Shuichang scratched An Qiluo’s palm, and upon receiving the signal, An Qiluo stepped in front of Adonis. “Eden, I didn’t expect you to be such a despicable person. It’s my fault for misunderstanding you in the past; I thought you were different from other wealthy kids, but it turns out you also like to use power to bully others. You have disappointed me greatly.”
Upon hearing his former idol speak of misunderstanding him, Eden felt a surge of emotions that he couldn’t brush off even if he told himself not to care. Gritting his teeth, he said, “You don’t need to provoke me. Here and now, I declare that whoever dares to let you all return to school will be expelled.” His tone was arrogant and infuriating.
“Who do you think you are? Do you think you can just get rid of the principal?” Someone couldn’t hold back their contempt.
“Exactly, we’ve tolerated your arrogance because we’re classmates, but you think you’re someone special, like you’re a royal?”
Eden was not angry; instead, he smiled proudly. “So what if I’m a royal? You commoners can’t even reach my level. Acting all righteous in front of me, be careful I don’t expel you all tomorrow.”
“Eden, have you forgotten that the governor is returning today? If we tell him what you just said, what do you think will happen?”
“Hmph, a mere governor. What can he do to me? I’ll tell you, the current emperor’s younger brother, Prince Flor, is my uncle by marriage.”
Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback.
If what Eden said was true, he indeed had the power to expel them.
They were just commoners, well aware that crossing paths with royalty would lead to their downfall.
The onlookers turned pale, afraid that Eden would hold a grudge against them and make things difficult in the future, leaving them with no recourse.
“Hmph.” Shuichang’s light laughter broke the silence.
Eden glared at him. “What’s so funny?”
“I laugh at your ignorance! Saying Prince Flor is your uncle by marriage is downright ridiculous. Prince Flor’s wife comes from the Rothschild family and has given him a son. I remember, Eden, that you come from the Dupont family…”
“Oh, so you’re just lying to deceive us.”
“Tch, full of hot air.”
Eden’s face turned pale. “Shut up!”
Shuichang smiled slowly. “I have a thought… could Eden’s aunt be Prince Flor’s mistress? If I were to tell the princess about this, what do you think would happen to the Eden family?”
Ilyai grabbed Eden’s sleeve in fear. “Eden… Adonis guessed it. Our aunt really is Prince Flor’s secret mistress. If the family finds out we’ve leaked this, they will certainly expel us.”
Eden forced himself to keep face. “Who do you think you are? The princess isn’t someone you can just meet whenever you want. I see you’re also full of bravado.”
“Is that so?” Shuichang smiled lightly. “Since you want to know if I can do it, I’ll make an effort to try.”
Yalin stepped forward. “Adonis, don’t mind him. We haven’t seen each other in a year; let’s not waste time on this guy.”
Shuichang noticed Yalin’s sincere smile. “Yalin… long time no see.”
Yalin covered his face, feeling embarrassed. “Boss, everyone knows I’m Yalin now.”
Xiazhu was hugging An Qiluo when he interjected, “You all helped Yalin trick me, but I’m magnanimous, so I won’t hold a grudge.”
The four continued talking as they walked away, soon disappearing from sight.
With no more entertainment to watch, the crowd dispersed, leaving only the stiff bodies of Eden and Ilyai standing in place.
Shuichang and the others arrived at a small park, taking seats on the benches.
Shuichang and Yalin sat together while An Qiluo and Xiazhu sat together.
Yalin couldn’t wait to ask, “Boss, how was your year in the military? What position did you rise to? Can you help me out when I go this year?”
Shuichang shook his head. “Can’t help.”
“What?” Yalin was astonished. As one of the people who went to the dark forest with Adonis the most, he knew Adonis’s strength quite well. How could he not help? Surely it wasn’t true what Eden said? Thinking this, Yalin cautiously asked, “Boss, are you still in the military?”
“Not anymore.”
Yalin’s heart sank, but seeing Adonis’s expression, he didn’t look sad or disappointed. “Boss, don’t hide it from me. Have you been transferred to another department? Did you come specifically to see us during your leave?”
“No leave; I’m here for work.” Shuichang felt he had been clear enough.
However, Yalin completely missed his hint and continued to speculate mindlessly.
Xiazhu asked An Qiluo a few questions about how life was going, then tuned in to the conversation between the two, his heart racing as he looked at An Qiluo incredulously. “Could it be what I’m thinking? You all came here for work?”
An Qiluo chuckled and nodded. “Smart, too bad I ended up with a fool.”
Yalin was increasingly anxious. “It turns out you really can’t be friends with people who have a vastly different IQ, or else your intelligence will always be crushed. What are you doing? Why can Xiazhu see it?”
Xiazhu reminded him, “Did you forget what the director said? Who is coming today?”
“Ah!” Yalin’s eyes lit up. “Adonis, you wouldn’t be…”
Shuichang asked, “What is it?”
Yalin clapped his hands together, making a crisp sound. “You must be the governor’s bodyguard, right?”
Shuichang felt a headache coming on. “I shouldn’t have believed you had any intelligence; why would I be just a bodyguard?”
“Then it must be someone else,” Yalin quickly amended, “My boss is definitely the head bodyguard.”
Xiazhu facepalmed. “Seriously? He’s clearly the governor himself.”
Yalin stared at him in disbelief. “Boss, is what Xiazhu said true?”
“What do you think?” Shuichang laughed.