"But... but what if she doesn't see you as her brother? She might not feel the same way about you!" Johanna still couldn't help but worry.
"How is that possible? We grew up together, closer than relatives. She's my sister, and there's no way she would fall in love with me," Rosendo said earnestly.
Johanna patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief. In her mind, she thought, "Phew! So Rosendo likes Vanessa in a brotherly way. I thought it was romantic love! Haha... Well, now nobody will compete with her for Rosendo." Johanna seemed to have forgotten about her good friend Cheryl who also liked Rosendo and had a good relationship with him.
Johanna wanted to spend more time with Rosendo, so she stopped going to class and stayed in the security room with him. Gradually, the security room at the entrance of New Mountain City University became Rosendo's territory. The security guards were smart enough to leave on their own accord, and Rosendo was generous enough to give them a pack of cigarettes every day and often brought them delicious food.
In the following days, Rosendo hardly attended classes anymore. He focused on doing business instead; it seemed like he wanted to drain all the money from New Mountain City University's students and staff. He had become like a convenience store owner - whatever you wanted, just tell him, and soon you would get what you desired: clothes, shoes socks books various daily necessities... Even if you needed underwear or sanitary pads, Rosendo would provide them for you.
Rosendo rented a 300-square-meter warehouse near New Mountain City University. The monthly rent cost over three thousand yuan. Within one week's time, he transformed the warehouse into an incredibly beautiful house. From outside it looked like an ordinary warehouse, but once you stepped inside, it felt like a five-star hotel. The warehouse was spacious, but Rosendo didn't have enough money to decorate the entire place with high-end items. So everything he used for decoration was cheap goods and many second-hand items. He even made some things by hand himself.
Vanessa really likes the place she is currently living in, and what she likes even more is the small room that Rosendo made for her. Her room is spherical and very cozy, filled with many little things.
During this period of time, something interesting happened. Rosendo met someone who holds a lot of power at New Mountain City University - Kingsley, the president of the senior class student council. How Rosendo got to know him is quite funny actually. Rosendo treats the campus as a marketplace for his business, so naturally Kingsley had to keep an eye on him as the student council president. Kingsley is a bit introverted and doesn't have as much eloquence as Rosendo does. As they were talking, he suddenly lost his temper and got into a fight with Rosendo.
When Rosendo and Kingsley started fighting each other, they realized that Kingsley was actually a hidden master in martial arts. Just when things were getting intense between them, Monroe showed up. Monroe and Kingsley are good buddies; their relationship is so close that they're almost like blood brothers. Monroe acted as a mediator and helped reconcile their differences, which led to Rosendo becoming friends with Kingsley.
People like Kingsley who hold power at New Mountain City University have been quite helpful to Rosendo's business there; at least no one dares to interfere while he conducts his business on campus.
On April 28th, New Mountain City University went on vacation for four days including Saturday and Sunday. All the students went home, so there was no one buying from him anymore.
Therefore, both Rosendo and Vanessa decided it would be best if they also went back home during this break period. He asked Gus to look after his warehouse so he could continue doing business since not all students had gone home; some remained on campus.
New Mountain City isn't too far from where Rosendo lives; it only takes a two to three-hour drive. Vanessa was very excited during the car ride because she brought quite a bit of money back with her this time!
Her father's medical expenses were covered, her brother's tuition fees were taken care of, and there was enough for their living expenses at home. She no longer had to worry about these things.
"Cratria Village is here! Hurry up and get off the bus!" A middle-aged ticket seller rudely urged the passengers to disembark.
After getting off the bus, Rosendo scanned the surrounding scenery and found that this place was really nice. The mountains were clear, there was a river in front of the village, and behind it were high mountains and wild ridges.
"Is this Cratria Village?" Rosendo turned to Vanessa and asked. This was his first time returning to his birthplace since coming into this century.
"Yes, yes, this is our Cratria Village. Let's go home, Rosendo," Vanessa happily took Rosendo's hand and walked briskly into Cratria Village.
When they were about to reach the entrance of the village, Vanessa let go of Rosendo's hand because she was afraid of gossip from the villagers.
Under a big banyan tree at the entrance of the village, several old people sat chatting. When they saw Rosendo and Vanessa, they greeted them one after another. "Rosendo, Vanessa, you're back!"
After Rosendo left with Vanessa, those old people started gossiping: "Do you think Rosendo is being kept by a rich woman? Look at him wearing that suit; I bet it cost hundreds!"
"I think so too! If he wasn't being kept by someone else, how could he afford such expensive clothes?" another old person chimed in.
"It seems like there's something going on between Vanessa and Rosendo. Just now when I saw them before they entered the village gate, they were even holding hands!"
"Oh look who we have here - our talented young man from Cratria Village! Wearing a suit too! Is he trying to be a gigolo?"
"Damn it! A useless guy wearing a suit but doesn't even have the self-awareness to look at himself. A useless person is still a useless person, even if they wear royal robes!"
Rosendo was very unhappy with all the idle talk he heard along the way. How could the villagers of Cratria Village look down on him like this?
He had a handsome face with fair and clear skin, but he wasn't selling himself or being kept by a rich woman. The suit he wore cost only a few thousand yuan in total; surely he could earn that much money.
Seeing Rosendo frowning, Vanessa knew that he was angry. She gently comforted him, "Rosendo , don't mind them. They can't stand seeing others doing well. Now that you have money, they're just jealous and want to bring you down."
"You're right," Rosendo sighed.
Vanessa led Rosendo to stop in front of a simple house made of yellow mud bricks. When Rosendo saw this house made of yellow mud bricks, his first thought was that it was his home. He felt like crying; how could he be so poor? But what surprised him was when Vanessa suddenly ran inside and shouted happily, "Mom, Dad, little brother! I'm back!"