Chapter 533 - 529: Everyone Needs to Calm Down

Their eyes met. Cecilia Sterling’s expression was a mix of surprise and shock, while Wyatt Sherman’s was a blend of nervousness and anticipation.

The next second, Cecilia lowered her gaze to Wyatt’s lower half and jutted her chin. "Alright, drop your pants and let me see."

"Huh?"

This time, it was Wyatt’s turn to be shocked. "H-here?"

Seeing the panicked yet earnest look on his face, Cecilia couldn’t help but laugh. "Are you crazy, or am I? I tell you to do it, and you’d actually dare to drop your pants right here?"

At her laugh, Wyatt instantly sighed in relief.

Cecilia looked at him, her expression exasperated. "What’s going on in that head of yours? Did all that studying fry your brain?"

"No..." Wyatt said, sounding aggrieved. Even the cool air from the AC vent above couldn’t chase away the blush on his cheeks. "Didn’t you say you wanted to ’inspect the goods’ before we made things official? I-I was thinking I should only confess after you were satisfied."

Seeing him say that with such a straight face, Cecilia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

In the end, all she could manage was a wry smile. ’He’s actually being quite respectful.’

"I was just kidding. You don’t have to take it so seriously," Cecilia said softly.

This just left Wyatt baffled. He blinked and asked uncertainly, "So... are we ’inspecting’ or not? I’m a bit lost on what I’m supposed to do."

Cecilia replied, exasperated and amused, "That’s not exactly something you can do on command, is it? Are we supposed to just go get a room in a bit? That’s way too forced. Even if something were to happen, shouldn’t it be something that happens naturally, when the time and place are right?"

"Did you really treat this as ’inspecting the goods’?"

Wyatt nodded, then shook his head, looking completely at a loss.

Cecilia looked at the expression on his handsome face and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. ’Sometimes, the boyish awkwardness of college guys is actually really endearing.’

But then, a second later, Wyatt said in a low voice, "I’m just... pretty confident in my abilities. I wanted to get your approval quickly."

Cecilia: "..."

Luckily, a waiter walked over at that moment and asked with a smile, "Are you two ready to order now?"

"Yes," Cecilia nodded hurriedly. ’If this goes on any longer,’ she thought, ’Wyatt’s going to get completely obsessed with this and won’t be able to let it go.’

It dawned on Wyatt a moment later, and his face turned even redder. He said to the waiter, "Could I get a glass of ice water first, please? Thanks."

He needed to cool down.

"I’ll have one too," Cecilia added.

’She needed to cool down too. Why did she feel a flicker of anticipation after hearing him say that?’

"Wyatt!"

Just then, a woman with a stern demeanor suddenly appeared behind Wyatt. Cecilia, sitting opposite him, was the first to look up and see her.

And though the woman had called Wyatt’s name, her wary, scrutinizing gaze landed on Cecilia first.

Cecilia was slightly taken aback and turned to look at Wyatt.

Wyatt turned around, startled. "Mom?"

The moment he spoke, Cecilia’s expression changed slightly, but she still took the initiative to stand and greet the woman. "Hello, ma’am."

Mrs. Sherman had an imposing, cold aura. Cecilia could clearly sense the other woman’s wariness toward her, but after Cecilia greeted her, she gave an expressionless nod in what passed for a response.

’At least she has some basic manners.’

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Wyatt was very surprised. He looked around, thinking she might also be here for a meal and that they had run into each other by chance, but he saw she was alone.

Mrs. Sherman looked at Wyatt, her imposing manner softening slightly. She furrowed her brow, giving him a look that said, "Outside, now," then turned and walked out first.

Cecilia blinked, silently taking in the scene.

"Cecilia, I’m so sorry. I’ll be right back," Wyatt said to her apologetically.

Cecilia, of course, wasn’t going to stop a mother and son from talking. She nodded and simply sat back down.

In the shade outside the restaurant door, Wyatt came out to see his mother’s back, which seemed to radiate anger. He sighed softly and walked up to her. "Mom, were you tracking me?"

Mrs. Sherman turned around. "What do you mean, ’tracking you’? You’re driving my car. Of course I know where you are!"

Wyatt was speechless. He glanced anxiously through the glass at Cecilia inside.

Seeing this, Mrs. Sherman’s gaze turned icy. "Who is that girl?"

"A friend."

"A friend?" Mrs. Sherman clearly didn’t believe him. "What kind of friend? Isn’t Thalassa Bowman the only female friend you have?"

Wyatt sighed in exasperation. "That’s because the only one *you’re* willing to acknowledge is Thalassa, since she’s ’outstanding in every way.’ Cecilia is outstanding too, you just don’t know her."

"You mean she’s pretty!" Mrs. Sherman snorted. "If she’s so ’outstanding,’ how come I’ve never heard of her at the university?"

"She doesn’t go to Lorcain U. She’s from Lorcain Tech."

"Lorcain Tech?" Mrs. Sherman sneered, then shook her head. "I don’t care what university she’s from. You need to remember that your top priority is studying for the grad school entrance exam. Nothing can get in the way of that!"

"Haven’t I been studying hard? Mom, it’s the National Day holiday. Can’t I even have a meal with a girl I like?"

"So you admit you like her?"

"Why wouldn’t I admit it?" Wyatt furrowed his brow. "Liking her isn’t something to be ashamed of."

"Dating will distract you, don’t you know that? Do you really think getting into grad school at Veritas University is that easy?"

"We’re not dating!" Wyatt explained. "She hasn’t even said yes to me yet."

"Then you’ll be even *more* distracted! Chasing a girl is mentally draining. If you’re thinking about how to win her over all day, how will you have any energy left for studying?" Mrs. Sherman said self-righteously. "It’s good you’re not dating yet. Cut your losses now. Don’t you dare waste any more time on things like this. If you want to date someone, you can think about it after you get into grad school."

"Mom!" Wyatt was utterly exasperated. "And you call yourself a teacher? What kind of teacher is so tyrannical and controlling, meddling in her own son’s love life?"

"I’m doing this for your own good! Did I ever interfere when you dated in your freshman and sophomore years? Do you have any idea what’s at stake right now? Can’t you tell what your priorities should be?"

Before Wyatt could say anything else, Mrs. Sherman waved her hand dismissively. "I don’t want to argue with you here. The girl is still waiting inside. Finish your meal and come straight home!"

Wyatt opened his mouth, but his mother had already walked away without a backward glance.

He sighed in frustration. He didn’t rush back inside, instead taking a moment outside to compose himself before returning to the restaurant.

Even so, Cecilia could still see the vexation clouding his features.

But she didn’t press him. Matters between a mother and son were private, and if Wyatt didn’t want to talk about it, she wouldn’t ask.

’It was obvious, anyway,’ she thought. ’She could have just called him, but she showed up at the restaurant instead. She must have tracked his location.’

"Cecilia, I’m sorry," Wyatt said, breaking the silence.

Cecilia shook her head gently. "It’s fine. Let’s order. This one’s on me."

"My mom is a professor at Lorcain U. She’s always been really intense about me getting into grad school, so..." Wyatt tried to explain, but he seemed to be at a loss for words.

Seeing this, Cecilia smiled faintly. "It’s okay. You don’t have to explain it to me."

Wyatt looked at Cecilia, then nodded. "Okay."