Chapter 3

Ten minutes later, the bodyguards knocked on our dorm room. "Mr. Chad Kranz, the car is ready for you. Please come with us."

Chad stood up from his bed with difficulty, and he frowned when he glanced at the door. "The floor is filthy. Mom, lie on the ground."

Greta was taken aback.

"And you." Chad turned to look at me. "Both of you should lie on the ground so that I can walk out by stepping on you. I do not want my feet dirtied. It is bad luck to step into the Langfords that way." Chad swept his gaze across the dorm and continued giving orders with arrogance. "Three of you and my mom should lie on the ground for me to step on. I do not want to bring bad luck to the Langfords with dirty feet."

Silence filled the dorm as Alec and Jack froze. They wanted to stay on Chad's good side, and it was insulting to act as his human carpet in front of the bodyguards.

"Chad, how about we get two pieces of clothing and carpet the floor with them instead?" Alec laughed dryly to ease the tension.

"What is wrong? I am about to become the son‑in‑law of the Langfords. Are my orders too good for you?" Chad sneered. "If you are not willing to do what I say, forget it. From now on, you can forget about benefitting from the Langfords."

Greta, who had rushed through the night to arrive at our dorm, sprawled on all fours on the ground right away when she heard Chad's words. "I am willing to do it for you, Son. This is the golden path to marrying into fame and fortune."

Chad turned to glare at me. "It is your turn, Evan."

I took a step back and said coldly, "We are all university mates here, Chad. There is no way I am willing to be your human carpet."

"Get off your high horse, Evan." Alec and Jack started yelling at me. "You are jealous of Chad, which is why you are trying to get his feet dirty and jinx him when he arrives at the Langfords."

I started tearing up as I slowly bent my knees unwillingly and crouched at the last position next to the door.

"Tsk. Cheap to the bones, are you not?" Chad smiled happily. He stepped on his mother's back barefoot and then onto my shoulder, and he made sure to grind his foot on me with malice. He looked down at me with an air of superiority and said, "On account that you accompanied me for the last 14 days, I want you to kneel the next time we meet and grovel at my feet wherever I go."

I hid my face in the dark and smirked silently.

Chad was helped downstairs by the bodyguards while the students downstairs took pictures and gossiped about what was happening.

Greta did not leave with the convoy. She dashed into our dorm room and pointed at my bunk. "That bed will be Chad's betrothal gift. You need to move all your things tonight."

I had already prepared my luggage, and I started to pack. Before I finished, the resident advisor, Sally, appeared. She stood at the door and looked at Greta, who ordered Alec to put wedding decorations in the dorm room.

"Evan, please step out with me for a moment."

I followed her to the corner of the corridor, and she handed me a document stating that I would give up my postgraduate placement. "The Langfords are a powerful family. The university has decided to give Chad the postgraduate spot as a favor to him. Sign the papers."

I did not take them. "Why should I? I earned that spot by being top of my course for three consecutive years. Chad did not even manage to have CGPA grades good enough for Second Class Lower Honors. Are you not afraid your superiors will investigate this?"

Sally sneered. "Investigate this? The Langfords are about to donate a lab building to the university. How do you plan to fight a powerful family when you are a penniless student?"

My hand reached into my pocket to secretly press the recording function on my phone, and I said through clenched teeth, "I will not sign it. I will report all of you for doing this if I have to."

Sally had a falling out with me. "Go ahead and do it. I will make sure that your graduation thesis will not pass the review. I will get your national award rescinded for misconduct and put it in your file as a permanent record. You will sign those papers, by hook or by crook."

I pretended to be scared silly by trembling and tearing up. "All right. I will sign the document."

When Sally was not looking, I quickly jotted down the code 'XP' while signing my name. It was a code indicating that I was threatened, and I inked an imperfect fingerprint next to my name. Sally grabbed the document from me and stuffed it into her bag without checking it. "At least you know what is good for you."

She walked away with her heels clicking in the distance.

After I was sure she had left, I slowly stood up straight, and the fear on my face vanished. I took out my phone to save the audio I had recorded, and I left the dorm room with my luggage without looking back.

When I walked past Alec, he held several paper bags from luxury brands. "What are all these?"

Alec waved his phone in the air. "These are congratulatory presents for Chad. The Langfords are having an appreciation banquet the day after tomorrow, and I am attending it with him to gain worldly experience. I bought these specially for the occasion."

"You bought them? Where did you get the money?"

"I borrowed money. This is a small amount compared to what I will get if Chad marries into the Langfords and rewards me."

Jack refused to be humiliated as a human carpet, and he feared Chad would seek revenge. He used the excuse of wanting to focus on his postgraduate exam and applied instantly to be transferred to another dorm room to stay away from trouble.

As for me, I took one last look at the dorm room I had stayed in for four years, and I left with my luggage for my newly rented condo. After unpacking, I received a text from the Langfords' housekeeper.

"[Mr. Evan Jacobs, the Langfords would like to invite you to the Inedia Appreciation Party held the day after tomorrow, as you are a witness to Mr. Chad Kranz's inedia process. We will be making an important announcement on that day.]"

I put my phone away after reading the message. The show was about to begin.