Chapter 13
"How can that be?" Under Fiona's confused gaze Alex walked out and in no time arrived back in the main area, pushing away a crowd of people trying to suck up to him, he suddenly had an idea and immediately began cleaning the house.
He fired most of the staff on the spot — the flatterers, the lazy ones, and everyone who had been waiting to watch him get humiliated.
Only a small group of honest, capable employees remained.
"You all can stay if you want to work with me. If not, you can also see the door."
The remaining employees looked at each other for a second, and immediately chose to stay.
Alex then turned to Ethan. "Ethan, you have the most seniority and you know the company best. Help me run it."
Ethan was stunned but accepted with firm determination; as the company that used to be toxic and smoky had been completely renewed in a single afternoon.
After handling everything, Alex felt much lighter.
"Looks like I'm still better suited as a hands-off boss," he laughed to himself; and then transferred fifty million dollars to his parents' account and decided it was time to get a proper home.
When he called Sophia, she laughed and said, "Boss, the Royalist Group is primarily a real estate company. Tonight I'll take you to Emerald Grove Community. There's a brand-new luxury villa waiting for you."
That evening, Alex drove the Pagani with Sophia beside him to Emerald Grove; the security guard opened the gate without question after seeing the supercar.
They pulled up in front of a magnificent villa.
"Tsk, not bad at all," Alex said, extremely satisfied as the property was spacious with elegant European architecture, a private courtyard, and a large open-air swimming pool in the backyard.
"Boss, would you like me to hire some maids?" Sophia suggested.
Alex shook his head. "No need. I don't want people watching me at home."
Sophia looked slightly surprised. It was the first time she had heard a boss say something like that; moreover, which high-ranking boss doesn't enjoy the feeling of being served?
Isn't it always satisfying to watch others obey your every command, but Alex rejected Sophia's suggestion without hesitation.
After sending Sophia off, he walked into the massive bathroom and sank into the enormous bathtub that was practically the size of a small swimming pool; the hot water felt incredibly relaxing.
"I haven't called home in a long time," he thought. "I wonder how Mom and Dad are doing… and that little troublemaker, Lily."
Thinking of his sister Lily, Alex couldn't help but show a smile.
Lily wasn't his biological sister. His parents had found her abandoned on a roadside when she was just a baby. At the time, she was freezing cold and many people said she wouldn't survive. But his parents had raised her anyway.
Because of early malnutrition, Lily was small and looked three or four years younger than girls her age.
Just as he was about to call, his phone rang first, it was his dad.
"Alex, what's going on? You suddenly transferred fifty million dollars to us. Where did you get that kind of money?" His father's voice was trembling with worry as fifty million wasn't a small amount that anybody could earn, so he was naturally afraid that his son had done something illegal.
"Don't worry, Dad," Alex said with a smile. "I got lucky. I won sixty million in the lottery. I kept ten million for myself and sent the rest to you; it's all legal money."
He had already prepared this excuse, knowing his parents would be scared.
After hearing his explanation, his dad finally relaxed, though he still warned him to stay grounded and work hard.
"Mom, Dad, with me here, our family won't have to struggle anymore. Our lives are going to change completely from now on," Alex said seriously, sitting up straighter in the bathtub.
For him, luxury cars and villas were meaningless. Making his family live better, that was his real goal.
"By the way, how's Lily doing? Is she still playing games all day?" The moment he asked, he heard the sound of the phone being snatched away, followed by Lily's cute, indignant voice.
"I'm not playing games! I've been studying today, okay?" Even without video, Alex could imagine her pouting like a spoiled child.
He mercilessly exposed her. "Oh really? I just checked and saw you were online in the game. Who are you trying to fool?"
"Ah? I… um… I wasn't playing! I was organizing late-night team activities with friends, understand?" Lily tried to argue cleverly. "It trains my organizational skills, reaction time, language expression, and mental agility…" The more she talked, the more serious she sounded, which made his head hurt a little.
"Alright, alright, I know how great you are, you little brat," he interrupted helplessly; they chatted for a while longer before he reluctantly hung up.
...
Early the next morning, Alex changed into the sportswear he had bought the day before and went out for a run; he had always maintained the habit of exercising, and now that he was a hands-off boss, he had even more time.
Even with the system, he believed health was still the base of everything.
[Check-in location detected: York University Gymnasium]
[Check-in Reward: Triple Physical Fitness]
The system prompt sounded in his mind the moment he stepped outside.
"Check-in?" Alex was pleasantly surprised, as he had thought the system only did regular sign-ins every five days, he didn't expect random check-ins either.
"Triple physical fitness? That sounds pretty strong!'' Without hesitation, he ran toward York University.
York University was one of the top universities in the city, ranked first nationally, therefore its gymnasium was huge, with top-tier facilities.
It was ten o'clock in the morning, so many students were out walking or training.
[Beep — Check-in successful! Reward "Triple Physical Fitness" granted!]
The moment he stepped through the entrance, the system confirmed the reward; and instantly, Alex felt a powerful transformation in his body, he could feel his bones, muscles, and even skin strengthening rapidly.
His previously faint abs became sharp, defined eight-packs, like neatly carved chocolate blocks.
He felt full of explosive power, he had been slightly out of breath after running here, but now he felt completely fresh.
"This is really great!" Alex muttered in surprise; although he didn't look overly bulky, his muscles were clearly defined and his body radiated strength.
Excited, he started running laps around the track. At first, his speed was average; but he got faster and faster, moving like a swift animal, grabbing many students' attention.
Especially the girls, after seeing how handsome and physically fit Alex was, they couldn't stop staring.
After two full laps, Alex wasn't even breathing hard, this was still far from his limit.
When he finally stopped, the girls who had been watching finally got a clear look at his tall, straight figure and relaxed confidence.
Dressed in sportswear, he stood out effortlessly in the crowd; his aura was completely different — calm, confident, and naturally commanding.
Just one glance was enough to make many of the female students blush.
"Look, that guy is so handsome… should we go talk to him?"
"Oh my god, how can someone be this good-looking?"
Several girls gathered their courage, one with long, fair legs in short sports shorts walked up first.
"Um… excuse me, i can't help but take notice of your handsome face, can we add each other on insta?" After blurting it out, she immediately ran away blushing.
Alex: "???"
Wasn't she supposed to share her username? Why did she run? but with the first girl's example, the others couldn't hold back anymore. They all rushed over.
"Handsome, you must be really good at games, right? Otherwise, how did you get into my heart so easily?"
"Do you know what I'm missing? I'm missing you!"
"Handsome, I think I have a cold… because I have zero resistance to you!"
...
The group of pretty girls in short sports shorts surrounded Alex, creating a lively, eye-catching scene.
Making Alex feel a little overwhelmed, as he felt that the only first girl was a little normal. and moreover he had only come here to check in; so why was this happening?
Still… Being surrounded by so many attractive college girls in tiny shorts was quite the view.
'Hehe… Being handsome really is a kind of suffering, isn't it?'
The commotion attracted the attention of the male sports students training nearby; earlier they had been enjoying the girls' attention, but now this random guy had stolen all the spotlight.
Alex instantly became the target of their jealousy and hostility; after exchanging glances, a group of them walked over aggressively.
"Hey, where did you come from? Don't you know this is our turf?" A tall, muscular guy named Ryan shouted loudly. A dozen other sports students gathered behind him, clearly looking for trouble.
"Ryan, this is the university's gym, not your private property. Anyone can train here!" A sweet-looking girl immediately defended Alex.
The other girls also spoke up, thinking the sports guys were being unreasonable.
The athletes hadn't expected the girls who usually admired them to suddenly side with a stranger, this sudden change made their faces darkened with anger.
"Cut the bullshit! If you've got guts, compete with me. If not, get lost like a dog!" Ryan shouted aggressively.
"Yeah! If you don't have the skills, stop showing off here!"
"Get out!" The group shouted provocatively.
If Alex backed down, they would mock him mercilessly and if he accepted, they would make sure he regretted it.
The girls were getting anxious as these sports students trained every day and had impressive physiques, they were clearly bullying him.
"Hmph, if you don't even dare to accept the challenge, you're really useless! Hiding behind those girls, what kind of man are you?" Ryan sneered, growing more arrogant when Alex stayed silent.
Before Alex could speak, the long-legged girls jumped in to defend him again, the sports students gritted their teeth in jealousy and resentment.
Just when the situation was getting tense, a calm, indifferent voice suddenly cut through the noise and silenced everyone "Whatever challenge you want… I can crush all of you easily."