Shawn Young stood dumbly a short distance away, gazing at Lilian Grace, but he didn't dare approach or say a word to her. After all, Lilian Grace didn't even know who he was. Shawn had fallen for her at first sight during the Southern University New Year's Gala, where she was the host, and he'd been secretly in love with her for almost a year now!
But Shawn wasn't the only one who liked Lilian Grace—there were plenty of guys after her, and many of them were way better off than him. After getting rejected by her, most just turned into secret admirers. Only a handful of guys with too much self-confidence kept chasing her. Shawn knew he didn't stand a chance against those guys, so he became one of the many who secretly adored Lilian Grace—just the quiet, broody type.
"Sigh... Third Bro, let's go. Don't bother with a campus belle like Lilian Grace. Let's hit the sauna center and find a few pretty girls—talk about life and dreams. That's way more realistic..." Alex Easton saw Shawn Young falling for Lilian again and quickly grabbed his hand to drag him away.
"Uh... fine! Guess I should be more realistic..." Shawn Young sighed, shook his head, and followed Alex Easton as they turned to leave.
Just then, a flashy red sports car zoomed past the four of them. Jake Jewel’s eyes lit up with envy and he couldn’t help but shout, "Damn! Aston Martin! What a gorgeous ride! Man, if I ever get a car like that, life would be perfect!"
Alex Easton laughed, "Heh, you might have a shot, but the three of us? Not a chance!"
"Whoa, if I could cruise around in a car like that, those pretty girls would be all over me! Car sex would be just a matter of minutes!" Danny Dean said longingly.
Shawn Young felt even more stung, since out of the four, his family was the poorest. Unless a miracle happened, he’d never even dream of owning a car like that—but, in fact, a miracle had already happened, he just hadn’t realized it yet.
As the four of them chatted enviously, the red Aston Martin suddenly pulled up at the bus stop, right in front of Lilian Grace.
The car door opened. Out stepped a young man, about twenty-five or twenty-six, handsome, with slightly long hair and a touch of artistic melancholy. He was tall and slim, dressed head to toe in designer brands. He greeted Lilian Grace naturally, and she smiled sweetly, letting him take her hand as she got into the red Aston Martin.
"Holy crap! Breaking news! Lilian Grace's boyfriend just showed up—and he's super handsome and loaded!" Danny Dean yelled, unable to contain himself.
"No wonder Lilian Grace ignores all those guys chasing her around Southern University! Turns out, she's already taken!" Jake Jewel sighed.
Alex Easton started giving Shawn Young a heartfelt pep talk: "See, Third Bro? That's what 'a perfect match' looks like! Listen to me—there are plenty of fish in the sea, so why pine for just one flower? When it comes to women, better to take your shot than miss out! Don't hold back, man!"
Shawn Young finally let go of his last bit of hope for Lilian Grace. Feeling gloomy, he said to Alex Easton, "Boss, hurry up and introduce me to some pretty girls! I get it now..."
Alex Easton smirked and patted Shawn Young on the shoulder. "Good, glad you figured it out! Heh, women—doesn't matter if they're pretty or not, they're all fair game for us guys! When you reach my level, you'll know: looks aren't everything, but having an Alpha Rod is perfection! Third Bro, don't waste the gift Heaven gave you. If you only use your Alpha Rod on one woman, I’ll totally look down on you!"
Danny Dean and Jake Jewel nodded in agreement. Danny Dean said, "Third Bro, Boss is right! If only one woman gets your Alpha Rod, that's just not fair to the rest! Honestly, how could one woman handle the firepower of your Alpha Rod? I mean, Sora Aoi, Ozawa, Nangong Apricot, Lisa... if they all came at you together, you’d probably be fine!"
Just then, the red Aston Martin turned around and drove past the four of them again. Listening to the deep rumble of the engine, Shawn Young felt the sound of his shattered dreams. He tugged Alex Easton's hand, heading toward the Golden Crown Hotel: "Boss, I want a drink—gotta let off some steam…"
Alex Easton nodded knowingly. "Oh, no problem! Once we’ve had our fill, I’ll call a few pretty, wild ones over. Third Bro, you get first pick—this time, I guarantee you’ll let off steam to your heart’s content…"
Danny Dean immediately chimed in, sounding a bit pitiful: "Boss, I want to let off steam too…"
"You? Heh, we’ll see about that!" Alex Easton looked Danny Dean up and down with mock pity.
As the four of them headed toward the Golden Crown Hotel, a loud bang suddenly erupted from the intersection behind them. All four froze, turned around, and what they saw left them shocked.
A giant container truck was blocking the intersection. The red Aston Martin had crashed into it, leaving a huge dent in the hood and the airbags deployed—it must’ve been a serious hit. The young man inside was bleeding from his face as he tried to open the door, but Lilian Grace, who was with him, lay motionless, her fate unknown.
Shawn Young’s first instinct was to rush over and help. But just then, two vans sped up from both sides of the road and boxed in the red Aston Martin. Before Shawn could figure out what was happening, the van doors flew open and a group of burly men in black vests, all tatted up, jumped out. One of them quickly chopped the young man’s neck, knocking him out with a grunt. He pushed the guy aside, hopped into the driver’s seat himself.
Then, the other men opened the back of the container truck, dropped two metal ramps, and the burly guy drove the red Aston Martin up onto them.
The rest of the men quickly shut the truck’s doors and jumped back into the vans. The truck started up and looked ready to leave the scene.