In the name of the true god

A dozen minutes later, the car slowly pulled up in front of the Mitchell Hotel, which was flashing neon lights and looked luxurious and grand.

As the ball was about to begin, the vain Colin and the poet Anders were already waiting at the door.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Jude and Allen got out of the car one after the other and closed the door.

Colin, dressed in an evening tuxedo he'd somehow found, and Anders, in a short white suit, approached him: "Wow, you two look great in those outfits."

"Really?" Allen smiled, tugged at his tweed jacket, and pulled his loose trousers up a bit.

"It's mainly Jude. The fabric looks great, and the style suits you perfectly." Colin reached out and touched Jude's clothes, then glanced at the car next to them. "Hey, is this your car?"

"Yes. My brother helped me pick one out," Jude replied.

"I actually bought it... It's so nice to have an older brother." Colin reached out and gently patted the car body, expressing his heartfelt gratitude.

"Seven minutes left, shall we go in?" Jude glanced at his watch; it was 8:53 PM.

There were already quite a few well-dressed men and women walking into the Mitchell Hotel, either in groups or alone.

Colin took out the drink vouchers he had bought in advance and handed one to each person: "Let's go in, it's too cold outside."

With that, he took the drink vouchers and walked into the hotel.

Allen and Anders followed closely behind, chatting and laughing.

Jude noticed several ragged beggars huddled near the hotel, instinctively stopped, and then turned to walk over, saying, "Wait for me."

"Where are you going?" Colin asked, turning his head.

Jude didn't respond. Instead, he went straight to the beggars and took out several 2-gold notes from his wallet: "It's too cold. Let's find a hotel to rest."

Among the beggars were old men and children, all of whom looked up in disbelief, their hands trembling as they accepted Jude's money: "Th-thank you..."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Colin rushed over and snatched the money from the beggar's hand. "What are you doing? Giving them so much money?"

Jude frowned and took the money back from Colin's hand: "If they don't find a place to stay, they'll freeze to death sooner or later."

Colin said in a lecturing tone, "There are plenty of beggars out there. They have their own ways of surviving. If they don't, giving them more money won't do any good."

"Indeed..." Jude thought for a moment, then took out a few more banknotes from his wallet and distributed them to the beggars.

"You..." Colin was so shocked that he couldn't speak when he saw Jude give away more than a dozen gold coins in one go.

"I'll help in any way I can." Jude, unusually, didn't seem to care about the money. "As for the rest, we'll leave it to fate..."

Upon seeing these beggars, he couldn't help but recall his days as a stevedore.

Back then, even after working hard all day, the salary was barely enough to cover food and lodging.

If he hadn't found his brother in time, he wouldn't know what he would have done when the weather got colder and the cheap apartment demanded exorbitant heating fees.

What if his father, who lives in North Phu, refuses to take him in? Will he end up as a beggar too?

Even if they weren't this destitute, their lives were destined to be anything but good...

"It's not easy for us to earn money, so don't be so extravagant in the future." Colin didn't say anything more. "Let's go, the dance is about to start."

"Hmm." Jude waved to the beggars who were thanking him repeatedly, and then followed them into the Mitchell Hotel.

Colin was quite familiar with the hotel's layout. After handing the drink tickets to the doorman, he strode ahead with Jude, Allen, and Anders through a long corridor paved with hardwood parquet flooring and into the bright ballroom.

The ballroom at the Mitchell Hotel is spacious, supported by marble columns on all four sides, with an exquisite chandelier hanging in the center.

Ignore the entrance.

On one of the other three sides, a small orchestra played light and cheerful music, while the other two sides were furnished with rows of long tables and chairs.

It was not yet nine o'clock, but at least several dozen men and women had already arrived.

"It's quite lively," Allen muttered to himself as he looked around.

Jude habitually sniffed the air in the ballroom, and after smelling the faint scent of incense, he agreed, "Indeed."

Colin grinned and pointed to an empty seat: "Let's sit over there first. If you see any ladies coming alone later, feel free to go and ask them to dance."

"Should we just invite him directly?" Jude followed and sat down on the side.

"Of course, do you expect the lady to take the initiative?" Colin picked up the bottle on the table and poured four glasses of champagne. "However, hotels usually organize an opening dance first. Once the atmosphere is set after the dance, it's the perfect time for you to go over."

"Understood." Jude took a glass of champagne and took a small sip.

Ok……

It tastes good...

"Anders, what are you doing?"

Jude looked in the direction Colin was asking and saw Anders wiping his shoes with a handkerchief.

"Yes, yes, yes, they're a little dirty." Anders buried his head and carefully polished the leather shoes until they shone.

"Hahaha...why didn't you think of this sooner?" Colin put his arm around Anders' shoulder and looked at a group of women not far away. "Anyone you like?"

"Wh-wh-what?" Anders blushed and didn't dare to look.

"What's there to be embarrassed about?" Colin pushed the champagne towards Anders. "Have a few more drinks, and you'll be more daring once you're drunk."

"I, I, I..." Anders hurriedly took a big gulp of champagne, which made Colin laugh again.

soon.

Nine o'clock sharp.

Nearly two hundred guests gathered in the ballroom. The orchestra played music at the right time, and the dancers arranged by the hotel stepped forward to lead the dance, creating a lively atmosphere.

After the lead dancer finished, the music continued, and the men and women began to invite each other to dance.

Colin saw that Jude, Allen, and Anders were still sitting blankly at the table, and whispered, "Watch me, learn from me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he walked with leisurely steps to a table not far away and extended an invitation to a lady.

After obtaining consent, Colin gracefully took the lady's hand with his right hand and gently supported her lower back with his left hand, and began to dance a waltz.

"That simple?" Allen chewed on his dessert and looked at Colin.

"Colin is so, so, so amazing..." Anders' eyes were full of longing, then he guiltily lowered his head to polish his shoes, "My, my, my shoes are, my, my shoes are, my, my shoes are still not, my, my shoes aren't very clean..."

"Hehe." Jude chuckled, downed the champagne in his glass, and said, "Since I'm already here, I might as well give it a try."

"you?"

"Let's go, you two hurry up too." Jude never resisted new things, nor did he feel embarrassed about it. After seeing how Colin invited him to dance, he immediately got up and walked to the side.

What kind of woman should I look for...?

Looking too fierce won't do, lest I be embarrassed by my inability to dance...

Ok……

Ideally, it would be someone who looks to be around your age and has a good personality...

As Jude pondered this, he looked around.

But before he could find a suitable dance partner, someone suddenly patted his shoulder from behind.

He turned around and saw a woman who looked to be in her early thirties, with long, wavy hair, a cool and elegant appearance, wearing an ankle-length skirt and a high-necked lace blouse, exuding a mature charm, standing behind him. She invited him, "Want to dance together?"