“Fatty, do you really think I said something wrong?” White House reached out to block Brian Cooper’s spit, looking at him with utter disdain as he said, “Your family clearly runs a whole street of brothels, yet you’re still a virgin at eighteen. Tell me, aren’t you just a coward?”

Brian Cooper snorted and rolled his eyes. “And you have the nerve to talk about me? Last year I got you drunk and sent three courtesans into your room. The next day, everyone said you didn’t even touch their clothes and just slept fully dressed all night. White House, are you sure you’re up to it?”

“I spent the whole night chatting with those ladies under the moonlight. It’s not as disgraceful as you make it sound, Fatty. Maybe you should wait until you come of age before thinking about such things.” Although there was a trace of discomfort in White House’s eyes, he still spoke with a calm expression.

Brian Cooper was stumped by White House’s words and, for a moment, didn’t know how to retort. His face quickly turned bright red.

William Carter looked at the two of them exposing each other’s shortcomings with a strange expression. It seemed the two were not only well acquainted but also shared a history of visiting brothels together. However, their verbal sparring skills were quite uneven—after just a few exchanges, White House had already won, exposing every weakness without mercy.

Seeing that Brian Cooper was truly unable to fight back, William Carter smiled and said, “Fatty, what are you doing out here? Aren’t you afraid that Hunchback Wang will hit you with the ruler?”

Brian Cooper took the opportunity to change the subject, shot White House a glare, then turned to William Carter and grinned. “Not afraid. I said I had a stomachache and needed to use the latrine. The teacher couldn’t very well keep me in the classroom, right?”

“You really have no ambition.” Before William Carter could speak, White House interjected indifferently.

Brian Cooper’s face darkened, and he was about to lose his temper again.

William Carter asked White House with interest, “So what exactly is your relationship?”

White House tilted his head and thought for a moment, then said with some frustration, “His mother is my mother’s older sister.”

William Carter pondered this complicated relationship, then rolled his eyes and said, “Why not just say he’s your cousin?”

“I don’t have a fatty cousin like him.” White House pouted.

At this moment, Brian Cooper’s eyes lit up, and he said proudly, “That’s because I’m his older brother. I’m a month older than him, you know.”

“Xiao Bai, since you’re younger than Fatty, you should call me Brother Yuan too from now on.” Now that he understood their relationship, William Carter was a bit surprised. Brian Cooper had said White House’s family background was impressive, so his own must be as well.

“William Carter, no one in the academy dares to call me that.” White House said with a half-smile.

“That’s only because I just joined the academy. Otherwise, you’d have heard this affectionate nickname years ago, right, Fatty?” William Carter said, winking at Brian Cooper.

“My nickname is actually Xiao Bai…” Brian Cooper muttered softly, looking a bit aggrieved.

“You were only fair and chubby when you were born, that’s why your nickname was Xiao Bai. Now, when people call you fat, you even get out of breath?” White House once again calmly jabbed at Brian Cooper.

“You… you…” Brian Cooper’s lips trembled, but he was once again at a loss for words.

William Carter really didn’t want to listen to their bickering anymore—after all, Brian Cooper always lost in the end. Since he was new here and had some things to ask, he pointed at the remaining bench and smiled, “Fatty, go lie down over there. Let’s not dig up your old grudges for now. Tell me about the monthly exam and the debate in three days. Looks like Hunchback Wang can’t wait to kick me out of the academy.”

Brian Cooper walked away a bit shyly, but lying down came naturally to him—he was the type who would never sit if he could lie down.

White House pondered for a moment and said, “The monthly exam is a test held at the end of each month for academy students. Besides the usual assessment of conduct, there’s also an exam to check how well students have mastered their studies that month. The exam is divided by subject, and each has its own passing score. If you fail to pass in several subjects, you’ll be expelled from the academy.”

“The debate in three days is a regular event held at the beginning of each month. All students must attend. The dean sets the debate topic, and everyone can express their views. The dean and several instructors will then select the top ten.”

William Carter nodded thoughtfully. “So the debate is basically the instructors organizing the students to have a shouting match, huh?”