“Temperament, temperament, Mr. Clark.” Brian Carter didn’t really catch what the passersby were muttering about, and thought he was pretty impressive: “See how many people are looking at us? We have to maintain the unity of the Four Scoundrels.”

“Let them be.” John Harris said helplessly, “Although going out at night wearing sunglasses really does make us look like idiots.”

The place they were heading to was the food street in the academy district, said to be strongly advocated by a teacher named Liu (Wandering Ruiz).

Though it’s called a food street, it’s actually just a gathering of food stalls and various snacks, mainly featuring all kinds of Chinese cuisine. There aren’t any proper buildings like hotels or restaurants—just some stalls set up in the green plaza.

“Tonight I’m going to confess to my goddess!” Eric Bennett was carrying flowers the whole way, which looked like he’d picked them from some greenbelt. He said with longing, “If my goddess says yes, Mr. Bennett could save myself twenty years of hard work!”

“Who?” Brian Carter looked rather nervous. “Which goddess?”

“Tch! There are lots of goddesses in the academy, but who else always shouts ‘I am the goddess’?” As Eric Bennett spoke, he glanced at Kevin Clark, and said awkwardly, “Mr. Clark, fair competition, okay? You don’t mind, right?”

“You guys in the special zone really need to fix your habit of chasing after other people’s wives.” Kevin Clark said coldly, “I heard over there, if you do that, you’ll get something like ‘three stabs and six holes’?”

“As long as it’s not Grace, that’s fine.” Brian Carter let out a huge sigh of relief, then after a moment’s daze, shoved Eric Bennett: “What the hell do you mean? Don’t you know Mr. Clark and Big Grace are close!?”

“Then Megan… no, Emily—wait, Lillian Hill is okay, right?” Eric Bennett said with a miserable face, “No one’s competing for her, right?”

“As if she’d say yes just because you confess.” John Harris smiled honestly and said, “Lillian used to be a cop. The thing she hates most is hooligans, and you used to be one, didn’t you?”

Sometimes, when an honest-looking person gets mean, it’s just oozing with malice.

Eric Bennett’s smile froze, and he stuffed the flowers into a roadside trash can as he walked by, but after a few steps, he turned back to take them out, caught up with the other three, and asked uncertainly, “Do I have a shot with Megan or Emily?”

“Emily is also a cop.” John Harris kept smiling honestly. “Megan is a proper girl, so don’t go messing with her.”

“So I’m just supposed to be single forever, huh?” Eric Bennett got angry. “Don’t forget, the mixer was my idea!”

Luckily, there weren’t many people in the school district, or else seeing Eric Bennett stuff the flowers into the trash can twice and then take them out again, people might have looked at him like he was crazy.

“I’m still going to give them out!” Eric Bennett said as he walked, dividing the flowers into five bunches. “I’ll give one to every girl, and make them all my sworn sisters. Whoever you guys end up with will have to call me Mr. Bennett…”

No more words—three people surrounded him and dragged Eric Bennett off to the bushes.

A flurry of punches and kicks, without any special effects but plenty of noise, and Eric Bennett, surrounded by the three, squatted on the ground like a turtle, silently enduring it.

“Who’s so shameless, can’t even spare a few dozen bucks for a motel. What’s even more infuriating is, the guy’s making all the noise, but you don’t hear a peep from the girl.”

“Exactly! Back in the day, young people would spend a few dozen bucks their first time, but after getting married, they’d want a house, money, and a car. Now, young people don’t even bother with the few dozen bucks, just go straight to the bushes.”

Two guys in their twenties walked by, each making a comment, and then both tossed their takeout satay noodles into the shaking bushes before quickly slipping away.

“Damn!”

“Hot, hot, hot!”

“Son of a—!”

The ones shouting, of course, were Kevin Clark, Brian Carter, and John Harris. Eric Bennett, being in the middle, didn’t get hit.

The four of them got back on the road. Three of them had yellow soup, noodles, and condiments all over their suits, while Eric Bennett took the hit on his back but kept his handsome face intact.

“Hehehe!”

The next second, the three surrounded Eric Bennett again, and after a round of tussling and roughhousing, the four of them finally looked equally disheveled.

“Huh? Is that…” Lauren was holding Grace Davis’s hand, looking disdainfully at the four guys under the streetlight not far away. “Is this the latest mixer fashion on Blue Star?”

Grace Davis, Megan Reed, Emily, and Lillian Hill were all wearing various autumn casual outfits, looking cool and full of youthful energy.

Only Lauren was in her signature black dress, with a matching black trench coat over it.

As they walked over, not only did they see the food and soup stains on Kevin Clark and the others, but they also caught a whiff of curry and garlic.

“Um…” Brian Carter greeted Grace Davis awkwardly, “Hi.”

Kevin Clark was whistling, and the tune sounded like the recently popular “Cool Cool.”

Eric Bennett and John Harris were both looking up at the sky, their faces full of deep thought.

Chapter 3: Bush Maniacs

“So… this is why you guys ended up like this?”

They were already sitting at a big food stall. The four of Kevin Clark had taken off their stained suit jackets, and even their white shirts, now wearing either tank tops or T-shirts.