Chapter 319: So Ugly, Yet Has Such Beautiful Ideas
Aurora Donovan was completely stunned by Arabella Donovan’s guess. He no longer felt that his sister’s earlier complaint had been an attempt to pin the blame on him.
Why hadn’t he thought to just walk and talk earlier, to get away from this hornet’s nest sooner?
If he had, he wouldn’t be stuck here now, looking at this disgusting creature that was polluting his sight.
This piece of filth was so foul it hurt to look at, yet he actually dared to have designs on his sister. It was a classic case of a toad lusting after a swan—ugly on the outside, but full of beautiful delusions.
"If my Serena really wants a tour of the lab, I, her brother, will be the one to show her around. We won’t trouble Mr. Spencer."
Julian Spencer, however, was completely unbothered by Aurora Donovan’s passive-aggressive and resentful tone.
From his perspective, Aurora Donovan’s current defensiveness only confirmed the rumors about how much he doted on and cared for his sister, Arabella Donovan.
"Dr. Donovan, please don’t misunderstand. That’s not what I meant. I just think that Dr. Donovan’s research topic is very important, which means you have relatively little free time. It’s only natural that you might not always be able to accompany Miss Donovan. On the other hand, I’m just an idle person in the lab, with nothing to do most of the time. It’s my duty to help everyone solve their problems and prevent any future troubles."
Julian Spencer felt that his words were perfectly reasonable, had subtly flattered Aurora Donovan, and were, from all angles, beyond reproach.
Little did he know, Aurora Donovan actually laughed in exasperation upon hearing this.
’So you do know you’re a useless piece of trash in the lab. You’ve got some self-awareness, but not much. And you want to use "helping me out" as an excuse to get close to my sister? Your intentions are so obvious they’re practically slapping me in the face. Does he really take my sister and me for a pair of fools?!’
"Mr. Spencer, if you have this much free time, you’d be better off spending it with that little girlfriend of yours from school. My sister’s affairs are none of your concern."
At Aurora Donovan’s words, the other two were both stunned.
Arabella Donovan’s reaction was one of pure surprise and confusion.
’How does my brother know the female lead exists? At this point in the timeline, she shouldn’t have even entered the lab yet. Could they have met somewhere else before this?’
Julian Spencer was floored. If he recalled correctly from his past life, the man before him hadn’t known about his relationship with Summer Vance even at the time of his death. How could he possibly know now...
’Did someone tell him something? Or did Summer Vance lie to me? Have they actually already...’
But no matter what, he couldn’t admit it now. Dr. Donovan already had a poor impression of him. If, on top of that, he was "misunderstood" as a two-timing player, this whole act would be impossible to maintain.
After a moment of bewilderment, Julian Spencer replied, a bit stiffly, "Wh-what girlfriend? Dr. Donovan, what are you talking about? I don’t understand. I’ve always been single. I don’t have a girlfriend."
Aurora Donovan watched the change in his expression, the contempt in his own eyes deepening. "Mr. Spencer, being too cowardly to own up to your actions is not a good look. If you two really aren’t boyfriend and girlfriend, then your relationship must be a bit..."
Even though Julian Spencer had been mentally prepared to act meek and subservient in front of Aurora Donovan, his expression twisted for a moment when faced with that look.
"Dr. Donovan, I don’t know who has been spreading rumors about me to you. But a clear conscience fears no accusation. What’s real is real, and what’s fake is fake. I truly do not have a girlfriend, nor am I in any kind of improper relationship with any female student at our school."
"Since you have also been deceived, I will let it go this time. However, I hope similar rumors will not continue to be spread in the future. It won’t do you or me any good."
Julian Spencer delivered these lines with such self-righteous conviction that if Arabella Donovan and her brother hadn’t already known his true nature, they might actually have been fooled by him.
Aurora Donovan completely ignored his threat and sneered. "Forget it. Whether you have a girlfriend and whether you’re willing to admit it is your business. I’ll say this only once: stay away from my sister. Otherwise, I’ll beat you up every single time I see you."
Without giving Julian Spencer a chance to react, he rolled up the window, started the car, and peeled out, disappearing in a matter of moments.
He left Julian Spencer standing there stunned. It wasn’t until he was hit with a face full of exhaust fumes that he snapped back to reality. His face darkened completely, and he furiously kicked a nearby planter.
"Who was it? Who the hell was it?"
In his past life and in this one, he had always been extremely cautious during the period of his sugar-daddy arrangement with Summer Vance.
He never publicly acknowledged Summer Vance’s existence, never picked her up near school, and never sought her out on campus. This was all to ensure he had an exit strategy for when his true Lover returned.
Under these circumstances, Julian Spencer didn’t believe anyone from school could have possibly discovered his relationship with Summer Vance and revealed it to Aurora Donovan ahead of time.
The only possible explanation was that Summer Vance, the other party involved, had told him herself.
Having just been reborn, Julian Spencer was fiercely ambitious, determined to reclaim everything that was originally his. He wanted to survive, and he wanted to be with the woman who had rejected him in his past life—the one he loved but could not have.
But now, with the appearance of this inexplicable situation, a fatal crack had instantly appeared in what he believed to be an indestructible love.
Julian Spencer was an extremely selfish and suspicious person by nature. Otherwise, in his past life, he wouldn’t have insisted on taking Aurora Donovan’s life simply because he misunderstood him and treated him as a supposed rival.
Now, this same suspicion was being directed at Summer Vance.
At that moment, the Donovan siblings had no idea that because of a few words of warning from Aurora Donovan, Julian Spencer’s long-feigned devotion had been shattered, and the so-called "true love" between the male and female leads was once again on the verge of collapse.
Meanwhile, Arabella Donovan was also extremely curious about Aurora Donovan’s source of information.
"Bro, how did you know that guy has a girlfriend at school?"
Fortunately, Aurora Donovan had already prepared an explanation. He cleared his throat and said, "The only way to keep a secret is to not do it in the first place. That guy is a bit of a celebrity at school. His uncle is the dean of the research institute, and his parents are no small-fry either. He’s good-looking, rich, and well-connected—a top-tier ’rich second generation’ in the eyes of many young people, a real prize catch."
"Unfortunately, his character is rotten. He’s still a student but instead of focusing on his studies and self-improvement, he’s always involved in some shady, underhanded business. I heard from others in the lab that he’s involved with a girl from a lower year, using his status as an upperclassman to coerce her."
"To put it nicely, they’re boyfriend and girlfriend. To put it bluntly, he’s a damn scumbag toying with a young girl’s heart. He’s a philandering wolf in sheep’s clothing. If you see him in the future, stay far away. Don’t let him be a bad influence on you."
"Oh."
Arabella Donovan agreed readily enough, but what she was really thinking was...
’That’s not right. My brother didn’t know the female lead was Julian Spencer’s girlfriend right up until he died. Otherwise, he never would have handed his research results over to her. So how does he know everything so clearly now?’