“Sue me? Go ahead! Fuck you!”

　　Beside him, Manager Parker was the first to snap out of his daze. Afraid things would get out of hand, he hurried over to pull Christopher Carter back. “President Carter... calm down.”

　　He said this, but inwardly he was wryly smiling. From the moment they met, this President Carter had carried himself like a business elite. Even if he was a bit rough around the edges, it was probably just because he spent so much time with security staff and had a straightforward temper. But he hadn’t expected... he really was a gangster. When he lost it, even TV dramas didn’t show people this hysterical.

　　Christopher Carter, panting, stopped in his tracks and turned to flash a grin. “Sorry, Manager Parker, did I scare you?”

　　Manager Parker shook his head, feeling a bit of wary respect for Christopher Carter. Still, he couldn’t deny it felt satisfying, so he didn’t say much, only sighed, “Mr. Carter, you were impulsive. Sure, it feels good now, but Apink will probably suffer even more for it later.”

　　“Oh?” Christopher Carter glanced over at Apink with a half-smile. The girls had also snapped out of their daze, and now looked at Christopher Carter with a hint of fear. When he glanced their way, they shrank back even further. Only Emily Green met his gaze expressionlessly, saying nothing.

　　“Heh... afraid of his revenge?” Christopher Carter asked with a cold laugh.

　　Including their manager Jessica Thompson, the whole of Apink had lost the courage to speak to him. Emily Green bravely stood up, her expression serious. “Yes. He wouldn’t dare retaliate against you, but he’ll come after us. But this isn’t your fault—we’ll take responsibility ourselves.”

　　“Heh... and I’m supposed to be grateful to you for that?” Christopher Carter spat, turning away, then suddenly kicked hard again. “Revenge?”

　　Everyone present instinctively flinched.

　　He kicked again. “Revenge?”

　　Everyone swallowed hard in unison.

　　The Anti on the ground, already a bloody mess, coughed up blood and sobbed, “No... I won’t...”

　　Another kick. “Won’t what?”

　　“I won’t take revenge on them...”

　　Christopher Carter crouched down, rummaged through the man’s pockets for a moment, and pulled out an ID card, waving it. “If I find out you do, even if you’re hiding in the Blue House, I’ll drag you out and chop you up to feed the dogs! You hear me?”

　　“I-I hear you...”

　　“Louder!”

　　“I hear you!” The Anti finally broke down and wailed.

　　“Yiguang, drag him out and toss him in the car. Dump him far away.” Christopher Carter stuffed the man’s ID into his pocket, clapped his hands as if to brush off the filth, and Kevin King, a bit flustered, stepped forward to haul the guy away, leaving a clear trail of blood on the floor.

　　Facing Apink, Christopher Carter flashed a toothy grin. “See? Problem solved.”

　　His smile was bright as sunshine, but all he got in return was silence.

　　Manager Parker sighed, patted Christopher Carter on the shoulder. “Well, this is for the best. Saves me some trouble. Thanks, President Carter... I’ll go check on the event.”

　　Julia Thompson added, “I’ll go check on my group’s stage.”

　　The two of them left together, leaving only Apink and Christopher Carter in the room.

　　Suddenly, Emily Green spoke up. “Why are you so violent? What do we have to do with you?”

　　Christopher Carter crossed his arms and said coolly, “I told you, your safety this time really does depend on me, the gangster.”

　　Emily Green sneered, “How professional of you...”

　　“Heh...” Christopher Carter looked around at the girls, seeing nothing but pale faces and fearful expressions. He felt a pang in his heart.

　　Damn... what kind of world is this? No one’s grateful, no one says thank you. All he saw on their faces was fear, distance, and... contempt.

　　He clenched his fists again, forced himself to hold back for a moment, suppressing the emotions welling up inside, and asked the question he’d asked earlier: “You look down on gangsters, huh?”

　　Emily Green was silent.

　　“Honestly, it’s one thing for mainstream society to look down on the underworld, but what right do you have to look down on me?” Christopher Carter said with a wry smile. “They look down on me, but do they really respect you? We’re all the same. You have fans who adore you, I have little brothers who follow me. You make a living off so-called art, I make a living off my own blood and sweat. Who’s really nobler?”

　　Emily Green hadn’t expected to hear something like this. She was stunned for a moment, then, as if insulted, snapped, “What you do is illegal and immoral. We walk the straight and narrow. How can you compare us?”

　　“Yeah, well said.” Christopher Carter started clapping, applauding several times before suddenly stopping. “That Anti was doing illegal and immoral things too, but you didn’t even dare curse him out. Maybe you even wanted to suck up to him. But to me, the one who helped you, you look down on me in every way? Does your mom know how good you are at double standards?”

　　Emily Green opened her mouth, but was left speechless.

　　Yes, when it came to the Anti, they didn’t feel fear or contempt—if anything, they wanted to curry favor... That was the norm, and the reason the Anti group had become so brazen.

　　Emily Green knew in her heart, just speaking objectively, this had nothing to do with the time he kidnapped her father and tried to rape her. Even if it were another gangster standing here, everyone’s reaction would be the same: fear, distance, a bit of contempt—less than what they felt for the Anti, even if he was helping them.