Ethan Foster shook her head, her beautiful eyebrows tightly knit together, and said softly, “I don’t know what’s going on either… After my dad’s car accident, it wasn’t long before they showed up, holding so-called contracts and documents, saying my dad owed them money… That Henry Brooks, he’s just a scoundrel—everyone in the southern part of the city knows it. My dad would never have agreed to let me… let me…”

At this point, the girl’s face turned as red as a piece of cloth.

“So what kind of business was your father in before?”

Ethan Foster shook her head again. “I don’t know. I never asked about his business. I think it was something like mining, karaoke, and some entertainment company, but I’m really not sure…”

Ryan Carter and William Thompson exchanged a glance and nodded slightly.

No wonder.

Whether it’s mining or the entertainment industry, those have always been the most complicated fields. There must be all sorts of tangled interests involved, impossible to sort out. Maybe even when Ethan Foster’s father was alive, he was already caught up in some messy affairs. Now that he’s suddenly died in a car accident, people are immediately coming out to take advantage of the situation.

Even Hugh Miller is involved, so the stakes must be pretty high.

“What should we do now?”

Ethan Foster asked worriedly, looking pitiful and fragile.

Ryan Carter said, “Don’t worry, just keep going to school as usual. If they bother you again, remember to let us know.”

William Thompson chuckled and said, “Relax, since we’ve taken this on, we’ll see it through to the end.”

Ethan Foster immediately felt reassured. Even though Ryan Carter and William Thompson, like her, were just second-year students at Weizhou No. 1 High School, their promise made her feel as if all the clouds of the day had cleared, and the world was full of spring.

She even walked with a little bounce in her step.

But William Thompson was clearly not as relaxed as she was. He said to Ryan Carter, “Today Hugh Miller was forced into a corner by Little Chili and couldn’t do anything to us at the police station, but he’ll definitely get Director Clark to stir up trouble and make things difficult for us.”

They had vaguely overheard bits and pieces of the conversation between Hugh Miller and Director Clark earlier.

Ryan Carter said calmly, “Let him be. People like that all have dirty secrets—they’re always up to something.”

William Thompson laughed.

That was exactly what he wanted to hear from Ryan Carter.

Ethan Foster naturally felt confused, not knowing what they were talking about.

A shiny black Mercedes sedan sped past them.

It was just the beginning of the 21st century, and a powerful, imposing Mercedes like that was as eye-catching as could be in a remote city like Weizhou. In fact, this Mercedes had long become Mr. Miller III’s signature car—the only one of its kind in all of Weizhou.

Sitting side by side in the back seat with Lily Bennett, Hugh Miller’s expression had already returned to normal. He withdrew his gaze from the car window, lit a cigarette, took a couple of puffs, and asked in a low voice, “Why didn’t you make a move?”

“Didn’t have enough confidence.”

Lily Bennett’s answer was always so concise.

“Hmm?”

That answer was clearly a bit unexpected for Hugh Miller.

“One-on-one, maybe I’d have a fifty or sixty percent chance. One-on-two, not even thirty percent. Especially with you there…”

Perhaps seeing that Hugh Miller didn’t quite understand, Lily Bennett uncharacteristically explained a bit more.

Hugh Miller immediately fell silent.

The way she put it, it was obvious he was just a burden, holding her back.

Taking on two people and still having to protect Hugh Miller—the difficulty was easy to imagine.

“What do you think, who are those two little punks anyway? They’re still wet behind the ears, but already so tough. Our Weizhou really is full of hidden talents.”

As he spoke, Hugh Miller shook his head slightly, a deep worry between his brows.

“Should we look into them?”

After a moment, Lily Bennett asked, her face still expressionless.

“Of course we should. If I don’t get to the bottom of who they are, I won’t be able to sleep at night.”

Chapter 10: The Political and Educational Affairs Office

Weizhou No. 1 High School was calm and peaceful.

At least, for the next two days, it was calm and peaceful.

On the third day, during English class, the homeroom teacher of the second-year Olympiad Class 1, Mr. Cooper, suddenly appeared at the classroom door. He nodded slightly to the English teacher, then said expressionlessly, “Ryan Carter, William Thompson, come with me for a moment.”

Everyone’s eyes immediately swept to the back of the room.

Ryan Carter was quite tall and sat near the back, but that never stopped him from ranking at the top of every exam.

“Mr. Cooper, what’s the matter?”

The one who spoke up wasn’t Ryan Carter or William Thompson, but Sean Miller.

The little girl’s face was full of wariness and unease, clearly sensing something ominous. Ever since the “cafeteria battle” incident, there had never been an official conclusion, which always felt a bit off.

Now Mr. Cooper had suddenly come to call for Ryan Carter and William Thompson, and with that kind of expression, things didn’t look good.

Mr. Cooper glanced at Sean Miller, then looked away and said dryly, “The rest of you, pay attention in class and don’t meddle in other people’s business.”

Sean Miller pouted her bright red lips, stood up, and silently followed behind Ryan Carter out of the classroom.

“Sean Miller, what are you doing?”

The English teacher asked in surprise when she saw this.

“I’m going to take a look.”