The two of them closed the classroom door and walked out of the school side by side.

“Thank you for what you did today!” Emily Carter said, her voice pleasant and melodious.

“It’s nothing, but you should be more careful yourself!” Michael Bolton replied. The two of them didn’t really know each other well.

One was absorbed in studying, while the other was obsessed with novels. Everything else was just background noise; both were pretty low-key.

“The dean will probably give you trouble because of me. I’m sorry!” Emily Carter said a bit uneasily, feeling guilty for dragging a classmate into this.

Although she usually buried herself in her studies, she knew the dean’s reputation at school. Now, Michael Bolton hadn’t just offended him—he’d sent his son to the hospital. It would be normal for Michael Bolton to get expelled.

The thought that Michael Bolton might be expelled because of her made Emily Carter so anxious she was on the verge of tears.

“Don’t worry! You know David Thompson, right? He’s my buddy—we’re really close. He’ll figure something out. I won’t get expelled!” Michael Bolton said helplessly, but at this moment, all he could do was use David Thompson’s reputation as a shield.

Emily Carter thought about it. It was true—David Thompson was a big name at school. She’d heard about his fights, but he never seemed to get in trouble; it was always the other guys who got punished. That made her feel a little better.

“Thank you!” Emily Carter said, blushing.

“Hey, Emily Carter, you sure made us look for you!” At that moment, a rough voice called out. A group of more than ten thugs swaggered over, led by a rugged-looking man in his late twenties who sneered at Emily Carter.

Seeing this group, Emily Carter’s face instantly turned pale, a look of fear flashing across her features.

Without a word, Michael Bolton calmly pulled Emily Carter behind him. Backing down and leaving a girl behind wasn’t his style—he couldn’t do that.

Being pulled behind him, Emily Carter immediately felt much safer, as if something inside her had quietly been touched.

“You were called out today and you dared not show up!” the rough man said coldly.

Michael Bolton immediately understood—this must be the so-called Big John.

“Did you call Robert Brooks here?” Michael Bolton asked.

“Yes!” Big John replied, not taking the scholarly-looking young man in front of him seriously at all.

“He’s in the hospital now. Aren’t you going to check on him?” Michael Bolton said with a smile in his eyes.

“No way!” Big John clearly hadn’t heard the news and was stunned. He’d been wondering why Robert Brooks had the nerve to stand him up and make him wait all day.

“What happened?” Big John asked instinctively.

“I beat him up,” Michael Bolton said calmly, the smile in his eyes growing.

“What, you…” Big John looked at Michael Bolton in disbelief. Scholarly, fair-skinned, and delicate—exactly the type he usually hated most.

But he quickly realized that this delicate-looking guy was way too calm. Normally, students would go weak in the knees at the sight of their group. Even the braver ones would never act like this, as if their presence had no effect at all.

“He wanted to take my classmate away. Of course, he needed my permission!” Michael Bolton said naturally.

“Haha, just you?” Big John laughed loudly.

Michael Bolton just smiled and asked, “How much does she owe you?”

“Ten thousand!” Big John answered instinctively, but then realized—why was he answering this kid? From the start, even though his group had come over aggressively, it felt like this unremarkable young man had been in control the whole time.

“Nonsense, it’s only two thousand!” Emily Carter mustered her courage and spoke up.

“Interest isn’t free!” Big John said shamelessly.

Loan sharks! Michael Bolton finally understood how Emily Carter had gotten involved with these people. It seemed her family owed them money. Loan sharks never played fair—the interest piled up, and that was with the more “professional” outfits. With thugs like these, they could just name any amount they wanted.

“For ten thousand yuan, you’d ruin a girl’s whole life!” Michael Bolton’s expression darkened. He’d heard of things like this before, but facing it himself, he couldn’t hide his anger.

“What, you want to pay for her? Kid, let me tell you, being a hero isn’t as easy as you think!” Big John laughed. Ten thousand yuan might not be much to an adult, but to a student, it was astronomical—especially for one from an average family.

Michael Bolton didn’t care about the ten thousand at all. In his previous life, he’d been down and out, but not to the point where ten thousand yuan would break him. It wasn’t about the money—it was about not letting a girl’s life be ruined over it.

“In a month, I’ll bring you the ten thousand myself!” Michael Bolton said. He wasn’t some great man with ambitions to save the world, but he’d help those around him if he could.