“No, good luck to you.”
As soon as I opened my mouth to ask, the second young master of Sunset Country's largest hotel chain shrugged, dropped that sentence, and walked away without looking back.
I turned to another familiar face—the Prince of the Fire Scorpion Gang. He was a bit more polite than the former: “Not yet. Sorry.”
Being rejected by two wealthy young masters I could somewhat talk to, one after another, truly felt awful.
I rubbed my nose, and that familiar sense of frustration welled up again. To avoid unnecessary trouble and deeper embarrassment, I had even deliberately avoided those guys I had thoroughly beaten up.
But I didn't expect that even if I swallowed my pride today, lowered my stance, and went around asking if anyone needed help, no one would bother with me.
Money is hard to earn, and shit is hard to eat. That saying is truly accurate.
But I, Wang Allen, will not believe in this evil today! I refuse to believe that in this vast campus, I can't find someone who needs help!
“Oh, isn't this Allen? What, looking for work again?” A nauseatingly sarcastic voice came from behind me.
I didn't even need to turn around; just hearing that annoying tone, I knew who it was.
I slowly turned around, and sure enough, a sloppily dressed hip-hop black youth was walking towards me, a fake smile plastered on his face that made one want to punch him.
Daniel, the former “number one school bully” of this school. Before I transferred, he was the local tyrant here.
Relying on a distant relative in the mafia—that guy managed the city's underground racetrack—Daniel was utterly lawless and ignorant in school, completely relying on brute force far beyond his peers and a nature of bullying the weak and fearing the strong to lord over everyone, unchallenged.
I could say I detested this guy to my very core.
In my previous life, during those “seven darkest days,” it was he and his relative who colluded to swallow my prize money from two racing competitions!
That money could have helped me get through the toughest period, but they took it all, pushing me directly into despair.
If I hadn't been starving for six full days, where even a sip of water felt luxurious, and my body was too weak to argue with them, how could I have let them be so arrogant!
What's even more hateful is that this black drug addict indirectly caused me to eventually have to yield to my uncle, making me suffer so much.
“Something wrong?” I coldly glanced at him, my tone devoid of any warmth.
Daniel chuckled, revealing a mouthful of white teeth that were particularly glaring in the sunlight: “I hear you're short on cash lately? How about it, interested in pulling off a big one with me?”
“No interest.” I refused without a second thought. If this guy came looking for me, he definitely had ill intentions.
“Don't be so quick to refuse,” Daniel leaned closer, deliberately lowering his voice, which carried a strange mix of cheap perfume and tobacco, “I have a batch of ‘goods’ here that need to be delivered to a specific location. After it's done, you'll be well compensated.”
I sneered inwardly. The so-called “goods” were, more likely than not, drugs.
Even if I, Wang Allen, starved to death, I would never touch such a despicable thing.
“Find someone else,” I said, then turned to leave.
This guy used to lord over the school, and later he also became one of Aini's many suitors, but I heard that his pursuit was strictly stopped by his relative with a mafia background as soon as it began.
Daniel was clearly unaccustomed to being refused so directly. He stubbornly grabbed my arm: “Allen, don't be ungrateful! This is a good opportunity to make money; once you miss it, it's gone!”
I violently shook off his hand, my gaze as sharp as a knife, piercing his eyes: “I said, no interest!”
“You…” Daniel was startled by my sudden aura, but quickly reverted to his arrogant and overbearing expression, “Fine, you've got guts! Don't regret it!”
Have me transport something for him? Hmph, I didn't even need to think; it was definitely dirty work like drugs. I was too lazy to waste more words with him and walked directly out of the cafeteria.
After walking a few steps, a slightly hesitant voice came from behind me: “Allen, wait a moment.”
I turned my head and saw Papa John hurrying towards me.
He was the young master of that rather famous pancake shop in Nottingham. His family's pancakes had an excellent reputation locally; not only were they reasonably priced, but the taste and quality were also of high standards.
“Allen, were you just asking if anyone had any commissions?” Papa John walked up to me, a hint of hard-to-detect anticipation on his face.
I nodded and replied, “Yeah, why? Do you have work?” But my heart was a bit uneasy; it's really hard to find reliable work to earn money these days.
Papa John's eyes immediately lit up, as if he had seen an oasis in the desert: “Yes! Of course, I do! Allen, could you… help me deliver a letter?”
Deliver a letter? I was slightly stunned. This job was simple, but in this day and age, who still bothers to write letters?
“It's… a love letter,” Papa John added, his cheeks involuntarily flushing slightly, his eyes holding a unique shyness and undisguised anticipation characteristic of a young man.
I suddenly understood; so it was this kind of thing. This was a good opportunity; I could earn the much-needed money and help someone out. Why not?
“To whom?” I asked, already planning the best delivery route and time in my mind.
“Aini Agno.” Papa John's voice dropped, as if merely mentioning the name made him nervous.
Aini? My heart skipped a beat. This was truly… too coincidental. But what did it have to do with me? I was just a delivery person now.
“After delivery, I'll give you 100 pounds.” Papa John, seeing my slight hesitation, eagerly added, afraid I wouldn't agree.
100 pounds! That was equivalent to a whole week's rent for the small bungalow I rented at Aini's house! This money, given my current situation, was truly a godsend, so important!
“Deal!” I agreed without hesitation, the earlier frustration swept away, my heart blooming with joy. This was the first legitimate commission I had received since my rebirth, and I had to do it perfectly!
I took the love letter Papa John had carefully prepared. It was a thick stack of letter paper, emitting a faint, elegant fragrance. It was clear this guy had put his heart into it for Aini.
Aini was undeniably the most beautiful girl in this school, and her family background was the strongest; almost no one dared to have improper thoughts about her or use force.
If I had known then that she was the princess of that mafia family, I probably wouldn't even have had the courage to play with her in the park.
Taking this opportunity, I returned to the classroom. When no one was around, I found a clean envelope and a few sheets of paper and began writing a letter to Aini.
I wrote this letter very carefully, deliberating over every word, taking a full five minutes.
I carefully put all the dreamlike sweet memories I had with Aini into the letter: those days of sketching together in sun-drenched parks, playing chess under the old oak tree, and teasing stray cats on the street corner—those pure and simple joys that only the two of us understood…
Whenever I thought of that carefree time and compared it to the vast difference now, the feeling was truly unbearable.
At the end of the letter, I solemnly added: “No matter what happens next, thank you for giving me an unforgettable and beautiful experience.”
Carefully folding the letter and putting it into the envelope, I quickly slipped both Papa John's letter and my own into Aini's desk drawer, taking advantage of the empty classroom.
After doing all this, I let out a long sigh, feeling inexplicably much lighter.
Next up was to buy Gwen the pizza and wine she had been craving.
I skillfully made my way to the school wall, found a familiar spot for a running start, took a deep breath, pushed off with my legs, and with a graceful leap, easily scaled the stone wall that was more than half a person's height.
While jogging towards Papa John's pancake shop, I deftly placed an order for his place on my phone.
I have to say, the location of his shop was perfect; right next to it was a convenience store, which happened to have the fruit wine Gwen liked most.
Once I got the steaming, fragrant pizza and casually bought the wine at the convenience store, I scaled the stone wall back the same way and headed straight for our usual meeting spot—the school rooftop—to meet up with Gwen. The entire process was seamless, saving both time and effort.
When I placed the still-steaming pizza, emanating rich cheese and roasted meat aromas, in front of Gwen, she literally sprang up from the cold concrete ground with a “whoosh,” cheering excitedly: “Wow! Allen, did you step in dog poop today? You're so generous!”
Gwen's beautiful blue eyes widened, staring intently at the pizza box, and she exclaimed dramatically: “Oh my God! This, this is packed with toppings! How much did this cost? No, no, I have to pay for this meal!”
As Gwen spoke, she frantically reached into her pocket for her wallet, but I quickly grabbed her hand.
I smiled, about to explain where the money came from, but Gwen interrupted me without allowing any argument: “At least let me pay half! If it weren't for me… I wouldn't dare eat too much…” She stopped mid-sentence, as if suddenly realizing something, then quickly changed her words, clearing her throat: “Ahem, anyway, you can't be polite with me!” Her tone was firm, leaving no room for refusal.
Watching her eager and earnest demeanor, my expression was a mix of laughter and tears.
She truly is my angel. Gwen, Gwen, usually she seems so carefree and thoughtless, like a tomboy, but in reality, she's more considerate than anyone and especially kind-hearted.
“No, really,” I said with a smile, feeling a warm current flow through my chest, “I took a delivery job today and earned 100 pounds. What's a meal for you? Besides, it's rare to have a friend who can sit on the rooftop with me like this, eating and drinking. I'm just happy to have you.”
Gwen then skeptically withdrew her hand, propped her chin on her palms, tilted her head, and scrutinized me up and down with her clear blue eyes, as if trying to find some flaw on my face: “I say, Allen, why do you seem like a different person today? You used to not be so… well… so humane! Confess, are you hiding something from me?”
When she said “humane,” she deliberately drew out the end of the word, with a hint of teasing and mockery in her tone, the subtext clear: you used to be an insensitive blockhead!
I cleared my throat, thinking there was nothing to hide from Gwen about these matters.
She was one of the few people in this world I could call a friend.
Although she had indeed participated in some of the bullying directed at me on campus, when we were alone, we shared an unspoken understanding and happiness that others couldn't comprehend. I had intermittently shared some past events with her, such as my simple and kind adoptive parents, Wang Dali's family, and that promise about the 【skipping stone girl】.
So, I told Gwen everything about how I had completely fallen out with my uncle's family that morning and my plan to temporarily move to Aini's house.
The only thing I didn't mention was the complicated past between Aini and me—a memory that still made my chest ache and left me breathless whenever I thought of it.
“That's great! You should have cut ties with those vampires long ago!”
After hearing my narration, Gwen excitedly slapped her thigh, genuinely happy for me, “I knew it! You're so smart, how could you possibly let them boss you around and lead you by the nose all the time!”
“So, starting tomorrow, if we're meeting for night racing, you can just come to Aini's house to find me,” I added, also telling her our new rendezvous point.
Upon hearing the words “Aini's house,” a flicker of complex emotion, almost imperceptible, flashed in Gwen's eyes, so fast that it was barely caught.
She, of course, knew Aini, and as far as I knew, her relationship with Aini was quite good—many of Gwen's rumors about me were initially gleaned from Aini through indirect questioning.
I noticed Gwen unconsciously touched her forehead; that spot still seemed to ache faintly. I couldn't help but recall some past events she had mentioned to me. At that time, on a whim, she had actually dressed as a man and gone to Aini and Chen Chang to inquire about some of my private matters.
The first time, she went to “tease” Aini under the pretext of discussing my “private topics,” and I just happened to walk in on them.
At the time, I had no idea she was dressed as a man and thought it was some insensitive scoundrel daring to provoke trouble. Without a word, I went up to teach “him” a lesson. Luckily, Aini quickly pulled me back, preventing the conflict from escalating.
The second time was even more unjust. Chen Chang, that silly boy, accidentally touched her chest in the crowd when Gwen was disguised as a handsome guy.
As a result, when she was furiously teaching Chen Chang a lesson, I “happened” to appear again, and without asking any questions, I rushed up and laid hands on “him.” That time, Gwen was completely enraged. Did she really think she was a soft target to be easily provoked?
So, the two of us had a fierce fight in front of everyone!
In the end, I don't know who lost their temper first, but the two of us were like mad beasts, trading punches and kicks, even headbutting each other, neither willing to admit defeat.
The outcome was that we both ended up in the hospital with concussions, lying in bed for several days. But it was precisely because of that “headbutt battle,” where we fought and then became acquainted, that Gwen gained a deeper, or rather, a more “unconventional,” understanding of me.
“That guy, his attacks are really vicious…” I seemed to hear Gwen muttering this to herself, though her face showed no expression.
“No, I need to find an opportunity to properly ask Allen about that exchange student program…” Gwen's thoughts seemed to pull away from that hilarious memory; she had more important things she wanted to confirm.
“Hey, Allen!” Gwen finally couldn't help but speak, her tone clearly showing dissatisfaction and long-suppressed doubt, “That exchange student program you mentioned before, didn't you say you could bring two friends with you?
Why didn't you invite me? I can understand you taking Aini, after all, you two… *cough*, your relationship is as close as one person. But what's the deal with Chen Chang, that bookworm?”
She paused, seeming to get angrier the more she thought about it, and her voice rose a few octaves: “Do you mean that in your heart, my Gwen's status is even lower than a blockhead who only knows how to bury his head in books all day? That's just too ridiculous!”