Twenty minutes later, Ethan and Serena were seated in the resort's hotel restaurant.
A lavish seafood spread lay before them.
"I'm covered in wounds lately. The bandage just came off my head a couple of days ago, I just got stabbed, and you're feeding me seafood?" Ethan complained half-heartedly.
"Eat it or don't," Serena shot back with an eye-roll. "This one isn't going on an expense account. It's coming out of my own pocket. Over three thousand bucks."
"I'm eating! I've never had anything this good." Ethan grabbed a crab and started cracking into it. "Last time I had crab was years ago. We tried raising some in our family pond, but we didn't know how. Most of them died. Only seven or eight survived. My mom had me catch them, and we shared them with Maya's family."
They ate with gusto, quickly demolishing the feast.
"Hey, you should go easy on the crab," Ethan said to Serena. "It's very 'cooling.' Not great for women if you have too much. Can make you feel unwell."
"Oh? Learning to be considerate, are we?" Serena put down the last crab she had just picked up. "And it won't make you feel unwell?"
"I'm different," Ethan said, snatching the crab from her plate and putting it on his own. "I come from a 'cold' family background. I'm used to it.".
"That joke is colder than the crab," Serena said, her face darkening. "You'd really say anything for an extra bite, wouldn't you?"
"'Food is the paramount necessity of the people.' A man can skip work, skip fun, skip studying, but he absolutely cannot skip eating." Ethan declared righteously.
They paired the seafood with the white wine Serena had ordered, sipping it slowly.
"Actually, I've been thinking these past few days," Serena began. "Do you think the guy that night could have been sent by Jack Zhao?"
"Him?" Ethan was skeptical. "Why do you say that? That guy clearly wasn't after a trophy. Attacking us on the street, what was the point?"
"For psychological satisfaction, maybe," Serena suggested. "What kind of man is Jack Zhao? He was a big shot in this city for years. We broke his arms, cut off his finger, took his trophy. You think he's just going to let that go? Causing trouble in a busy area is just to make life difficult for us. If we get into any real legal trouble, they definitely won't let us keep managing this place. The people out front, the public faces, need to have clean records."
"And also..." Serena glanced around and lowered her voice. "I've heard some rumors. The Boss has been negotiating with the people behind Zhao. About the casino business. The other side doesn't want to let it go, but The Boss is taking a hard line. The talks broke down. I'm afraid the trouble isn't really aimed at us, but at my father and The Boss. That night was probably just Zhao following orders from above and deciding to take his frustration out on us at the same time."
Having said her piece, Serena returned to her normal tone.
"But what I heard is just rumor. The last part is my own guess. My brain isn't as sharp as yours, so I'm telling you. Think it over later, see if you can find any other clues."
"Alright."
Full and satisfied, they returned to the casino.
Ethan spent the entire weekend at the casino, not going to the hospital. The casino wasn't overly busy, and mainly, he didn't want his mother to see the bruise on his face.
Deception and scheming were normal in their circle, but a mother would worry if her child got hurt, no matter the reason.
He spent those two days trying to reduce the bruising, using some folk remedies Wade Qi had told him about. It wasn't until Sunday, when the bruise had faded significantly, that Ethan dared to return to the hospital.
He chatted with his mother for a while, subtly probing for information about the people behind Jack Zhao.
"I'm not sure. They're not from the Northwest. Businesspeople from out of town, with some interests here."
He also asked about the powerful figures behind The Boss, and whether she'd ever heard of a powerful man who loved a woman—a very beautiful woman with a birthmark on her face—but who, due to family reasons or something else, was forced to part with her.
Lydia Chen said she hadn't heard of such a thing.
"Okay."
Ethan lay down on the caregiver's bed.
"Goodnight, Mom."
Another Monday
Lydia Chen reminded Ethan to dress warmer.
"December is here. The temperature's dropping again."
"Got it, Mom."
With his backpack, Ethan headed to school.
Lately, Ethan had no trouble at school whatsoever. Marcus Whitfield and his crew wouldn't dare cause problems for him now. If they accidentally made eye contact, they would proactively nod and smile.
They were even showing up for morning self-study sessions every day.
This puzzled their classmates. Previously, Marcus and his friends never came. Why were they so well-behaved now? Had they reformed?
Someone analyzed it: "It's exactly that—they reformed. You think they were sleeping in every day? Their parents dragged them out of bed early for school too. They were just holing up in the breakfast shop near the gate, coming in late on purpose to get attention, to show off how 'bad' they were. But now they see that even Ethan, who's way tougher than them, shows up for self-study on time. Their old behavior just makes them look like clowns."
Entering the classroom, Ethan saw a group gathered at the back, listening to Marcus talk about something.
"Ethan!" Marcus waved him over.
"Need a favor! Do you know anyone at The Summit casino? I lost over a million there the last couple of days."
While he asked for a 'favor' and mentioned 'losing money,' every word was meant to boast.
What kid their age could get into a casino, let alone have over a million to lose?
"I know a few people, yeah. What's up?"
"Great!" Marcus laughed loudly. "I'm meeting some friends there next weekend. The main floor is too noisy, and the stakes are too low—just a few thousand a hand. We want to book a VIP lounge. If you know people, can you help me arrange it? Book one for me."
"Sure," Ethan agreed. "Just call me when you get there."
"Deal." Marcus's voice was loud before he sat down.
One of Marcus's lackeys leaned in. "Does Ethan really know people at The Summit?"
"Know them, my ass," Marcus sneered. "My dad told me The Summit casino is run by the biggest shot in the city. He's just bluffing. I just wanted to let him know that I, Marcus Whitfield, have connections too. He shouldn't look down on me."
Ethan could see right through Marcus's little game, but he really had no desire to compete with him for dominance. As long as Marcus didn't bother him, there was no benefit in proving he was 'more awesome.'
Mainly, Ethan and Marcus were operating on completely different levels now. Ethan was navigating a world of influential figures, while Marcus just wanted to be the top dog at City Prep No. 3.
During the afternoon break after the second period, Ethan's phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, a bad feeling settled in his gut. "Hello?"
"It's Mulan. I'm sending you an address. Come here. I'll give you the money."
"I have to go get the money?" Ethan was baffled. "We're talking over a hundred million! Even in hundred-dollar bills, that's nearly two tons!"
"It's not cash. It's something else. I have no choice; this is the only way I can do the transaction. And my time is limited. Whether you come or not is up to you."