Chapter 164: It’s All Your Fault, You Jinx
Luna Morgan was completely stunned, as if something had just smashed her over the head. Her brain shut down, unable to think.
She had worked so hard, maneuvering and scheming, only to find out it was all for nothing.
But if Jane Lancaster was so brilliant, why did she let Julian run around asking for favors?
If that hadn’t been the case, she wouldn’t have volunteered to take on the ancient painting restoration project for The Genesis Art Academy.
Even if she had still participated, she could have put her name on it openly, made demands, and asked for compensation. She wouldn’t have had to beg for this and that, hoping to cover all the bases.
And she certainly wouldn’t have had to sneak around every day, not even daring to let anyone know she had accomplished something so significant.
She lowered her head and blinked, a scalding tear falling onto the back of her hand.
The tears instantly began to flow, impossible to stop.
Someone beside her offered a handkerchief. Luna Morgan started to say thank you and glanced over, but her hand froze as she reached for it.
"Take it," Jane Lancaster said softly, turning her head away.
’After all, I’m the one who hurt her pride. It’s only normal for her to be sad and upset.’
The woman before her remained calm and composed. Luna Morgan tried to find a trace of malice or smugness on her face, but there was none. Jane even maintained her courtesy by not looking back, preserving Luna’s fragile pride.
Just like when they first met, as if she hadn’t changed at all over the years.
Luna Morgan’s mind was a mess. She dazedly reached for the handkerchief, but a pack of tissues was suddenly pressed into her palm.
Through blurry, tear-filled eyes, she looked at the newcomer’s ridiculously handsome face. "Young Master Sterling?"
"Sorry, tissues are a bit more convenient," Jasper Sterling said with a particularly cultured smile.
"Thank you." Luna Morgan was touched, not expecting him to be so considerate and thoughtful.
Jasper Sterling stepped back to stand beside Jane Lancaster, lowering his gaze slightly. But there was no hint of a smile in his charming eyes. "No need to thank me. If that’s not enough, Uncle Lynn has more."
Jane Lancaster: "???"
’...If one pack of tissues isn’t enough, just how much is she planning to cry?’
Uncle Lynn vouched, "Don’t you worry, Miss Morgan. We’ve got enough tissues to last all day!"
Of course, this pack of tissues didn’t belong to his young master. It was prepared by this thoughtful old butler!
After the last handkerchief incident, a man as clever as him had immediately swapped them for tissues. They were cheap, disposable, and incredibly convenient. No need to worry about someone using it as an excuse to latch on!
Thank goodness he was the one who had prepared the tissues. Otherwise, the young master would have probably lost his mind. The handkerchief he intended to give Miss Lancaster had almost been used by another woman.
"Thank you, but that won’t be necessary." Luna Morgan looked at the pack of tissues pressed into her hand, her feelings a complicated mix.
’Even if they mean well, this is a really weird way to comfort someone.’
Jasper Sterling smiled. Of course, this wasn’t comfort. It was the most vicious of curses.
’Why did this woman deserve Jane’s concern? Just because she could cry?’
—
Quentin Woods finally left, his face a mask of utter defeat.
He was absolutely sick with regret. If he had known Jane Lancaster was this brilliant, he never would have had Mia Lanley deliberately give her a hard time.
If he hadn’t, his Genesis Art Academy project would have gained two capable assistants, Professor Lee’s project wouldn’t have made any progress, and he would have been the one basking in the limelight today.
Ultimately, he had put his trust in the wrong person. When Luna Morgan came to him saying she wanted to help Jane Lancaster get credited, he had mistakenly assumed Jane was an incompetent fraud.
"Professor Woods!" Luna Morgan cried, rushing after him.
Quentin Woods shoved her aside. "Get away from me! How could I have been so blind as to fall for a clueless menace like you!"
He had secretly taken money to let rich kids join his project team to pad their resumes, helping quite a few of them get into university.
Everything had been fine until now. But this time, Jane Lancaster, who hadn’t even participated in the project, was reported on the list of members, exposing the fact that his team was faking credits.
The higher-ups would definitely launch a strict investigation. Everything he had done in the past would be dug up. He was completely finished.
If Luna Morgan hadn’t been so arrogant because she thought she was his favorite, and hadn’t so forcefully demanded Jane Lancaster be given credit, none of this would have happened!
He now hated her as much as he had once adored her.
Some lucky star—she was a goddamn jinx!
"It’s all your fault, you jinx! I’m so fucking screwed because of you! I could just kill you!" A bone-deep hatred burned in his eyes.
The color drained from Luna Morgan’s face. Her heart, which had just calmed down, clenched painfully once more.
"I didn’t..." she pleaded, looking toward her senior classmates.
The others were also full of resentment. If Quentin Woods was investigated, they wouldn’t escape unscathed either.
They had their own problems to worry about; they were in no mood to comfort her.
"Yeah, it’s all her fault!"
"It’s hilarious. How could she be so self-righteous?"
"She’s always going on about helping this person and that person, right? Well, now that you’ve screwed us all over, why don’t you help us?"
"Forget it. She’s bad luck. Didn’t Samuel Miller get locked up because he stood up for her?"
Ian Lane didn’t join in the condemnation, but he didn’t offer any words of comfort either.
"Luna." Sean Grant stepped forward and steadied her.
Luna Morgan sobbed quietly. "Did I really do the wrong thing?"
"How could you have? You did nothing wrong. They’re the ones who are ungrateful," Sean Grant said with conviction.
After a pause, he added, "There’s nothing wrong with being kind. The truly despicable people are the ones who intentionally take advantage of your kindness."
Luna Morgan looked at him, stunned and bewildered.
"Miss Lancaster isn’t that kind of person..." she retorted instinctively.
"If she isn’t, then why did she hide her talent? Wasn’t it to set a trap and wait for you to fall into it?"
"But... she just comforted me..."
Sean Grant sighed. "Was she really comforting you, or was she just showing off her superiority? After all, with this, she’s silently eliminated you—a powerful competitor—and can now use you and Professor Woods as stepping stones to skyrocket to fame. You heard it just now, right? Chairman Gould wants to take her as his apprentice. He hasn’t taken an apprentice in over a decade. Do you really think she won’t just go with the flow and become his student today?"
It wasn’t that Luna Morgan couldn’t understand this reasoning; she just disdained to act on it herself.
Luna Morgan suddenly recalled the thugs who had forced her to leave her cousin’s home...
A shiver ran down her spine. If that were the case, Miss Lancaster was far too terrifying.
—
Meanwhile, the situation at the event didn’t unfold according to Sean Grant’s speculation.
As soon as Quentin Woods left, Jane Lancaster politely began seeing her guests out.
Chairman Gould and Professor Lee had indeed taken time out of their busy schedules and had many other things to attend to. Seeing that Jane Lancaster wasn’t trying to keep them, they left with a smile.
"Jay, how could you ask them to leave?" Julian Lancaster frowned.
"So many people would kill for the chance to have Chairman Gould attend their banquet. You should have done whatever it took to make him stay."
"A smarter person would have seized the opportunity and asked to become Chairman Gould’s student right on the spot."
Just as Jane Lancaster was about to speak, a few of her classmates came over and surrounded her.
"Jane, you’re too amazing! I always said you were so smart, getting into university would be no problem for you!"
"Yeah! Back in the day, you were the pride of Class Three!"
"The Class President is still such a badass! You’ve completely blown us away!"