Chapter 168
“It’s like you’re showing off to everyone—look, the only girl who made it into Professor Lawson’s team is my girlfriend. What does that mean? It means I’m the most outstanding person in the whole team!"
“From start to finish, you show no concern for my identity, appearance, clothing, or attractiveness. Your focus is solely on two things: first, that I am well-behaved and cooperative; second, that I can integrate with the team, keep up with its learning pace, and offer you unwavering support whenever needed."
“Jaden Monroe, your so-called concern is nothing more than selfish possessiveness—I don’t want it!” With that, she shoved him aside, turned, and joined Ian, who was standing nearby. “Ian, you go in first.”
Ian glanced at Jaden, then looked at Josie. “Let me know if you need anything.” Only after finishing speaking did he turn and enter the dining room.
“Let’s go too.” Adeline pulled Josie along.
Josie’s arm was once again grabbed by Jaden. “No, that’s not it. It’s not like that. Josie, please don’t accuse me. I did not take advantage of you, nor did I expect you to help me. The reason I pursued you was simply because I genuinely found you adorable.”
Jaden had never seen Josie so sharp and aggressive before; he was left dumbfounded by her shouting. Faced with more and more people looking at him, he was eager to explain that he was not the kind of person who would take advantage of girls to strengthen his own position, nor had he ever intended for her to help him with his homework.
“Well, I really should thank you!” Josie pushed his hand away. “So, what you’re saying is, all those things I did for you before were just because I was foolish, willingly letting you…”
“Enough!” Jaden’s face turned pale as he immediately shook off Josie’s hand. “What’s done is done; there’s no point in bringing it up again. If you’re still upset with me, I apologize. You are naive by nature, so don’t get a boyfriend too easily—you might be taken advantage of. Haven’t you always only liked doing research? Why not just focus all your energy on that, okay?” He looked at Josie with a pleading expression, deeply afraid that she might refuse.
Josie thought of something and could not help but laugh out loud. “Are you worried about me? Is that why you are so concerned? But as I recall, you once said that if you ever showed concern for me again, you would…”
She gave Jaden a meaningful look, but did not say that word out loud. As his face grew increasingly pale, Josie slightly raised her chin. “Save it. I don’t need your concern or your worry. Try not to show up in front of me so much in the future, or else I don’t know what I might say! If I accidentally poke at your arrogant pride, then I’m really sorry!”
This time, she didn’t give Jaden a chance to stop her—she walked right past him and entered the restaurant. After they had gone a little further, Adeline tugged at her sleeve and asked, “If he still cares about you, then what does that mean to him?”
“Probably some kind of animal!” Josie curled her lips. When she recalled Jaden’s disgusting expression, her face turned cold again. “I don’t think he even deserves to be called that kind of animal!”
Adeline winked and made faces. “Pig? Or dog?”
At the entrance of the restaurant, even after Josie’s figure had disappeared, Jaden still hadn’t recovered from his shock. She had changed; she truly had changed. This time, he truly realized that Josie was no longer the person she once had been. For unknown reasons, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest.
His discomfort did not stem from what Josie had said; rather, it had begun the moment he saw a guy carrying her backpack. Even though he did not like her that much, he still felt upset and found that he did not want anyone else to become her boyfriend.
Gavin pulled him aside and said, “Look at you—you’re genuinely concerned about her, so why do you insist on using such a commanding attitude? Can’t you see that she’s already not the same as she used to be?”
“Why?” Jaden clutched Gavin’s sleeve. “How can she walk away so easily, turning her back on us without a second thought? After all these years, all she had was nothing but hatred?”