Chapter 20: Chapter 19
After asking 166 and confirming this wasn’t part of her storyline, Joanna Kennedy had no intention of going over to interrupt.
But while she didn’t go looking for trouble, trouble always seemed to find her.
"Joanna Kennedy? What a coincidence," Serena Sutton said, walking over. "I still haven’t properly thanked you for what happened last time. If you don’t mind, let me treat you to a meal."
’A meal, my ass.’
Before Joanna Kennedy could refuse,
Charles Jennings seemed to have picked up on something, his gentle brow furrowing slightly. "What happened? Serena, what’s going on?"
Serena Sutton looked a bit ashamed. "It was at my part-time job. A customer was giving me a hard time."
She looked at Joanna Kennedy with a smile. "Thankfully, Miss Kennedy here managed to get rid of that customer with just a word or two."
’No matter how you looked at it, those words of thanks just didn’t sit right.’
’Is this really something the kind and generous female lead would say?’
immediately jumped to its female lead’s defense: ["What’s wrong with that? She’s just expressing her gratitude! See? You’re overthinking it again!"]
?
’Right, right, right. It’s always my fault.’
Joanna Kennedy was simply speechless. Faced with Serena Sutton’s "gratitude," she had to play the part of the dim-witted villainess and pretend she couldn’t understand the subtext. "That’s because you’re stupid."
Serena Sutton’s expression froze, a hint of embarrassment on her face. Charles Jennings, unable to just stand by, interjected, "Miss Kennedy, Serena is thanking you."
Joanna Kennedy was unfazed. "Mr. Jennings, I’m not deaf."
’I heard her, thanks!’
Charles Jennings: "..."
His impression of the beautiful girl worsened. Still, aside from her poor attitude, Joanna Kennedy hadn’t said anything too egregious. He took a deep breath. "Then let me treat you to this meal, Miss Kennedy, as thanks for helping Serena."
"No, no, Charles, how could I let you pay? This is my responsibility. If anyone’s treating her, it should be me..."
"You said it yourself. I look out for you, so your business is my business."
"But still, you can’t..."
"Enough!" Joanna Kennedy couldn’t listen anymore. "Why don’t the two of you just go and eat by yourselves?"
’Treat me, treat me, treat me... my ass! They don’t even bother asking if I want to eat before insisting on paying!’
"I wouldn’t dare eat a meal paid for by either of you." She pointed a finger at each of them in turn, a smile that didn’t reach her eyes on her face. "Mr. Jennings, you and I aren’t close. Serena Sutton, you and I are enemies. Forcing us all to the same table would just make everyone miserable. Goodbye. Don’t see me out."
With that, she straightened her back and walked briskly past them.
The remaining two: "..."
Even after walking for what felt like a mile, Joanna Kennedy was still fuming. ["Are those two flirting right in front of me? So what, am I just a part of their little play now?"]
’As if everyone doesn’t already know how close the two of them are.’
["Don’t be ridiculous. Those were just normal, polite pleasantries. The female lead only flirts with the male lead, thank you,"] 166 corrected her phrasing, its tone rigid.
’You digital moron,’ Joanna Kennedy thought, rolling her eyes.
Simon Lockwood’s top-student-aura radiated wherever he went, allowing those around him to bask in its glow. After a few tutoring sessions, Joanna Kennedy finally achieved the "great" result of placing one thousand eight hundred and thirty-fourth in the first mock exam.
In response to 166’s merciless ridicule, Joanna Kennedy retorted: ["It was a joint exam for five high schools with over ten thousand students! Do you think it was easy for me to place in the top two thousand? This is a top-tier result, I tell you! A top-tier result!"]
On the ranking list, the name "Simon Lockwood" was firmly seated in first place: a perfect score in science, a perfect score in math, and a 148 in English.
Only his language score dragged him down a little, but for any normal student, it was still an incredible high score.
["So this is the male lead’s halo..."] Joanna Kennedy was dumbfounded. She knew Simon Lockwood was brilliant, but she never imagined he was *this* brilliant. ’Are these scores even humanly possible?’
’If Simon Lockwood, the male lead, is this formidable, then what about Serena Sutton, the female lead?’
She scanned down the list and found Serena Sutton’s name ranked in the three-hundreds. Her total score was over six hundred points, which was also an excellent result.
Joanna Kennedy’s improvement was so dramatic that her friends were all clamoring to celebrate. They arranged a get-together, but the moment Joanna heard it was at Riverbend, she immediately shot it down. "Pick another place, pick another place."
"Why? Didn’t we celebrate your birthday at Riverbend? The food there is pretty good," Anna Yates said in confusion.
’That’s exactly why I’m still shaken,’ Joanna thought. She always felt Riverbend was bad luck, but if she said so, Anna Yates would think she was crazy.
"It’s boring to always go to the same place. Let’s go to The Crimson Hall instead."
"And we don’t go to The Crimson Hall often?"
Joanna Kennedy: "..." ’Well, look who’s learned how to talk back.’
In the end, they went to The Crimson Hall. There was a different male attendant at the front, who wasn’t as handsome, tall, or well-built as Simon Lockwood.
As luck would have it, just as the group walked in, they saw the bar manager giving instructions to that same male attendant.
Joanna Kennedy started to walk past, not paying much attention, when she overheard something. She stopped dead. "What did you just say?"
"Someone’s causing trouble for Simon Lockwood? What do you mean by that?"
Joanna Kennedy’s face was a stony mask. Ignoring her friends’ attempts to stop her, she walked straight to the curb and hailed a taxi.
A light rain had started at some point, the drops streaking down the car window.
As Joanna Kennedy watched the scenery recede outside the window, her turbulent emotions gradually began to settle.
The manager’s words echoed in her mind: "That Young Master Pemberton is a regular. He brings a group of friends and deliberately causes a scene every time, specifically demanding that Simon Lockwood serve them their drinks and fruit."
Joanna Kennedy had asked, puzzled, "But that’s outside of Simon Lockwood’s job description. He just does it because they tell him to?"
The manager explained awkwardly, "Young Master Pemberton said that if Simon Lockwood dared refuse, he’d better watch his back on the way home..."
A bunch of spoiled rich kids cornering someone on the street... they were capable of anything.
Better to just be smart about it, serve their drinks, and endure a few backhanded insults until it’s over.
He had wanted to convince Simon Lockwood to just endure it a little longer, but Simon had taken the initiative and quit.
As much of a spoiled brat as Paul Pemberton was, he wouldn’t cause trouble for someone for no reason.
’Simon Lockwood was suffering this calamity all because of her.’
Joanna Kennedy hadn’t brought an umbrella. The taxi driver kindly pulled right up to the coffee shop’s entrance. She got out, and the taxi drove off.
Joanna Kennedy stood before the glass door. She reached out to push, but her hand paused as it touched the cool metal of the handle.
Simon Lockwood was wearing a simple white sweatshirt with a black, red-trimmed work apron tied around his waist. His back was to the door as he prepared a coffee.
Someone spoke to him, and he turned slightly, lowering his head to listen. His profile was calm and strikingly handsome.
Something flickered in Joanna Kennedy’s eyes. After a long moment, she slowly pulled her hand back.
Inside the cafe, Simon Lockwood’s heart gave a sudden lurch. As if sensing something, he turned to look toward the entrance. There was nothing but the light rain falling outside. The wind chime by the door swayed, letting out a pleasant tinkle.
No one was there.
Simon Lockwood looked away.
The rain began to pour. A car sped past, sending a two-foot-high spray of water toward the sidewalk. Joanna Kennedy, with lightning reflexes, snapped open an umbrella she had just bought to block the deluge. "What the hell! Have you no decency?! Did you learn how to drive from a video game?! Don’t you know you’re supposed to slow down!"
She screamed herself hoarse, but the car was already long gone.
