Charles Bennett stopped the carriage, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. This was a restaurant he often visited, and with his appearance here, Samuel Clark and his gang should be showing up as well.

　　Taking his little sister, he stepped out of the carriage. From a distance, Charles Bennett saw a group of young men up ahead, carrying birdcages, waving ornate fans, and exuding a roguish air from head to toe.

　　It seemed as if the group had already anticipated his arrival and had been waiting here for some time.

　　"Yo, yo, yo, Young Master Chong, we finally get to see you!"

　　The leader, a young man with a bone fan tucked behind his back, a broad face, big ears, and a conspicuous black mole above his right eyebrow, immediately strode over enthusiastically upon seeing Charles Bennett.

　　This person was none other than Samuel Clark!

　　"Young Master Chong, I heard you were punished by your family and put under house arrest. The brothers wanted to visit you long ago, but the Wang family gates wouldn't let anyone in. We tried several times and all came back empty-handed, so we had to give up. Are you alright, Young Master Chong?"

　　As soon as he approached, Samuel Clark grabbed Charles Bennett's hands, expressing concern as if they were the closest of friends. But the deep disdain and mockery at the corner of Samuel Clark's mouth could not be concealed.

　　"Hmph, I never realized before how good this guy is at acting."

　　Charles Bennett sneered inwardly.

　　"Appearance reflects the heart, and the heart changes with circumstances." In the past, he had thought Samuel Clark's smile was "sincere," but now, looking at him again, he just seemed unbearably arrogant.

　　Deep down, this guy must have always thought of him as a fool. How laughable that in his previous life, he thought people were simple, always believing that if he treated others sincerely, they would do the same, only to be taken in by these scoundrels.

　　As for what Samuel Clark said, it was the biggest joke in the world. Charles Bennett had asked around before leaving; not even a mosquito had come near in the past few weeks, let alone Samuel Clark and his gang.

　　"Were you waiting for me here?"

　　Charles Bennett said coolly.

　　Samuel Clark was taken aback. Young Master Chong seemed a bit off today. He used to be so enthusiastic when he saw him. Why did he seem so cold today?

　　But maybe he was overthinking it, so Samuel Clark didn't pay it much mind.

　　"Young Master Chong, we heard you were out of confinement, so we specially waited here to welcome you back! Brothers, am I right?"

　　As Samuel Clark spoke, he waved to the group behind him. They all responded loudly, then burst into laughter, treating it all like a joke.

　　"Young Master Chong, how about it, shall we go?"

　　Samuel Clark turned back, grinning, the contempt and disdain in his eyes even more obvious.

　　This Wang family kid was just too easy to fool. A few words and he’d be tricked along. And this kid fancied himself a chivalrous hero, not realizing everyone saw him as a sucker—he paid for everything, and took the blame when things went wrong.

　　Where else could you find such a perfect patsy?

　　As for the welcome banquet, although it was supposedly for Charles Bennett, Samuel Clark certainly didn’t plan to pay. Whenever he hung out with Charles Bennett, Samuel Clark had never spent a single coin.

　　To be honest, with Charles Bennett locked up for so many days, the brothers’ days had been less comfortable too. Thinking about it, they actually missed him a bit.

　　Without this young master, who would clean up their messes and pay the bills?

　　At this thought, Samuel Clark felt even more pleased with himself.

　　"Smack!"

　　Just as he was feeling smug, a slap suddenly landed. Smack! Samuel Clark staggered, his face burning, half his face swelling up, with five clear finger marks!

　　In an instant, everything fell silent.

　　Everyone was stunned by the slap!

　　What was going on? Samuel Clark got slapped—how was that possible?

　　"You hit me?"

　　Samuel Clark clutched his burning cheek, staring blankly at Charles Bennett across from him. His mind was foggy, unable to react for a long while.

　　He still couldn’t believe it—Charles Bennett had actually slapped him. How could that be?

　　If even Samuel Clark himself was so shocked, the others were even more so. The group of spoiled young men stared wide-eyed, their mouths agape in disbelief.

　　Charles Bennett actually slapped Samuel Clark? How could that be!

　　In this world, anyone might slap Samuel Clark, but Charles Bennett was the one person who never would. After all, Samuel Clark was his closest friend.

　　If not for that, Samuel Clark wouldn’t have dared to play him like this.

　　But now, Charles Bennett had actually slapped Samuel Clark in public! Everyone was stunned by this fact. No one knew what had happened.

　　"It was me who hit you."

　　Charles Bennett stared at Samuel Clark, smiling. He was the only one here who seemed normal:

　　"Samuel Clark, I used to treat you as a brother, but you treated me like a fool. Did you really think I didn’t know anything?"

　　Wow!

　　The crowd erupted, shocked, their mouths opening even wider. Was this really the same simple-minded, easily fooled Charles Bennett they used to know?

　　Was this the same Charles Bennett who called everyone brother, was used by all, and played for a fool?

　　These words didn’t sound like something he could say. The change was just too drastic!

　　Everyone was stunned by Charles Bennett's transformation, and some even felt guilty, as if their schemes had been exposed. Could it be that Charles Bennett had been pretending to be weak all along?

　　"What?! Samuel Clark, that's really Samuel Clark!"