After the wonderful Christmas holiday, Mike made time to send Collins, Caroline, Jessie, and the other girls back to New York.
With the new year, some of them had their last year of college, some needed to go back to open their stores, and others had to return to work.
Likewise, some people left, and some people came...
After Christmas, The Plastics, having completed the second round of promotion for their new album, was now completely successful and famous.
The three girls, no longer feeling the pressure, decided to take a long vacation.
So, two weeks after Christmas, Mike brought them back to Genovia to continue their vacation with him.
As spring planting arrived and the weather turned warmer, while the people of Genovia and the Minister of Agriculture became busy, Mike also found new ways to entertain himself.
In the pleasant spring scenery of the castle's back mountain, there was a great little pond, perfect for fishing and spring outings.
Therefore, when Mike had nothing to do, he would take The Plastics and the three girls there to sketch and fish, and incidentally do some things they loved.
Time flew by, and the leisurely vacation reached mid-April, the eighteenth birthday of Paige and Missy.
Because their birthdays were only a few days apart, they were celebrated on the same day.
On this day, under the meticulous planning of Queen Mia, Paige and Missy had a lively and grand birthday party at the castle.
After the birthday cake was eaten, Queen Mia and The Plastics and the three girls exchanged glances, then tacitly left the room, leaving the space to Paige, Missy, and Mike.
Needless to say, the real coming-of-age ceremony was about to begin.
"Mike, will you hold me?" Paige, dressed as a little princess, spoke with an exceptionally gentle tone at this moment.
If Mike hadn't always held his ground, Paige would have long since wanted to wash herself clean and deliver herself to him.
And now, having celebrated her birthday, she was finally going to get her wish.
With the warmth of her body in his arms, and smelling the unique scent of the girl, Mike also couldn't help but let his mind wander.
However, the girl in his arms was clearly even more passionate.
Standing on her tiptoes, she eagerly offered a kiss.
Her movements were clumsy yet bold...
The kiss lasted a long time, until Paige felt her brain lacking oxygen and her breathing becoming difficult, before they finally separated.
Then, Missy, who had been watching blankly from the side, was pulled into the fray by Paige, who had recovered.
"No... not here... go to my... room..."
With their heads together and passion burning, at the crucial moment, Paige uttered a weak plea.
With the arrow on the string, Mike really wanted to say: there are no outsiders here.
However, considering that this was the girl's first time, Mike still chose to be gentle.
So, with a girl in each arm, he walked towards Paige's exclusive room.
The space here was large; besides a large bed, there were also many experimental instruments piled up nearby, and... a short-haired woman.
"Why is Needy here?" Mike asked in surprise.
At this moment, Needy had changed out of her punk attire, and even had a light makeup on her face.
This appearance couldn't possibly be for watching a show, could it?
Also, when did Paige and Needy become so close?
"Wasn't I thinking of fulfilling your wish in advance? If you didn't like Needy, you probably would have driven her away a long time ago..." Even at this point, Paige's mind was still clear.
It could be said that in the past few years, Needy was the girl who had spent the most time with Mike.
Mike would take her with him whenever he had something to do or not.
Before, it could be said that it was for mission purposes, but now the Vampire and Werewolf problems in New York had long been resolved, and Needy had also completed the auxiliary tasks given to her by the MIB.
If Mike truly disliked Needy, he could have easily sent her away.
Instead of keeping her by his side as he was now.
Paige, who had long been aware of Mike's philandering nature, approached Needy in advance under these circumstances.
As for Needy, ever since she gradually regained human emotions, she had always had a special feeling for Mike, a kind of love-hate relationship.
And as time passed, the former's weight unknowingly increased.
This feeling was very subtle...
Paige's actions helped Needy break through the last layer of hesitation.
"You have the potential to be a matchmaker!" Mike playfully tweaked the girl's nose in his arms.
Then he looked at the short-haired woman standing by the window.
It had to be said, the person who always dressed in a dark style, suddenly appearing fresh and clean, truly had a different kind of charm.
"No choice, who told you to be such a philanderer. Instead of letting you fool around with women outside, it's better for me to help you screen and find some girls whose backgrounds are known..." Paige explained a few words after feeling Mike's little gesture.
Then, she also turned to Needy and waved her over.
Initially, Needy hesitated a bit, but soon, despite her words, her body honestly moved closer, though her face still maintained that expressionless look.
What happened next was also a matter of course...
Although Paige and Needy had not "eaten" the "pig" meat, they had both, either actively or passively, witnessed Mike's combat power, and roughly knew what to do.
Among the three girls, only Missy was truly in the dark.
However, no matter what the "enemy's" situation was, in Mike's eyes, they were all weaklings.
Even though he deliberately slowed down his offensive today, Paige and Missy, who were responsible for surrounding him, still fell in about ten minutes, completely surrendering.
On the other hand, Needy, who possessed some demon bloodline, had a strong physique and fought back and forth with Mike, but she only lasted for half the night before she was exhausted and fell asleep.
...
As May arrived, after more than a month of Mike's efforts and the blessing of faith points, Paige, Missy, and Needy's complexions visibly brightened.
They also gained a more mature feminine aura.
Needy's change was the most significant; even though she returned to her punk attire, she still carried an almost imperceptible extraordinary allure.
"From now on, I will come back to visit you once every month." On this day, Mike, who had finished his long vacation, waved goodbye to Paige and the others, accompanied by The Plastics and the three girls.
As summer approached, there were many things in New York that Mike needed to return to handle.
As for The Plastics and the three girls, their long vacation was still not over, and the reason for returning to New York was because Mike was going back.
It is worth mentioning that Needy and Paige had become very close during this period.
After much consideration, Mike ultimately left her in Genovia to keep Paige and the other girls company.
"After Christmas, I contacted Mr. Tuohy several times according to your request. Unfortunately, he has no intention of opening a chain supermarket in New York..."
The day after Mike returned to New York, Chris came to him to report on the company's recent progress.
"He's unwilling?" Mike pondered for a moment and said, "How about this, you first help me pick out a few good locations from the properties we purchased. After I personally contact Mr. Tuohy, we'll make a decision..."
"If it really doesn't work, we'll open the supermarkets ourselves. Once the general economic environment improves, we can turn these supermarkets into comprehensive plazas."
A typical economic depression can pass in one or two years, a larger one in three to five years.
Only the most severe economic depressions last more than ten years.
And according to Mike's estimation, this economic depression was relatively not particularly severe, and could probably be overcome in two or three years.
These difficult two or three years were both a test and an opportunity for businesses.
Everyone's situation was the same; those who couldn't endure failed and exited, while those who persevered took all.
King Investment Group now had both strength and prestige, and was definitely among those who could persevere the most.
In this situation, Mike, out of consideration for Collins, actually wanted to help Mr. Tuohy.
If the other party didn't have the courage, Mike himself had the ability to take over the convenience market.
It was just a matter of how much he would take.
"Besides Mr. Tuohy, are there any other issues?" Mike inquired.
"Also, Mr. Chris. In the past few months, he has managed the group's public welfare matters very well; he is a very capable person. So I would like to apply for him to become my assistant..." Chris replied.
Chris was precisely that middle-aged man with great talent in numbers.
By calculation, he should have only joined King Investment Group for about five months.
To be valued by Chris and cultivated as a "successor" in such a short time showed his Beyonder power.
It should be noted that his predecessors, Jordan (The Wolf of Wall Street) and Frank (Catch Me If You Can), did not receive such treatment.
"You can arrange the personnel adjustments as you see fit; I trust your ability." Mike gave Chris immense trust.
At the same time, he couldn't help but lament that his casual actions had brought an outstanding talent to the group.