Seeing Edward Thompson come to class looking as if nothing had happened, backpack on his shoulders like a well-behaved kid, the classmates already in the classroom were long used to it.

Although his show of force spared him many of the troubles international students often face, it did affect his popularity among his peers.

Still, he had some good friends. As soon as he entered the classroom, a white guy with the mannerisms of a street punk came over. “Leo, you got off again this time?”

Edward Thompson replied irritably, “Yeah, it’s fine.”

“I knew you’d be fine! You’ve got the dean backing you up!”

“Then why did you run faster than a dog when the dean’s assistant came to catch me? Anyone who didn’t know better would think the dogcatcher was here.”

“Oh God, if I got mistaken for your partner in a fight and word got to my old man, he’d beat me to death… But bro, I was ready—if the dean couldn’t protect you, even if my old man beat me, I’d say I fought with you, so he’d have to protect you too.”

“At least you’ve got some conscience…”

This white guy was Edward Thompson’s best friend in the class, and also the first classmate he met at USC, two years older than him: Liam Pike.

He got in thanks to a recommendation letter the dean got from professors at other schools, but for Liam Pike, it was simple—he scored first in the entrance exam and was the son of a board member.

At first, they only met because of their elders’ polite introductions, but later, since they shared interests—both liked gaming—they hung out at arcades a few times, got into a fight with some clueless guys, and became best buddies.

Their good relationship lasted because it never involved money—at most, one would treat the other to a meal, or lend a newly released game cartridge.

But this was also one of the reasons for Edward Thompson’s bad reputation. Even though he always had a reason for fighting and rarely started anything, he always got away with it. Anyone could see he had connections, and hanging out with the board member’s spoiled son only reinforced the idea that birds of a feather flock together. Even if classmates didn’t show him a bad attitude, they’d still steer clear of him.

Plus, like other Chinese international students, he had a trait that made him unpopular—excellent grades, always taking the scholarship spots.

But having two or three good friends was enough for him; he didn’t care what the others thought.

Some things stop mattering once you graduate and enter society. No matter how bad your campus relationships are, as long as there’s no real grudge, you might even be able to use those connections someday.

As the saying goes, your college classmates might be the most outstanding group you’ll ever meet in your life; your college professors, the most exceptional people you’ll ever interact with.

Once he relaxed, Liam Pike started pressing for details about how the fight was handled.

Actually, this time, Liam Pike thought the fight was a bit unreasonable. In his view, although Edward Thompson often got into fights, he almost never started them—it was usually “self-defense”—so the dean’s side didn’t have much trouble dealing with it.

But he didn’t ask why; he just remembered one thing—you must never say to a Chinese person, “You Japanese guys…”

Edward Thompson originally wanted to study the system he’d just gotten, but Liam Pike was too annoying, and since there was still some time before class, he recounted how the dean had “educated” him.

The dean’s handling wasn’t even biased anymore—he had no intention of punishing Edward Thompson at all, but to Liam Pike, that was perfectly normal.

But when he heard about the basketball coach coming to find him, Liam Pike’s eyes lit up: “Leo, you’re joining the school team?”

Edward Thompson shook his head. “Just trying out, that’s all.”

Liam Pike patted Edward Thompson on the back and said, “I believe in you! You’re the best basketball player in our whole department!”

At this, Edward Thompson felt a headache coming on, the corner of his mouth twitching: “There are only seven people on our department team, and two of them are fat guys who dribble with their palms. Being the best basketball player in the department is really something, huh! I must’ve been out of my mind to let you and Vivian talk me into representing the department in the college tournament, only to get crushed by the art department. And you, as point guard, dribbling into your own feet—seriously?”

He didn’t even want to think about those two games—it was a lifelong shame he’d rather forget.

Liam Pike was just about to retort when the professor came in, so he could only sulkily take out his book and listen to the lecture.

Don’t be fooled by Liam Pike’s usual laid-back attitude—he was a true rich kid who’d received an elite education since childhood, with a workload as heavy as it gets, which made him all the more wild outside of academics.

As for Edward Thompson, he was very clear about his basic goal in coming to America: to gain knowledge and earn a degree, so he studied hard.

Both of them had excellent grades, which was one of the reasons they got along so well.

After the professor finished most of the lecture, he started telling motivational stories about how hard it was when he started his business. If Edward Thompson hadn’t already heard the real version from Liam Pike’s complaints, he might have believed it.

Over on Liam Pike’s side, he’d already pulled out his phone to text someone. Edward Thompson figured the guy had a new girlfriend again—he only got this proactive when meeting someone new, and chances were, the girl’s phone was a gift from him, just to make it easier to keep in touch.