Chapter 755 She Really Is Our Benefactor

"Mom, Mindy is a grown woman, not a child. Lorcain is a huge city. If she wants to hide, it’ll be very easy for her to avoid being found."

"Besides, she told you she was coming to Lorcain, and you just believed it? She ran away from home. Why would she be so naive as to tell you her actual destination?"

While making shredded radish and egg pancakes, Jasmine Sterling had her phone on speaker, dealing with her mother.

Her mother heard this and suddenly felt Jasmine had a point. "That’s true. You went to the airport and didn’t find her. Could it be she never went to Lorcain at all? Maybe she ran off somewhere else?"

"That damn girl. She’s really grown up and gotten bold. She’s never left Fornan in twenty years, and now she dares to sneak off all by herself. She could die out there and no one would even know."

Her mother’s words were incredibly harsh. What kind of grandmother talks about her own granddaughter that way?

If it had been a grandson, she’d probably be crying her eyes out with worry by now.

"Mom, Mindy’s an adult. Since she’s not in school anymore, it’s good for her to get out there, gain some experience, and see the world. Didn’t Yvonne and I leave home when we were young, too? We weren’t even adults back then."

Her mother said, "How can you compare the two? When you were young, it was because the family was struggling. We had to pay for your brother’s and Connor’s education..."

"What’s the difference? We all left home, didn’t we? Besides, didn’t Mindy call my sister-in-law to report she’s safe? She’s an adult and can make her own decisions. As long as she’s okay, none of you have the right to control her."

Before her mother could nag any further, Jasmine Sterling cut her off. "Cecilia and Ethan start school today. I can’t talk anymore."

After hanging up, Jasmine Sterling pursed her lips, speechless.

’Her mother said it was different, and it really was.’ When she and her sister had left home, their mother had been all for it. They were going out to make money for the family, money that had to be sent back home.

But with Mindy gone, the marriage her mother had arranged for her was definitely off, and that hefty bride price had gone up in smoke.

’How could her mother not be anxious?’

’In any case, the smokescreen they’d helped Mindy create was definitely working. The family back home wouldn’t be able to find her anytime soon.’

Soon, Cecilia and Ethan both came downstairs.

"Mom, I’ve already asked a friend to handle Mindy’s school enrollment. The process is similar to how Ethan transferred in. It should only take a few days, so don’t worry," Cecilia said, telling her mother the news as soon as she sat down.

Jasmine Sterling smiled and nodded. "Of course I’m not worried. Your grandmother just called to complain, but they can’t do anything if they can’t find her."

Ethan Sterling pursed his lips. "A whole family of vampires. How old is Mindy, anyway? And they’re already trying to marry her off to squeeze every last drop of value out of her. I’ve never seen anything like it."

"Okay, let’s not think about it for now," Cecilia said. "Once Mindy is successfully enrolled in school, we’ll have done all we can. Knowing Mindy’s personality, I’m sure she’ll seize this opportunity and cherish it. As for what happens next, as long as she’s willing to work hard, her fortunes are bound to turn around."

After breakfast, Cecilia took her luggage and headed to the university.

Today was the first day of the new semester. The university entrance was swarming with people, and the dorms were filled with students returning with their luggage.

Cecilia was dragging two suitcases toward her dorm when she ran right into an acquaintance.

"Cecilia!"

"Evan?"

Evan Lawson was one of the members of the Calabash Brothers Studio. He was in charge of calibration and technical repairs, a quiet, low-key person who rarely spoke during team meetings.

"Evan, why are you back on campus? Didn’t you graduate?" Cecilia asked, surprised. As she spoke, she noticed a girl standing next to him.

Evan spoke up, explaining, "This is my girlfriend, Vera Coleman. She’s still a student at Lorcain Tech. I’m just here to drop her off for the new semester."

"And this is the junior I was telling you about, Cecilia. She’s our group’s Cash Cow—our one and only investor!"

Vera Coleman nodded. "I know who she is. I’ve heard about her. Hi, Cecilia."

Cecilia gave a polite smile and replied, "Hi."

Evan Lawson noticed Cecilia’s two suitcases and offered to help. "Let me help you with those."

"Oh, no, don’t trouble yourself. They’re not that heavy. I can manage."

"It’s no trouble, really. It’d take you two trips, but I can get them all in one." Without thinking twice, Evan took the suitcases from her. "Which building is it?"

Seeing his insistence, Cecilia had no choice but to relent. "It’s right up ahead. I’ll lead the way. Thanks, Evan."

"Don’t mention it."

Vera Coleman simply watched without saying anything, seemingly unbothered by the interaction.

After they reached the door of Cecilia’s dorm room, Evan didn’t linger. "Alright, I’ll get going, then."

"Thanks for the help, Evan." Cecilia then waved to Vera as well. "Bye!"

Vera gave a slight nod and left, taking Evan’s arm.

"Who was that?" The dorm room door creaked open, and Blair’s head suddenly poked out, startling Cecilia.

"You’re here so early?"

Blair ignored her question and asked again, "Who was that guy?"

"A senior from that project team I invested in. I ran into him, and he helped me bring my bags up. Is Estelle here yet?"

"Not yet. I just finished cleaning the room. She’ll probably be a little while."

Cecilia said no more and dragged her two suitcases into the room.

Meanwhile, as Evan Lawson and Vera Coleman were walking downstairs, Vera suddenly asked, "So, that Cecilia... she’s been an investor in your project from the very beginning?"

"Yeah, haven’t I told you about her and our group before?" Evan replied casually. "We couldn’t find an investor back then, so she came to us. It just goes to show what a good eye she has. All our projects after that went very smoothly."

"So how much equity does she have? Does everyone have to listen to her? Including Timothy Rowe?"

"Well, the split is 30/70 right now; we haven’t renegotiated it. She doesn’t really get involved in the studio’s operations, she just provides the funding. Whenever we need capital, we just have to ask, and the money arrives right away. She’s incredibly straightforward about it. Timothy is still the one managing the studio, but if Cecilia has any requests, of course we have to listen. The investor calls the shots, after all."

"Why the sudden interest in all this?" Evan glanced at his girlfriend, confused.

Vera shook her head, a natural smile on her face. "No reason. I’m just surprised. Cecilia is a big topic of conversation on campus. Everyone’s curious about her. I only found out she was the one who funded your project after we started dating."

Hearing his girlfriend’s explanation, Evan didn’t think much more of it and just smiled. "She’s really something else. Thanks to her, we all made our first real money the year we graduated. You could honestly say she’s our benefactor."