Chapter 99 - 98
’What is Simon Lockwood saying?’
’Has he gone mad?!’
Joanna Kennedy said in disbelief, "I’m over twenty."
"All the better for learning." Simon Lockwood’s tone didn’t change in the slightest as he said it so matter-of-factly.
"But... I make hundreds of thousands per project! What’s the point of me going to college?!" Joanna Kennedy exclaimed in exasperation.
Simon Lockwood frowned, clearly disapproving of her mindset. "I’m not asking you to go to college to make money."
"Then why?!" Joanna Kennedy’s face fell as she guessed, "Do you think we’re not on the same level academically? That I’m not good enough for you? Is that why you’re so hell-bent on me going to college?"
Her voice was so full of grievance, it was enough to make anyone who heard it weep.
Simon Lockwood: "..."
Sometimes, he truly had no idea what strange things were brewing in Joanna Kennedy’s little head.
Joanna Kennedy was still glaring at him, looking as if she would burst into tears the moment he admitted it.
Simon Lockwood sighed. "College itself isn’t what’s important. It’s the experience. You never took the entrance exams, never experienced life on campus... don’t you have any regrets?"
While girls from ordinary families were only worried about their studies, his Joanie had been forced to drop out and move far away from home. At an age when she should have been in an ivory tower, the innocent, naive eighteen-year-old had been thrust into the real world.
She had stumbled along, just trying to survive, before cluelessly finding her way into the entertainment industry.
This was completely different from the life he had planned for Joanna Kennedy. He had wanted her to grow up slowly, to find her passion within the microcosm of college, and then to pursue a career she loved, living freely under his protection for the rest of her life.
Not wandering into the entertainment industry, lost and confused.
Simon Lockwood admitted that he was being too presumptuous, but for once, he wanted to be.
Joanna Kennedy could afford to be a little more childish, a little more naive, because he was already formidable enough for the both of them.
A few seconds of silence hung in the air.
Joanna Kennedy wanted to say she had no regrets, but when she saw the guilt and heartache he was trying so hard to conceal in his eyes, she swallowed the words back down.
’He’s the one who feels the regret for me,’ she thought.
Simon Lockwood felt responsible for all of it, and so, even after so many years, he was trying his best to make amends.
Joanna Kennedy suddenly felt a sense of relief and stopped resisting. Blinking her slightly misty eyes, she began to bargain. "Well, you can’t force me to study all the time. I still have to film my show."
’The contract’s already signed. I can’t just not show up.’
The tense look on Simon Lockwood’s face relaxed slightly. He thought for a moment, then agreed.
’Can’t push her too hard,’ he thought. ’She’ll just rebel.’
And just like that, the matter of her going to college was settled.
This was no simple task. She had forgotten nearly all the fundamentals and would have to start from scratch.
So, when Joanna arrived on set, Julie saw her clutching a bag full of books and was so shocked her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
"The Complete Guide to High School Math, Practice Problems for Standardized Tests, Advanced Mathematical Concepts, 72 Classic Poems for College Admissions, 3500 Essential Vocabulary Words..." Julie looked up, dumbfounded. "Excuse me, student, I think you’re on the wrong film set."
Joanna Kennedy took the books back from her, packed them away, and said with feigned melancholy, "You wouldn’t understand. My lack of education is the greatest pain of my life!"
Julie: "?? Huh?"
She recalled the recent trending topic online and thought she understood. "Is this because of those netizens making fun of you for only having a high school diploma?" she asked cautiously. "Did it get to you?"
Joanna Kennedy shook her head with a bitter smile.
Julie thought her guess was correct and was filled with pity. "Don’t listen to that nonsense," she comforted. "Plenty of people never went to college! It’s not like you need a degree for this job. As long as you can act, you’re fine. Besides, plenty of other stars in this industry don’t have amazing academic records either."
Joanna Kennedy gazed up at the sky at a perfect 45-degree angle of melancholy. "No. I can ignore the words of strangers, but the disdain of my one true love... it pierces my very soul!"
As she spoke, she even managed to squeeze out a pair of precious little tears.
Her one true love? His disdain???
Julie was stunned.
Joanna Kennedy, now fully in character, continued to dab at her tears pitifully and sighed. "Life among the rich and powerful isn’t easy. You know how it is."
Julie: "..."
She had no idea Joanna Kennedy’s life had become this difficult.
On the top floor of the Southland Group building, the man sitting behind the desk let out a sneeze. He paid it no mind and continued to write, his head bowed in concentration.
His large hands, with their well-defined knuckles, were captivating, and the mathematical formulas he wrote were perfectly neat.
Jack Warren came over to pick up a file and glanced down. When he saw what the man was writing, the corner of his mouth twitched. He desperately wanted to shout, ’It’s work hours right now!’
Unfortunately, the one slacking off was the big boss.
Only after finishing a review of important middle school math formulas did Simon Lockwood unhurriedly raise his eyes, bestowing a glance upon him. "You need something?"
"Nope." Jack Warren tactfully waved his hands. He was about to leave when he remembered something. He stopped and said, "Manager Sutton submitted her letter of resignation. Would you like to see it?"
Simon Lockwood rarely handled minor personnel issues like this. Southland Group was a massive, dominant corporation with thousands of employees; he didn’t have the energy to keep track of every new hire or resignation.
Jack Warren, having been with him for so many years, naturally knew this.
Which made his reason for bringing it up all the more intriguing.
Simon Lockwood furrowed his brows, his expression cold. "Process it according to procedure."
Jack Warren raised an eyebrow. Perhaps from spending too much time with Sean Grant, he suddenly felt the urge to stir the pot. "You know, she came all this way chasing after you. Aren’t you going to ask her to stay?"
Hearing this, Simon Lockwood slowly lifted his gaze to glance at him, his face as cold and still as water.
Jack Warren immediately threw up his hands in surrender, his expression turning serious. "I’ll get right out of your hair. I have work to do."
As he stepped out of the CEO’s office, Jack Warren saw a delicate figure standing not far away.
Serena Sutton was dressed in business attire. At only about 5’3", her high heels did a good job of flattering her figure, making her appear slender and frail, someone to be pitied and protected.
When she saw Jack Warren come out, she immediately walked over, biting her lip. "Mr. Lockwood... what did he say?"
Jack Warren couldn’t ignore the hope in her eyes.
He couldn’t help but sigh. It was a classic case of unrequited love. The mysteries of love and affection in this world were truly profound.
He remembered the first time Serena Sutton had come to the university looking for Simon. She had been wandering around asking everyone which professor Simon was studying under. Jack had happened to be passing by and offered to take her to him.
He had thought it was the start of a beautiful, international love story, but Simon’s cold indifference had nipped it in the bud before she could even get close.
Even after that, Serena Sutton never gave up. She was always trailing after Simon, her relentless ’I-won’t-quit-until-you’re-mine’ attitude a stark contrast to her delicate appearance.
Both Jack Warren and Sean Grant had been moved by her persistence and tried to persuade Simon to just give in.
But what was it Simon had said?
Oh, right. Without even pausing the pen that was flying across his thesis paper, he had said, emotionlessly, "A clumsy imitation."
At the time, Jack Warren hadn’t understood. If Serena Sutton was the homely Dong Shi, then who was the beautiful Xi Shi in Simon Lockwood’s heart?
The girl in the video on his phone?