Chapter 141: Chapter 141: Mr. Shaw Is Here
Nina Sinclair was about to explode when she heard that.
She shot a sideways glance at the male classmate who was still chattering away. After holding her tongue for a long moment, she finally cut him off. "That’s enough."
The male classmate froze, looking at Nina Sinclair in confusion.
Nina Sinclair realized her tone had been too harsh. She lowered her head, hiding her eyes from view. "Don’t say that. Chloe is my sister."
Most of the male students’ doubts vanished. ’Nina Sinclair is so kind,’ they thought.
’Even now, she’s still defending her sister.’
"You’re just too kind. If it were me, I would have disowned a sister like that long ago."
Nina Sinclair said nothing. She looked at the boys, appearing as if she wanted to speak but was holding back. Her eyes welled with tears, hinting at some unspoken injustice.
The boys’ hearts softened, and they changed the subject. "Nina, with your grades, getting into Emberfall University is a sure thing. What major are you planning to apply for?"
Before Nina Sinclair could speak, a female classmate beside her chimed in, "Our Nina is definitely going for the Physics department at Emberfall! If Chloe Sinclair can make breakthroughs in that field, how could our Nina not? Right?"
After she spoke, the girl’s gaze shifted to Nina Sinclair.
At this reminder, Nina Sinclair had a sudden realization.
’Chloe Sinclair is smart, but I’m no slouch either.’
’When the time comes, I’ll choose the same major as her. I have to crush her completely!’
With this thought, Nina Sinclair’s mood improved considerably.
"Yes, I plan to apply to Emberfall University’s Physics department."
The group erupted in cheers, showering her with flattery.
Nina Sinclair’s head was spinning from all the praise, and she generously treated everyone to hot pot.
However, she was stunned when she saw the bill.
"Seven thousand?"
’Seven thousand for ten people?’
Nina Sinclair suppressed her temper and asked, "Why is it so expensive?"
The server replied, "Our drinks are on the pricey side, and your table ordered quite a few. You also ordered many of our signature dishes, so the total was over eight thousand. After the discount, it comes to 7,998."
Nina Sinclair still didn’t believe it. She picked up the bill, and the corner of her mouth twitched.
The prices for the drinks were clearly listed and weren’t higher than the market rate. As unhappy as she was, she couldn’t argue.
In her heart, though, she cursed the classmates who came with her a hundred times over.
’They’re all just students, how could they spend so much?’
In the past, seven or eight thousand wouldn’t have fazed her. But she had just lost over nine million not long ago. Now, drowning in debt, she had to stretch every dollar.
’Seven thousand...’
She couldn’t afford it.
Nina Sinclair’s expression turned ugly, and for a moment, she stood frozen at the checkout counter.
A classmate beside her asked, a little confused, "Nina, did you forget your wallet?"
Nina Sinclair nodded. "Yeah, I didn’t bring my wallet."
’There’s no way I’m paying this much.’
Over seven thousand—that was enough to cover her living expenses for a whole month now.
Seeing this, the server smiled brightly and presented a QR code. "We accept WeChat Pay and Alipay."
Nina Sinclair: "..."
In the end, with everyone watching, Nina Sinclair had to pay with the small remaining balance on her credit line.
As a result, when her classmates invited her to go to KTV afterward, she refused.
Chloe Sinclair, swishing her food in the hot pot, watched Nina Sinclair’s antics with a faint smile playing on her lips.
Summer Beckett noticed Chloe Sinclair was distracted and followed her gaze, but Nina Sinclair had already left.
Summer Beckett asked, "What’s up?"
Chloe Sinclair snapped out of it. "Nothing. I just learned something interesting."
’Nina Sinclair wants to study Physics?’
’And she thinks she can take my place?’
’She’s completely overestimating herself!’
Chloe Sinclair snorted softly, a flicker of contempt in her eyes.
’In the end, Nina Sinclair has underestimated the formidable nature of Physics.’
’Even with the system, I wouldn’t dare claim to be the most talented person out there.’
She had seen far too many geniuses in her past life.
Even without her in the picture, with Nina Sinclair’s level of intelligence, there was zero chance of her ever becoming a leading authority in the field.
In her past life, however, Nina Sinclair had applied to a film academy. Before she even graduated, she was handpicked by many directors to be their leading lady.
In just four years, her popularity was on par with Gabriel Sinclair’s.
That was why when the plagiarism scandal about Gabriel Sinclair broke, he was completely and utterly crushed.
But in this life, due to all the trouble surrounding her, Nina Sinclair didn’t take the art school entrance exams and obediently took the standard college entrance exams instead.
Chloe Sinclair lowered her gaze, a flash of vindictive pleasure in her eyes.
What she wanted was to give them a taste of their own medicine.
Nina Sinclair had to get a good taste of the suffering she herself had endured in her past life.
"By the way," Chloe Sinclair asked, "how did you do on the exam?"
Chloe Sinclair was quite confident about Summer Beckett’s results.
In just three months, Summer Beckett’s grades had improved by leaps and bounds. The college entrance exam was difficult this time, but Chloe Sinclair had helped him review many of the key topics in advance, so she figured he must have done pretty well.
Summer Beckett’s eyes flashed with pleasant surprise. "I scored a 589. I’m safely above the cut-off for a top-tier university."
Chloe Sinclair was a little surprised, but she was genuinely happy for him. "That’s great."
Summer Beckett shyly lowered his head. "Don’t... don’t say that. You’re making me blush."
Chloe Sinclair: "..."
For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
After a while, Summer Beckett let out a long sigh, his expression rather melancholic. "Chloe, I’m planning to stay local. My dad wants me to take over the company. If there’s a chance in the future, I hope we can work together."
Chloe Sinclair was a little surprised.
After all, given Summer Beckett’s personality, he would probably want to run as far away as possible.
’Taking over the company? He’d probably rather his dad have another son while he’s still young enough.’
"I don’t want to, either. But the old man is getting on in years, and my mom’s health isn’t great. Besides, I’ve seen the true colors of those people at the company. Once I take over, they’ll be the first to feel the heat."
Chloe Sinclair let out a chuckle. "That’s not a bad idea. We’ll definitely have a chance to work together in the future. And you can still hit me up for parkour. It’s been a while since I’ve practiced."
The moment he heard the word "parkour," Summer Beckett’s eyes lit up, and he looked incredibly excited.
Seeing this, Chloe Sinclair shook her head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
——
「Ten o’clock at night.」
The night was a blur of neon lights and drunken revelry.
Chloe Sinclair walked out of the bustling hot pot restaurant and under a dim streetlight.
The dim yellow light stretched their shadows long. Chloe Sinclair looked on helplessly as Summer Beckett staggered about, completely drunk.
"Sinclair, why don’t I take Summer Beckett home?"
Chloe Sinclair was about to say she had driven there, but Summer Beckett, who was being supported by a male classmate, suddenly let out a loud GAG and threw up.
Chloe Sinclair instinctively frowned, a flicker of disgust in her eyes.
The next moment, she saw Summer Beckett hugging a large tree, wailing his eyes out.
He mumbled and blubbered for a long time, but no one could make out what he was saying.
Chloe Sinclair calmly took out her phone and recorded the scene.
Then she walked over. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly heard someone call her name.
She turned her head. When she saw the man in a suit and leather shoes standing less than ten feet away, a hint of surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes.
"Mr. Shaw, what are you doing here?"