Possessed by Destiny

Chapter 4 Loss and Gain

The situation was sudden, leaving everyone present stunned. Rose was even more perplexed. She was certain she didn’t know this man, yet he knew her name. She quickly surmised that he might be an employee of her family's company. She had been taken to the company by her father before, and many people knew her, though she didn’t know them.

Rose swiftly regained her composure, deciding to play along regardless of familiarity. "How could I not be frightened? How could this aunt act this way? She scared me to death. She not only wanted to hit Jack but also me. Yes, Jack was wrong yesterday, but that doesn’t mean Danny was blameless. Anyone would be angry after being insulted like that. Besides, Jack has already offered to pay for the medical expenses. Why continue to be so aggressive?"

Rose’s tone and words carried a certain authority, though she was inwardly anxious. This was her first time dealing with such a situation, but she knew she had to appear confident and assertive. As her father often said, no matter what, you must project strength.

The man was indeed taken aback by Rose, or rather, he was more distressed that his wife had unwittingly offended the precious daughter of the big boss. He didn’t realize that Rose didn’t recognize him. As a mid-to-senior level manager, he had interacted with her closely when the boss brought her to the company. He assumed she knew him, not considering that a teenage girl wouldn’t have any reason to remember him. So, in a way, he had walked right into his own trap.

The man awkwardly smiled, "Of course not. You are all students; we would never do anything to harm you. Danny's mother was just too emotional and acted inappropriately, but thankfully no one was hurt." Despite his words, he felt deeply frustrated inside. No one was hurt? His son was lying in a hospital bed, wrapped like a mummy. However, he couldn't question why the boss's precious daughter, the future heir of the Donald family, was standing up for this boy. It seemed that his son's grievance would have to be swallowed. He was also extremely annoyed with his wife's terrible idea. They had planned for her to handle the situation, but he never expected her to throw such a tantrum, disgracing herself and offending the boss's daughter. Now, it seemed even the medical expenses might not be covered.

The woman, not being foolish, had only put on her act to maximize her own benefit and vent her anger for her son. But now, clearly, they had provoked someone they couldn't afford to offend. Despite her young age, this girl’s background made her untouchable. So, the woman stood quietly to the side, not daring to cause any more trouble for her husband.

At this point, the situation seemed easily resolvable. The once fierce woman remained silent, and Danny's father continuously apologized, even refusing to accept the medical expenses. However, Jack still handed over the money he had just withdrawn from the bank that morning, all the earnings from his recent part-time jobs. Although it pained him, he didn’t regret letting Ethan control his body for that fight. After all, someone was hurt because of him; it was only right to pay up after the satisfaction of the fight.

The swift resolution of the matter was truly thanks to Rose's intervention. Had she not barged in and used her status to shield him, Jack would have been at a loss on how to handle the situation. He had naively thought that paying the medical expenses would settle everything, but reality proved to be far more complex.

After today’s events, Jack saw Rose, often dubbed the Ice Queen by their classmates, in a new light. Far from being cold, she was kind-hearted and had selflessly come to his aid. In that moment, Rose's place in his heart elevated from a mere crush to the woman of his dreams.

Walking side by side back to the classroom, Jack suddenly called out to Rose, as if making a firm decision. As she turned her exquisitely beautiful face towards him, his heart pounded, and his voice quivered, "Uh, Rose, thank you for today."

Rose’s gentle smile melted Jack’s heart. "You're welcome. But honestly, you were quite lucky. If he didn’t know my father, I doubt I could have helped much."

"Regardless, I owe you my thanks. Let me treat you to a meal," Jack said earnestly. He had a simple mind; when someone helped him, he felt the need to reciprocate. Though he had no means to give a grand gift, a meal seemed like the least he could offer. Little did he know, Ethan, who had been observing the whole ordeal, gave him a silent thumbs-up: the kid was showing some insight.

Seeing Rose’s slight hesitation, Jack added, "I can't afford to take you to a fancy restaurant right now, especially since I gave away almost all my money today. But, we could grab a burger at the place outside the school. Don’t worry, once I get my paycheck this month, I'll treat you to a proper meal!" Jack’s determined look exuded the earnest promise of a young man to his girlfriend, vowing to make it up to her once he made something of himself.

He himself didn't realize it, but the silent praise from the romantic within him and the slightly flushed face of Rose clearly indicated that Jack’s current demeanor was highly susceptible to misunderstanding.

Seeing the determined look in the boy's eyes, Rose was inexplicably reminded of countless movies where the initially struggling protagonist makes a heartfelt promise to the heroine. Her ears reddened. From childhood to now, she had been pursued by many, but previous confessions, whether face-to-face or through love letters, were either immature or obviously plagiarized. This down-to-earth invitation—well, it wasn't really a confession—was the first of its kind she had ever heard.

The young girl, still quite naive, didn't understand the worries of daily life, and had never been troubled by money. Thus, what many young women today might consider an utterly useless statement, struck her as inexplicably touching.

It wasn't that she had fallen for Jack. A girl like her undoubtedly had higher standards and wouldn’t easily give her heart. She was simply moved by Jack’s earnest and somewhat naive words. Her initial hesitation stemmed from knowing Jack’s difficult circumstances and not wanting to burden him with the expense of treating her to a meal. However, Jack’s sincere and determined gaze led her to unconsciously nod in agreement.

Today, not only had Jack’s impression of her changed, but she also saw Jack in a new light. Whether it was Jack’s insistence on meeting Danny’s parents, his shielding her from the mad woman, or his determination to give all his money to the other party, Jack now stood out in her mind as a person with true responsibility. Having a sense of responsibility sounds simple, but how many people truly possess it?

The two returned to the classroom, each feeling relieved, unaware that someone behind them was glaring at their harmonious retreat with gritted teeth. Today's turn of events had completely derailed Bill's plans. Not only did Jack escape trouble, but his relationship with Bill's dream girl had also improved. This was something Bill couldn’t tolerate. His already narrow heart seethed with hatred for Jack, his small eyes glinting with jealousy as he silently plotted his next scheme.

As they walked into the classroom, the chubby Zane approached with a worried expression and pulled Jack aside. “Are you okay? I heard Danny’s mom is a real handful. Do you need any help?”

Jack smiled and said, “Thanks to the class monitor's assistance and paying the medical expenses, everything was resolved smoothly.” Rose had never mentioned her family’s business in class, so Jack didn't feel it was his place to blurt it out.

Zane’s worried expression eased slightly, but then he pulled out his wallet and said, “How much were the medical expenses? D*mn, I wanted to take a swing at that jerk yesterday, but you beat me to it. So, you put in the effort, I’ll put in the money. I’ll cover that animal's medical bills.”

Jack knew Zane was simply trying to help lighten his burden, and he felt a touch of gratitude. However, he shook his head and said, "It's fine, Zane. I only gave them 300 dollars. I got the satisfaction from the fight, so it's only right that I pay."

"To hell with it, I enjoyed it too. Not paying afterward isn’t my style. Let’s split it fifty-fifty. No haggling, or you don't consider me a friend."

Friend. This word was somewhat unfamiliar to Jack, but it sounded so endearing. He felt his eyes grow slightly moist. Without further words, he accepted the 150 dollars Zane handed him and nodded, "Thank you, Zane." This gratitude was not merely for the money. Jack knew Zane’s family was quite well-off, and 150 dollars wasn’t much to him. But Jack accepted the money because of that word, "friend."

Jack suddenly realized that although he had lost over a hundred dollars today, he had gained so much more.

These past few days had been nothing short of a dream for Jack. He scored a perfect mark in English, a subject he had long struggled with, thoroughly beat up the class bully and brawler, Danny, and even serendipitously earned the chance to have lunch with his dream girl, Rose. The reason it was lunch and not dinner was that Jack, rather awkwardly, mentioned he had to work after school to earn money.

Of course, Jack was blissfully unaware that he was already in Bill’s crosshairs, otherwise, his mood wouldn’t be so cheerful.

By the time he returned home from work, it was almost 1 a.m. Jack worked as a waiter at a reasonably well-known downtown restaurant. He was a part-timer, putting in four hours each day, usually wrapping up by 10 p.m. However, due to Ethan’s antics, he had missed a shift yesterday, and he wanted to make up for the lost earnings. He had been quite broke recently, and the hard-earned money from previous days was already spent. So, he decided to work a bit longer today to earn some extra cash. Fortunately, it was generally quiet after 10 p.m., giving him some time to rest.

Upon arriving home, Ethan, who had been elusive all day, finally emerged. Jack was quite upset with Ethan’s lack of action when facing the crazy woman earlier, feeling that much of the responsibility lay with him. But Ethan quickly shut him down with a single retort, “I wanted to come out, but didn’t you forcibly suppress me? I’m just a weak, wandering spirit, no match for your will.”

With Ethan’s temperament, if he had intervened, things would have likely become even more chaotic.

Jack remained silent, but Ethan continued, “Kid, today’s events clearly show how inexperienced you are. That dream girl of yours is obviously far more capable than you.”

"I am not inexperienced. I did everything I was supposed to do," Jack retorted defiantly.

"Don't justify yourself. It only exposes your immaturity. First, when you saw that scene outside today, you should never have gone in. Responsibility is important, but you need to understand that there are people with whom reasoning is futile. You could have had your teacher give them the money on your behalf, avoiding unnecessary trouble. Moreover, you saw how the problem was ultimately resolved—sometimes connections and status matter more than logic. Second, your reserved nature is a hindrance. I'm not saying being reserved is inherently wrong, but your inability to open up is. Are you insecure, introverted? How have you lived so many years without a single brother or friend? Don’t think that burying yourself in work and earning money constitutes living. Life's meaning goes far beyond that. Friends give your life true significance. You should have felt it today—fighting alone, even if you win, doesn’t bring much joy, but having friends by your side means even losing can feel rewarding. Third, and most importantly, patience is a strategy, but remember, when patience is exhausted, no more is needed. Often, your forbearance won't earn you respect; instead, it will embolden your adversaries." Ethan's tone grew noticeably more intense as he reached this final point, filled with unspoken emotions.

Jack remained silent, acknowledging the truth in Ethan's words. The reality was undeniable. He knew his personality flaws, or rather, everyone has flaws, but some people go through life never recognizing them. Jack had never truly reflected on his issues until Ethan's words today awakened him. Perhaps he had endured too many hardships, losing his temper along the way. Yet, paradoxically, he clung to an idealistic belief that the world was fair and reasonable, forgetting that his life’s difficulties were a testament to the contrary.

Ethan's few words felt like the wisdom gained over years.: "I understand, but the world is full of unspoken rules."

"You're a fool if you think you need to learn all those rules. Different fields, different people, different rules—you could spend a lifetime learning them and never finish. Even if you understood all the rules, could you truly live by them?"

Jack was at a loss. "Then what should I do?"

"Let me tell you the ultimate rule, the most effective trump card: become strong. Strong enough that others play by your rules."

Jack was even more at a loss. "That sounds simple."

Ethan, inwardly rolling his eyes, thought, "Lucky for you, you met me. I can't stand your mediocrity any longer. So, I, Luo Shao, have decided to unlock your potential starting today and make you stronger!"

Jack, half-believing, asked, "Really? What should I do?"

"The first thing you need to do is sleep. Without a healthy body and mind, everything else is meaningless." Although Jack didn't doubt him, Luo Shao was still displeased, but he knew actions spoke louder than words.