Chapter 150: Big Brother, You’ve Broken Your Persona
Jane Lancaster stopped and looked back at him. "Isn’t this supposed to be a college acceptance party?"
’I treated Quentin Woods that way, and I can still become his apprentice? Are you kidding me???’
Alvin Lancaster coughed lightly. "It’s mainly a college acceptance party, and we’ll just have the apprenticeship ceremony at the same time."
Jane Lancaster decided to be direct. "Professor Woods and I have bad blood."
Julian Lanscaster said, "That day was just a misunderstanding. Professor Woods is a man of noble character. He admits he had been drinking and was a bit muddled. His concern clouded his judgment and he wrongly blamed you. He won’t hold your attitude against you."
Jane Lancaster frowned. "Is this what Quentin Woods wants?"
’Since when was Quentin Woods so magnanimous? No, that can’t be it. The Lancaster Family must have made him a very sweet offer.’
’Do I really have to play out this plotline where I become an apprentice only to be berated and humiliated? Are you messing with me?!’
Alvin Lancaster grew anxious. ’How is this messing with her? We’re all doing this for our sister’s own good.’
"Jay, don’t overthink it," he said. "Professor Woods is sincere about taking you on as his student. He’s already accepted the apprenticeship gift, so no one is going to give you a hard time at the banquet."
Adrian Lancaster added, "I have a bit of a rapport with Professor Woods. He’s not an unreasonable man."
He was a little curious. ’What sort of humiliation plotline is she talking about?’
’As long as I get to see my dear sister suffer, I’ll be more than happy.’
Julian Lanscaster said, "Even if there is bad blood, it’s between Jasper Sterling and Professor Woods. Forcing the Woods Family to apologize over a minor injury is making a mountain out of a molehill and throwing his weight around."
Hearing him say that, Jane Lancaster could no longer hold her tongue.
’Eldest Brother, you’re acting out of character. Aren’t you supposed to be the one who values family and kinship above all else?’
Jane Lancaster said softly, "But I don’t think Jasper Sterling did anything wrong. He was protecting his family. You didn’t see how arrogant Professor Woods was at the time. Auntie Lana had a long scar on her arm. It was frightening just to look at it."
She looked up at Julian Lanscaster, her face filled with adoration. "Eldest Brother, didn’t you always say you work yourself to the bone to make money so our family won’t get bullied? If it were me or Third Brother who got hurt that day, you would have made an even bigger scene than Jasper Sterling."
Back when the Lancaster Family went bankrupt, Julian Lanscaster, as the eldest child, had to mature quickly. He felt the sting of their fall from grace more keenly than anyone.
Before being sent to the countryside, he had accompanied Timothy Lancaster to beg for help, only to be met with cold shoulders everywhere they went.
Business partners who once greeted them with smiles now showed their true colors. Relatives who were once solicitous now avoided them at all costs.
And that was to say nothing of the countryside, where the desperate clawed at each other to survive in a way that was truly uncivilized and undignified.
His two younger brothers had endured countless hardships under his care.
Standing in the mud, he had sworn countless times that he would make something of himself, that he would climb to the very top, so he could protect his family from being bullied.
Julian Lanscaster looked deeply at Jane Lancaster, then gave a resigned smile after a moment. "Jay, you’re right. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have blindly followed the gossip and rumors I heard."
Jane Lancaster replied, "I know you were also worried about Jasper Sterling’s reputation, Eldest Brother. But don’t worry, his reputation is the last thing he cares about."
’The one who actually cares about reputation is Julian Lanscaster, isn’t it? He’s still not smart enough. He carries too much ideological baggage.’
’With a face like his, people will easily like Jasper Sterling as long as he isn’t a complete jerk. That doesn’t mean he actually cares what people think of him.’
’If he cared about any of that, the Sterling Group would never have grown to its current size.’
’An excellent leader has to be decisive and autocratic. If all you want is a good reputation, why be a businessman at all? You might as well just be a philanthropist.’
’He’s not even as good as Caleb Lowell in that regard. At least Caleb is never swayed by outside opinions.’
The warmth in Julian Lanscaster’s eyes slowly froze over. After a moment, he smiled. "Is that so? Well, I stand corrected."
—
The next morning, Jane Lancaster wondered over breakfast what on earth she had done to make Julian Lanscaster’s favorability score plummet so drastically.
It had been so stable before, and now it had suddenly tanked, dropping by more than half to just 43%.
It was like taking a massive hit to her HP, a loss so great it was almost physically painful.
Still, compared to the others, that score was still impressively high.
Current favorability status: Pauline Shaw 7%, Adrian Lancaster 1%, and Alvin Lancaster 38%. The real shocker was Caleb Lowell, who was still at 52%!
Jane Lancaster had a bad feeling about this. Caleb Lowell was a very proud man. She had insisted on breaking off their engagement, and while her reasons were plausible, it was still a major blow to his pride, wasn’t it?
Instead of maturely choosing to stand by his side during his most difficult time, she had only caused more trouble. Without a doubt, she had crossed a line with him.
Shouldn’t he be furious with her?
After breakfast, Jane Lancaster went upstairs to change, and Mama Knight quietly followed her.
It had been too late to talk yesterday, but this morning, she had done some digging and felt the situation was not good.
So, she hurried upstairs to share the latest information with Jane Lancaster.
To put it simply, the Lancaster Family had also invited Luna Morgan to today’s apprenticeship banquet.
While Jane Lancaster had been away, Luna Morgan had frequently come to their home and waited at the gate, hoping for the first opportunity to apologize to Jane in person.
Because Jane Lancaster’s return date was uncertain, Luna Morgan always left empty-handed, only to return again another day.
Likely because of this, she had more opportunities to interact with the three Lancaster brothers.
Several times, the Eldest Young Master even had someone escort her home. Once, during a violent thunderstorm, he even invited Luna Morgan inside and let her stay for the night.
Mama Knight was truly shocked! Even if the Eldest Young Master wanted to demonstrate the Lancaster Family’s magnanimity, he shouldn’t have done it like that.
After all, Luna Morgan had indirectly ruined the Young Miss’s engagement. Even if Caleb Lowell was more to blame, Luna Morgan was by no means innocent.
The Lancaster Family didn’t have to resent Luna Morgan, but surely there was no need to be so friendly, was there?
"Young Miss, should we remind the Eldest Young Master not to let Luna Morgan attend the banquet today?" Mama Knight asked, lowering her voice.
Jane Lancaster shook her head. "No need. Eldest Brother must have his reasons for inviting Luna Morgan. He only extended the invitation; whether she attends is up to her."
Mama Knight breathed a sigh of relief. "In that case, Luna Morgan definitely won’t come."
If Luna Morgan were smart, she’d know she isn’t welcome and wouldn’t show up just to be snubbed.
Jane Lancaster smiled. "Mama Knight, you’re getting quite good at gathering intel."
Mama Knight preened. "Of course. I just chatted with Little Gao for a bit, and he told me everything."
Jane Lancaster was speechless. "..."
’I see now,’ she thought. ’Mama Knight still isn’t cautious enough.’
’If I remember correctly, the Lancaster Family servants will speak freely to anyone, but they’re always on guard around Mama Knight and me.’
’But whatever their purpose was in deliberately leaking this information, it probably won’t work.’
’Because I have no intention of paying it any mind.’
Jane Lancaster didn’t actually care whether Luna Morgan attended or not. In the original novel, Luna Morgan hadn’t shown up, but the original Jane still ended up being humiliated.
Quentin Woods had only agreed to attend the apprenticeship banquet as a favor to Luna Morgan, expecting her to become an apprentice alongside Jane Lancaster.
But when only Jane Lancaster showed up for the ceremony, he realized the most important person was missing and instantly felt he had been deceived.
He had immediately scowled and demanded to know why Luna Morgan wasn’t there, accusing the original Jane of deliberately pushing her out to steal the spotlight for herself.