Despite the ridicule from everyone around him, James remained composed, his expression unchanged. Standing motionless, he chose not to respond to any of the remarks. To him, these individuals were merely a group of useless ruffians. However, to others, his silence was perceived as weakness.
Seeing James transfixed in the same spot, Ashley and Sandra looked at him with disdain, clearly looking down on him. To them, it was unprecedented for a young man to endure such humiliation without a word, appearing utterly feeble.
At that moment, the two women understood a harsh reality: no matter how much money James had, he would always be a loser. Ashley even started to regret her decision, feeling that consorting with someone like James could tarnish her life with a stain. She even began to believe that sleeping with Kevin might be a better option than with James.
"Have you laughed enough?" James raised his head and spoke softly to Kevin.
"No, let me laugh a little more. I've never come across someone like you before." Kevin chuckled, clutching his stomach.
James listened to this without reacting, still standing there in a daze.
Sandra and Ashley stared at James, utterly speechless.
After what seemed like an eternity, Kevin finally stopped laughing. He looked at James and said, "Alright, since you brought the money, I won't make it too hard for you. Just lick my shoes clean, and I'll let you go!"
Hearing this, James's eyes turned icy as he lifted his head to meet Kevin's gaze.
The room fell into a sudden hush.
Noticing James' apparent reluctance to obey, Kevin, wearing a grimace, yelled, "Are you deaf? I told you to clean my shoes. Haven't you heard me?"
"I've given you the money. What more do you want?" James spoke softly to Kevin.
Although James chose not to engage further with Kevin due to his desire to conceal his identity, licking the shoes pushed him beyond his limits.
"Didn't you hear me? Lick my shoes, then you can take them and leave," Kevin demanded sternly, clearly unwilling to let James walk away just yet.
After all, Ashley and Sandra were rare beauties, and Kevin didn't want to miss this chance to exploit the situation further. Hence, Kevin purposely made things difficult for James. If James did kneel to lick his shoes, Kevin would find other ways to torment him.
"James, why are you still standing there? Hurry up and clean them. Once you're done, we can leave!" Ashley urged as she noticed James still immobile.
Upon hearing this, James' gaze turned icy. He never expected Ashley to make such a request, especially since he had come to their aid!
"Hey, did you hear me? Lick my shoes clean and you can leave..." Kevin said with a smirk towards James.
James stood there expressionless, not saying a word.
"Kevin, cut it out!" Brian, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.
"Brian, you..." Kevin looked at Brian in confusion, not understanding why he was being stopped.
"Since James brought the money, stop giving him a hard time and let them go," Brian said calmly.
"But I..." Kevin seemed reluctant.
"I said let them go. Didn't you hear me?" Brian snapped.
Kevin hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright, you're lucky today. Take these two bitches and get out of here. Don't let me see you again."
Upon hearing this, Ashley and Sandra quickly got up and ran towards James.
A few minutes later, James led Ashley and Sandra out of Stellar Lounge.
Sandra glanced at James with disdain and said, "James, I heard you agreed to lend us the money because Ashley promised to sleep with you, is that true?"
"That's none of your business," James replied coldly.
"It absolutely is. Someone like you has no right to be with Ashley, just look at yourself!" Sandra sneered. "We'll pay you back, but as for Ashley sleeping with you, don't hold your breath. Ashley, let's go!"
With that, Sandra grabbed Ashley and started to leave, not once offering James a word of thanks.
Ashley, not wanting to sleep with James—especially since she was still a virgin—didn't hesitate to turn and leave without a second thought.
"If you two dare to walk away, just try it. I managed to get you out of Kevin's hands, and I can make sure he takes you back." Just as Ashley and Sandra were about to turn to leave, James suddenly spoke out.
Ashley, hearing James' words, trembled involuntarily, halting her steps.
"James, isn't this going too far? We're classmates, there's no need for this," Sandra shouted, turning to face him.
"You weren't saying that when you two were bullying me," James replied with a smirk.
"You..." Sandra was stunned into silence by his words.
"Sandra, don't worry about it. Let me handle it for the night. Otherwise, Kevin might actually take us back." Ashley gritted her teeth and whispered.
"How can I bear to see you insulted by such a person?" Sandra, looking deeply concerned for Ashley, shouted with tearful eyes.
"If it troubles you, you can spend the night with me!" James remarked playfully at Sandra.
Upon hearing this, Sandra immediately released Ashley's hand without hesitation and whispered, "Ashley, don't worry. I won't breathe a word of this to anyone." Having said that, Sandra walked away quickly, fearing that James might try to detain her.
Despair etched on Ashley's face as she watched Sandra's retreating figure, frozen in place.
James hailed a taxi and turned to Ashley. "Get in."
Ashley hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and got into the taxi with James.