Party

Mr. Reynolds drove the family's black Chevrolet, which had been in service for five years, to the foot of a magnificent high-rise. Although Jay had repeatedly stressed before leaving that he did not need a ride—because flying would actually be much faster—Mr. Reynolds had insisted, leaving him no choice but to compromise. After parking, Mr. Reynolds smiled and wished him a good time, then watched him enter the luxurious building before finally starting the car and driving away.

Jay had just graduated from high school two weeks ago—strictly speaking, it was his second time. Lois, the class's famously wealthy girl, had generously invited everyone to a party at her home. Her father worked in local financial investments and was considered a moderately prominent tycoon. Lois perfectly embodied the image of a rich girl. She was never restrained when it came to spending money and was lavish with her generosity, which made her quite popular among her classmates. From the day she first appeared at school, she had been dressed head to toe in designer brands, carrying an extraordinary air of a young socialite wherever she went.

Jay took the elevator straight to the top floor and pulled open the lavishly decorated doors to Lois's living room. A world completely different from the outside rushed over him. The living room was absurdly spacious; perhaps calling it a palace would have been more fitting. The ceiling, ten meters above the floor, formed a golden dome, while polygonal crystal chandeliers hung in midair, casting ever-shifting seven-colored light. Rock music filled the room as young students sang and danced, unleashing the vigor of youth.

"Jay?"

Jay had just closed the door when a chubby boy from class noticed him. Standing beside the dining table, he waved at him excitedly and vigorously, his mouth stuffed with expensive food.

That guy was Pierson, the first classmate whose name Jay had remembered after entering school. It was not because his distinctive build made him memorable, but because of an encounter during lunch on their second day of school.

At first, it had unfolded like any ordinary case of school bullying. A group of bigger kids had cornered the chubby Pierson in an empty bicycle shed, forcing him to hand over his change and the sandwich he had brought for lunch.

Pierson had been lucky. Jay happened to pass by that day and witnessed the scene. Since it was no trouble at all, Jay immediately stepped in to stop them. The boys had the nerve to come at him, but naturally, Jay knocked them all down without breaking a sweat. Later, still unconvinced, they had called over a large group of buddies to teach the busybody a lesson. The result was the same: every last one of them ended up flat on the ground.

When they heard Pierson call his name, the other classmates who had been partying hard all turned their attention toward him. In an instant, they swarmed over like they had spotted some rare animal that had escaped from a zoo, making Jay thoroughly awkward. Someone shouted, "You really came! Lois said you'd be here tonight, but we all thought she was bluffing!"

Lois rested one hand on her slim waist and flashed a triumphant smile at the girls around her, her expression seeming to say, See? I told you I wasn't lying.

It was no wonder he was so popular. When someone consistently held first place in the entire school, excelled at every sport, and was the star player on the football team, such a dazzling aura was hard to conceal. In everyone's eyes, Jay Reynolds was exactly that kind of person. The awards he had won could practically be piled into a small mountain, and every one of them was beyond the reach of ordinary students. At this high school, he was practically synonymous with perfection.

Then someone like that surely had plenty of friends, right?

Quite the opposite. Over three years of high school, he had barely had anyone he could call a friend. The reason was simple—he was just too outstanding. Everyone looked up to him and admired him, but it was the sort of feeling one had toward an idol standing far above oneself. To everyone else, he was lofty and unattainable. Most people would become nervous for no reason merely walking beside him after school, let alone calling him a brother.

For similar reasons, he had never attended a single party. He had politely declined every invitation, and this was his first time in the truest sense of the word. No wonder everyone was so surprised.

So Jay had truly done the hosts a great honor by coming this time, and Lois was smiling so brightly she nearly looked like a blooming flower. She cleared her throat and said, "Why is everyone being so quiet? Get lively! This is a party!"

Cheers surged again like a rising tide, instantly pushing the atmosphere back to its peak. The surround-sound speakers around the living room blasted so loudly that the floor itself began to hum.

Lois moved through the crowd, her alluring little waist swaying as she slowly approached Jay. Amid the crowd, she shone like the only rose among a sea of green.

"Hi." She waved and greeted him warmly. "I'm very glad you could make it. There's food and drinks over there, so help yourself. If anything runs out, let me know and I'll have the servants bring more. Or you can join everyone over there for some singing, maybe dance a couple songs. Can you dance?"

She blinked, her emerald eyes bright as pearls.

Jay smiled politely. "Sorry, it's not my specialty."

"So there really are things you're not good at." Lois giggled. "Just kidding. Try to have fun!"

"Thanks."

Lois swayed away, and the chubby Pierson quietly sidled up beside Jay. Staring somewhat blankly at her retreating figure, he asked in a low voice, "Boss, if I confessed to her, what do you think my chances would be?"

Jay smiled. "Maybe you should try. After all, there might not be another chance later, right?"

Pierson shook his head like a rattle. "Forget it. There are enough guys trying to pursue her to fill a train car. There's no way I'd have a chance, and I know that much about myself. But you, Boss—you've got a pretty good shot. Did you notice the way she looked at you? She likes you, Boss!"

Jay merely smiled and shook his head without answering.

As the party reached its peak, a group of boys reeking of alcohol by the dining table seemed to start causing a commotion. Amid the roar of voices came the crash of shattering glass. Lois sharply scolded them, "Try not to break things, gentlemen! Otherwise, I'll have to ask you to leave!"

"Sorry, sorry." A burly blond guy in jeans smiled apologetically. "We'll be careful from now on."

"Hey, genius!" Another unconventional-looking boy, sitting with one leg crossed over the other and surrounded by several lackeys, waved a bottle of alcohol toward Jay and shouted, "Want something exciting?" Before Jay could answer, he rushed to add, "Ah, I remember now! You're a good, obedient boy. Your mommy definitely doesn't let you drink, does she?"

"Spike! I don't care what your problem is, but don't cause trouble in my house!" Lois snapped angrily, unconsciously glancing at Jay from the corner of her eye, afraid that this honored guest, who had rarely deigned to show up, would turn around and leave in displeasure.

Jay had a history with this guy named Spike, and it was no secret to anyone. Spike had not been a particularly well-behaved student in middle school. When he first entered high school, he had continued his old habits of forming cliques and frequently bullying weaker students. Until one day, heated up on impulse and unable to stand how outstanding Jay was in every regard, he gathered some lackeys after school and cornered him in an empty spot, only to—

After that, he had never dared to provoke Jay again. Yet he had not given up any opportunity to take shots at him, though most of it was just petty, childish spite. Jay had never taken it to heart.

Facing the irritated Lois, Spike innocently raised both hands. "Hey, I'm just trying to get along with a classmate. This is how friendship between guys is built, isn't it?"

The lackeys beside him hurriedly agreed again and again, afraid they might nod even half a second too slowly.

Jay did not get angry either. He calmly walked over to Spike, picked up a bottle of alcohol himself, and said, "Sure. Whoever passes out first loses. How about it?"