Chapter 326: Completely Reversed
Everyone nearby, whether they had already taken their seats or were just about to, suddenly froze. Then, as if nothing had happened, they all went back to what they were doing.
But upon closer inspection, one would find that everyone’s ears had perked up.
Melody Lynch’s heart began to pound uncontrollably. Her savior—the one she had met only once and exchanged just a few words with years ago, whom she had later scoured all of Jarden for but could never find—who on earth was he!
’Huh?!’
Arabella Donovan shifted in her seat, her posture straightening slightly.
Had she figured it out already? At her movement, the hearts of both families leaped into their throats.
’My cousin Melody’s savior is... a...’
’A what? Spit it out! Good grief, the suspense is killing us!’
’He’s a big fatty, weighing two or three hundred pounds!’
The two families: "???"
The Lynch Family: "!!!"
The Donovans: *Whoa, what a bombshell!*
Melody Lynch’s expression stiffened slightly. She hardly dared to look up and meet her family’s questioning gazes.
The young man who saved her back then had indeed been a bit... excessively round, but one always tends to view the great hero who helped them in a crisis through a bit of a filter.
And with this filter applied, "excessively round" became "somewhat round."
’There’s nothing wrong with that!’ Melody Lynch thought, feeling perfectly justified.
’The priority now is to find him as soon as possible and repay him for saving my life back then!’
Arabella Donovan had no idea what Melody Lynch was thinking. After seeing the savior from back then through Melody’s memories, and then recalling Howard Gallagher’s good looks, her expression became incredibly complicated.
’According to the usual tropes, if the savior is handsome, the line is, "I can never repay you for saving my life. This humble maiden can only offer herself in marriage to thank you for your great kindness." If he’s a little less attractive, it becomes, "I can never repay you for saving my life. This humble maiden will work like a beast of burden for you in the next life to repay your kindness." But your case is the complete opposite.’
Howard Gallagher might be a terrible person, but as a significant supporting male character in a romance novel, his looks were absolutely top-notch.
After seeing what her three-hundred-pound savior looked like and comparing him to Howard Gallagher’s pretty-boy looks, not even the "savior filter" was enough to sway Melody Lynch in the slightest. It just goes to show she truly doesn’t judge people by their appearance and values what’s on the inside.
’Of course, it’s also possible that the sheer cognitive dissonance from the huge gap in attractiveness made my cousin suspicious of Howard Gallagher’s identity. But if that were true, for her to still fall so easily into his trap in the end, dragging herself and her entire family down with her... I guess it’s because she’s just not that bright.’
’...’ ’Okay, that’s going too far. I’m a top student from a prestigious university, you know. I can’t take this kind of insult to my intelligence.’
’But, in order to find out the real identity of the young man from back then, I’ll just have to endure this humiliation for now,’ Melody Lynch decided. ’Settling the score can wait.’
But the very next second, she heard Arabella Donovan let out a sigh of what sounded like regret.
’Judging from my cousin’s memories, there are just too few clues. I really can’t figure out who her savior is right now.’
’...’ ’No, wait. All that build-up, I got myself all prepared, and... that’s it? *That’s it?!*’
Melody Lynch was so exasperated she almost laughed. She wished she could just grab Arabella Donovan and shake her to see if any other information might fall out.
Arabella Donovan was still moping when she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, and the fine hairs on her arms stood on end.
Like a startled little animal, she snapped her head up, her eyes darting around, wary and afraid.
Seeing this, Melody Lynch felt something tug at her heart. She suddenly understood why her handful of unreliable family members were already doting on the girl so foolishly after meeting her just a few times. If she were in their shoes, she’d be just as biased!
She was only trying to enjoy the gossip. What could she have done wrong?
Arabella Donovan scanned her surroundings, and only after confirming there was no danger did she let out a subtle sigh of relief.
As she turned her head, she met Melody Lynch’s smiling gaze. Arabella blinked, her eyes widening in shock.
’Oh my god, why did my cousin’s Red Simurgh Star just light up? I thought she didn’t fall for Howard Gallagher?’
What?! In an instant, everyone in the vehicle—except for Juliet Lyons, who was holding a baby and couldn’t easily stand—shot to their feet, craning their necks in unison toward where the two girls were sitting.
The members of the Lynch Family, who were sitting closer, practically had their faces pressed right up against Melody Lynch’s.
"???"
Arabella Donovan was so startled she flinched, shrinking back like a poor little white rabbit surrounded by a pack of wolves.
"What... are you all... doing?"
Melody Lynch was rendered speechless by everyone’s behavior. She rolled her eyes in frustration, not wanting to say a word.
Everyone in the vehicle finally realized they had overreacted. Mrs. Lynch was the quickest to recover, swiftly grabbing some snacks meant for kids and offering them to Arabella Donovan.
"It’s so late, Serena must be hungry, right? Here are some snacks to tide you over. Once we get home, I’ll have someone make you a proper late-night meal."
"Right, right! Over here we have sunflower seeds, peanuts, and red dates."
"I have some, too! Chocolate and little bread rolls."
"This popcorn looks pretty good, too. It’ll help you pass the time."
"..."
Everyone else in the vehicle quickly caught on, each grabbing a snack to stuff into Arabella Donovan’s arms.
In a matter of moments, Arabella Donovan’s arms were piled so high with treats that she could barely hold them all.
’Oh, they just wanted to give me snacks. Auntie and Uncle are so nice.’
Everyone’s tense nerves finally relaxed. To avoid arousing Arabella Donovan’s suspicion, they even started making small talk with the person next to them.
But while their mouths were moving, their minds were completely focused on a certain little girl not far away.
Arabella Donovan shared half of her haul of snacks with Melody Lynch, then tore open a pack of cookies and began to nibble on one as she thought.
’My cousin’s Red Simurgh Star is shining so brightly, her fated encounter must be in the next few days. Should I stay and see who her Mr. Right is? What if it really is that mama’s boy scumbag, Howard Gallagher? No, I have to find a way to stay at the Lynch residence for a few more days, just in case!’
Melody Lynch’s hand, holding a bag of potato chips, tightened unconsciously. Her intuition told her that the person Arabella was talking about couldn’t possibly be that Howard Gallagher fellow.
She was just a bit naive and proud from being spoiled by her family, not genuinely stupid. How could she possibly walk right into his trap knowing that he was trying to trick and plot against her?
Besides, according to the little girl, she hadn’t even been interested in the guy when she was in the dark. Now that she knew the truth, there was no way she’d fall for him. She wasn’t a masochist, looking to be mistreated!
So, who on earth was this person making her Red Simurgh Star flare up?!
Not far away, Zane Lynch and Mr. Lynch were feeling rather conflicted. Their minds were filled with the gloomy melancholy of their prize cabbage about to be ravaged by some pig. They silently took out their long-treasured butcher knives and began to sharpen them.
Mrs. Lynch was arguably the most clear-headed one in the family. She thought with a gentle smile, ’Don’t you worry, sweetie. You don’t have to lift a finger. Even if you wanted to leave now, our entire family wouldn’t let you.’