What on earth was going on?

As we ate and chatted, I found out that Bill's family lived nearby. His dad was a deputy director, and his mom was a doctor. They were well-off and had no shortage of money. He also told me about Adrian's background. What surprised me was that Adrian's family ran a scrap recycling business.

It was hard to believe. The son of a deputy director hanging out with the son of a scrap collector?

Ever since I transferred here, I had noticed that Bill was always polite to Adrian, like a little follower. What on earth was going on in this world?

But Bill soon shared more about Adrian. I wasn't sure if he was exaggerating, but it seemed that Adrian was very loyal, valuing friendships and always standing up for friends when they were in trouble. He had even fought with Charles for the title of school boss.

My interest was piqued by this. I quickly inquired about school matters. What I really wanted to know about was Shirley and her group, along with all sorts of juicy gossip.

Bill told me many things. Particularly about Adrian and Charles's battle for school supremacy. They had a one-on-one fight in the restroom that lasted an entire class period. In the end, Adrian's stamina waned, and Charles narrowly won, becoming the boss of our school.

Shirley's gang of girls was untouchable. Anyone who had ever written a love letter to them had ended up with a bruised ego. They even waged a war against an entire class of girls and emerged victorious. Gradually, nobody dared to provoke them anymore.

"They fought an entire class of girls?" I couldn't believe it. Typically, a class would have more than twenty girls. How could a few girls possibly hold their ground?

"It's true. Many people saw it. They fought all the girls in the third class, and hardly anyone dared to fight back. The school just swept it under the rug."

"Why? Do they have related?" I grew more curious. I never expected Shirley to be so tough, daring to take on an entire class of girls. Was she insane?

Bill looked around and then leaned in close to whisper in my ear, "I heard Monica helped smooth things out. Apparently, her family has connections with the underworld. Someone even saw her arriving in a Rolls-Royce."

"What the heck! A Rolls-Royce? Am I hearing things correctly?"

As the saying goes, there's no smoke without fire. Any rumor has a basis in reality. I never expected Monica to have such powerful connections. can't judge a book by its cover!

Casually chatting away, Bill had a mouth that never knew when to stop. He dared to speak about anything, perhaps influenced by his vice bureau chief father. His words were extravagant, yet they seemed to revolve around trivial matters...

Recalling my parents, they were honest people throughout their lives, never having a dispute with anyone. Despite not having many skills, they provided me with the best Life. Just thinking about my despicable uncle made me angry; he had swindled me countless times. I would never listen to him again. I'd rather believe in myself than trust anyone else.

The afternoon dragged on, and a sense of drowsiness filled the entire classroom. I wondered when the heavy rain outside would stop. In the evening, I couldn't decide whether to hang out with Shirley or go to the internet café, but I was certain I wouldn't go to the Casino again.

Bored, I lay on the desk playing with my phone, pretending to be a veteran driver on an online forum, browsing novels, utterly consumed by boredom. I was just waiting for school to end so I could go eat. Charles was setting up a treat, and there was no reason to miss it.

The phone's ringtone suddenly erupted, shocking the entire classroom. Such a mesmerizing ringtone truly shook one's soul!

Seeing that it was my uncle calling, I didn't hesitate to hang up. He hadn't cared about me since last night, and I was still mad at him.

I had never seen an uncle like him, always finding ways to mess with me. Did he expect me to go beg him? Dream on!

Since I didn't plan on going to the Casino tonight, I put my phone on silent and followed Adrian and Bill as we walked towards the back of the school. Smoking a cigarette, I felt content with this plan. It would be even better if I could get a girlfriend.

The street behind the school was packed with people. Students in uniforms were everywhere, and it would get even livelier after dark. I spotted Charles near a barbecue stand, accompanied by a few girls.

On closer inspection, it seemed like Shirley and her friends. My heart raced; Charles must have invited them too. If Shirley knew about my relationship with Dirk, she would surely see me in a different light. However, I was also worried. Did they find out about what happened at the hotel last time?

"Today, Charles is treating us himself. Jim, you've got some face!" Bill flattered from the side, the embodiment of a flatterer.

I never aimed to dominate the school or bully anyone. Just smoothly getting through school was enough for me.

I've never been a troublemaker, nor would I randomly pick on others. I believed that people were raised by their parents and were precious. Everyone's struggles should be respected.

After entering the restaurant, I noticed only Monica, Shirley, and Sonia were there. No sign of little Carol; she was probably studying. Zoe was also missing, probably off somewhere fooling around...

"Hey." I greeted casually, but Monica's gaze felt icy, making me shiver.

Since she caught me secretly touching her at the hotel and considering what Bill said about her connections, I was sweating nervously, feeling inexplicably guilty...

"Now that everyone's here, let's eat. Five skewers from the boss, ten large fatty ribs, and two crates of beer!" Charles beckoned everyone to sit. I couldn't tell if he did it on purpose or not, but Monica ended up sitting next to me.

As soon as I sat down, she viciously stepped on my foot. It hurt so much I almost cried out, but she acted as if nothing happened. I lowered my head, afraid to look at her, sweat pouring down my forehead, and my backside felt like it had pins under it.

"What's wrong, Jim? Why's your head so sweaty? Open a bottle of beer and cool off." Shirley didn't care about anything, saying it as if it were no big deal. I thought Monica probably hadn't mentioned the incident at the hotel...

Knowing Shirley's temperament, she couldn't hide things. If she knew that I had touched her chest at the hotel, she would've erupted in anger. She might even smash a beer bottle over my head.

"Here, have a bottle first!" I picked up a beer and chugged it, sneakily glancing at Monica. But she was giving me a scornful look. Suddenly, my foot felt another pang of pain. Shirley's black canvas shoe was brutally pressed onto it, and she continued to watch me with a fake smile!

I quickly tilted the beer and drank, not anticipating that my other foot would soon experience another ache as a white sandal pressed down, the heel digging into my flesh!

"Ah!" I couldn't help but spit out the beer, spraying Charles in the face. Everyone was stunned for a moment.

I didn't know what had just happened, but But Shirley stomped on me, and Monica did too. What on earth was going on?.