There is a very famous mine in Liao City, and the iron ore produced here is renowned throughout the country. Relying on these mineral resources, many bold and reckless people have made huge fortunes through illegal mining, stealing, and other means. At the same time, quite a few nouveau riche with assets of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions have emerged.

Most of these nouveau riche share one characteristic: they are daring, ruthless, and rarely educated or cultured. Even if they are not outright gangsters, each of them wields a certain amount of power. This is a special product of a special place.

So although Robert Miller's words sounded a bit boastful, none of David Clark's group thought he was bragging. In today's society, money is everything, no matter how it was made.

Emily Cooper was clearly not interested in people like this, and Robert Miller's gaze made her very uncomfortable. Suppressing her disgust, she said, "Well, you really are young and promising. Let's chat another time if we have the chance. It's too late today, I need to go home."

Robert Miller showed no self-awareness at all, still grinning as he said, "It's not easy to meet up, why are you in such a hurry to leave? Your friends are my friends too. My friends and I just finished eating—how about we all go sing karaoke together?"

Emily Cooper's brows were already furrowed, and she replied impatiently, "No, I have work tomorrow. I can't stay out too late tonight."

"Don't be like that, just a little karaoke to catch up. You have so many friends, and everyone's going. What are you worried about?"

Emily Cooper really wanted to just walk away, but after all, the other party was an old classmate, and since everyone lived in Liao City, making things too awkward would make future encounters uncomfortable. As she was thinking of how to refuse, David Clark had already walked over, naturally putting his arm around Emily Cooper's shoulders and smiling as he said, "Fangrui, ran into a classmate?"

Emily Cooper was momentarily stunned, but quickly caught on. She realized David Clark was pretending to be her boyfriend to drive away the annoying Robert Miller, and immediately said, "Yes, let me introduce you. This is my middle school classmate Robert Miller. Robert Miller, this is... David Clark." However, when introducing David Clark, Emily Cooper awkwardly only said his name.

David Clark immediately extended his hand graciously and said, "Hello, nice to meet you. Our Fangrui has a bit of a stubborn temper, I hope you don't mind."

Robert Miller shook hands with David Clark, sizing him up from head to toe, then turned to Emily Cooper and said, "Fangrui, you really have no taste. How could you pick a guy like this as your boyfriend?"

To be fair, David Clark was about 1.8 meters tall and not bad-looking, especially with a well-proportioned figure. From the outside, he seemed like a decent man. But the casual clothes he wore were obviously cheap street stall goods, and his lazy smile made him look nothing like a successful person—more like a dispirited young man from the ordinary working class. Naturally, Robert Miller didn't think much of him.

With such a good opportunity, how could David Clark not take advantage? He tightened his arm around Emily Cooper, pulling her closer, and said, "You just don't get it. Our Fangrui has good taste. I have inner qualities—Fangrui knows how good I am inside, unlike some people who are all show and no substance. They may look flashy on the outside, but are empty inside."

Emily Cooper was originally quite annoyed by David Clark's actions. She knew he was taking advantage of her, but she didn't dare make a scene, nor could she refuse. At least David Clark was her employee and not as annoying as Robert Miller. And what David Clark said was exactly what she wanted to say but was too embarrassed to voice. Instantly, she felt much more at ease and didn't mind David Clark taking a little advantage.

Robert Miller's expression changed, and he glared at David Clark with disdain, saying, "Kid, you're still too green to play games with me. Do you even know who I am in Liao City?"

"Boss Wang, please don't stoop to my level. I just have a loose tongue. I wasn't talking about you just now. Someone like Boss Wang, dressed in gold and silver, is obviously rich and powerful. How could a nobody like me compare? Fangrui and I are both tired today and need to go home and rest early. Next time, we'll definitely treat Boss Wang to a good meal."

He secretly pinched Emily Cooper's waist, and Emily Cooper immediately understood, tilting her head to lean on David Clark's shoulder and covering her forehead as she said, "Robert Miller, I'm really sorry, we're just too tired. Let's get together another time."

Robert Miller glared at David Clark again and said, "Well, since that's the case, I won't insist. How about this—let's exchange phone numbers so we can keep in touch. We're old classmates, after all. It wouldn't be right not to even have each other's numbers."

This request wasn't unreasonable, so Emily Cooper had to give her number to Robert Miller, and then let David Clark hold her as they said goodbye to the annoying Robert Miller.

Chapter 7: Interest

John Miller and Jason Wright were both feeling quite frustrated. Why hadn't they noticed earlier that Emily Cooper disliked Robert Miller? Now David Clark had stolen the spotlight, even putting his arm around Emily Cooper's slender waist. They wished they could drive David Clark away and take his place.