Everyone Can Hear My Thoughts, and Now They're Panicking

Some people even took the opportunity to greet Julian Lanscaster and Jasper Sterling, trying to strike up a conversation.

Beverly Lynch crossed her arms and lifted her chin. "That’s not the attitude you had a minute ago."

The vice class president chuckled. "Beverly Lynch, don’t try to sow discord among us old classmates just because you and Jane Lancaster are bitter rivals."

After a pause, he looked toward Pauline Shaw. "Pauline can vouch for us. We’ve always been very supportive of Jane Lancaster."

Pauline Shaw pressed her lips together and said nothing.

They had all been classmates, after all; she didn’t want to embarrass anyone.

Beverly Lynch’s eyes widened. "Pauline Shaw, have you gone mute? Did you already forget what they were saying just now?"

How had she suddenly become the one sowing discord among classmates? This was infuriating.

Sylvan raised his hand with a grin. "I can testify. Not only were these people bad-mouthing Little Ian, but they were also insisting that Little Ian cheated."

The group fell silent.

They never, ever expected Sylvan to expose them on the spot, without a shred of courtesy.

Jane Lancaster’s tone was flat. "I’ll say it again. If you feel forced to be here, then you shouldn’t have come. The door is over there. Don’t let it hit you on the way out."

"Jay!" Pauline Shaw grew anxious. How could she kick people out? They were all classmates, after all.

"Pauline, if you’re that worried, you can leave with them," Jane Lancaster added.

Pauline Shaw’s face paled.

"What are you so smug about? So you have a little talent, what’s so great about that!" The vice class president couldn’t keep his composure any longer.

The only reason he hadn’t been able to drop the "vice" from his title in three years was because Jane Lancaster was always holding him down. She was always the class president, and no one else ever got a chance to shine.

He had been resentful back then. Jane Lancaster was a rich young lady who didn’t need to network, so why couldn’t she let him have the spotlight?

At every school meeting for class officers, the presidents of the other classes were all boys, with girls at most serving as vice presidents to help out. Only their Class Three was the exception.

He’d been mocked for years about how the women in their class overshadowed the men. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

Why did Jane Lancaster still get to act so high and mighty? She had been in a coma for three years, cut off from everyone—a pitiful creature who needed others’ charity.

"Be careful your joy doesn’t turn to sorrow. The higher you stand, the harder you fall!" he cursed viciously.

Jasper Sterling’s charming eyes suddenly turned cold. "Get out!"

The two bodyguards he had brought with him immediately stepped forward, clamped a hand over the vice president’s mouth, and hauled him out.

Sylvan turned to Jane Lancaster and said, "What a weirdo. I’ll send you a picture of a fire basin later. Little Ian, you can step over it to get rid of the bad luck."

He had to quickly quell Owen’s anger, or some people were going to die a very ugly death today.

Pauline Shaw watched as those few classmates were unceremoniously "invited" out, and she felt her own composure slipping.

"Jay..."

Jane Lancaster gave her a calm look.

’She’s so anxious. Don’t tell me she wants me to ask those people to stay, just to save her face so she can report back to Caleb Lowell?’

’You said you were here to help me fill the room, but now you want me to help you save face. It’s been the same all these years. You mess things up, and I’m the one who has to clean up the mess.’

’If I’m not mistaken, the reason she’s so afraid of messing this up is that she needs a favor from Caleb Lowell, right?’

’So, has she found the evidence that her dad is cheating on her mom and trying to bankrupt the Shaw Group?’

Pauline Shaw’s breath caught in her chest. She couldn’t stay a moment longer.

"Sorry, I have something else to do, I have to go." She practically fled.

Once Pauline Shaw left, a few more people announced they were leaving, too.

They had all come at Caleb Lowell’s invitation. It was one thing for Caleb himself to show up and then leave, but now that Pauline Shaw was gone too, everyone started to get restless.

When forced to choose between the Lowell Family and Jane Lancaster, they would unquestionably side with Caleb Lowell!

Jane Lancaster didn’t try to stop them. "Fine. Anyone else who wants to leave can go now."

In the end, the banquet broke up on a sour note.

There was no dazzling glory, no joyful harmony—only a room full of cold silence.

Finally, Jane Lancaster even asked Sylvan and Cecilia Nash to leave.

The two of them didn’t seem to mind. Sylvan shrugged. "Little Ian, it was great seeing you today. See you later."

Cecilia Nash hesitated for a moment, then gave Jane Lancaster a quick hug without a word before turning to leave.

Sylvan’s eyes widened. ’That’s a foul! Taking advantage of being a girl to pull a shameless move like that!’

Jane Lancaster turned her gaze to Jasper Sterling.

Before she could speak, Jasper Sterling knew it was his time to leave as well.

Although he didn’t know what she was planning, he would follow her orders unconditionally.

——

Jane Lancaster looked at the now-empty villa, finally feeling a sense of relief.

’Now this is more like it~~ This apprenticeship banquet was always supposed to end on a sour note.’

The System asked, perplexed: [Are you forcing the plot forward?]

But it hadn’t issued a mission for her to force the plot. After all, who could have guessed that Jane Lancaster was hiding such incredible talent and ability?

If everything had gone according to plan, today should have been the day Luna Morgan shone and Jane Lancaster’s reputation was ruined.

Now, Jane Lancaster had managed to patch the plot back together on her end, but it was useless if Luna Morgan’s side of the story didn’t follow suit.

The System was so worried its CPU was about to fry: [Don’t forget, you’re supposed to be farming Dislike Value from the target characters.]

Jane Lancaster: [I know. Haven’t you noticed that Julian Lanscaster’s Favorability Value has already started to plummet?]

System: [...]

It was true! Julian Lanscaster’s Favorability Value was plummeting, about to fall to 13%!

Since she was completing the mission, the System wouldn’t interfere and simply went dormant.

——

Jane Lancaster looked up at Julian Lanscaster standing before her and greeted him with a smile, "Big Brother."

Julian Lanscaster’s expression darkened slightly. "Jay, did you deliberately ruin today’s banquet?"

Jane Lancaster: "Why would you say that, Big Brother? They were the ones who started trouble. I’m the victim here."

Alvin Lancaster nodded quickly. "Yeah, it’s all Quentin Woods’s fault. Who knew that old coot was hiding so many bad intentions."

Adrian Lancaster shot him a look. ’Second Brother is so adorably naive, he still doesn’t get the situation.’

"If that’s the case, once Quentin Woods had already left, why not ask Chairman Gould to stay and continue the apprenticeship ceremony? When Chairman Gould let it be known that he wanted to take on a disciple, he was clearly hoping Jay would formally become his student on the spot, right?" Even someone as aloof as him understood such basic social customs.

Jane Lancaster: "Third Brother, we didn’t even invite Chairman Gould. It wouldn’t be right to be so shameless about building connections, would it?"

Adrian Lancaster couldn’t hold back any longer: "Then what about Sullivan the Great and Cecilia Nash? You’re clearly close with them, so how come the family has never heard that you even know Sullivan the Great?"

At the time, he had almost thought Sylvan and Cecilia Nash had come for him, since they had previously expressed their admiration for him online.

But it turned out to be wishful thinking. Sylvan hadn’t even given him a single glance.

"My relationship with them is decent, I guess. But Sylvan helped you out before, Third Brother, so I’d say that debt is paid."

’You’re so smart, you should be able to see that Sylvan doesn’t actually like a ’genius’ like you who was just manufactured by hype, right?’

’The only reason he spoke up for you was for my sake, you idiot.’