Chapter 372 - 370: You Wish

A well-known hot pot restaurant.

The waiter led them to a four-person booth. Ethan Sterling, walking in front, naturally took the seat on the inside.

Golden Blade and his two friends all looked at the empty spot next to Ethan Sterling, then exchanged glances.

"Have a seat?"

Seeing the three of them standing there dumbfounded, Ethan Sterling couldn’t help but urge them on.

Monkey and Caelum snapped out of it and quickly sat down in the seats across from Ethan Sterling.

Golden Blade: "?"

He hesitated for a moment before finally sitting down next to Ethan Sterling.

The three of them kept looking around, not saying a word. They were both awkward and a little scared.

Ethan Sterling used a tablet to order a ton of food. He didn’t ask them what they wanted, because he knew that even if he did, judging by their demeanor, they probably wouldn’t order freely.

’So it’s better if I just order for them.’

After placing the order, he turned his head to Golden Blade. "Blade..."

"Don’t..." Golden Blade was so startled he almost jumped out of his seat. He raised a hand guiltily. "Don’t call me that. You... you can just call me Blade."

Ethan Sterling frowned. "You’re older than me, right?"

Golden Blade said nothing.

Ethan Sterling asked, "I’m nineteen. How old are you?"

"Twenty-one."

"Then you’re the same age as my sister!"

At the mere mention of Cecilia Sterling, a cold sweat broke out on Golden Blade. A big shot that even Kai had to bow and scrape to—just hearing her name was enough to inspire a primal fear in them.

He looked up at Ethan Sterling, his face a mask of misery, his tone almost aggrieved. "Bro, if you’re still mad, just cuss us out. Or hell, beat us up. We absolutely won’t fight back! But you... don’t do this to us..."

Monkey and Caelum also hunched their shoulders, sitting ramrod straight and watching him cautiously.

"Do what?" Ethan Sterling looked from one to the next, his gaze finally returning to Golden Blade. "You don’t think I’m deliberately trying to scare you, that this is some kind of trap, do you?"

Again, Golden Blade said nothing, but he was clearly terrified.

Ethan Sterling laughed. "I’m not that petty. I already told you, I wanted to thank you. What are you all so afraid of?"

"My sister? But she’s not here. You can’t possibly be afraid of me, right? I’m just a high school student..."

Golden Blade and his friends stared at him with wide, pleading eyes. The thuggish air about them couldn’t be completely hidden, which, combined with their current cautious and timid demeanor, was actually a bit comical.

Especially when they were facing a handsome, sunny student in a high school uniform.

Ethan Sterling was a little speechless. After a moment’s thought, he said, "Fine. If eating with me is this difficult for you, I’ll just pay the bill and leave first. The three of you can eat. That’ll still count as me treating you."

With that, Ethan Sterling stood up and called out, "Waiter!"

"No, no, no!" Golden Blade shot up to stop him. "There’s no need, no need. If you do that, we’ll feel even worse."

Sitting across from them, Monkey whispered to Golden Blade, "Blade, let’s just eat. He’s being sincere. We’re the ones making a fuss."

He really wanted to eat. It had been a long time since he’d had hot pot.

"Eat! We’ll eat!" Golden Blade steeled himself and nodded. "We’ll eat. We accept your kind offer."

’It’s just one meal, right?’

’It’s not like it’s going to kill us, is it?’

Ethan Sterling was both exasperated and amused by this. He looked so harmless. Even if they were wary of his sister, she wasn’t here. It wasn’t like they needed to be scared out of their wits just by his presence, was it?

But when it came to eating, they didn’t hold back. He had ordered a lot of food, worried they wouldn’t get their fill.

The three of them looked like they hadn’t had a proper meal like this in a long time, eating quickly and urgently.

"Slow down. If it’s not enough, we can order more."

Ethan Sterling picked up a ladle and started scooping meat for them, but Golden Blade snatched it away. "We can get it ourselves! You eat too!"

"Bro, you’re not from around here, are you?"

"I grew up in Veridia. I just transferred to Lorcain after the New Year."

Golden Blade nodded and went back to stuffing his face.

Ethan Sterling hesitated for a second, then started to say, "You guys..."

All three of them looked up at him in unison.

Ethan Sterling shook his head again. "It’s nothing. Go on, eat."

The men blinked. Seeing that Ethan Sterling didn’t continue, they didn’t press him.

The meal was relatively quiet. They barely exchanged a few words the whole time. Ethan Sterling didn’t know what to say, and Golden Blade and his friends didn’t dare say much to him.

But they certainly didn’t hold back on the food. They polished off more than ten plates of beef and lamb alone. At the very least, they ate their fill.

"Thanks, man. Sorry you had to spend so much."

After they came out of the restaurant, Golden Blade took the initiative to thank Ethan Sterling. He had glanced at the bill earlier—it was the most expensive meal he’d ever had in his life.

Ethan Sterling gave a small smile, unlocked his bike, and said goodbye. "I’m heading out then. Bye."

"Bye..."

The three of them waved, watching Ethan Sterling ride away on his expensive bicycle.

"Blade, that kid’s actually pretty nice. Today’s meal wasn’t cheap!"

Golden Blade raised his hand and smacked Monkey on the back of the head. "You’re the one who ate the most!"

Monkey clutched his head in pain. "I was hungry! And he told us to eat as much as we wanted..."

"Blade, should we tell Kai about this?" Caelum asked hesitantly.

The question was fraught with anxiety. If Kai found out they had a meal with Cecilia’s little brother, he might think they were bullying him again.

’And get another beating?’

"Let’s... let’s not say anything for now..." Golden Blade was scared too.

But just as they were talking, Ethan Sterling unexpectedly rode back on his bicycle.

The three of them blinked in confusion as they watched Ethan Sterling bring his bike to a steady stop in front of them.

’He didn’t come back to make us split the bill, did he?’

"You..."

Just as Golden Blade was about to speak, Ethan Sterling cut in, "There was something I wanted to say during dinner but didn’t. I thought about it, and I feel like I should say it."

"What do you want to say?"

Ethan Sterling sighed softly. "If you’re having financial trouble, you can talk to me. But don’t do anything illegal anymore. You’re all adults now. If you get into trouble, you’ll be sentenced."

He knew these words might be offensive, but he had seen how awkward they looked back at the fried food stall over a single grilled sausage.

Right now, they were being restrained in front of him out of fear of his sister. But for people who had been drifting through the underbelly of society for years, their moral compasses and awareness were generally low. They weren’t going to turn over a new leaf and mend their ways just because of one or two incidents, or after getting beaten up.

When life put the squeeze on people like them, it was easy to make the wrong choices.

They had bullied him, but they had also helped him. From the bottom of his heart, Ethan Sterling hoped they wouldn’t commit any crimes.

He had wanted to say this during the meal but couldn’t bring himself to do it at the time, which was why he had come back.

Hearing this, Golden Blade and the others had varied expressions, but Ethan Sterling had clearly struck a sensitive nerve. No one wants to be told something like that to their face.

"Thanks for the kind thought. You may be rich, but we won’t take your money," Golden Blade said, looking Ethan Sterling straight in the eye with a defiant expression.

Ethan Sterling was taken aback for a second by Golden Blade’s dead-serious expression, then suddenly laughed. "Who said I was going to give you money directly? You wish!"