“Right, let’s connect on WhatsApp, it’ll make communication easier,” Maria said, “I’ll scan your QR code.”
William opened WhatsApp and asked, “How do I do this?”
“…” Maria was dumbfounded, looking at his phone, she asked, “Don’t tell me you’ve never used WhatsApp before?”
William seriously nodded, “This is my first day using a mobile phone, I haven’t had the chance to play around with it yet.”
Maria was speechless for a moment.
“You… you didn’t just come from the mountains, did you?”
William nodded again, “Can you teach me how to use it?”
Maria was impressed this time. She couldn’t believe that William had indeed come from the backwoods. After all, these days, even young children are proficient with smartphones and chat on WhatsApp.
After a series of instructions and explanations, William finally learned how to use WhatsApp.
Maria carefully taught him how to use it and casually asked, “You’re out of money, aren’t you?”
Not hiding anything, William replied, “I’m flat broke.”
“No way?” Maria could hardly believe it. From William’s demeanor, she initially thought he might be some rich kid out trying to experience life, but now she was convinced, this man was absolutely fresh off the mountains.
That was actually good, people from the mountains tend to be humble and straightforward, with no wild ideas.
“I’ll advance you two thousand dollars from your salary. Your tips from tonight were pretty substantial as well.” Maria said, handing him two thousand dollars in cash, “As a grown man, it’s not okay to be entirely broke, but don’t misuse the money. If you face any difficulties, tell me.”
William had a good impression of Maria so far. She had proven to be very generous.
He began to believe that if Evelyn was ever in trouble, Maria would definitely stand up to help.
Business at the Moonlit Harbor Pub was good. Even though William’s performance dazzled many tonight, most were busy with their own drinks and company, so not many really noticed him.
Although William was busy all night, he kept an eye on Evelyn from time to time.
Given Evelyn’s looks, it seemed easy for her to be harassed in this sort of place.
But in reality, the patrons were mostly polite with their comments and even those who invited Evelyn for a drink took her refusal in stride, laughing it off.
William noticed that the patrons were well-behaved probably because a woman was in their company tonight.
By three-thirty in the morning, the bar started to empty, and Maria called William and Evelyn over.
With the exception of those who were busy or had left with some customers, the remaining staff were called into a private room by Maria.
It was sort of a debriefing session to talk about who did well, and who needed improvement in certain areas.
Maria had William and Evelyn introduce themselves briefly. She casually praised William, saying that he did well today, but did not overly compliment him.
After the meeting, Maria called William aside, “William, you’re new here, and standing out too much might attract unwanted attention. Be a bit more low-key in the future. Pretend to be drunk when you need to.”
Even though he could handle a lot of drinks, he should still pretend to be drunk when necessary.
Maria thought that William, being young, might lack discretion in some situations. Little did she know, William already had a billion years of life experience, and was a powerful individual beyond imagination. He understood her advice, but whether to be ostentatious or low-key depended on his mood.
With no other issues for the night, Maria let everyone clock off for the day.
William changed back into his own clothes. He didn’t deliberately try to get close to Evelyn, but when he stepped out of the bar’s front door, all he saw was Evelyn’s retreating figure as she pedaled away on her bicycle.
He walked around the city for over an hour. By the time the sun began to rise, he had toured all around New York City, witnessing many things. Eventually, he learned how to take a cab to school and how to make payments using his phone.
At the school gate, William found a Starbucks, ordered a sandwich and coffee, and after eating, went into the school. As he approached the entrance of the male dormitory, he noticed quite a few people stealing glances at him, their eyes filled with a hint of curiosity.
When he got to room 306 of the dormitory and knocked on the door, it opened quickly.
The three roommates were standing there in a daze, staring at William.
“William, you’re back?”
The one speaking was Wyatt, the youth who had struck up a conversation with William in the corridor yesterday.
William nodded and smiled slightly, “I’m back.”
Wyatt grinned, “William, your bed’s all made.”
What William had done yesterday was unprecedented in the school and beyond their imagination.
What was Ryan’s status at school? William had given Ryan a clear lesson yesterday, dealing with all those who were brought by Ryan.
“Let’s formally introduce ourselves,” Wyatt said, “My name is Wyatt Edwards, you can call me Wyatt.”
“My name is Daniel Rivera, you can call me Daniel. Have you had breakfast yet? Do you want me to get you something?” Another roommate chimed in.
“No need, I ate at the school entrance.” William’s response was expected. Regardless of the era, the strong are always admired. Wyatt and others probably suffered bullying in school, but yesterday, William had taught the campus “bullies” a lesson. When the ordinary students like Wyatt saw him again, their attitudes naturally changed.
Inside the room, another hefty lad of over 200 pounds said, “My name is Paul Nelson, you can call me Paul.”
Judging by their introductions, William’s future status in the dormitory was confirmed.
William had now reached his bed. The dormitory originally had one empty bed, but now the bedding on it was neatly arranged. He didn’t know if his roommates had done it or if it was the work of Ryan’s group.
“My name is William, I look forward to getting along with you all in the future.” William had chosen to live in the dormitory to interact more with people and learn more.
At least for now, that was the case.
“William, how about we go out for lunch together at noon?” Wyatt grinned, treating William with genuine politeness.
“Sure,” William paused, then asked, “When are we heading to the classroom?”
“We’re going now! There’s a general education class soon.” Wyatt checked his watch, “It’s almost time, let’s hurry.”
William had never attended a class before and now had no choice but to follow them to the classroom. .𝘤𝑜𝑚
On the way, he spotted Evelyn, and she saw him too.