Chapter 189: Chapter 190: I Already Like Someone Else
"I thought Silas told you in advance." Once he knew she couldn’t escape, Silas Cheney began to gloat, "Everyone is bringing their partners, so if Silas is taking you, that’s definitely what he means."
"His intentions are as clear as day."
In the past, Silas would not dare to say something like this, mainly because he knew Thea Lynch cared about her image and was afraid she would feel embarrassed.
But after the events of the past few days, Thea’s "mental fortitude" seemed to have strengthened. So now he could be himself more, increasingly unabashed.
"You’d better not say anything."
The term "partner" made Thea tense up immediately.
She hurriedly hung up, not giving Silas another chance to elaborate.
Five minutes later, the phone rang, it was Ian Preston.
Thea took a deep breath, grabbed her bag, and headed downstairs.
She didn’t pick up the phone; Ian thought something might have happened. Just as he was about to go upstairs, the elevator came down.
Thea looked up and locked eyes with him.
Ian’s gaze lingered on her for a few seconds. Noticing that she had dressed up, he couldn’t help but smile.
"I thought you ran away again."
"..." Thea: "Why would I run away."
The man stepped aside, walking out with her as he spoke, "Silas messaged me, said you just talked on the phone."
Thea choked.
"So I thought you wouldn’t come with me tonight."
"No." Thea cleared her throat and explained, "Just a bit anxious."
"But anxious or not, I still have to go."
She didn’t want to be a deserter anymore.
Ian was a bit surprised.
To be honest, when he saw Silas’s message, he was a bit conflicted. On one hand, he thought Thea would still go, especially since her behavior in the past two days had given him quite a bit of confidence.
But on the other hand, thinking about the past, he feared she might refuse again.
It wasn’t until he saw her that his restless emotions were put at ease.
Seeing him standing still, Thea stopped walking, clutching her bag strap with her right hand, looked back at him, and after a long gaze, she reached out her hand, "Let’s go, I’ll support you."
——
About Ian bringing a woman with him, everyone was quite amazed.
The banquet hall had eight tables set up, all filled with people.
There were classmates of Ian’s class, and some teachers as well.
But quickly, everyone recognized Thea, and their surprise turned into an expected notion.
Thea was quite well-known at their high school, though in a different grade. Many had seen her on the school bulletin board when they returned to their alma mater before. Besides, most were locals from Coronet, even if they didn’t know Thea, they had heard of The Lynch Family.
Given their connection, everyone assumed Ian had brought Thea last minute just for the fun of it.
In everyone’s eyes, these two seemed to carry a label — siblings.
No one dared to doubt their relationship.
They were afraid of using other notions to "taint" this sibling relationship.
"Teacher." After greeting the groom, Ian saw his homeroom teacher coming over not far away.
Teacher Gao shook hands with him, patting his shoulder excitedly, "It’s been a long time."
Ian seemed in a good mood and responded with a smile.
Following that, Teacher Gao noticed the girl beside him, reacting just like everyone else earlier.
The old teacher adjusted the reading glasses on his nose, recognized her with some effort, and exclaimed, "Are you Thea Lynch?!"
The tone revealed surprise and joy.
Thea nodded, smiling gracefully, "Hello, Teacher Gao."
"Oh, it really is Thea Lynch." Teacher Gao seemed happier to see her than Ian, "You came together?"
"Yes."
"Good, good, good." Teacher Gao quickly invited them to sit down, sitting at their table himself, chatting with Thea.
"What are you doing now, Thea?"
Teacher Gao taught math, and he was the homeroom teacher for Ian in high school. Coincidentally, he was also Thea’s math teacher when she studied in Coronet.
"Working at a tech company, doing chip research and development."
Upon hearing this, Teacher Gao breathed a sigh of relief and repeatedly praised it.
"To be honest, I knew your family background was good, so I always thought you wouldn’t stick to your initial plans."
Teacher Gao was straightforward, saying whatever came to mind.
"Luckily, you didn’t waste your talent and efforts."
"Your teacher is really proud of you."
Thea was admitted to their high school through a direct admission and was a primary focus for the school back then.
Unfortunately, she transferred too suddenly later. The school tried to retain her several times, but they also understood her family situation, so eventually, there was nothing they could do.
The school thought she would shine in Westmere, and many teachers had been following the trends and admission status of her senior year’s college entrance exams.
Back then, she could have easily been granted admission to The Sterling Universities.
Unexpectedly, she went abroad suddenly before the college entrance exams.
Upon inquiry, the school learned she needed to go abroad for treatment.
Truth be told, for someone like Thea with a good family background, the college entrance exam was certainly not the only route.
Therefore, they all thought Thea would eventually, like others in her circle, inherit the family business or start her own business.
So Teacher Gao was particularly gratified.
Thea nodded in acknowledgement, "Thank you for your guidance back then too."
"Oh, I wouldn’t say that, wouldn’t say that." Teacher Gao laughed and waved his hand, not feeling deserving of her praise. He truly didn’t really assist Thea with much back then, everything he did was just his duty.
"It’s because of your own hard work."
"You’re the smartest student I’ve met in all my years of teaching."
Someone overheard this and jokingly said, "Hey, Teacher Gao, then what about Ian?"
As everyone knows, Ian’s grades were among the top back in the day too.
Others wouldn’t dare offend Ian, especially at this moment they’d seize the opportunity to flatter him. At the very least, they’d save some face for him.
But Teacher Gao seemed oblivious to such sensibilities, speaking frankly:
"Ian is excellent too. But compared to Thea, he’s still a bit behind."
It was evident that Thea, in Teacher Gao’s eyes, indeed deserved the title "smartest."
After the food was served, everyone wasn’t moving their chopsticks much, busy chatting instead.
Especially Teacher Gao, who couldn’t stop chatting with Thea casually.
During the conversation, he inquired about Thea’s age.
"Twenty-five?"
"Yes." Thea nodded.
"Time flies." Then Teacher Gao casually asked, "So, how is it? Do you have a boyfriend yet?"
"Do you want your teacher to introduce someone to you?"
This question was clearly a joke. Back in school, Teacher Gao knew Thea was very popular. By now, she had blossomed into an even more beautiful and poised woman, surely she had suitors.
He casually asked, certain that Thea already had a boyfriend.
Beside her, Ian lifted his head and looked at her, also waiting for her response.
Thea hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, "Not yet."
Upon hearing this, Ian quietly sipped his wine, not surprised by her answer.
As the red wine slid down his throat, he heard Thea suddenly add, "But, there is someone I like."
