Chapter 43 Donation

Berloff Reed sat down in the alumni section of the venue with Dunn and the others.

Pepper and Little Phoenix, as usual, sat on either side of Berloff, occasionally offering him water and snacks, fussing over him.

Even Dunn couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at the sight.

"Haha, Pepper, Little Phoenix, are you two planning to marry Berloff together?" Dunn teased.

Little Phoenix, who was shy by nature, immediately blushed and lowered her head.

Pepper, her cheeks also turning red, lifted her chin and gave Berloff a sultry look. "No problem, as long as Berloff is willing, I have no objections."

Berloff waved his hand and smiled, "Alright, stop joking around."

"Dunn, by the way, where's Fatty? Didn't you say he was coming too?"

Neither Pepper nor Little Phoenix had caught Berloff's eye back in high school; he had always considered them close friends.

Seeing Pepper's bold move, Berloff quickly changed the subject."Oh, you mean Fatty!" Dunn scratched the back of his head. "That guy's super busy with work. He couldn't make it this afternoon, but he'll join us for dinner tonight."

Berloff nodded, "That's good. I haven't seen him in years; I really miss him."

Fatty had been Berloff's best buddy back in the day.

If Fatty had been around earlier, he would have definitely stood up for Berloff against Sullivan and the others.

After some casual chatting, the school anniversary celebration officially began.The host, dressed in a traditional African dress, delivered an enthusiastic opening speech, followed by the usual speeches from various leaders.

City officials, education department heads, the current principal, and others took turns giving their long-winded speeches.

Back when Berloff Reed was a student, he found these speeches incredibly boring. Now, they filled him with a sense of nostalgia, as if he had traveled back to his youthful days.

Once the speeches ended, the host returned to the stage to announce the alumni donation segment, inviting graduates to contribute to their alma mater.

Seeing this, Sullivan looked at Berloff with a mocking expression.

"Berloff, you're the famous financial tycoon of Silk City. Aren't you going to make a contribution?"

Ignatius sneered, "Yeah, with that pretty face of yours, you make a fortune every day in Silk City catering to rich ladies. Don't be stingy now!"

Perry chimed in, "Exactly! You received so many scholarships from this school. Now that you're back in style, you can't just give nothing, right?"Hearing this, Chili Pepper and Little Phoenix, along with others, looked upset and furious.

Earlier, Sullivan and his gang had claimed that Berloff was fired and unemployed, with no income.

Now, they were sarcastically pressuring him to donate to the school. It was infuriating!

"You guys!"

Chili Pepper's face turned red with anger as she pointed at Sullivan, ready to lash out, but Berloff stopped her.

"Heh!"Berloff Reed chuckled softly, casting a teasing glance at Sullivan.

"I'm no financial tycoon, but contributing to my alma mater is something I can't refuse."

"How about this? Whatever you donate, Sullivan, I'll add ten times that amount!"

Boom!

Berloff's words hit the crowd like a thunderclap, leaving everyone in a daze.

What a joke!

Sullivan was a millionaire, with mansions and luxury cars to his name. He was loaded.And Berloff? Sure, he was good-looking, but he was currently unemployed with no income. How could he possibly compete with Sullivan's wealth?

Dunn frowned deeply and said in a serious tone, "Berloff, calm down. Don't get into a pissing contest with Sullivan!"

Little Phoenix also tried to persuade him earnestly, "Yeah, Berloff, let's not stoop to their level. We need to be realistic."

"Berloff, are you out of your mind?" Pepper touched Berloff's forehead worriedly. "I can't stand Sullivan either, but you have to admit, he's been living it up thanks to his family's money these past few years.""Saying you'll donate ten times what he does? That's just ridiculous."

Berloff smiled and glanced at Sullivan. "Don't worry, everyone. My head's perfectly clear."

"Even though I haven't made much in Silk City these past few years, crushing some second-rate wannabes is still a piece of cake."

Hearing this, Sullivan couldn't help but laugh in anger.

"Hahaha... This is killing me!"

"You think you can compete with me, kid?"

Ignatius sneered, "Pfft! You poor fool, how dare you claim you'll donate ten times more than Sullivan? Have you even looked at yourself in a mirror?"

Perry let out a few cold laughs, "Berloff Reed, is your donation coming from Monopoly money? With that kind of cash, you'd be better off burning it at home!"

Facing the taunts from Sullivan and his crew, Berloff grinned, "If you don't believe me, let's make a bet."

"If I donate ten times more than Camel here, you three have to run around the venue naked, shouting that you're idiots."

"If I fail, I'll do the same.""How about it? Do you dare?"

Sullivan laughed heartily, brimming with confidence, and agreed.

"Alright, it's a deal!"

"If you're so eager to dig your own grave, I'll gladly help."

Ignatius looked at Berloff like he was an idiot, "Kid, I'll record the whole thing and post it online so everyone can see you shouting you're an idiot."

Perry's face was full of schadenfreude, "Berloff Reed, you're about to become an internet sensation. Everyone back home will know our class had a complete fool."Chili's face turned red with anger, "Berloff Reed, you..."

Berloff waved his hand, smiling, "Trust me, I'll make sure they get all the attention they want."

Berloff Reed's confident demeanor left Pepper, Dunn, and the others skeptical. Could Berloff really beat Sullivan?

"Ha! What a frog in a well!" Sullivan scoffed, his face full of disdain. "Berloff, do you even know how much I've donated for today's school anniversary?"

"Forget about donating ten times more than me. If you can even match my donation, I'll kneel down and call you my ancestor!"

Berloff chuckled, "Really? Well, after you streak around the venue, you can kneel and call me that."

Pepper and Little Phoenix burst into giggles at his words, unable to contain their laughter.

"You!" Sullivan was fuming, gritting his teeth. "Just you wait. You'll be crying soon enough!"

...

After their exchange, the host on stage was enthusiastically announcing the donation list.

"Thank you to Wang Qianjin from the class of '88 for donating $10,000 to our alma mater!"

"Thank you to Qian Hongjun from the class of '93 for donating $5,000!"

"Thank you to Sun Hong from the class of '02 for donating $8,000!"

...

With each name called, the respective alumni would walk up to the stage, smiling and basking in the attention of thousands of students and teachers.

At this moment, Dunn stood up, smiling warmly. "My donation isn't much compared to big shots like Sullivan, but it's from the heart. I hope our school won't mind."

Soon, the host announced Dunn's name, "A big thank you to Dunn from Class 12 for donating two hundred thousand dollars to our alma mater."

Swish!

At that moment, all the eyes of the old classmates turned to Sullivan and Berloff Reed.