Chapter 13

"Is that true, manager?" "Is Mr. Duncan really so rich that he can invest 50 billion?" "What exactly does Mr. Duncan do?" Everyone discussed excitedly, scarcely able to believe their ears. "You saw how easily Mr. Duncan bought an entire building… Do you really think he can't afford an investment of fifty billion?" Deidre said flatly. She had a point, so everyone instantly believed her. "Also, we got great sales results this month. The Chairman said that we'll all get double our salaries and bonuses!" Deidre announced another piece of good news. "Wow! That's amazing Thank you, Miss Chase. Thank you, Mr. Chairman!" everyone cheered. Deidre looked sharply at Heather, whose mouth was already agape. "Except you, of course. After all, you've resigned!" "No!" Heather shrieked. "Manager, I was just joking. I'm willing to stick with the company no matter what… Please, give me a chance!" Deidre said coldly, "Are you going to leave on your own? Or should I call security to chase you out?" Heather was instantly at a loss. It was over, it was all over… She had to leave even if she did not want to. Meanwhile, the rest of the employees heaved a sigh of relief. They were glad they did not rashly cause a scene with Heather just now. Otherwise, they would definitely have been chased away now! … 'I guess I could say I have a company of my own now!' Charles smiled as he looked at the signed contract in front of him. Ever since he was a child, his family had been poor. In order to support him in his studies, his parents had suffered a lot. Their only wish was for Charles to graduate, find a decent job, get married, and have children! If they knew that Charles had such a company under his name now, they would be over the moon. "Hurry up with the renovations!" Charles commanded. He had to furnish the houses quickly and bring his parents to the city so they could enjoy a life of luxury. "Yes, sir!" Deidre and Rue stood by his side and replied respectfully. "Don't disturb me unless it's a problem you can't solve!" Charles then turned to Hans and Ron. "Of course, of course... We'll leave you alone, Mr. Duncan!" said the two of them hurriedly. Charles was now the largest shareholder in the company, with nearly 70% of the shares… The company was practically his now. That was why Hans and Ron were so careful around him. Charles grabbed his car keys and drove back to school. At the school parking lot, Charles had just parked his car and walked out when he bumped into a few classmates. The others were stunned at first, but then they turned on him harshly. "Charles, are you here to secretly take photos of luxury cars again? You're so shameless!" They had all seen the photos of the luxury car that Charles had uploaded to his Instagram account! Naturally, no one believed that Charles could afford a car like that. They unanimously assumed that Charles had secretly taken photos of someone else's car. Now that Charles was in the parking lot, he must be trying to sneak photos of the racecar again! Thanks to their assumptions, they all looked at him with contempt! "Hah, that's a pretty decent outfit. Which stall did you buy it from?" One of them noticed the expensive suit Charles was wearing. Clearly, none of them believed Charles could afford a proper branded suit, so they mocked him for buying fake goods from roadside stalls! Charles remained calm as he turned to the person who reached out to touch his clothes. "You'd better not touch anything. These clothes cost more than a million dollars. You won't be able to afford the damages if you ruin them!" "Haha…" The students all burst out laughing. Some of them even laughed until they could not stand properly, holding their stomachs and crouching on the ground. It was clear that none of them believed Charles. They all thought he was telling them a funny joke. The person who reached out to touch his clothes was the only exception. His expression was serious… Was the suit really fake? He might not be able to tell from looking at it, but once he touched it… He could definitely tell the difference. It almost felt like silk… It was too smooth and soft. Streetside wares would never have such high-quality material. Could this suit… actually be the real deal? No way! Charles was dead broke, wasn't it? How can he possibly afford genuine branded goods?' Did he stumble across a bargain or something? Maybe he was lucky enough to encounter a millionaire who was throwing out his old clothes. Maybe that was how he managed to get such a suit... No, that made no sense either! The clothes were obviously new, and they fit his body well… Anyone could tell that they were carefully chosen for him, and they were most likely bought today.... They could not possibly be trash! So where did Charles get the money to buy such expensive clothes? The man was deep in thought, while the others were still laughing. As for Charles… he simply strode away. Now that he had the money and the confidence, his mindset had changed completely. It was only a matter of time before his detractors knew that they were the fools here. Back at the dorm, Charles was lying in his bed and scrolling through his phone when someone suddenly sent him a message. "What are you doing, Charles?" It was Leah Tanner, Charles' cousin. The two of them had been close since they were young. She was also in college right now, but her family was better off than Charles', so she used to help him out. "I'm getting ready for bed!" Charles replied. "Before you sleep, could you drop by my livestream and give me a like?" Leah sent him another message. Charles was puzzled. "When did you start streaming too?" "Just recently. I haven't been getting that many viewers. Come on, Charles, come and support me now. I'll give you half of the money I earn!" Leah hastened him with yet another message. "Alright, I'll give you some gifts to boost your popularity!" Charles replied with a smile. "Nah, don't bother with that. I know how much you have in your account. All I ask is that you give me a like and help me moderate the comments," Leah continued. Charles smiled but did not reply. He only asked her for her livestream link and account. Leah's username was Cutie Lealea. She streamed on a platform Charles had never used before, so he made a new account with the same username —Kind King Charlie. Once he logged into his new account, he quickly found Leah's stream and joined it. Leah was not kidding when she said she had only a few viewers… There were not even fifty people in the room, and the number was steadily decreasing… She received pitifully few gifts, too. She had not even earned ten dollars today. The problem was Charles' cute little cousin was already trying her best. Leah even ate chili peppers on camera, but even then no one stayed to watch. Charles' heart hurt for her. She was actually quite good at singing and dancing… However, since she had just started streaming, she had to gain more popularity before she could show off her talents. That was why she had to resort to these methods to garner attention... but it still did not work. Charles took a deep breath. It was his turn. He casually spent 100 million dollars on his account and left a comment in Leah's chat. "Lealea, you have to compete against someone if you want to get more viewers!" Someone immediately replied mockingly, "With this many viewers? If she gets into a contest with someone, she'll just wind up humiliating herself!" "Since you have so little traffic, no one will even agree to a competition with you!" "Are you new? Don't embarrass yourself if you don't know anything, noob!"