“President Reed definitely won’t regret this!” Michael Bolton said with a smile at the corner of his eyes, showing no excitement at the fifty thousand yuan about to be credited to his account. “I think we might have more chances to work together in the future!”

Seeing Michael Bolton’s calm demeanor, Helen Reed’s appreciation for Michael Bolton deepened even further.

“Mr. Bolton, you must have more than just this one song!” Helen Reed said. “If you have other songs, we’re willing to buy them all as well. How about it? Fifty thousand for each!”

Helen Reed simply didn’t believe that Michael Bolton only had this one song. Since Michael Bolton could write a song of this caliber, he must be quite talented. Sure, there’s the saying about a writer’s inspiration running dry, but to run out after just one song? Impossible!

There are only so many good songs in the entertainment industry. The more they acquire, the fewer their competitors get, giving them a greater advantage. Compared to the profits a song of this level can generate, fifty thousand is nothing.

Michael Bolton smiled and said, “Not for now, but we can always work together again in the future if there’s a chance!”

In his heart, Michael Bolton was grumbling: you already got a song at a bargain price, and now you want a buy-one-get-several-free deal? No way!

After seeing Helen Reed off, Michael Bolton couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride. Fifty thousand wasn’t much—in many people’s eyes, it’s not even enough for a meal—but it was Michael Bolton’s first bucket of gold. With this first bucket, the things he wanted to do next finally seemed possible.

Of course, this first bucket of gold wasn’t just the fifty thousand; there were nine other songs, which should also bring in a good amount.

When Michael Bolton returned to the classroom, class had already started. The math teacher glanced at Michael Bolton and simply said, “Come in.”

Being a little late to class wasn’t a big deal, especially since Michael Bolton’s reputation had already spread throughout the school. Emily Thompson was tough, right? Even someone as fierce as her got beaten into a pig’s head by Michael Bolton. If you mess with him, isn’t that just asking for trouble?

Besides, Michael Bolton didn’t cause trouble in class. He used to not pay attention, but at least he wasn’t disruptive. Now, he was actually listening attentively and not making a fuss. Such a student might not be outstanding, but at least he wasn’t annoying.

Michael Bolton sat back in his seat, gave a reassuring smile and a nod to Emily Carter, who was looking at him with concern, and then took out his book.

Seeing Michael Bolton signal that he was fine, Emily Carter finally relaxed. She didn’t even know why, but she just cared about Michael Bolton. When she saw the teacher call him away, she worried it was about Robert Brooks. Now that Michael Bolton was back safe, she could finally put her mind at ease.

At that moment, a slender hand next to him pressed a note over, and the owner of the hand was none other than the beautiful Olivia Reed.

Michael Bolton was a bit surprised, but not because of the note. Passing notes is something every student has done. If you’ve never passed a note during your school days, that’s just too boring.

What surprised him was that the note was from Olivia Reed. In his previous life, he’d sat next to Olivia Reed for two years and had never seen her do anything like this.

She was like a fairy from the heavens, untouched by the mundane world—cool, aloof, and indifferent. In Michael Bolton’s impression, she was not the type to do such things.

Michael Bolton took the note and saw there was only one question on it.

“What did the teacher want you for?”

Olivia Reed’s eyes were on the blackboard, but from the corner of her eye, she was watching Michael Bolton, and for some reason, she felt a bit nervous.

“Nothing much!” Michael Bolton wrote on the note, then handed it back to Olivia Reed.

Olivia Reed glanced at it quickly, then put the note away, turned her head, her red lips slightly parted, and whispered, “If you don’t want to say, then don’t!”

Michael Bolton had never seen Olivia Reed act so petulant before and was momentarily dumbfounded.

Seeing Michael Bolton’s stunned expression, Olivia Reed felt a bit smug, then her cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment. She shot Michael Bolton a fierce glare, then turned to look at the blackboard, ignoring him.

Michael Bolton felt conflicted. He really couldn’t figure out what was going on in this girl’s mind—she changed from one moment to the next.

Chapter Sixteen: Repaying the Money

The next day, Michael Bolton signed a contract with the people from Rock Records, and they transferred the money to Michael Bolton’s account on the spot.

Before, Michael Bolton’s account only ever had some New Year’s money or pocket money, rarely exceeding a thousand, but now, in one go, it was over fifty thousand yuan.

That same day, Michael Bolton withdrew ten thousand yuan and brought Emily Carter along. As soon as she heard they were going to find Big John and his gang, Emily Carter immediately felt a bit timid.

“Don’t worry, it’s fine. This time we’re going to pay back the money—they won’t do anything to us. People like them still have some rules; otherwise, who would dare borrow money from them in the future?” Michael Bolton said. “But why did your family borrow money from them in the first place?”

“My dad borrowed two thousand yuan a year ago when he got sick,” Emily Carter said.

“Don’t you have any relatives? Borrowing from those loan sharks is like dealing with devils who eat people alive!” Michael Bolton said.

“They—they wouldn’t lend to us. They all avoided us!” At this point, even the good-tempered Emily Carter showed a trace of resentment on her face.