“The recruitment for the Crown Prince Party will be handled by you. Money is not an issue. Although right now the more people the better, I still don’t want too many freeloaders! There are a few key points you need to pay attention to. First, anyone truly capable must be brought in by any means necessary, and we must uphold the principle of ‘the capable hold high positions.’ That means, even though you, Toad, are my first underling, if someone else is more capable than you, you’ll still have to be their underling. Whether you become a dragon or remain a worm depends on yourself! Second, members of the organization cannot exclude those with excellent grades; in fact, we should try to recruit them as much as possible. As for those with poor grades who loaf around, most of them have already joined gangs anyway, but the main reason is that our organization isn’t just about petty theft or highway robbery. I want my organization to be a vast and orderly criminal empire! Without smart, high-IQ elite talent, it’s absolutely impossible. I can’t have you, Toad, be the hacker, can I?” William Clark rattled on, then suddenly let out a sly laugh. “And finally, don’t let any girls slip by. As for the reason, hehehe…”

Bruce Bolton caught on and gave a lewd grin that all men understand. William Clark hurled a can of Coke at him. “What are you grinning so pervertedly for?!” Bruce Bolton caught the Coke and, taking advantage of the momentum, did a backflip, moving with astonishing speed.

“Women are my trump card right now. Since my Crown Prince Party has already lost at the starting line, I have to play unconventionally! With women around, men can always do things beyond their own abilities. And who dares underestimate girls these days?” William Clark said with a mysterious smile. At this moment, he exuded an indescribable dark aura. Mary Woods, standing beside him, could feel that alluring, irresistible aura that made people want to fall, and once again melted into his embrace.

“The appeal of beautiful women is truly astonishing!” William Clark pinched Mary Woods’s cheek and laughed. Bruce Bolton nodded repeatedly in agreement.

“As for the issue of popularity, hehe, in the next few days I’ll make sure the whole school knows about the Crown Prince Party! Give me Victor Grant’s detailed information before tonight. As for what I’m going to do, you don’t need to ask! Alright, that’s it, time for class. I don’t care, but my wife is a model student!” William Clark put his arm around Mary Woods and walked out of the cafeteria. Bruce Bolton followed behind them, feeling a sense of rebirth. He realized he understood less and less about William Clark, the so-called prodigal son in everyone else’s eyes. The frivolous exterior was just a mask, but as for how much strength he really had, even Bruce Bolton, who had been brawling in the streets since he was six, couldn’t tell. But his instincts told him, even when facing the school gang’s top boss David Thompson, he shouldn’t have to face William Clark!

The Crown Prince Party! From now on, he would be the Crown Prince’s underling, no longer the one getting beaten, but the one doing the beating.

Chapter Eleven: The Outlier Lover of Scorpio

Scorpions are not social creatures. This doesn’t refer to their lifestyle, but to their psychology. Loneliness is not the same as being alone. A person may be alone but not lonely, because he’s used to living by himself; someone who is lonely may not necessarily be alone—perhaps it’s precisely after experiencing the noise and bustle that the tongue of thought tastes the flavor of despair and solitude. There isn’t a single scorpion that isn’t lonely, and they’re not afraid of loneliness; on the contrary, they can savor its taste! Such Scorpio men see both passion and unfaithfulness as equally terrifying, but I am different. I am a scorpion who feeds on love, a passionate scorpion.

—William Clark’s Quotes—

William Clark’s birthday falls on the last day of Scorpio, giving him a bit of a terminator vibe. Skilled in tarot and astrology, he himself has no interest in these things, but there’s no helping it—girls believe in this stuff, so he has to patiently buy books, magazines, and even look up information online. In short, he’ll try any method that can help him win over girls.

Actually, he doesn’t like being a Scorpio; he prefers the romantic and imaginative Aquarius. But there’s nothing he can do about it—his parents decided that. Once, he complained to Olivia Young about why they didn’t have him a bit later, and ended up getting his ear twisted for a long time.

When he and Mary Woods arrived at the classroom, the bell stopped its “wailing” half a minute before they got there. As he pulled Mary Woods’s hand at the classroom door, Helen Harris didn’t let William Clark off as leniently as usual. She first uncharacteristically scolded Mary Woods, the class monitor, making her return to her seat with a red nose, and William Clark wasn’t so lucky—he was asked by the frosty-faced Helen Harris to step outside and reflect against the wall at the door.

Because Mingzhu Academy has many students who get direct admission to world-class universities like Oxford, Cambridge, MIT, and Harvard, they place special emphasis on English, with three to four English classes every day. After one class, William Clark boredly started smoking outside the classroom, instantly creating a scene of “where there’s smoke, there must be a demon.” Helen Harris’s expression grew worse and worse, while Mary Woods became increasingly anxious, secretly sending a text to the arrogant and unruly William Clark to tell him to tone it down, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea—no response.