Chapter 18
798 Words
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The surrounding students burst into laughter again.
“Leon Taylor, looks like our chances are slim.”
“Want to switch your bet to Anna Nolan’s side?”
Leon smacked his friend on the head.
“Do you even know what honesty means?”
“There are still twenty-nine days left. What’s the rush?”
But deep down—
Leon already knew.
Anna Nolan would never reconcile with Jason Lincoln again.
---
After evening study ended, Anna Nolan did not return to the small apartment.
She sent a message to her father, telling him she would be home before midnight, then walked into an internet café in a nearby alley.
She sat down and began organizing her documents.
What Jason Lincoln said was not entirely wrong.
In her previous life, although she had helped him prepare for the interview and even listened to his explanations—
she had never actually experienced the interview herself.
She did not fully understand the pressure and evaluation he had faced.
But—
she knew Mark Everest.
The way Mark Everest worked was just like his face—sharp, precise, flawless… and undeniably impressive.
In her previous life, it was precisely because she understood him so well that Anna had managed to win several major projects from him.
His plans were excellent—
but the real world sometimes required strategy, not just ideals.
Perhaps Mark Everest was too principled, too much of a gentleman—
which was why those projects had ended up in Anna’s hands.
---
Tomorrow’s interview—
not only did Anna need to convince Mark Everest to approve the funding—
she also needed to prepare a “gift.”
After all, she was only ranked tenth.
She had no major competition achievements.
And her final mock exam results had not even been released yet.
She needed a backup plan.
No—
two backup plans.
Drawing on ten years of experience writing proposals in her previous life, Anna began preparing her materials for the interview with Mark Everest.
Just then—
her phone buzzed.
A message from her father:
【Anna, don’t gather materials tonight. Something happened with Aunt Wendy. Come home first. She’s at my place right now.】
Anna froze.
In this period of time in her previous life—
nothing like this had ever happened.
Of course—
things had changed.
She and Jason had changed.
So the timeline would inevitably change as well.
But still…
---
Anna turned off her phone.
Whatever happened to Jason Lincoln’s mother—
was none of her concern.
Tomorrow, she had an interview.
Even her own father—
could not make her give that up.
---
What Anna didn’t know was—
the moment she turned off her phone—
things had already descended into chaos on Wendy Lincoln’s side.
---
“Daniel, did Anna reply?” Wendy Lincoln asked anxiously.
Since returning from the ATM, she had been unable to sit still.
She and Mr. Nolan had been discussing how to ask Jason Lincoln about the missing thirty thousand dollars.
Wendy was afraid—
if she questioned him directly, it might hurt his pride and push him further into rebellion.
Besides, she simply couldn’t believe her son would do something so unfilial.
There had to be another reason.
Perhaps—
he had been forced?
But if he had been forced…
wouldn’t that mean he was in danger?
---
As for the overseas university—
Wendy felt that Jason didn’t truly like it.
But he also didn’t reject it.
Since childhood, he had always been obedient.
Whatever was expected of him, he would do.
Now, with the college entrance exam approaching—
perhaps, just as the police said—
the pressure was too much.
---
After thinking it through, Wendy decided—
she would ask Anna Nolan first.
Anna must know what had happened to Jason.
Otherwise—
there was no way the two of them would have argued so fiercely today.
But after waiting until evening study ended—
Anna only sent a message saying she was at the internet café gathering materials.
They were neighbors.
This wasn’t Anna’s first time going to that café.
Even the owner trusted her reputation enough to turn a blind eye.
---
“Anna hasn’t come home yet,” Mr. Nolan said.
“She’s probably still working on something.”
He waited nearly ten minutes.
Then he tried calling her—
only to find her phone was switched off.
---
Wendy immediately grew restless.
“No, Daniel, we can’t just sit here.”
“I stayed out this late—what if Jason gets suspicious?”
“Daniel, let’s go to the internet café.”
“Let’s find Anna.”
---
And just like that—
the quiet night began to stir again.
- Writer
