Chapter 51: Chapter 51: He Found Cecilia Sterling So Unfamiliar
Cecilia Sterling watched Shawn Lane with a half-smile, seeming to enjoy the priceless look on his face.
After all, it wasn’t often that a man like him looked so utterly stunned.
Before long, the department head arrived in a hurry, accompanied by John Lawson.
When the department head first got the news, he’d assumed it was a student prank. It wasn’t until he saw the huge crowd of onlookers at the cafeteria entrance that he was startled.
Seeing a faculty member arrive, the crowd automatically parted to make way.
The department head’s balding pate shone brightly. He approached the four crates and circled them several times before looking up at John Lawson with wide eyes. "You said who donated these?"
John Lawson was a little dumbfounded himself. If Cecilia Sterling hadn’t been the one to message him, he never would have believed it. But the items were right in front of him; it was the truth.
He quickly pulled Cecilia Sterling forward. "Head, the donation is from Cecilia Sterling."
The department head looked at Cecilia Sterling, the muscles in his cheeks twitching uncontrollably. It was hard to tell if he wanted to laugh or cry, but the excitement in his eyes was impossible to hide.
He grabbed Cecilia Sterling’s hand, his voice trembling with emotion. "Miss Sterling, you have truly done a great service for our department!"
At Lorcain Tech, every department had a head, a position that seemed equal across the board, but that wasn’t actually the case.
The heads of the university’s more powerful departments were naturally a cut above the rest and spoke with more authority in front of the school’s leadership.
But for a department like Lorcain Tech’s astronomy program—one with high investment and low returns—the head had to keep a low profile. He even felt a little embarrassed asking the university to approve funding for any new equipment.
But now, everything had changed. With these four top-of-the-line Harper astronomical telescopes, Lorcain Tech’s astronomy department had made a quantum leap in terms of equipment. While it might not surpass one hundred percent of other universities’ astronomy departments, it would at least be ahead of ninety percent of them.
Even Aerospace University, with the best astronomy department in all of Cathay, probably didn’t have four such devices.
The department head was both thrilled and moved. He held Cecilia Sterling’s hand and said earnestly, "On behalf of all the students and faculty of the astronomy department, I thank you!"
A faint smile played on Cecilia Sterling’s lips. She simply replied, "As a student of Lorcain Tech’s astronomy department, it’s my honor to contribute to the department’s educational resources in any way I can."
"Excellent! An excellent student!" The department head nodded emphatically with an appreciative look. He then turned to John Lawson and said, "John, have some students move this equipment to the department right away. I’m going to report this to the principal."
"Miss Sterling, you come with me as well."
’This is huge. I have to tell the principal right away. He’s been so down lately about the Lane Group canceling their donation. Now, the problem is solved.’
John Lawson immediately picked a few male students he recognized from the crowd. "Be careful with these. Don’t bump or damage them."
Cecilia Sterling said a quick word to Estelle Goodman, then followed the department head to the principal’s office. But just before she left, she didn’t forget to walk up to Beatrice Lynn and remind her, "This evening. I hope you’re a good loser!"
Beatrice Lynn’s face was beet red, and she was practically fuming. Staring at Cecilia Sterling’s face, she wished she could tear it to shreds on the spot.
But as soon as Cecilia Sterling left, her expression changed to one of grievance. She clung to Shawn Lane, whining, "Shawn, why didn’t you say anything to help me? Are you just going to let Cecilia bully me like that?"
Shawn Lane was still staring blankly at Cecilia Sterling’s departing figure, lost in thought. He turned a deaf ear to Beatrice Lynn’s words.
Seeing this, Beatrice Lynn stomped her foot in anger. "Shawn! I’m talking to you!"
"Leave me alone!" Shawn Lane pushed her away. The force sent Beatrice Lynn stumbling backward, and she almost lost her footing.
His mind was a mess. Cecilia Sterling had just made a donation of over a thousand. This single act had completely shattered his perception of her.
’Even he couldn’t get that much money from his parents in one go.’
’But how did Cecilia have it? And why would she donate it all?’
’Donating money was a game for the rich. Given Cecilia’s family background, she shouldn’t even have been qualified to play.’
Shawn felt like his head was going to explode. A flood of bizarre, illogical events surfaced in his mind, all of them related to the recent Cecilia Sterling.
But he couldn’t sort through them. The strange thoughts were a chaotic jumble in his head, making him feel like he was on the verge of a breakdown.
’He suddenly realized in that moment that he didn’t seem to know Cecilia Sterling at all.’
’Because the Cecilia Sterling of today felt like a complete stranger!’
Beatrice Lynn’s crying and shouting gave him a splitting headache. Utterly flustered, he pushed his way out of the crowd and fled under everyone’s astonished gazes.
「Principal’s Office.」
After hearing the department head’s report, Principal Warner didn’t seem as thrilled as the head had been. Instead, his brow furrowed deeply.
He looked at Cecilia Sterling hesitantly and asked in a probing tone, "Miss Sterling, are you really donating these astronomical telescopes to the university?"
Cecilia Sterling smiled at his reaction. "Could it be anything but real? Principal Warner, the equipment has already been delivered to the school. I’m willing to cooperate with any paperwork you need me to complete."
Cecilia knew that charitable donations typically required signing some documents.
But Principal Warner was clearly still skeptical. After all, this was equipment worth over a thousand. For Cecilia to donate it to the university in her own name was just too out of the ordinary.
The matter was, of course, a good thing for the university, but Principal Warner was worried about Cecilia.
"Miss Sterling, I’ve looked into your family’s situation. You shouldn’t have the means to do something like this." Principal Warner calmly stated his concerns. "If donating this equipment to the university has caused you to be involved in anything... untoward, then the university cannot accept this donation."
Though he didn’t say it outright, Cecilia Sterling naturally understood the insinuation.
Principal Warner was worried the money was from a questionable source, perhaps obtained illegally through certain means, or for other unsavory reasons.
Cecilia understood his concern, but she had come prepared.
She unlocked her phone, opened a stock market app, and showed her personal portfolio to Principal Warner. "Principal Warner, I earned the money from playing the stock market."
The total value of the stocks in her app exceeded two thousand—it was all real, cold, hard cash.
In fact, on the very first day she returned to her twenty-year-old self, Cecilia had invested money in the stock market and also bought some promising funds. Whether she won or lost didn’t matter to her; her only goal was to ensure that the money she spent would appear to have a legitimate source to others.
And now, it was coming in handy.
Cecilia said with complete composure, "I started experimenting with some investments after the college entrance exams. The stock market and funds were just part of it. I’ve actually earned quite a bit over the past year or so, but I didn’t want to be too high-profile about it, so very few people know."
"Donating the telescopes to the department is a worthy cause. Besides, I’m aware that I’m the reason the university lost the Lane Group’s donation, so I felt I should step up and do something for the school with my own money."
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