Poor Cod and Deep-Pocketed Dog

Noticing the door was open, the Italian man celebrating the start of the new term in the bathtub froze as well. He had never expected that, after living alone for an entire year and being on the verge of moving out of the dorms, Norma would actually assign him a roommate.

He looked at Li Lin, standing stiffly in the doorway, then took an unopened bottle of champagne from a plastic crate beside him and offered it to the unfamiliar visitor.

"Welcome to the college. Care for a drink?"

Li Lin had yet to recover from the shock. Faced with Caesar's invitation, he instinctively muttered, "Underage drinking is against the law," then silently cursed himself for clearly having been influenced by Xia Mi.

Caesar froze again at that.

Yet Caesar did not withdraw the champagne. Instead, he carefully examined Li Lin before the sound of splashing water rang out. The man in swim trunks rose to his feet and stared brightly at the newly enrolled freshman.

Golden liquor and countless tiny bubbles streamed down his body. He picked up the bath towel hanging from the edge of a stool and wrapped it around himself as though it were an emperor's cape.

The Towel King enthusiastically approached Li Lin, still holding the black champagne bottle in his left hand. He dried his right hand against the towel before shaking Li Lin's, his excited smile coupled with his haughty gaze making him seem like a living reenactment of a nobleman humbling himself to recruit talent.

If one ignored the thick body hair that easily brought golden gorillas to mind, as well as the shorts that covered more than half his thighs, this upperclassman, whose every movement radiated aristocratic grace, would probably have been enough to fill Li Lin with awe.

"I am Caesar Gattuso. You must be the handsome young hero Li Lin from the preparatory class? I have long admired your name. Last year, I wrote thirty thousand words analyzing your martial arts sparring videos."

"Uh, hello..."

Li Lin was somewhat bewildered, because he recognized the champagne in Caesar's hand. It was a 1995 Krug Ambonnay Black Diamond, priced at 3,200 dollars per bottle. During his bloodline assessment, he had watched the teacher in charge of the preparatory class open one. That had been the first and last time he had seen a drink so expensive it could cover an entire year of his tuition and living expenses.

Yet when Li Lin's gaze passed Caesar and landed on the bathtub filled to the brim with alcohol, along with the empty bottles scattered around it, he was instantly filled with solemn admiration.

Li Lin shook Caesar's hand vigorously and was about to introduce himself, but Caesar seemed to know everything about him. In a solemn tone, he recited a list of accomplishments that Li Lin himself had never even heard of.

"Passed the preparatory class's comprehensive cold-weapons examination at fourteen. Passed the practical assessments for the preparatory class's seven major mainstream boxing systems at fifteen. At sixteen, became the second all-around martial arts master in Cassel College history to complete every physical education credit before even enrolling..."

The more he heard, the more familiar this résumé sounded... Li Lin glanced at the Dragon-Slaying Binding System that had suddenly appeared in the corner of his vision. Seeing the notification that [Housekeeping Ability] had increased slightly, he realized that behind all these intimidating titles that had made their way overseas lay Xia Mi's arduous training, day after day and year after year.

Then he saw Caesar laughing as he raised the champagne bottle over his head, and heard the young master of the Gattuso family say cheerfully, "Following Chinese custom, I'll punish myself with a bottle first, as an apology for encouraging a minor to drink."

With that, Caesar popped the cork with his thumb, lifted the bottle, and drained the champagne he had originally intended to bathe in. He set down the empty bottle, walked over to the desk, took a dorm key from a corner, and handed it to Li Lin before introducing himself again.

"Caesar Gattuso, second-year student at Cassel College. My bloodline rating is A, and I currently serve as president of the Student Union. I'm delighted that Dorm 403 is welcoming a new friend this term."

Li Lin had not yet taken the qualification exam or signed up for any clubs. All he could do was awkwardly add during his renewed introduction that he was somewhat skilled at fist-and-foot martial arts, but to the upperclassmen of Cassel College, that modest statement alone was enough to make them rise and applaud.

Since last year, many Cassel College students had been stirred up by the sparring videos of Li Lin and Xia Mi. Two children whose bloodlines had not even awakened had displayed practical combat skill that made even the college's professional-course instructors ashamed of themselves. Their improvised blending of styles, their effortless mastery of moving as their intentions moved, and the visual impact of their fluid yet fierce techniques had directly sparked a rush to enroll in martial arts electives across the college.

And so Caesar really did it. The dignified president of the Student Union clapped with all his might, as though this were no longer a student dormitory but the grand hall of Amber Hall, where the Student Union was announcing a new event. He found a chair for Li Lin to rest in at his seat, then took out the desserts he had asked classmates to bring from the cafeteria and carefully arranged them on the table before beginning to straighten up the dorm room.

First, he pushed the bathtub filled with champagne back into the bathroom. Then he cleared away the assorted firearms and cold weapons placed on the unused bed. Caesar made no effort to conceal his enthusiasm and admiration for Li Lin. He even pulled out an iPhone on the spot and called one of the lackeys the Student Union had recently recruited, ordering him to fetch roasted pork knuckles and steaks from the cafeteria, then bring up two bottles of red wine from Caesar's collection in Amber Hall.

"Senior Gattuso, what are you—"

"Wait, don't call me 'Gattuso.' There's no need to add honorifics like 'senior,' either. Cassel College doesn't go in for that. Just call me Caesar from now on. I'll have someone buy new bedding and pillowcases later. Sit over there, have some dessert, play on your phone for a while. You can use my laptop too. Once I'm done bathing, I'll take you around the college."

Caesar was extremely resistant to the surname "Gattuso."

Seeing this, Li Lin could only switch to the enthusiastic upperclassman's given name and ask again, puzzled over why Caesar was going to such lengths.

Caesar was about to continue soaking in his champagne bath.

Hearing Li Lin's question, he turned back, waved, and walked onto the balcony. His massive, sharply defined muscles gleamed against the bright blue sky.

"Of course it's to celebrate your arrival, junior. I heard the principal decided to arrange a special 3E Exam next Monday for you preparatory-class students who were specially admitted. As it happens, I'm planning to hold a dinner at Amber Hall then. If you're interested, feel free to come... Oh, and the White Stockings Ballet Troupe will be performing."

What special reason could there be? Since Norma had assigned Li Lin to Dorm 403, even setting aside factors like bloodline, talent, and personal ability, the pride of Caesar Gattuso would never allow a freshman right under his nose to wander around the college like a headless fly.