No choice, David Carter had no option but to reach out and stop the other person just as he was about to pass by: “Excuse me, uncle, do you know how to get to the reality show contestants’ dormitory? It’s my first time here, and I can’t find the way…”

Before he could finish, his collar was suddenly grabbed by the other person.

This took David Carter completely by surprise and left him bewildered. He quickly raised both hands to show he meant no harm.

The other man’s face twisted, turning bright red, and he shouted at David Carter through gritted teeth, “I—I—I—I… warn you! D-don’t you dare laugh at m-my looks!”

Although his expression was fierce and his tone aggressive, his stutter took away much of the menace.

David Carter looked innocent: “I wasn’t laughing at your looks…”

He had just called the man “uncle”—how was that making fun of his appearance? David Carter couldn’t figure it out.

“You—you’re still pretending, aren’t you?!” The other man clenched his fist, looking like he was about to punch David Carter in the face.

At that moment, two people suddenly emerged from the woods. One of them, a tall guy, pointed at them and shouted, “Benjamin Howard, stop!”

The man holding David Carter let go when he saw someone coming, but not before giving David Carter a shove, making him stumble back two steps.

David Carter was still confused about what had just happened—he’d only asked for directions, so how did it turn into mocking someone’s appearance? Really strange.

The two newcomers quickly ran over and separated David Carter and the other man.

“Benjamin Howard, are you looking to get kicked off the team for fighting again?” The tall guy stood between them, his back to David Carter, facing the other man and questioning him.

“It—it was him—he laughed at me first…” Benjamin Howard pointed at David Carter behind the tall guy, looking very aggrieved.

“I didn’t!” David Carter protested, feeling wronged. “I just asked him for directions…”

“You—you called me… uncle!” Benjamin Howard said angrily.

When Benjamin Howard said this, the other boy standing next to David Carter, a thin, fair-skinned teenager, couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

But he quickly realized his slip and covered his mouth, explaining to the now-angry Benjamin Howard, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

Only then did the tall guy and Benjamin Howard both look away from him. Benjamin Howard kept glaring at David Carter, while the tall guy turned to David Carter and said, “Although Benjamin Howard does look a bit older…”

Hearing this, Benjamin Howard looked indignant, but he didn’t dare act toward the tall guy the way he did toward David Carter. It was clear he was a bit intimidated by the tall one.

“…but he’s really not an uncle. He’s the same age as us.” The tall guy continued to explain.

David Carter was shocked by this explanation: “He’s only seventeen!?”

The tall guy nodded: “Yeah.”

David Carter was speechless for a long time, his expression one of utter shock. Clearly, he was struggling to accept this fact. People always say not to trust your eyes, that they can deceive you—this was the first time he truly felt what it was like to be fooled by his own eyes. But he just couldn’t figure out how a seventeen-year-old boy could look like someone in his thirties…

Seeing David Carter fall silent, the tall guy turned to Benjamin Howard and said sternly, “Didn’t you see he’s new here? People who don’t know your real age and just see how you look—who wouldn’t call you uncle?”

With the tall guy saying this, Benjamin Howard could only swallow his anger—judging by their size difference, he couldn’t beat the tall guy anyway…

He just grunted to show his displeasure.

Just as the crisis between teammates was about to be resolved, the previously silent David Carter suddenly lowered his voice and asked, “Um, if you get caught lying about your age, will you get kicked out?”

Benjamin Howard, who had just started to calm down, instantly turned red again, and like a mad dog, he lunged at David Carter, only to be blocked by the tall guy in front of him: “Benjamin Howard, what are you doing!”

At the same time, he turned to the companion standing next to David Carter and said, “Olivia Baker, take this kid and go. If you don’t leave now, they really will start fighting!”

Olivia Baker quickly grabbed David Carter’s hand: “Come on, let’s go—I know where the dorm is!”

So, still not sure what was going on, David Carter was dragged by Olivia Baker as they sprinted toward the dormitory, with the sounds of the tall guy and Benjamin Howard arguing behind them.

“Hey! Benjamin Howard, are you trying to pick a fight with me?”

“I—I—I… y-you—you better not…”

Chapter 7 Teammates

David Carter was pulled by Olivia Baker all the way to a three-story building painted white. It looked exactly like the building where he’d checked in earlier. If Olivia Baker hadn’t brought him here, he would have thought he’d just run in a circle and ended up back at the starting point.

“This is the dorm?” he asked, looking at the building in front of him.

“Yeah.” Olivia Baker nodded. “Which room are you in?”

David Carter fished a room card out of his pocket, looked at it, and said, “204.”

Then he asked Olivia Baker, “What about you?”

“Me? I share a room with Laura Scott—that tall guy from before. He’s the goalkeeper, so he’s tall,” Olivia Baker explained.

David Carter looked up at Olivia Baker: “You’re not short yourself.”