Chapter 185: Maintain Discipline
Hayley’s POV:
“Boss, where have you been? Do you know I’ve been looking for you?” His eyes were filled with grievance as he stared at me. Before I could devise an excuse, he quickly regained his composure and smiled. “Boss, please, teach me how to solve this question.” I sighed in relief. At the moment, Henry’s main focus was still his studies, so he didn’t notice anything off about me. I didn’t avoid him and began explaining the problem to Henry.
After school, Henry suddenly hesitated as we walked out of the classroom together. “Boss, how about we skip the library today? I considered gathering a few friends for a gaming session tonight.” I stopped in my tracks. “If you play games today, all your efforts will have been for nothing. As a member of the Midnight Pack’s ruling family, the most basic thing you must do is stay disciplined.”
I wasn’t trying to lecture Henry. Instead, as the alpha of the Shadow Pack, I had undergone rigorous training since I was young, which had shaped me into who I am today. I understood how vital it was to protect my pack, maintain discipline, and keep learning. Henry’s face fell as he heard this.
“Well, never mind! I love studying, so I won’t play games. Let’s go to the library.” I smiled. His dedication to studying was actually cute. I decided to make a compromise. “How about this. If you make the President’s List this year, I’ll spend a day playing games with you?”
To my surprise, Henry burst into laughter. “Boss, I’ll bet that you won’t be able to beat me at games!” I rolled my eyes in defeat. Curious, Henry asked, “Boss, you really play games?” I calmly answered, “I used to.” He immediately pressed, “How good are you?” I thought for a moment and answered, “I’m okay.”
Henry patted me on the shoulder. “Boss, with that ‘okay’ skill, you shouldn’t bother playing with me. My teammates are all top players in the server, ranked high. Apart from the top player, Joybringer, all the top five players are on my team. I’ve always stayed in the top three rankings. You’d just be asking for…” His tone was full of pride. Hearing him mention Joybringer, I glanced at him with a subtle smile.
“Don’t worry about my skills. You need to make the President’s List before we play. What do you think? Are you willing to take on the challenge?”
“Alright, but Boss, I’m not doing this just to play with you. I’m doing this to prove myself.” He said this with a smug expression. I gave him a nod of encouragement. “I’m looking forward to your performance. I’ll keep my promise if you make it.” With renewed confidence, Henry nodded firmly.
We spotted a familiar Maybach as we walked out of the campus. He started to get excited.
Benjamin’s POV:
“Ben, what brings you here?” Henry greeted me with surprise. However, my attention was entirely captured by the presence of Hayley beside him. I didn’t know what came over me. I was supposed to be heading to the Southwell Group headquarters. Still, somehow, I ended up here and waited until school was over.
“I happened to be passing by and thought you guys would be finishing soon, so I figured I’d give you a ride home.” Henry never questioned my words. He quickly opened the car door, letting Hayley get in first.
“Ben, we’re not going home yet. We’re going to the library. I have a paper to finish and must gather some materials there.” Hearing this, I was surprised. “Since when did you become so studious?”
Henry chuckled. “Ben, don’t tease me. I’ve matured and finally know what’s important.” I nodded approvingly. “Good, keep up the effort. I’m looking forward to your progress.” Henry beamed. “Thanks, Ben. I’ll work hard!” I started the car and drove off.
At the library, Henry was the first to get out. I walked around to Hayley’s side and opened the door for her. “I haven’t been here in a while. Thought I’d pick up a book,” I said, pretending to devise a reason. Hayley didn’t say anything. After we entered the library, she wandered through the shelves, eventually selecting a foreign novel and sitting down at a nearby table.
I wasn’t sure why, but I followed her upstairs without thinking. I grabbed an economics book and sat down near her. But today, my mind was nowhere near the book. Instead, I found myself glancing over at Hayley from time to time. Once or twice, it could have been more obvious, but after a few times, Hayley noticed. She frowned slightly and looked up at me. Our eyes met, and Lawrence started to feel restless inside me.
Seeing Hayley about to speak, I quickly shifted the conversation. “I’ve read that book before. It’s pretty good, though the author rushed the ending. There were a lot of loose ends left unresolved.” Hayley immediately seemed disinterested. “In that case, I’ll switch books.” My heart skipped a beat, and I stood up, walking toward her.