Grace Bennett was lost in thought, staring straight at Ryan Brooks. Suddenly, Ryan Brooks called her name, startling her so much that her wrist trembled. She quickly looked away and pretended to eat, only to find her bowl was already empty.

The atmosphere instantly became a bit awkward.

Ryan Brooks raised his eyebrows and smiled, “Why are you staring at me instead of eating? Let me tell you, I don’t like violent women.”

“You… Hmph, I’m only letting this go for Emma’s sake.” Grace Bennett glared, huffing angrily.

Emma Clark shot Ryan Brooks a look, signaling him not to tease Grace Bennett.

Just then, a beeping phone rang. Ryan Brooks pulled out an old black-and-white Nokia phone. Seeing the number, he frowned, turned, and walked out of the dining room. “I’ll take this call, be right back.”

Grace Bennett watched Ryan Brooks hold the phone to his ear and analyzed in her mind, “What era is this, and he’s still using a Nokia, and a black-and-white one at that. Looks like his financial situation is pretty bad.”

Standing in the courtyard, Ryan Brooks answered the call, sounding a bit impatient: “Hello, Mr. Thompson, fine, fine, I’ll call you Master. I’m inheriting my grandpa’s siheyuan now, just relaxing. Don’t assign any more tasks to this retired worker, I’m telling you, I absolutely won’t take them.”

“No way, not even as a favor. Don’t give me that ‘orders from the master can’t be disobeyed’ stuff, I’m not buying it. I’m a man of principle—since I’m retired, I’m not coming back.”

“What? Pure! Beautiful! College student!”

Ryan Brooks’s eyes lit up, and his tone changed immediately, becoming serious: “Master, although I’m retired now, I deeply remember your kindness to me. Since it’s your friend’s granddaughter, of course I’m willing to sacrifice my rest time to help you out. Sigh, I’m just too soft-hearted. What, principles? I don’t even have integrity, let alone principles! Hurry up and send me that girl’s information.”

After speaking, Ryan Brooks hung up, moved the phone away from his ear, pressed the antenna at the top, and a full-color 8-inch square 3D virtual image was projected above the phone’s screen, displaying a girl’s personal information and Ryan Brooks’s assignment.

Sarah Hill, eighteen years old, freshman at Dong’an University of Technology, majoring in Computer Science and Technology…

After reading the profile and seeing there was no photo, Ryan Brooks frowned: “No photo? Could she be ugly? Mr. Thompson wouldn’t set me up, would he? Whatever, I’ll be transferring in tomorrow anyway. If Sarah Hill turns out to be a dinosaur, I’ll just slip away. If she’s a beauty, I’ll just have to sacrifice myself for the greater good.”

Having made up his mind, Ryan Brooks was in a great mood. In fact, after returning to Dong’an City, he was worried about being bored. Now, being able to hang out at Dong’an University was much better than staying in the siheyuan all day. Plus, he’d never been to college before and was actually looking forward to campus life, especially since his comrades had told him that there were lots of pure, pretty girls in college, each more attractive than the last.

“Emma, I have some money in this card. The password is your birthday. Use it to arrange for someone to renovate the siheyuan.”

Back in the dining room, Ryan Brooks took out a bank card and placed it in front of Emma Clark, then turned to leave. “I haven’t been back to Dong’an in a long time. I’m going out for a walk.”

Before Emma Clark and Grace Bennett could react, Ryan Brooks had already walked out the main gate of the siheyuan. The two looked at each other, then their eyes fell on the bank card.

The siheyuan they lived in was very large, covering several hundred square meters, with three courtyards in succession, and had been passed down for over a hundred years—practically a cultural relic. If they wanted to renovate it while preserving its original appearance, it would cost at least half a million, if not more.

Grace Bennett’s eyes darted as she analyzed, “Ryan Brooks is still using a black-and-white Nokia, so his finances must be tight. He said there’s ‘some’ money in this card—at most, it’s probably a few thousand. But it’s odd that he used Emma’s birthday as the password.”

Thinking this, Grace Bennett grabbed the police cap by the table and got up to leave. “Emma, I have a task tonight, so I’m heading out.”

After Grace Bennett left the dining room, Emma Clark quietly put the bank card away, giving a wry smile. She thought the same as Grace Bennett, believing there wasn’t much money in the card. She didn’t plan to use it, just to keep it safe for Ryan Brooks.

……

In the bar, the music was pounding, as if every beat struck the nerves. The scent of alcohol drifted through the air, and watching the men and women wildly dancing, even the calmest person would feel a slight thrill inside.

Ryan Brooks was familiar with bars. After completing missions in the past, he would always bring his team to relax at a bar, drink a lot, and then leave with whichever woman caught their eye.

Of course, today he wasn’t looking for a lonely housewife—he just wanted a drink.

Under the bartender’s puzzled gaze, Ryan Brooks ordered a bottle of rum, no mixing, just poured straight into a glass, and drank it in big gulps, as if it were beer.

Rum is as strong as baijiu, and the bartender had never seen anyone drink baijiu like beer.

“Tastes pretty mediocre.”