Chapter 153: What’s Going On, Where Is Everyone?
Sylvan finally gave Pauline Shaw a once-over.
"So this is Pauline Shaw? Little Ian, you’d rather choose her than me. I’m jealous."
Cecilia Nash gave him a light punch. "Stop fooling around."
’Good hit. Hit him again. The guy’s just asking for it!’ Jane Lancaster shot Cecilia Nash an approving glance.
"Well, if there’s nothing else, you two can keep looking around. I have some things to attend to, so I’m going to head off," Jane Lancaster said, trying to make her escape.
Sylvan’s eyes widened. "Wait, you’re just going to ditch us? We’re old classmates who haven’t seen each other in forever. Shouldn’t we catch up?"
Jane Lancaster replied, "You want me to escort you all evening? The nerve. Go entertain yourself."
’This guy is so loud. It’s annoying!’
Cecilia Nash said gently, "Little Ian, don’t worry about him. Go on and greet your other guests."
After a pause, she added, "There’s no need for so much formality between us old classmates. The two of us will take care of ourselves, and we won’t wander off to network with other people. We’ll wait right here for you."
Her smile was pleasant and her voice was gentle, but by nonchalantly mentioning "old classmates" in contrast to "other guests," she made it seem as if she and Sylvan were much closer to Jane Lancaster.
Sylvan shrugged. "All right, go on and take care of your duties. Just call us if you need anything."
He hadn’t forgotten that Jasper Sterling had asked them to come and be Jane Lancaster’s backup.
He didn’t quite understand what she needed backup for, though. ’Who would dare to underestimate Little Ian?’
That would be ridiculous. Back then, in their group, no one would ever forget the terror of being dominated by Little Ian.
He now researched mathematics at Solara University and occasionally gave lectures to the undergrads.
Due to the course’s high failure rate, his students were so traumatized by the math problems that they flocked to the school forums to complain anonymously.
"Professor, I’m doing math problems in my dreams!" "Professor, I’m afraid to fall asleep!" "Professor, how can you sleep at night?"
To be honest, he used to sleep like a log. But ever since he got Jasper Sterling’s invitation, he’d started having insomnia.
Just like his students, he’d started frantically doing math problems in his dreams. The worst part was, he couldn’t even solve them!
Pauline Shaw was still a bit dazed even after walking a good distance away.
She wasn’t blind. She could tell Cecilia Nash had been targeting their group, her words clearly defending Jane Lancaster.
Even if she was a good friend of Adrian’s, she shouldn’t have gone to such lengths.
Pauline Shaw composed herself. "Jay, our classmates didn’t mean to ignore you. Everyone came to celebrate you getting into university."
Cecilia Nash’s words had made it sound as if they all had ulterior motives, which left Pauline feeling vaguely uncomfortable.
"Jay, don’t misunderstand. We just got a little excited when we saw Sullivan the Scholar."
"Of course old classmates are close. We all came here to support you."
"I always said Jane Lancaster would have no problem getting into university. After all, she was always number one in our class! First in the entire grade!"
"Now that Jane Lancaster is going to university too, our whole class has finally made it. That’s a 100% college acceptance rate! No one got left behind!"
Several other classmates, quick on the uptake, also chimed in.
Jane Lancaster smiled. "Thank you all for coming. I’m very happy."
Pauline Shaw suggested, "Why don’t we go up to Jay’s room and sit for a while to catch up?"
Jane Lancaster: "..."
’Caleb Lowell must have specially invited this group, right? So my acceptance party wouldn’t look too pathetic with no old classmates in attendance.’
’He was being a little naive, though. They’re here to network. Who wants to be cooped up in a room reminiscing with old classmates?’
’I’ll bet five bucks they won’t agree.’
The thought had barely crossed her mind when a commotion rippled through the crowd ahead. Jane Lancaster looked up to see Julian Lancaster walking in with several middle-aged men.
Jane Lancaster instantly recognized them as the bigwigs of the Stratton Commerce Association.
"President Walden!" One of the male classmates immediately hurried over, beaming.
With him taking the lead, the other classmates followed suit.
What was catching up with old classmates compared to the importance of networking?
In just a moment, only Pauline Shaw was left standing beside Jane Lancaster.
No one responded to Pauline Shaw’s suggestion, as if they hadn’t heard it at all.
"Pauline, you should have spoken louder. Then everyone might have heard you," Jane Lancaster said with a smile.
Pauline Shaw: "..."
She stood there awkwardly for a moment, then her eyes fixed on Caleb Lowell behind the crowd. "Cousin."
Caleb Lowell hadn’t come alone, but with several business partners.
The two families were fighting over the annulment of the engagement, and Julian Lancaster’s stance was unyielding. If Caleb had shown up alone, he likely would have been turned away at the door.
So he had asked the president of the Commerce Association to bring him in. He wasn’t entering as the Lancaster family’s prospective son-in-law; it was strictly business, giving Julian Lancaster no reason to kick him out.
He saw Jane Lancaster standing all alone, then glanced at her classmates who were busy talking up the business magnates. His expression darkened.
"What’s going on? Where is everyone?" He walked straight toward Pauline Shaw.
Pauline Shaw’s scalp prickled with anxiety. She hadn’t managed to do what her cousin had asked. "Everyone will be back to keep Jay company in a minute."
Caleb Lowell looked at Jane Lancaster, his gaze fixed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. "...Jay."
Having not seen her for so long, he found that he missed her more than he had imagined.
Jane Lancaster’s gaze was that of a stranger. She gave him a polite, distant nod and turned to leave.
Caleb Lowell instinctively started to follow her.
"Oh, Professor Woods, you’re finally here!" someone called out with a smile.
Caleb Lowell’s steps faltered slightly. He looked up and met the gaze of Luna Morgan, who was walking at the very back.
He barely paused, his gaze sliding right past her.
Luna Morgan lowered her gaze, her eyes dimming with disappointment.
Caleb Lowell had never ignored her so completely, not even in the past. It was as if he couldn’t even see her.
She would rather he scold or reprimand her. At least that would be an emotional response, which was better than being ignored like this.
Quentin Woods noticed that Luna Morgan hadn’t caught up. He turned back to look at her and saw the disappointment in her eyes.
He looked up and saw Jane Lancaster’s departing back, and he quickly understood: his precious apprentice was being deliberately bullied.
’Jane Lancaster talks about breaking the engagement, but in reality, she’s still making eyes at Caleb Lowell. She can’t bear to let go of such a good match.’
’Putting on an act while making Luna Morgan take the blame for breaking them up... she’s truly detestable.’
’What’s more, Jane Lancaster has no respect for me at all. She saw me but didn’t even offer a hand. It just shows how awful her character is.’
’She only got her university acceptance letter by relying on my project, and now she wants to use my reputation to burnish her own.’
’Last time, she ganged up with that detestable Jasper Sterling and made me lose all face, nearly ruining my reputation.’
’And now she’s manipulating Luna Morgan, Julian Lancaster, and Caleb Lowell, having the three of them take turns pressuring me to back down and accept her as my student.’
’What a scheme!’
The moment Quentin Woods thought about how he had almost compromised, he became even angrier.
’Back then, I had even thought that since Jane Lancaster was the young lady of the Lancaster family, even if she was an idiot, as long as the Lancasters offered enough benefits and Luna Morgan was willing to always cover for her, I could tolerate it.’
Luckily, he met a benefactor who gave him some guidance. Only then did he realize he had been tricked and was almost dragged down into ruin and disgrace.
’This isn’t over. If Jane Lancaster dares to plot against me so deliberately, she’d better be prepared for a slap in the face.’