Chapter 109: Chapter 109: Deceived Him
"Okay, Mr. Coleman."
Ashley Shaw stood up and walked toward the back door of the classroom.
At that moment, a tall figure appeared at the front door of the classroom.
"Teacher... I’m looking for Ashley Shaw."
The classroom was very quiet at the moment.
Everyone instinctively looked over when they heard the low voice.
It was Warren Prescott.
Mr. Coleman glanced at Ashley Shaw, who had just walked to the back, and smiled.
"I was just about to have her go to the sports field. Since you’re here, the two of you can go together."
Warren took a step back and saw Ashley Shaw standing just outside the back.
He walked up to her in a few steps and said, "Let’s go."
The side of the classroom facing the corridor had a long window, and all the classmates saw Warren show Ashley Shaw an almost gentle expression.
However, Ashley Shaw remained expressionless and headed directly towards the stairs.
"Weird... how did they become so close?"
"Duh! They’re family now, after all."
"But before..."
"Before was before, now is now. Didn’t you hear Mr. Coleman just say that Ashley Shaw made it into the top twenty in the province?"
"But they’re already siblings now."
"Who knows."
May Lee’s gaze lingered outside the window, even though the two people were gone.
Her hand on the desk was clenched into a tight fist, with nails digging deeply into her skin, seemingly without feeling.
In the classroom, after watching Warren Prescott and Ashley Shaw leave, Mr. Coleman turned to examine each student’s application form on their desk.
When he got to May Lee, his eyes scanned her paper. After confirming there were no mistakes, he was about to move on to the next student.
May Lee spoke up at this moment, "Teacher, my stomach doesn’t feel well, I’d like to go to the bathroom."
"Go ahead."
Mr. Coleman nodded slightly, and then added, "May Lee, you’re an excellent student. No matter where you go in the future, always remember to focus on yourself."
May Lee’s expression froze for a moment, then she silently got up and left the classroom.
...
Sports field.
When Ashley Shaw and Warren Prescott arrived at the sports field, they saw a third person, who was also going to the stage to receive an award with them.
Cillian Xavier.
Ashley Shaw was surprised but also found it normal.
Many people think that kids from wealthy families are often underachievers. Mention ’second-generation rich kids’ or ’multi-generation rich kids’, and negative terms like "spoiled" and "unruly" come to mind.
But in reality, the children nurtured by the truly top-tier elite families are the crème de la crème.
They possess the best resources, inherit superior intellect from their ancestors, and as long as they put a little effort into proper endeavors, there’s no reason they wouldn’t be outstanding.
Warren Prescott and Cillian Xavier are such examples.
Warren seems to be carefree, but since middle school, Ashley Shaw noticed that his weekends were filled with various advanced tutoring sessions.
And the reason Warren often slept in class was that he had already learned everything that the teachers taught at school.
He attended school with other students, but it was more like a puppy needing to undergo socialization training.
School is a small society. In school, what they need to learn isn’t just the material in the textbooks.
More importantly, it’s about interpersonal relationships.
The three of them exchanged glances, each with their own emotions.
Although they all appeared calm, some things were inevitably different from before.
"You’re here."
Cillian Xavier was the first to break the silence.
Warren nodded slightly and asked, "Are we just getting the scholarship? Is there anything else?"
"Actually, it’s just a normal graduation ceremony with a scholarship awarding process. If you can’t wait, I can talk to the principal and have them move the scholarship awarding process to the front."
"No need."
"Hmm?"
"I can wait."
Cillian Xavier looked surprised.
In the past, Warren seldom attended such gatherings, and even if he did, he would leave quickly.
So Cillian Xavier’s first reaction was that Warren wouldn’t have the patience to wait for the scholarship part.
But he didn’t expect...
Cillian Xavier subconsciously glanced at Ashley Shaw, guessing the reason.
For someone you like, even the most impatient person will find patience.
"How about you, Ashley?" Cillian Xavier asked Ashley Shaw.
Ashley Shaw, of course, could wait.
"I’m fine with it. I took the day off from Ms. Grant’s shop, so I’m not in a hurry."
Cillian Xavier nodded.
"Great, then we won’t change the schedule, and the award ceremony will be at the end."
"Before the award ceremony, you’ll stand here. When it’s time to present the awards, the two of you will go on stage one after the other: first Warren, then Ashley, and then I’ll follow behind you."
"Oh, and one more thing for you to prepare ahead of time: when you go on stage, each of you needs to give a short speech."
Cillian Xavier intentionally softened his tone when he said this: "You can say anything: thank the school, or encourage other students. If you really can’t think of anything to say, just say ’I will continue to strive in the future and bring glory to my alma mater.’ That’s perfectly fine."
This was clearly directed at Ashley Shaw, fearing she wouldn’t know what to say on stage.
Ashley Shaw smiled and said, "Okay, I got it. Thanks."
"No problem. I’ll head over there first. After the ceremony starts, I still have a separate speech to give and I haven’t checked the final draft yet."
"You should go take care of that."
"Alright."
Cillian Xavier waved at Warren Prescott and then left.
With just the two of them left in the vicinity, no one else was around.
As Ashley Shaw was about to find a place to sit and wait, Warren Prescott suddenly asked, "Planning to study medicine?"
Her heart clenched for a moment.
But then she remembered Mr. Coleman mentioning a fake school, and her heart relaxed.
She nodded, apparently calm: "Yeah."
"Studying medicine is great, but it’s tough. Why not consider another major? After graduating, it would be easier to work in the family company. You should still have time to change your application. Of course, I’m just suggesting; if you’ve made up your mind, follow your heart."
Ashley Shaw didn’t look at Warren’s expression, but his tone seemed a bit tense.
What was he nervous about?
Taking a deep breath, Ashley replied naturally, "I’m not changing, I want to study medicine. I’ve thought about it for a long time and want to become a doctor."
"As long as you like it. Aethelgard University’s medical school is quite renowned."
He was so accommodating and considerate that Ashley Shaw suddenly felt a bit embarrassed and... guilty for deceiving him.
She had been taught since childhood to be honest, but ironically, her current existence was a huge lie.
She wasn’t the original Ashley Shaw from this world at all.
Ashley turned her eyes aside, vaguely responding with an "Mm."
"By the way."
Warren looked at her and said, "I’ve talked to your friends. When it’s time for the hearing, everything will go in the direction you want."
It took Ashley two seconds to realize what he was referring to.