After washing up and packing his things, Jason Carter left the hotel with that rectangular backpack on his back, heading toward the Jinhao Hotel. It was ten o'clock at this moment, and there was still some distance between here and the Jinhao Hotel.

As for the Jinhao Hotel, Jason Carter was no stranger to it. It was a five-star hotel under the Chen Group, which... was the business empire of Emily Brooks's father.

William Brooks, Emily Brooks's father, was a prominent figure in S City, respected by both the underworld and the business world. Jason Carter had only met him once, and that was on the day of their high school graduation, when William Brooks came to pick up Emily Brooks.

At 10:55, Jason Carter parked his car in a parking spot and then walked toward the Jinhao Hotel. He was a man of his word, someone who valued his promises. If he said he'd arrive before eleven, he would never be even a minute late.

“Hello, sir. Are you Mr. Jason Carter?” As soon as he entered the lobby, a female manager glanced at the photo in her hand and then walked over to Jason Carter.

“I am,” Jason Carter nodded and replied.

“Please follow me.” The manager gave a professional smile and led Jason Carter toward the elevator.

“All right, thank you.” Jason Carter wasn't stupid; he knew it must have been Emily Brooks who arranged for her to receive him.

“Mr. Carter, this way please.” The manager maintained her professional smile. After all, this was a guest personally named by the young lady herself—she dared not be careless.

Under the guidance of the female manager, Jason Carter arrived at a large private room. After Jason Carter entered, the manager left.

This was a private room of at least 300 square meters, lavishly decorated in gold and jade. There were more than fifty people inside, chatting and laughing. When they saw Jason Carter walk in, they all stopped talking.

“A rare guest, Jason Carter! If we hadn't seen you again, we would have thought you'd been abducted by aliens!” Quite a few classmates walked over to Jason Carter, greeting him and exchanging a few words.

Jason Carter responded with a smile. Through the conversations, he learned that only half of these people were still in college; the rest were either working or helping with the family business.

“By the way, Jason Carter, what have you been up to these past two years? What are you doing now?” At that moment, a classmate asked Jason Carter. As soon as the question was asked, many people looked over, clearly curious as well.

“I'd rather not talk about it. By the way, where's Blackie?” Jason Carter didn't want to continue with that topic and changed the subject.

“Blackie called me just now and said he couldn't make it because something came up.” Emily Brooks walked over to Jason Carter as she spoke.

Today, she was wearing a long white dress, looking very elegant, giving off an air of aloofness and inviolability.

“I see...” Jason Carter nodded.

“Jason Carter, this is a class reunion, after all. How could you show up dressed like that?” At this moment, a young man in a suit and tie walked over, looking at Jason Carter as he spoke.

“Can't help it, this is all I have. My family is poor, as you know.” Jason Carter shrugged, pointing at his black, tight-fitting training outfit.

“Come on, if you didn't have anything to wear, you could have told me. We're classmates, after all. I could have given you a set.” The young man glanced at Jason Carter with disdain and said mockingly.

“Ryan Foster, would it kill you to say a few less words?” Jason Carter didn't respond, but Emily Brooks, standing beside him, stepped in front of Jason Carter and snapped at the young man.

This young man's name was Ryan Foster, a classmate of Jason Carter during their senior year of high school. His family was also influential. Ever since school, he and Jason Carter had never gotten along. Back in high school, there were two factions: one led by Jason Carter, the other by Ryan Foster.

Ryan Foster spread his hands and said nothing more. A classmate nearby, sensing the awkward atmosphere, gave a dry laugh and said, “Since everyone is here, shall we... get started?”

“All right, let's get started!” the others chimed in.

A class reunion is nothing more than having a meal and bragging a bit. Soon, everyone gathered around to chat. Ryan Foster walked up to Jason Carter, clinked glasses with him, and said, “Now that Chris Bolton and Brian Thompson aren't here, what do you have to compete with me? Apologize to everyone, and I'll let bygones be bygones. How about it?”

“Chris and Brian?” Jason Carter raised an eyebrow, smiled, and said, “We were just kids playing around back then. I've long forgotten about it. Why apologize?”

“Heh, forgotten? You sure have a good memory.” Ryan Foster sneered, showing a few of his front teeth. But if you looked closely... one of his front teeth was quite out of place.

“Back then, with those two covering for you, I had to be wary of you. Now that they're not here, taking you out would be as easy as squashing an ant!” Ryan Foster said in a low voice.

This so-called Chris Bolton and Brian Thompson were both formidable people—one a rich second-generation, the other the child of a government official. Although they weren't in the same class as Jason Carter at the time, they were very close.

“Heh, nice dental work on your front tooth.” Jason Carter ignored Ryan Foster, patted him on the shoulder, left him with that remark, and walked away.