Zhao Family Village may sound dilapidated and shabby, but in reality, it’s one of the most modernized villages in Caofeidian, even in all of Tangshan. In terms of land area and population, it’s already equivalent to a township, so David Clark had access to a large number of bedroom art films via computer from a very early age.

After completing the not-so-complicated enrollment procedures, the senior sisters in charge of the process were all rather unremarkable. David Clark’s dormitory building was about a ten-minute walk from the teaching building, and along the way, he didn’t spot any pure and beautiful girls or mature ladies who could catch his eye. He figured all his good luck had already been squandered by Emily Thompson and Claire Sutton during the journey. David Clark sighed with a sense of melancholy, “As expected, this is a scientifically rigorous world, where the law of conservation of energy is strictly observed everywhere.”

David Clark had survival skills rivaling those of a Nokia phone. On one hand, he inherited the fine traditions of the Zhao family. The old lady always said that Sanjin—that is, David Clark’s great-grandfather—was a notorious bandit in Shandong, who took two women as wives: one was a princess of the Qing Dynasty’s Bordered Yellow Banner, and the other a beautiful young lady from Suzhou. That’s why the descendants supposedly had outstanding genes, though David Clark always seriously doubted this claim.

On the other hand, it was of course thanks to Jack Clark, who never acted like a father in front of David Clark. This guy, who was lazy and muddle-headed about everything except making money to buy gold bars, had tossed David Clark out of Caofeidian at a very young age—probably when he was eight or nine—leaving him at a remote school in Tangshan to start boarding life all the way through high school. He’d been beaten, scolded, and given dirty looks by outsiders, and David Clark had fought back, kicked, and even slashed with a knife. Later, with the addition of loyal friends like Sparrow and Leo, he was no longer fighting alone, and in group fights, he won more than he lost. In this way, David Clark grew up strong, carrying a belly full of resentment.

The only upside was that at least David Clark didn’t pick up the spoiled brat airs of his younger brother Ryan Clark. That little bastard was known as the number one public menace in Zhao Family Village, and when he grew up, he’d definitely be the kind of beast who bullied both men and women. Back in kindergarten, that little rascal was already plotting to add the pretty kindergarten teacher and all the little girls in his class to his harem. Every day before school, he’d pick a few roses from someone else’s yard, dress in a little suit, style his hair like it was the 1930s in Shanghai, and solemnly present the flowers to the bewildered female teacher. As for this half-brother, David Clark’s only comment was that he should be beaten to death at home before being let out to harm decent people.

Speak of the devil, and he appears. As David Clark reached the bottom of the dormitory building, he got a call from his troublemaker brother. David Clark couldn’t be bothered to answer, but the ringtone kept haunting him until he reached the door of his third-floor dorm room, where he finally picked up the call in annoyance. On the other end, the clueless guy was as excited as if he’d been injected with chicken blood: “Bro, I just found you a potential sister-in-law through a buddy at Tangshan No. 1 High School. She’s absolutely gorgeous, 36D, big butt, definitely will pass Dad’s inspection, and her family’s well-off too. Grandma’s always going on about finding a good match, so this time there’s no problem. Bro, should I just send her to Shanghai for you? Oh, by the way, what the hell university are you attending? I can’t find the address online no matter how I search.”

“Are you done?” David Clark asked calmly.

“Huh? Bro, you’re not interested in this chick? Fine, don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on her for you, make sure she stays pure for you. If any idiot dares touch her, I’ll break three of his legs.”

The scoundrel on the other end, with zero self-awareness, kept chattering excitedly, “Let’s change the topic then. Bro, I’ve already unified several strongholds around Zhao Family Village. Now, whenever the local punks see our guys, they have to steer clear, because I spread the word that you got your hands on some serious hardware from Baigou in Hebei, and bullets are being hauled home by the crate. As a result, all those usually arrogant bastards have chickened out. Bro, isn’t this what Sun Tzu or whoever said—‘win without fighting’? Damn, we’re so cultured, I even get this stuff! Shit, so why do I always fail Chinese class? No justice! Sooner or later, I’m going to screw over the daughter of Old Harris, the head of discipline who teaches us Chinese. Bro, why aren’t you saying anything? Uh, let me try another one—Bro, I can’t beat God of War 3 without your guidance. I want Kratos to skewer that bitch Hera…”

David Clark simply put his phone in his pocket without hanging up, letting that tagalong vent to his heart’s content. The Zhao family might not be huge, but it was certainly complicated, with all sorts of subtle relationships. Although David Clark was never really at the core of the family, he still carried the title of Jack Clark’s eldest son. In terms of achievements and glory, he couldn’t compare to the Zhao family’s eldest daughter, who was living comfortably at Imperial College London. In terms of favor, outsiders would naturally think the little prince—the brat who was harassing David Clark—was way ahead. But the Zhao family’s old lady was a force to be reckoned with. As long as she was alive, none of the restless side branches or the leeches clinging to the Zhao family tree dared to openly give David Clark a hard time. Besides, only David Clark dared to jump up and curse Jack Clark to his face, something even Ryan Clark would never dare to do.