Chapter 311 - 309: Do You Like Her?

Ethan Sterling was so surprised he froze. Seeing this, Jameson Stone chuckled. "She never told you any of this, did she? That’s just how she is. She never shows weakness. To be honest, I really admire her sometimes. Her life has been so hard, but she’s always been optimistic and resilient. She’s never complained about life being unfair. Instead, she’s just been channeling all her energy into changing her own destiny."

As he spoke, Jameson’s eyes filled with sincere praise and admiration. "And she did it, too. An unconditional offer to Lorcain University. The only one in our whole school!"

Ethan Sterling was deeply shaken by Jameson’s words. He’d never imagined the class president’s background was like that. You could tell from her day-to-day life that her family probably wasn’t wealthy, but you’d never see a single hint of the tragic circumstances she’d endured.

He’d also grown up without a father, but he had his mother and sister. He was much more fortunate than Renee Reid.

"Shook you, huh?"

Jameson waved a hand in front of his face. Ethan snapped out of it and muttered, "I’m just a bit surprised. I had no idea."

Jameson smiled at him, offering a word of advice. "Just make sure you don’t make that face in front of her. And don’t even think about pitying her. She hates that more than anything."

"I get it. I won’t. I admire her, just like you do."

Just then, their order was ready, and Jameson got up to get the tray.

Fresh fries are best eaten hot, and Jameson hadn’t been to KFC to indulge like this in a long time. As soon as he sat down, he eagerly dumped everything out onto the paper tray liner. "Now *this* is how you eat!"

"After the college entrance exams, are you going to confess to the class president?" Ethan asked, pinching a fry and suddenly looking at Jameson with a serious expression.

"COUGH, COUGH..."

Jameson choked on his food. He coughed violently twice before looking up, horrified. "What did you just say?"

Seeing his reaction, Ethan frowned. "But... don’t you like the class president?"

"Who told you that?" Jameson looked completely exasperated.

Ethan was at a loss for words, blinking blankly.

Jameson shook his head and sighed. "It’s not your fault. You’re not the first person to misunderstand our relationship."

’A misunderstanding?’

Ethan was baffled. He thought back to the first time he’d met Jameson. He had suddenly appeared and given the class president a beautifully wrapped present. ’Even though the class president later said the gift inside was hideous, giving a girl a gift so openly on the athletic field... doesn’t that mean he likes her?’

’And back then, Jameson had even bragged that he was going to get into Lorcain U, too. Wasn’t that because the class president had gotten her unconditional offer there?’

"So you don’t like the class president?"

"I do like her." Jameson nodded, then clarified, "But not in the way you’re thinking. Renee Reid and I have been in the same class since elementary school, all the way through junior high and high school. If they hadn’t suddenly reshuffled the classes based on placement tests in our senior year, we’d still be classmates now. She’s my best friend."

His tone was so natural and sincere that Ethan had no reason to doubt him.

"Oh, so that’s how it is. That was my misunderstanding. Sorry," Ethan apologized quietly.

But Jameson suddenly leaned in close, his eyes gleaming, and asked in a hushed voice, "Do *you* like Renee Reid?"

Ethan: "?"

"What are you talking about? I don’t," Ethan quickly denied. "It’s fine if you’re joking with me, but she’s a girl. You can’t just say things like that about the class president."

He spoke with a bit of a southern accent, which sounded interesting.

Jameson pouted. "But isn’t that what you just asked me?"

"That’s because I didn’t realize it was a misunderstanding. After all, the way you two acted before was easy to misinterpret."

"So, you really don’t like Renee Reid? I think you two would be great together. You’re the young master from a wealthy family, and she’s the resilient Cinderella from a humble background. It’s practically a fairy tale! And you’re both top students. If you two got together, you could accomplish anything."

Jameson’s words were getting more and more ridiculous. Ethan quickly cut him off. "Would you just stop? What are you even talking about? Can’t food do anything to shut you up?"

Jameson watched his reaction. Seeing that he really didn’t seem to have any romantic feelings for Renee, his own enthusiasm waned and he pouted. "Alright, alright, I’ll stop."

「Meanwhile, at Hearthstone Villas.」

Wendy Duncan, carrying a stainless steel tray, knocked on the door of the Sterlings’ villa, and Jasmine Sterling warmly welcomed her inside.

"Oh? Are you home alone? Isn’t Ethan out of school yet?"

Wendy was a little surprised to find Jasmine home alone after she stepped inside.

"Ethan said he was eating out with a classmate before coming home. What’ve you got there?"

Wendy snapped back to the present and quickly offered her the stainless steel tray. "Italian lasagna. We had some extra made, so I brought it over for us to share. I wanted you to try it."

"You made this yourself?" Jasmine took it with a smile as the sweet and tangy aroma of tomato sauce filled the air. "It smells amazing. And here I was just thinking of making some instant noodles for myself."

"Oh, I wish I were that skilled." Wendy waved her hand with a laugh. "My husband doesn’t like Western food, so we never make it at home. I only have our housekeeper make my favorites to satisfy a craving when he’s away. He happens to be out today, so I thought we could have a nice meal, a little wine, and a good chat."

The two of them had been spending a lot of time together lately, though it was always Wendy who took the initiative to visit. Jasmine was happy about it; it wasn’t easy to find a friend she clicked with in a new city like Lorcain, and she truly cherished their budding friendship.

An open laptop sat on the dining table.

Jasmine went into the kitchen to get plates and silverware. After Wendy sat down, her eyes drifted curiously to the laptop screen, where she saw Jasmine’s resume.

"Jasmine, what’s this? Are you looking for a job?"

Jasmine came out with the tableware and set it down, then put a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture. "Just keep this between us. Please don’t tell Estelle, or Cecilia will find out for sure. She won’t let me get a job."

"Cecilia is just worried about you. She wants you to stay home and enjoy a comfortable life."

"I know, but I can’t just sit around," Jasmine said, closing her laptop and sitting down across from Wendy. "Besides, I’m just testing the waters. It’s not guaranteed I’ll even find anything."

"What kind of work are you looking for, then? It can’t be anything too stressful. Otherwise, it won’t just be Cecilia objecting—I’ll object, too," Wendy said seriously.

Jasmine laughed. "It won’t be stressful. It’s my old line of work—the hotel industry. I’ve been doing it for many years and have plenty of experience. Plus, I’m curious about the hotel scene here in Lorcain and wanted to give it a try. It’s not like I know how to do anything else."