Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Throwing Money at People
"Ashley, wait a moment."
Ashley Shaw turned around and saw Lars Prescott handing her a check.
She found it a bit amusing.
"Uncle Prescott, are you trying the drama approach of throwing money at people?"
Lars Prescott frowned slightly.
"That’s not what I mean."
"Then what do you mean?"
Don’t tell her he’s worried, as a foster father, that his foster daughter doesn’t have enough to eat or wear, so he’s giving her some living expenses.
She would really burst out laughing.
Just then, Lars Prescott spoke, "I believe what you just said, but I hope you can promise me one more thing."
"What is it?"
"No matter what your score is, don’t go to Aethelgard University."
"Are you afraid I’ll end up at the same university as Warren?"
Lars Prescott didn’t confirm or deny.
Ashley Shaw smiled and pushed back the hand holding the check.
"Uncle Prescott, you should keep the check. Rest assured, I won’t go to Aethelgard University. I never planned to go there from the start."
Lars Prescott tilted his head slightly: "You didn’t plan to go to Aethelgard University? It’s the best university in the country. As far as I know, your scores in the last few mock exams were enough to get in."
"The best isn’t necessarily the most suitable."
Lars Prescott looked at her deeply and handed the check over once more.
"Since you’re not going to Aethelgard University, then this money should be yours."
"You mean you won’t feel at ease unless I take this check?"
Lars Prescott raised an eyebrow.
Ashley Shaw twitched her mouth and took the check.
"Alright then, thank you. Is there anything else?"
"You can go about your business now."
"Goodbye."
Ashley Shaw casually tossed the check into her canvas bag and returned to her electric bike without any expression, riding away.
Lars Prescott watched Ashley Wyatt’s back, only turning his gaze away once her electric bike merged into traffic and disappeared.
The driver returned to the car at this moment.
"Chairman, where to now?"
"Is Warren at the company?"
"Yes."
"To the company."
"Understood."
The car drove off quickly, soon overtaking Ashley Shaw’s electric bike.
Ashley watched the car speed away and quickened her pedaling.
By the time she reached the market, Ariana Grant had already bought the crayfish.
"I bought medium-sized ones, the market lady said the medium-sized ones are better for flavor, too big and they don’t taste as good."
Seeing the full seven pounds of crayfish, Ashley Shaw almost fainted.
"With so much, how long will it take us two to finish them?"
"Too much? The lady said she’d sell it cheaper to me, and she seemed quite old, poor thing staying at the stall all day, so I just bought all of it."
Ashley Shaw facepalmed, "Ariana, that lady is a housing relocation beneficiary, got seven apartment compensations."
"...Wow!"
"Still think she’s pitiful?"
"Can I still return it?"
Just then, the seafood stall lady drove her Porsche out of the market parking lot, rolled down the window as she passed them, and said, "Thank you, dearie."
Ariana Grant’s face turned as black as a pot.
Ashley Shaw couldn’t help but laugh.
"Alright, don’t be upset. We already bought it, think about whom we should invite for crayfish?"
"We don’t have many friends, and I’m not familiar with the neighbors. Maybe invite your coworkers from the shop? We can’t finish all of it anyway."
"Alright, let me ask them."
"OK!"
There’s a group chat for Idyllic Pastures.
She sent an invitation in the group, thinking at most half would come, but unexpectedly everyone responded enthusiastically.
"Come on! Send the address!"
"Should I bring anything?"
"What drinks does everyone want?"
Brooke: "I can bring the unsold cakes from today."
Ashley Shaw: "...no need to bring anything, just come. However, dinner might be a bit late, won’t be done before 7:30. Everyone might want to have a snack first."
"No problem!"
After confirming everyone would come, Ashley Shaw informed Ariana Grant of the news.
"Seven people are coming. Are you okay with that many?"
"Why wouldn’t I be? I love a lively gathering! And it seemed like everyone was nice when I went to the shop last time."
"OK, I’ll go buy some more side dishes then, seven pounds isn’t much now."
The two split up tasks, one continued shopping, the other went home to wash the crayfish.
While the two busied themselves, Chairman Prescott also arrived at the company.
As soon as he stepped inside, Uncle Rhodes came up to him.
"Chairman, Chairman Lynch is here."
"What is he here for? Shouldn’t he be busy with his own company’s matters now?" There was a hint of irritation in Lars Prescott’s heart.
Venturing into the new energy vehicle sector was a bold step into a new industry for him, but the most suitable partner had problems at this juncture, and the board, already skeptical of this project, would now have more grounds to question it.
In this situation, getting the board to approve the project would be even harder.
He hadn’t even gone to see Gavin Lynch yet, and here he was daring to come over.
Uncle Rhodes lowered his voice, speaking with a complex expression.
"Chairman Lynch came for this matter."
"Does he want us to help suppress the public opinion?"
"No..."
Uncle Rhodes paused, only speaking again after they entered an elevator and were alone in the space.
"According to Chairman Lynch, this issue... was caused by the young master."
Lars Prescott’s brows narrowed, "Warren? What do you mean?"
Uncle Rhodes briefly explained, and Lars Prescott’s furrowed brows were almost pinching a fly to death.
"Where is he now?"
Uncle Rhodes mentally analyzed and figured out that Lars Prescott was asking about Warren.
"When I came down, he was in the office, still studying the project you assigned him last time."
"Ding—"
Just then, the elevator door opened, and Lars Prescott instructed, "Tell Gavin Lynch I’m not here, have him go back first," before heading towards Warren’s office.
Warren’s office was vacated after an old executive retired recently.
After Warren moved in, the old official style turned into a minimalist aesthetic.
Every time Lars Prescott stepped inside, he felt like it was a meditation room in some temple.
At that moment, he pushed open the office door and saw Warren and a project manager sitting cross-legged on something like a meditation cushion.
"Your idea is good, but if we want to put it into practice, it’ll actually be more troublesome, and the manpower involved at each stage will be greater..."
"So you’re saying it’s not feasible?"
"It’s not completely unfeasible, it’s just that this model hasn’t appeared on the market yet."
"Ahem!" Lars Prescott coughed once, successfully interrupting their conversation.
The manager saw it was Lars Prescott, and quickly stood up.
"Chairman."
"Mm." Lars Prescott gave a genial smile and asked, "What are you discussing?"
The manager explained, "I’m talking with the young master about a new market trend. He proposed a new concept and we’re discussing its feasibility."
"Mm."
The manager was about to introduce Warren’s new concept, when Lars Prescott said, "Very good, you can go back to your work now."