Chapter 327: Chapter 327: The Irony of Fate
Ashley Shaw looked thoroughly surprised, her beautiful eyes wide open.
It was unclear whether the look in her eyes was surprise or shock, her face etched with disbelief.
Xavier Quincy’s heart skipped a beat, his complexion turning somewhat pale.
He hadn’t expected Ashley Shaw to return at this moment.
Warren Prescott stood beside Ashley Shaw, his expression blank.
Upon noticing Xavier Quincy looking over, a smile unexpectedly flickered on his handsome face, as if he hadn’t heard anything, and he raised his hand to greet them.
"Leo, Mr. Sinclair, aren’t the dishes served yet? Why aren’t you inside eating?"
Ashley Shaw, prompted by Warren Prescott’s words, hurriedly pretended as if she hadn’t heard anything herself, forcing a somewhat natural smile, "Were you waiting for me?"
Xavier Quincy suddenly understood; both were playing dumb.
Ashley Shaw feigned ignorance, probably because she was startled.
Warren Prescott pretending...
Thinking of the complicated relationship the two had before, the look in Xavier Quincy’s eyes faded somewhat, but his smile remained undiminished.
"With you two not around, who dares to start? Come on, my stomach is starving."
Warren Prescott had already walked up to Xavier Quincy, raising his hand to rest on his shoulder.
"Didn’t grab a bite downstairs?"
"I ate, but not much."
"Not delicious?"
"No, just preoccupied with watching the beauties perform."
"Ha ha..." The two chuckled impassively and went in together.
Ashley Shaw felt a slight relief in her heart, raising her eyes to Owen Sinclair, "Uncle Owen, shall we go in too?"
"Hey! Sure. You go in first, I’ll stand outside a bit, got some smoke smell on me, don’t want to affect your appetite."
"It doesn’t bother me, I don’t mind this."
"Still, I’ll wait a while longer; secondhand smoke isn’t good for kids."
Ashley Shaw saw she couldn’t persuade, uncertain whether Owen Sinclair had other motives, so she didn’t continue and went ahead inside the compartment.
To Ashley Shaw’s surprise, Ariana Grant, a standard foodie, hadn’t touched the chopsticks either.
She went over and sat beside Ariana Grant.
"Why aren’t you eating?"
Ariana Grant gave her a "What do you think" look.
"You haven’t returned; how could I have the heart to eat?"
"It’s just a small injury; what’s there to worry about? Eat up."
Ariana Grant picked up the chopsticks again but set them down, sighing softly.
"Ashley, I thought someone as beautiful as you wouldn’t have experienced what I did. Didn’t expect you were isolated too..."
As Ariana Grant spoke, her eyes reddened.
She could empathize deeply with such feelings.
It was as if abandoned by the whole world.
Whatever you say, no one responds;
In others’ eyes, you’re just a puff of air;
For team activities, you’re always the one left out;
Yet you’re forced to put on a brave face, insisting you can manage alone.
Even when you’re called on to answer a question, everyone would look at you with strange eyes.
And she truly did nothing wrong, just happened to be a bit heavier than others...
Until later, when Ashley Shaw appeared, she finally had her first friend in the class.
At least she had Ashley to rescue her, but who would be Ashley’s savior?
Where was her salvation?
This thought brought tears to Ariana Grant’s eyes uncontrollably.
True friends share each other’s pain.
Seeing Ariana Grant like this made Ashley Shaw’s heart ache too.
Though those things felt like a lifetime ago, reminiscing over them was still uncomfortable.
Childhood shadows indeed accompany you for life.
It was Warren Prescott who broke the silence.
"Just eating like this is too dull, let’s play a game. Whoever loses has to go downstairs and perform for all the guests."
These words made both Ariana Grant and Ashley Shaw widen their eyes.
"Per- perform?" Ariana Grant waved her hands, "I can’t do that, I have no talents at all."
Ashley Shaw added, "I don’t want to play either..."
Warren Prescott was rather agreeable this time.
"Girls are shy, no need to participate. How about the guys?"
Having grown up playing with Warren Prescott, Xavier Quincy knew immediately that Warren was deliberately trying to divert Ashley Shaw and Ariana Grant’s attention.
Of course, he had no objections.
Seeing Ashley Shaw’s eyes turn red, he felt discomfort too.
"I’ll join in," Xavier Quincy said.
Shane Coleman, usually outgoing when not handling serious matters, of course had no objection either.
...
Outside the door, Owen Sinclair indeed had matters to attend to.
He met a friend who took the strands of hair he’d surreptitiously snagged while styling Ashley Shaw’s hair.
The person was a doctor, someone Owen had met while filming a medical drama before, serving as a professional advisor, they were very close friends.
Without uttering a word, he swiftly collected Ashley Shaw’s hair and his own, carefully placing them in two pre-prepared plastic bags.
"When will the results be out?" Owen Sinclair asked.
"Not today, tomorrow, perhaps by tomorrow evening. I’ll let you know when the results are in."
"Alright, thanks."
The friend tossed him a "What’s there to thank" look and turned to leave.
As Owen Sinclair entered, he happened to hear Warren Prescott’s suggestion.
Being perceptive, he immediately sensed Ashley Shaw’s odd mood upon entering, so he chimed in.
"What game?" Owen Sinclair said, "I’ll join."
"Let’s make it super simple then."
Warren Prescott emptied the wine bottle and laid it sideways.
Then he gestured for Ashley Shaw to spin the bottle.
"The bottle neck points to whoever has to perform downstairs."
Both Ashley Shaw’s and Ariana Grant’s attention was entirely diverted.
Seeing the four men seated in different spots, Ariana Grant took the initiative to spin the bottle.
She cleared a space on the table, giving her wrist a forceful turn, and the bottle spun on the spot.
Ashley Shaw instinctively glanced at the four seated individuals.
Owen Sinclair was an actor, even a versatile star; he’d perform without any pressure.
As for Shane Coleman... downstairs just now, she remembered Shane mentioning having learned multiple instruments.
These two wouldn’t have any stress performing.
But with Xavier Quincy and Warren Prescott, if it was their turn, she truly couldn’t picture what they’d perform.
However, with their looks, just standing down there would be a visual treat.
While her mind flashed with scattered thoughts, the bottle finally slowed down.
The neck settled firmly at the spot where Warren Prescott sat.
Shane Coleman laughed, "Young Master Prescott, isn’t fate playing tricks on you?"
Who could have thought the one who proposed the game would end up losing?
Warren Prescott’s expression stiffened for a brief moment, but he quickly regained composure, "Just call me Warren."
Shane nodded, "Alright, Young Master Vaughn."
"..." Warren Prescott wasn’t bothered to correct him further and leaned back on the chair, saying, "Indeed, fate is mischievous; my feet are feeling quite uncomfortable today, can’t perform. So I’m quitting."