"It's good that you're okay," Rosendo let go of Johanna's hand.
Johanna blushed and lowered her head, too shy to look at Rosendo.
"Um...you were carrying those lollipops. It's a pitty you threw them away. Can I have them?" Rosendo asked awkwardly.
"Oh, sure! Here you go!" Johanna handed over her bag along with the lollipops.
"Thank you." Rosendo also didn't hesitate, took Johanna's bag, then walked back to his seat. After pouring all the lollipops from Johanna's bag into the drawer, he returned to Johanna with a smile and handed her the bag back.
When Rosendo returned to his seat, Monroe gave him a thumbs up and admired him, saying "Impressive! You not only took someone else's lollipop but also gained an advantage. You truly are a master in the game of love."
"It was nothing special," Rosendo replied with a faint smile.
During class, all three of them were eating lollipops. Vanessa was attentively listening while sucking on her lollipop. Meanwhile, Rosendo and Monroe acted like children as they would suck on their lollipops for a bit before tossing them aside and enthusiastically discussing which flavor tasted better.
Johanna had lost interest in class by now; she kept stealing glances at Rosendo and envied how happy he seemed with Monroe. She wanted nothing more than to join in their conversation while munching on some candy herself.
Rosendo noticed Johanna looking at him unintentionally, but when she realized he caught her staring, she immediately turned away pretending to be engrossed in the lecture again.
Monroe also noticed what was going on with Johanna and said enviously to Rosendo: "Man, you're so lucky! Even after rejecting such a beauty like Johanna, she still can't get enough of you."
"Who knows if she's pretending, and besides, with her personality, even if she's a stunning beauty, I don't want her. But occasionally warming the bed with her is still possible," Rosendo laughed.
Monroe had never really interacted with Rosendo before, but he had heard a lot about him. He knew that Rosendo was a cowardly and not very smart person, but today while talking to him, Monroe realized that Rosendo was actually quite shrewd and brave - at least braver than himself since he dared to hug Johanna. Just like Johanna thought earlier, Monroe believed that the old Rosendo must have been pretending all along.
After class ended, Monroe took Rosendo outside to smoke by the stairs while Vanessa stayed behind because she didn't like the smell of cigarettes.
At this moment, Richard wearing a headscarf came up from downstairs. He wore it because yesterday Rosendo hit his scalp hard enough to cause an injury. The scarf helped keep the wound clean and prevent infection.
Since Rosendo leaned against the wall sideways, Richard didn't notice him until he saw Monroe and waved hello: "Hi there, Monroe."
"Richard, come here, I have something to tell you. I warn you! Don't bully Rosendo anymore in the future, got it? Because he's already my brother," Monroe waved at Richard and warned him.
Rosendo turned around and when he saw Richard, a wicked smile appeared on his lips. He smirked and said: "Richard, did you forget what I told you yesterday?"
Hearing Rosendo's words and seeing his evil smile, Richard ran away as fast as he could. He still remembered vividly when Rosendo hit him with a brick yesterday. He didn't want to mess with this devil again.
Seeing Richard suddenly turn around and run away, Monroe couldn't help but shout loudly: "Hey, why are you running? I didn't say I was going to beat you up." Monroe thought that he scared off Richard but didn't know that it was actually because of Rosendo.
"Maybe if you were gentler with him, he wouldn't run away," joked Rosendo.
"I'm a street thug; there's no room for tenderness there. Never mind about him though bro - tonight I'm planning on taking you out for drinks - how about it?" asked Monroe.
"No thanks; I still have tutoring work to do!" rejected Rosendo shaking his head.
"Tutoring? What good is that? You only make a hundred or so bucks per day doing that! It would be better if we hung out together instead!" boasted Monroe arrogantly.
"How much can you earn in one day then?" asked Rosendo curiously.
"It's not an issue making over 1k per day by helping people watch gambling dens; once even made 100k in one day before! So how about considering hanging out with me?" bragged Monroe proudly.
"I make around 10k per day tutoring students which is obviously better than your job since mine has no danger and is more stable. Unlike you, who only has money when there's work to do but starves when there isn't any. Plus, your job always carries a risk of being attacked or arrested by the police," analyzed Rosendo.
"10k per day tutoring? Are you teaching at professor level?" Monroe seemed skeptical about what Rosendo said.
"I teach several students at once so my income is naturally higher!" explained Rosendo.
"Oh, no wonder you're wearing name brand clothes now," envied Monroe.
Rosendo was actually wearing knock-off name brands but he didn't bother explaining it since it was better not to be recognized and ridiculed by others!
That day, both Rosendo and Vanessa had no classes in the afternoon so they went home after school. After eating lunch cooked by Vanessa, Rosendo started processing the medicinal herbs he bought yesterday while Vanessa worked on some parts that needed manual labor from a small factory nearby.
"Brother, what are you doing?" asked Vanessa curiously.
"It's confidential; in about a month or so, you'll know," replied Rosendo mysteriously. He was making medicine for treating acne on Vanessa's face which required complicated procedures such as fermentation and extraction using chemicals commonly used in chemistry experiments before it could be completed.
"Bro , my classmate said that there will be heavy rain in a few days. Shouldn't we buy more food now while the weather is still good instead of waiting until it rains heavily and going out becomes inconvenient?" suggested Vanessa.
"Well then let's finish our tutoring session with Mr Huang tonight first before buying whatever we need on our way back," said Rosendo.
In the female dormitory of New Mountain University City,Johanna pouted into her phone: "Auntie,I'm your niece! Please let me go alone!"
The voice from her phone replied: "No can do. This gathering is organized by your father and for the sake of making it more lively, he requires everyone to bring a partner of the opposite sex. If you don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend, fake ones will do; otherwise even your dad won't let you in."