John angrily walked to the corner, shielding Connie behind him, and then said in a warning tone, "Linkletter, your act of poaching is very impolite."
Dr. Linkletter was no worse than John in height, looks, or knowledge, which made John feel a strong sense of crisis.
Of course, John's immature behavior at this moment was also related to this being his first time in love.
Strictly speaking, John was still a "small potato" when it came to relationships.
Dr. Linkletter was also provoked by John's aggressive behavior, and then he said with a hint of sarcasm, "If I were you, I would never leave my female companion, who came with me, in the corner and go enjoy myself."
It was clear that Dr. Linkletter had noticed Connie's discomfort earlier.
"That's none of your business!" John retorted forcefully, like an enraged bull.
Afterward, the two old men, both nearly seventy years old, stared at each other "fiercely" and refused to give way, like fighting cocks.
"Wait, is there some misunderstanding here?" Seeing the two men about to butt heads, Connie quickly stepped forward to ease the atmosphere.
In fact, through their previous interactions, Connie had a good impression of the polite and humorous Dr. Linkletter.
"No misunderstanding!" John thought of the scene he had witnessed earlier, and he was furious with Dr. Linkletter.
Jealousy is a man's nature.
Then, John even turned his head and whispered to Connie, "His name is Linkletter, and he's my colleague. I know him too well; he's still a virgin who has never been in love."
John's meaning was very clear: Dr. Linkletter, being a virgin, was likely making advances on Connie.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, John's whisper was just loud enough for Dr. Linkletter, who was nearby, to hear.
Of course, this could also be John deliberately showing off to his colleague. After all, he, who had been single for sixty or seventy years, had now found a girlfriend a step ahead of his colleague.
Yes, a man's vanity or desire to win is sometimes that strange.
Over there, Dr. Linkletter was indeed made very awkward by John's act of revealing his shortcomings.
Connie, who was very perceptive, knew that John's behavior of exposing someone's flaws to their face was very impolite. So, she apologized on his behalf, "Mr. Linkletter, please forgive John's rudeness; I don't think he did it on purpose..."
Linkletter, who was originally thinking about how to save face from John, shook his head and walked away from the corner after hearing Connie's apology.
Before leaving, he deliberately glared at John, as if lamenting that he had found such a good woman.
"Why did you apologize to him? Everything I said was true." John, dominated by jealousy, did not realize his mistake.
Connie glanced at the very immature John, shook her head slightly, and then also picked up her wine glass and left the corner, subsequently blending into the crowd of the party.
Only John, still looking bewildered, was left in place.
Later, even after the banquet ended, on the way home when Connie was driving John, he still looked unhappy.
"Still mad at Mr. Linkletter?" Connie asked with amusement, looking at his sulky expression.
"No, I'm mad at myself," John replied sullenly.
During the latter half of the party, after Dr. Linkletter had chatted with Connie, it made Connie realize that perhaps successful people weren't so extraordinary after all.
So, Connie, who chose to actively mingle with the crowd, quickly made many new friends with her unique charm.
She was always very good at social interactions.
However, it was Connie's extraordinary social skills that inexplicably gave John a sense of urgency.
On one hand, he felt that he was somewhat unworthy of such a charming Connie. On the other hand, he cared too much about Connie and was afraid of losing her.
A mixture of emotions left John in a state of anxiety, fearing both gain and loss.
"John, you need to have faith in me, and also in yourself." Connie, who was driving, seemed to have mind-reading abilities and instantly guessed John's thoughts.
Then, she said even more affectionately, "Don't forget, you're my lovely 'small potato'."
After that Halloween night, Connie had officially confirmed her relationship with John.
As for "small potato," it was Connie's private term of endearment for John.
Listening to Connie's words, John also realized that his behavior today had been a bit too sensitive. So, he earnestly promised, "Connie, I promise I won't be like this again. I'll learn to be 'mature'."
...
Time came to Monday afternoon after school. As Mike finished packing his things and was about to leave school, Mr. Lundy from the drama club stopped him in the hallway.
"Mr. Lundy, I've already considered joining the drama club..." Mike thought the other party was coming to invite him to join the drama club again, and the words of refusal were about to come out.
Who knew Mr. Lundy was impatient; he quickly spoke first, "Sorry, Mike, I've already resigned from my job at the school, so I'm afraid I won't be able to fulfill my previous promise to you."
Previously, to get Mike to join the drama club, Mr. Lundy had promised him that if he joined, he would teach him all his acting experience.
"You resigned?" Mike asked in surprise.
It was then that Mike noticed Mr. Lundy was carrying many things. It seemed he was truly preparing to leave.
"Yes, I plan to go out and try my luck..." Out of guilt, Mr. Lundy told Mike all his plans.
It turned out that the Halloween preparations at the church had made Mr. Lundy discover his talent for directing.
And over the next week or so, after careful consideration, he also realized that his passion for directing even surpassed performing.
So, Mr. Lundy, having confirmed his true calling, decided to go out and try his luck. He even planned to direct a memorable and classic film.
"I wish you success, Mr. Lundy." After learning of the other party's ambition, Mike promptly offered his blessings.
In Mike's opinion, Mr. Lundy, who was only in his thirties this year, had extraordinary talent in the arts.
There was a great chance that he could realize his dream by choosing to leave school and work hard outside.
"Thank you." Mr. Lundy smiled after receiving the blessing. Then, he continued, "To make up for the regret of not being able to be your mentor, I've organized all my acting lesson plans. They're yours now; you can read them when you have time."
With that, he handed a large stack of books he was carrying to Mike.
In his opinion, Mike also had a very high talent for performance. Coupled with that handsome face, not acting would simply be a waste.
Mike, at this time, didn't say anything to spoil the mood and took the books into his hands.
It was clear that Mr. Lundy had put a lot of effort into preparing these materials. In addition to acting books, there were also books on music theory.
Of course, there were also some annotated notebooks he had written himself.
"Alright, keep up the good work. Maybe we'll have a chance to collaborate in the future." Mr. Lundy smiled and waved at Mike, leaving only a dashing silhouette.