Do you know something? When I was seven years old, my mother brought me to my aunt’s house to borrow some money from her. As a
result, they threw my mother and me out of their house! They even threw out all of my family’s agricultural products!”
“Therefore, I have always been particularly afraid that people would look down on me. I have always had this fear ever since I was a child. I am especially afraid that people will look down on me if I do not have money. So, ever since I was in high school, I have been deliberately faking it and pretending that I have money!”
“Last week, the high school class monitor that I had been pursuing for several years finally agreed to get together with me. However, she is completely different compared to any other girl. She is not a greedy and materialistic person, but I lied to her. I lied and told her that I was doing very well in school. I even told her that I opened a few shops, but now…”
Benjamin lowered his head in desperation.
Gerald understood what he was saying. “She said that she wants to come here to see you now?”
“Yes. I told her that I would go and find her instead, but she insisted on coming here. What can I do? If she finds out that I have been lying to her, she will definitely break up with me. I really cherish her a lot! That is why I have been working hard and taking on part-time jobs over the past two days to make some money!”
Gerald did not know how to persuade Benjamin when he saw the state his friend was in.
After all, he himself had also deceived Mila a few times.
Therefore, he understood what Benjamin was feeling. He wanted to obtain love, but he was also afraid that he would lose love because of poverty. That was why he had done that.
“Well, Benjamin, you don’t have to worry anymore. I have a solution for this matter!”
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