Hugh Miller turned his head, glanced at her, and said with a fake smile, “Little Ethan, you’re a student. How could your father possibly discuss business matters with you? Just like my Sean Miller, I never talk to her about business either.”

“But Uncle Miller, my mom isn’t a student, and she doesn’t know about this either. Like you said, three million isn’t a small amount. If my dad really owed such a huge sum, he would definitely have told my mom.”

At this moment, Ethan Foster’s mind was very clear. She also raised her head, bravely meeting Hugh Miller’s gaze, her small face full of a determined expression.

“Haha, Little Ethan, whether your father owes someone money, to be honest, Uncle Miller doesn’t know either, and he doesn’t owe me any money. But the other party has an IOU and legal documents. Tell me, should I believe you, or should I believe them?”

“In life, we all have to be reasonable, right?”

Hugh Miller still wore a beaming smile, speaking in a gentle, persuasive tone.

“Since Mr. Miller doesn’t know about the Ye family’s debt, and you’re not owed any money, may I ask, what does this matter have to do with Mr. Miller?”

Ryan Carter’s voice sounded calmly.

Hugh Miller just smiled.

This half-grown kid was trying to act mature, all serious and proper.

If it weren’t for Ryan Carter’s youthful appearance, Hugh Miller would have almost thought he was talking to an adult.

“Little Ryan, you still don’t know much about how things work in society. When there’s a dispute, people always look for someone to act as a judge. Honestly, I really don’t want to get involved in all this messy business. But there’s no choice—big trees attract the wind… Since I’m involved, I have to follow the rules. There’s an IOU here, with signatures and fingerprints. Are you saying I shouldn’t believe them?”

This sounded reasonable. Mr. Miller III was the ultimate arbiter in Weizhou.

In many circles, people like this were needed.

But Ryan Carter was clearly not so easy to fool. He smiled and said, “Mr. Miller, since there’s a dispute, an IOU, signatures, and fingerprints, why not just file a lawsuit in court? Why make things so unpleasant?”

Hugh Miller’s eyes narrowed slightly. He couldn’t help but sit up straighter, sizing up Ryan Carter again. Suddenly, he smiled and said, “Young man, no wonder my daughter hasn’t been eating lunch at home these days, but at school instead. Looks like you’re the reason.”

When he said this, everyone was stunned for a moment.

Even Ryan Carter, who had been calm all along, blushed in an instant.

No matter what, he was still a seventeen-year-old boy. Although much more mature than most of his peers, he couldn’t really be called “worldly-wise” yet—his skin wasn’t that thick.

“How about this, you two kids are quite interesting, so I’ll give you some face. Let’s just call it a day. You don’t have to pay the medical expenses, and there’ll be no detention, alright?”

“But I have one condition: don’t let this happen again!”

“From now on, you can’t do this sort of thing anymore. The world is complicated—better to stay out of trouble. As students, you should focus on your studies, get into a good university, learn some real skills, marry a good wife, start a family, and live a good life. That’s better than anything.”

Chapter 9: Reputation Is Hard to Live Up To

Ryan Carter’s lips curled slightly, revealing a faint smile.

Hugh Miller’s expression darkened a little.

Because from Ryan Carter’s smile, he saw clear mockery and disdain.

It had been a very long time since anyone had shown such an expression in front of him. Those who dared to do so usually ended up badly, not much better than Joe Bennett.

Let alone this snot-nosed brat.

“Mr. Miller III, it seems your reputation is hard to live up to.”

Ryan Carter paid no attention to Hugh Miller’s changing expression, simply following his own pace, speaking neither too fast nor too slow. And once again, he changed how he addressed Hugh Miller.

“Rumor has it that Mr. Miller III is a good man, chivalrous and righteous, known as ‘Timely Rain’ in Weizhou City. But now, it seems that’s all there is to it. To think you’d order this kind of person to bully a widow and her orphan over a mere bit of inheritance. Anyone with a shred of decency wouldn’t do such a thing. Yet Mr. Miller III does it so eagerly, even pretending to be a good person in front of his own daughter… To be honest, Mr. Miller III, I actually feel a bit sorry for Sean Miller.”

Ryan Carter’s tone wasn’t particularly forceful, but every word struck like thunder and lightning, mercilessly stripping away Mr. Miller III’s facade.

Everyone was shocked.

Even Olivia Harris stared in surprise at this outspoken teenager, unable to help but worry for him.

This was a public slap in the face.

Hugh Miller’s always-smiling face suddenly turned ashen, the corners of his eyes twitching rapidly. He glanced at Lily Bennett beside him.

Olivia Harris was startled, and without thinking, stepped forward to block Lily Bennett.

Anyone could see that Hugh Miller was out for blood.

Olivia Harris had personally witnessed Lily Bennett in action and knew the power of his thunderous strikes.

Lily Bennett stood tall and straight, his expression completely unchanged, not the slightest ripple showing on his face.