Cole was confused about why they ended up here, but he focused on the task at hand. Finding the President was more important.
Tents lined the side of the road.
Normally, they should be filled with food stalls and other selling souvenirs gimmicks by these university students, however, today it was different.
The tents had belt barriers at the front to prevent guests from crossing. Inside the tents were contestants representing their departments' beauty. As Cole and Professor Richard walked by, they saw girls in cute outfits with bunny themes, anime styles, and cosplay, all trying to attract onlookers to vote for them.
The audience cast their votes using money, which they had to contribute towards their chosen contestant.
At the far end of the road, a small stage displayed a big screen updating the current rankings and the respective amount of votes each contestant accumulated from their supporters.
In first place was a popular girl on social media, a model from the Foreign Language Department. Second place was held by Dwayne from the IT Department, who had a crowd of girls gathered around his tent, snapping pictures.
Professor Richard headed straight toward Dwayne's tent, leaving Cole puzzled.
Don't tell me he brought me here to support this kid? Didn't he knew finding the President is the utmost importance?
He quickly dismissed the thought. It was impossible for this person to bring him here without valid reason, disregarding the urgency of finding the President.
Professor Richard was one of the few who took care of the President during his college days. Cole knew the President respected the professor and still offered him help whenever asked.
For Mr. McGarden, who was known for being ruthless and unforgiving, Professor Richard was one of the few people he treated with sincere respect. Which was extremely rare as this person can order the family of his very own brother to encounter a car accident without batting an eye.
Out of the corner of his eye, Cole noticed the silhoutte of someone familiar. The tousled hair and black suit stood out in the crowd because of the man's handsome features and cold aura.
I found him!
As Cole approached them, he saw Professor Richard heading to the President.
It seemed Professor Richard had also spotted Raven. He looked over his shoulder, when he spotted Cole he gestured for him to come forward.
"Mr. McGarden, your secretary was worried. He said you disappeared!"
"Mhm."
Cole approached them. "Mr. President, why are you here?"
"Just remembered my promise," Raven murmured, without looking at Cole or Professor Richard. His eyes remained fixed on the small teenager being forced to cooperate for a photo shoot at the front.
The bustling crowd almost drowned out Raven's low voice, but they managed to hear him.
At the front, a woman's excited voice squealed in delight.
"Little Dwayne, can you look up and catch the feathers?"
"That's it! Now, turn your body slightly to the side and touch the kitten's forehead."
To increase Dwayne's appeal and advertise him to other students, his seniors were forcing him to pose for photos. The IT Department was determined to win.
The men developed Dwayne's pictures and offered them a freebies as a merchandise if the audience voted 100 points out of their pocketmoney.
Meanwhile, Cole and Professor Richard remained silent, processing Raven's words.
Promise? What promise is he talking about?
Finally, Professor Richard broke the silence.
"By promise, are you referring to what happened earlier? When Augustus asked you to support him, and you agreed?"
Raven nodded, then turned to Cole.
"Transfer money to his name on that poll" Raven instructed, pointing to the small stage at the far end of the tents. In the stage was a big screen with the contestant's names. Dwayne was closely tied to the third place.
Under his name and department was the number where money could be sent through Wepay. The amount received would be counted and updated in real-time on the stage screen.
Many student girls were gathered around, admiring his cuteness as he posed for the photoshoot. They wanted to support him so he would win, but they were students themselves and could only contribute what they could afford from their allowances.
"And how much should I transfer?" Cole had accepted that his boss paid extra attention to this kid. He was still curious why, but he knew Raven never revealed his thoughts. So it was better not to pry.
"One million."
Cole: "Ha?"
Professor Richard: "Eh?"
"And Professor, please tell the other teachers to exempt him from exams next week, just as you promised earlier."
"Oh, uh. Okay?" Professor Richard still could not wrap his mind around the amount of money Raven is planning to give for Dwayne.
This was just a friendly contest among university departments, but to pour your wealth into one contestant was unheard of! This might create chaos among the students!
"I'll wait in the car," Raven said, then left.
Cole recovered his wits and acted. He immediately sent the money, and almost instantly, the rankings were updated.
Dwayne topped the ranking, reaching 1,002,569 points! Cole swiftly left after making the transfer.
"Wait, wait! Where's Raven?" The calm and collected Professor Richard before was now shaken. He cannot take his eyes off from the 1 million amount of real time money displayed in the screen.
The contest was supposed to raise funds for the activity while fostering competitive spirit among the departments. But now that someone had flaunted their wealth for only one contestant, how could they continue to compete?
"This man, really! Cole, take the money back. I'll talk with him. So you take it back. This can't be right!"
"I understand your concern, but these are the President's orders. Keep me updated, Professor. If Dwayne wins, I'll let the President know immediately."
Cole stepped back to leave, but the Professor stopped him.
"No, take it back before the students notice."
In the end, Professor's worries come true.
The boys who were in charge with the poll system screamed in excitement and hurriedly ran towards Dwayne's tent and spread the news.