"And which first-year student did you pick up this time?" the professor mused.
The professor was a man in his fifties, nearing his sixties, but he still had a strong physique. He didn't struggle with movement or climbing stairs, and his back remained straight and resolute. Despite his perpetually frowning face and wrinkled brow, many students liked him. His lectures were always engaging and informative, and they respected him for his kind attitude toward students.
When Dwayne saw the professor, his tear-streaked face lit up, and he cried out, "Professor! Help meee!!!" He waved his hand, trying to reach out, but one of the seniors shoved it back.
"Just be good in there, little Dwayne."
"We'll carry you to the stage, and you'll surely be the flower among the bees, don't worry!"
They all laughed, and the professor joined in. As he glanced at his companion, the professor kindly explained, "Ah, the school is holding an event right now where each department sends a representative—either a man or a woman—as the department's beauty. The whole school then votes using money. But don't worry; the money collected through voting will be used to sponsor upcoming school events. The students themselves will manage the funds."
The man in the black suit, whom the professor was speaking to, had his back to the others, so the group of male students hadn't seen his face.
"Ah, Professor, who's he? A guest?" one of them asked curiously.
"Let me introduce our invited speaker for this year's anniversary celebration, Mr. Raven McGarden. Luckily, he found some time in his busy schedule to visit us today." The professor introduced Raven proudly.
The students were all stunned as Raven turned around, looking at their faces with an impassive, cold expression.
"McGarden? Professor, isn't he the CEO of the globally renowned Vermillion Garden Corporation? The creator of the ACR programming interface and the maker of the August Fantasy Game Series?!"
All the students' jaws dropped. They were from the IT department, and the Vermillion Garden Corporation was the top company in the world, handling a wide range of software products and services. Recently, the company had ventured into the video game industry. In just three years, the August Fantasy Game Series had become so popular that it was now one of the top games used in Esports tournaments.
The students couldn't imagine landing a job at such a renowned company. They knew the professor sometimes boasted about knowing the CEO of Vermillion Garden Corporation, but none of them actually believed it. Seeing the person they admired standing in front of them made them swallow their disbelief.
But Raven wasn't paying them any attention. His eyes were focused on the little guy being lifted by the rowdy students. The professor noticed where Raven was looking and was about to tell them off when Raven suddenly spoke.
"Put him down." His voice was cold and chilling, his facial features stern, and his expression indifferent. His intimidating presence confirmed that he was not just any ordinary man.
When Dwayne's seniors heard him, they all stilled and gaped at Raven. Their grip on Dwayne loosened, and Dwayne used the chance to escape. He wiggled like a trapped hamster and managed to slip through the crowd swiftly. But just as he passed by the professor's side to run away, a large hand grabbed his arm, cutting off his escape.
"Eh?" Dwayne looked up and stiffened.
It was the scary person!!!
Dwayne's entire body shook, including the small curl on his head, making him look like a frightened hamster.
"Where are you going?" Raven asked.
"Escape!" Dwayne tried to smack Raven's hand away to bolt, but he was unsuccessful. Worse, Raven tightened his hold on Dwayne's arm, making it nearly impossible to escape his grip.
"Mr. McGarden, don't let him go!" The tallest person in the crowd approached them and held Dwayne's shoulder. "Mr. McGarden, you're one of our alumni, right? Maybe you can show your support for this little flower candidate of ours from the IT department. Today's contest involves voting through money. The more money a contestant receives from the audience, the better their chances of winning. In previous years, we focused on macho ikemens and school beauties, but we realized that type of contestant was getting saturated. So we decided to take a different route." The tall senior flashed Dwayne a wicked smile, scaring him out of his wits.
"Senior Zack, I— Can I not do it? I heard that whoever wins has to fulfill the request of the audience member who contributed the most money."
Raven reacted.
Dwayne looked at Zack with pitiful eyes. "If you need help, I— I can help with miscellaneous tasks! Like running errands, preparing drinks—"
"Oh, you don't have to worry about fulfilling requests, little Dwayne. We, your tough seniors, will protect you! We've already foreseen that you'll win this contest, so we prepared different options for the audience to choose as their request."
Dwayne swallowed hard. He knew Senior Zack was quite stubborn. Ever since the opening ceremony, this senior had found him in the first-year crowd and dragged him around. He forced Dwayne to wear a sash announcing he was the representative from the IT department, which attracted many girls to enroll in their department.
It took almost five hours before Zack let him go.
Remembering that time, Dwayne shivered.
"Senior, I— I don't—"
Zack saw him hesitating and seemed to be deep in thought. "Little Dwayne, have you ever had a girlfriend?"
Dwayne blinked, confused by the sudden question, but he still shook his head.
"Mmm, boyfriend?"
Dwayne became a small quivering hamster as he shook his head nonstop. Zack laughed loudly at his own question and put his arm around Dwayne.
"Alright, if you don't want to participate, I won't force you. It's just that we seniors believe you're a great fit for the role. Not to mention, participating in this contest will exempt you from the final exam next week."
[Side task triggered: Participate in the contest and make sure you win with Raven McGarden's support.]