This really was exactly in line with the original owner’s thinking—they considered themselves real men, wanting to do things only real men would do. Liking someone in private, or even dating, was all perfectly normal, but as men mixing in the underworld, if you sat down to eat with a bunch of pretty girls, wouldn’t people look down on you?

　　Hearing this, several of the young ladies showed disappointed expressions, but Emily Wright really had no way to deal with her own little brother, so she could only say, “You’re only allowed to have two bottles of beer, no more, understand?”

　　This time, Samuel Wright actually agreed.

　　So even though everyone entered the restaurant one after another, they each sat at their own tables and ordered their own dishes.

　　After ordering, David Brooks smiled and said, “Seriously, why’d you have to embarrass your sister like that?”

　　Samuel Wright stayed silent, just as the owner brought over four bottles of beer, already opened. He grabbed one, not caring if it was cold or not, and gulped down half the bottle in one go before putting it down. He stayed quiet for a while longer, then suddenly spoke, sounding frustrated: “Did you hear what she just said? She’s known about your situation for a while, knew you got arrested, and it’s been days—she never told me!”

　　David Brooks was stunned when he heard this.

　　His mouth opened and closed a few times, but he just couldn’t get any words out.

　　But then, he suddenly reached across the table and gave his head a rough rub. “It’s fine, don’t blame her! She just didn’t want you to get mixed up in my mess, it’s totally normal!”

　　He was still sulking, refusing to speak.

　　What a big goof!

　　But when David Brooks picked up a bottle of beer and clinked it with his, and as they drank, started chatting about their recent lives and work, he gradually brightened up. When the food arrived, the two of them ate, drank, and talked, soon laughing and joking together.

　　He wasn’t really the ambitious type. After his dad sent him to work at the county’s second cotton mill, he didn’t mind much and worked steadily. But when he really started talking, especially with his best buddy, he couldn’t help but show some confusion about the future.

　　He knew he wasn’t smart, not like his sharp and clever sister, and he also knew that because he was a boy, his parents felt a bit helpless and disappointed in him.

　　But he truly didn’t know what to do.

　　So he was frustrated, so he was lost.

　　So David Brooks smiled and comforted him, “Don’t worry, just wait—when I make it big, you come eat with me! I promise you’ll eat and drink like a king!”

　　He grinned extra wide at that. “That’d be the best!”

　　…………

　　While they were eating, Emily Wright glanced over at Samuel Wright’s table several times, and saw that they really only ordered two bottles of beer each, which finally put her mind at ease.

　　She couldn’t help but sneak a few more looks at David Brooks.

　　In fact, it wasn’t just her—during the meal, several colleagues kept trying to find out more about this guy in roundabout ways. As for staring at him and getting distracted, that was basically standard procedure—

　　Who knew what happy memories they were talking about, but both of them were laughing. David Brooks held a cigarette, taking a drag now and then, exhaling a long stream of smoke that swirled around him. With his strikingly handsome face, that cheerful smile, and the leather jacket he wore, he really had an irresistibly charming, rebellious vibe—enough to make anyone swoon.

　　But Emily Wright still forced herself to look away.

　　She couldn’t help but curse herself in her heart: Such a flirt!

　　Then she warned her girlfriends, “Seriously, stop looking! Don’t be fooled by how much of a bad boy he is—he’s super popular with women. I heard that back in high school, who knows how many girls wrote him love letters!” Just by looks alone, this David Brooks was the kind of guy no girl could resist at first glance.

　　But who would guess that deep down, he was actually an airhead?

　　Actually, Emily Wright remembered very clearly that the first time she met David Brooks, she wasn’t any better than her girlfriends—she was smitten at first sight too, even though he was her little brother’s best friend and a full three years younger than her!

　　Of course, once she found out what kind of person David Brooks really was, that infatuation faded quickly.

　　She’d always been a particularly calm and self-disciplined girl.

　　Of course she’d never allow herself to fall for an airhead guy.

　　Not to mention, this guy wasn’t just lazy—he got into fights too!

　　And she was someone who wanted to do big things!

　　What a great era this was—as long as you were willing to think, to use your brain, to work hard, you could always get the rewards you wanted. That Song Hongxing started brewing just ten years ago, and that Xie Zhaofang only got into textiles in ’84—look at them now!

　　If they could do it, so could she!

　　In times like these, and while she was still young, how could she let it go to waste!