Chapter 165: Chapter 165: Who Exactly Hurt Her?
"Meeting adjourned!" Kenneth Yates declared before rushing out of the conference room.
The moment Kenneth Yates stepped out, everyone else in the room breathed a collective sigh of relief. They immediately started murmuring, wondering what could possibly make the unflappable Kenneth Yates so unsettled.
Kenneth Yates sped all the way to Aurelian University. The moment he walked through the gates, he saw Ethan Yates looking extremely anxious.
"Ethan!" Kenneth got out of the car and ran straight up to his brother. "What’s the situation?" Ethan’s brow furrowed as he shook his head in disappointment.
"Have you checked the security footage?" It suddenly occurred to Kenneth that the campus should have full surveillance coverage. They might have captured an image of Summer Lancaster.
"You can’t access the footage unless you’re a high-level university official." Ethan sighed. He had considered it, but as a regular professor, he didn’t have that kind of privilege.
Kenneth’s lips curled into a smirk. "High-level? I can be that, too."
"What?" Ethan looked at Kenneth in confusion, then found himself being dragged to the President’s office.
Kenneth slammed the door open and strode in brazenly, with Ethan just ahead of him. The president was a middle-aged man with the air of a learned scholar.
He instinctively frowned at the sight of someone barging in without even knocking. He was not pleased. He recognized the man in front as Professor Yates, a new hire at the university. The man behind him, however, only looked vaguely familiar, but his powerful aura was deeply intimidating.
"Professor Yates, and this is...?" The president refrained from saying anything rude. The man didn’t look like someone he could afford to offend; it was better to play it safe.
Ethan started to make an introduction, but Kenneth cut him off. He stepped in front of the president, looking down at the man. "Kenneth Yates." He then politely extended his right hand.
The president stared for a few seconds before extending his own hand for a handshake. ’No wonder he looks so familiar,’ he thought. ’This is a business school, after all. How could I not recognize the business tycoon Kenneth Yates? I’ve only ever seen him on magazine covers or as a case study in lectures, though.’
This was the first time he had met him face-to-face. ’To achieve so much in the business world at such a young age... Truly remarkable.’
"Mr. Yates! I’ve heard so much about you. What brings you to our humble campus today?"
Kenneth Yates lowered his hand, satisfied, and gave a cunning smile. "I graduated from this school. The dean back then wasn’t you, was he? I wonder why he was replaced when he was doing such a fine job." Kenneth walked over to a nearby cabinet and gently stroked a Blue And White Porcelain vase, his gaze hooking back toward the president.
The president jumped. The man’s words clearly held a hidden meaning. The previous dean hadn’t done anything wrong; he had been too incorruptible for his own good. Many of the university’s leaders couldn’t stand his methods, so they had conspired to frame him and push for their own candidate—himself—to become the new dean.
’This was supposed to be a secret. How could Kenneth Yates possibly know? His visit clearly has a purpose... but what is it?’
The president hesitated before giving an awkward laugh. "Perhaps he just wanted a quiet, pastoral life. I heard he returned to the countryside after retiring and is living very happily with his wife. Everyone truly misses him, though. We all fondly remember his time as dean." The president’s palms were slick with cold sweat as he watched Kenneth’s expression for any change.
"Oh? Is that so?" Kenneth raised an eyebrow and picked up the vase. "If I’m not mistaken, this is made with Smalt. You have good taste, Mr. President. A piece of Blue And White Porcelain like this must have cost a fortune."
The president grabbed a tissue to wipe the cold sweat from his brow. "Haha, it’s just a replica, something I put here for decoration. How could a humble college dean afford something so extravagant!"
Kenneth Yates placed the vase back down and turned around with an unnerving smile. "I hear the university is looking for investors. I was wondering if the Yates Group might be able to offer a humble contribution to my alma mater."
The president’s heart pounded in his chest. An investment would be wonderful, but he couldn’t figure out what Kenneth Yates was really after. Why beat around the bush so much?
"Of course! It would be an honor for the university. Perhaps we could even invite you, Mr. Yates, to give a speech. You’re a role model for all our business students!"
"Excellent! I accept. So, that makes me a school investor now, doesn’t it?" Kenneth Yates slapped the desk and shot to his feet. His efforts hadn’t been for nothing.
"It does!" the president replied after his eyes darted about for a moment.
"Then I demand to see the university’s security footage. I need to investigate whether this school is worthy of my investment!" Ethan, watching from the side, was dumbfounded. He hadn’t understood a single thing Kenneth had said before this. ’Is this it?’ he wondered. ’Is this cunning why I can’t work at the company and can only teach theory from books?’
’I could never learn to be that cunning, and I don’t want to!’
The president hesitated. It was a matter of student privacy, after all. But Kenneth Yates seemed to have him by the throat; how could he refuse?
Kenneth and Ethan watched the footage in the security room for a long time. It looked like Summer had been arguing with Yvonne Lancaster. The last place she was seen was on a tree-lined path, running frantically. She didn’t look right.
"Let’s go." Kenneth called to Ethan, and they headed directly for the tree-lined path. There was a wooden cabin there, which looked like a newly built clubhouse. After asking the head of the year, Kenneth learned it was the "Horror Research Society," a new club started by a group of horror movie enthusiasts.
As they approached, they saw a lot of red liquid on the ground outside, a shocking sight. They opened the door and went in. The room was empty. The liquid looked like stage blood for a film, but it shouldn’t have been spilled all over the ground outside.
Suspicion grew in Kenneth’s mind. "Ethan, find out where Yvonne Lancaster is right now." His gut told him that woman was involved. ’This time,’ he thought, ’I won’t let her get away with it.’
Kenneth found out that Yvonne was at a club meeting and should be in her club room right now. They rushed to find her.
Yvonne Lancaster was sitting comfortably in a chair, applying lipstick. The other people in the room were minding their own business. Kenneth Yates burst through the door, his expression anything but friendly.
"Kenneth, are you here for me?" Yvonne was overjoyed. ’I’ve always been prettier than Summer,’ she thought. ’Why did he marry her? How could he possibly like someone so awful?’
Everyone turned to look at him. His sharp gaze swept over them all.
"Where is Summer? I’m sure her disappearance has something to do with you. Yvonne, don’t think for a second I won’t hurt you!" Kenneth grabbed Yvonne by the throat and effortlessly lifted her off the ground.
"KOFF... KOFF... Brother-in-law, I really... don’t know where Summer is... KOFF... KOFF..." Yvonne clawed at her throat, her face turning crimson. The other students looked like they wanted to intervene, but a single glare from Kenneth sent them all shrinking back.
THUD!
Kenneth threw Yvonne hard, sending her flying across the room. He scanned the room carefully. It was a mess, with makeup scattered on the floor and snacks all over the tables. But the lone cabinet... something was off. There was a little white smudge where the door closed, as if something was caught in it.
Kenneth strode to the cabinet and yanked the door open.
Summer Lancaster’s body tumbled out, having lost its support. Kenneth, shocked, scooped her up into his arms and gently caressed her forehead. Yvonne, still gasping for air and coughing from being choked, was utterly astonished to see Summer fall out of the cabinet. Her jaw dropped in disbelief.
Kenneth glanced at the others in the room. All of them, except for Yvonne, were pretending to be busy, but he could feel their eyes on him, watching from the periphery.
"Are you ready for hell?" A devilish, bloodthirsty smile played on Kenneth’s lips. "Kill every last one of them."
The moment he spoke those words, everyone knew he meant it. They scrambled out of the room in a panic. For a man as cunning and ruthless as Kenneth Yates, murder was a trivial matter. Besides, even if everyone knew he did it, who would dare to arrest him? In A-City, he *was* the law.
Yvonne collapsed to the floor, her lipstick smeared and her eyes vacant. She had no idea why Summer was there. She’d just come from class and had barely arrived at the club room when Kenneth burst in.
’What happened? Why was Summer in the club’s cabinet?’
Kenneth prepared to leave. Summer was still unconscious; it looked as if she’d been drugged.
Yvonne scrambled across the floor, blocking Kenneth’s path. "Brother-in-law... Brother-in-law, please listen to me... I... I really didn’t know! I swear, it wasn’t me... *sob*..." Yvonne pleaded desperately, but Kenneth no longer believed a word she said. He mercilessly kicked her aside.
Yvonne lay sprawled pathetically on the floor, crying her eyes out, all composure gone.
"Brother, what happened to Summer?" Ethan rushed in just in time to see her unconscious in Kenneth’s arms. It didn’t look good.
"She’s probably just unconscious. I’m taking her to the hospital. You stay here and investigate. Find out who did this to Summer!" Kenneth’s gaze was resolute. Without a moment’s hesitation, he strode away and drove off.
「At the hospital.」
Kenneth carried her directly into the emergency room. Even though he suspected her injuries weren’t serious, he was still sick with worry. The examination revealed she had only bumped her head and would regain consciousness after some rest. However, she would need to be hospitalized for observation due to the possibility of a concussion.
Kenneth laid Summer down on the hospital bed, took her hand, and pressed it against his forehead. ’Why does she always get hurt? Why is it always because of me?’
A profound sense of guilt flooded Kenneth’s heart. He should have been by her side, protecting her. He hadn’t done his job. ’From now on,’ he thought, ’I’ll have to stick to her side and never leave.’
Then again, if he really did that, Summer would surely push him away with a look of pure disgust. The thought of that scene actually made Kenneth crack a small, wry smile.
