Chapter 43: Chapter 43

Elena was befuddled by Casper’s thought process. How can he buy a whole street for me? It’s so dilapidated.

No one would visit this area if not for the eateries located on the street. Most of the shophouses lining this greasy street had fallen into disrepair; many of them were uninhabited after their former occupants had moved out in search of more convenient lodgings.

Larry and Candace’s restaurant was the only reason Elena visited this street.

“I have my plans. Let me send you back.”

Casper did not linger on the topic. He was, in fact, familiar with every nook and cranny in Horington, and he was well aware of the value of this street.

After he sent Elena home, Casper instructed the taxi driver to take him to Business University. He would reach the dorm at eleven if the driver continued at his current speed. The dorm gates will be closed by then; I’ll have to butter up that stubborn dorm manager.

“Sir, please drive as fast as you can.”

Casper handed a wad of notes to the driver.

The driver took his cash wordlessly before speeding up. The taxi overtook vehicles on the road at breakneck speed.

“Damn, Sir, you’re the best!”

As Casper alighted from the taxi, he placed a hand on his chest to calm himself. He managed to shoot a thumbs-up at the driver despite his nausea.

“No problem, buddy. Anytime.”

With a friendly smile on his face, the driver passed his name card to Casper. He left shortly after that.

Casper got to the dorm before half-past ten. Wow, he saved me a lot of time.

“Hey, Casper. I almost thought you were spending the night with Lillian. I didn’t expect to see you till tomorrow,” Felix teased as he rushed toward Casper and slung an arm across his shoulder.

“Yeah, dude. I thought you’d be the first in our room to go to home base.”

“You need to step up, Casper. Everyone in the dorm is shaming our room for our cursed bachelorhood.”

Remy and Colton turned their attention to Casper and ignored their video games. They wore matching pitiful expressions on their faces.

“You all should wash your brains. I went out to attend to some urgent matters. I’ve been busy.”

Smiling, Casper continued, “I’ll bring all of you to check out the project some time. We can grab a few drinks.”

“You’re on!”

Felix patted Casper’s shoulder and commented, “I’ve never been to a nightclub.”

“Hey, I’ve got some news for you. I heard that someone’s interested in Lillian. You’ve got competition, Casper. Plus, the guy’s from the same class as Lillian; he’s some rich heir,” Remy announced. He was the most gossipy one among the four of them.

“How’d you find out about that? I didn’t notice anything unusual. Come on, Casper, you can’t lose to him,” Felix replied.

“I can lend you my copy of Shakespeare’s Sonnets,” Colton suggested.

“Just drop it.”

Casper did not want to become entangled in Lillian’s mess any longer. He merely could not stand injustice toward innocent people.

He initially planned to watch the live stream, but he closed the app when he noticed that Giselle was not streaming that night.

“Casper, there’s a disaster relief fundraiser tonight. Don’t be late,” Felix reminded him at lunchtime.

Nodding, Casper left the dorm. He dropped by Horington food street since he had nothing better to do.

The shophouses were old and abandoned. He had also found out from his sources that the owner of this street had plans to sell, though Casper was not privy to the identity of this owner.

He called Stallion, informing the latter to pause his work for the moment. He then instructed Stallion to uncover the identity of the owner of Horington food street.

Stallion agreed and promised to complete his assignment to Casper’s satisfaction.

Trusting Stallion to live up to his words, Casper headed to the university library. He only left the library at dinner time.

He knew that wealth could never trump the importance of education.

“What a rarity to be walking to class with all of you,” Felix commented as he glanced at Casper.

When they reached the classroom, everyone else had already arrived.

“Phew, we made it. Mr. Tripp’s not here yet.”

Felix surveyed the room and relaxed when he realized that Jack was absent. They settled down in their seats.

“Hey, Casper. Are you digging for people’s scraps in the cafeteria again?”

Charlie’s annoying voice rang out just as Casper sat down. Sighing, Casper turned around to look at him.

Kitty, who was sitting in Charlie’s lap, waved the Gucci handbag in her hands. She looked at Casper smugly as she remarked, “Charlie, I love your gift! This handbag is gorgeous! I’m sure a broke loser like him would never be able to afford this.”

Casper narrowed his eyes in disgust at Charlie before glancing at Kitty. He commented drily, “What a pair.”

Meanwhile, Felix didn’t mince his words as he bellowed, “Stop disgusting us with your antics. We just had dinner, you know. I don’t want to barf it out right away.” He glared at Charlie to make his point.

“Yeah, man. I’m this close to puking.”

“Let’s get some fresh air outside. Mr. Tripp’s not here yet.”

Remy and Colton added on to Felix’s insult by fanning the air to disperse some imaginary stench.

“You four little sh*ts! I’ll teach you a lesson!” Charlie raged at their insults as he prepared to call his men over to beat them up.