Chapter 104: Chapter 104: Are You Ashley Shaw?
Mr. Coleman laughed.
"Of course, don’t mention just one favor, as long as I can manage it, ten favors are no problem!"
Ashley Shaw nodded slightly, speaking softly, "If someone else asks about my college application, could you... help me tell them that I applied to Aethelgard University?"
Mr. Coleman’s face showed a hint of surprise.
But he quickly thought that Ashley Shaw was adopted by the Prescott Family, and perhaps she had her own reasons, so Mr. Coleman nodded and said, "Sure, if anyone asks, I’ll tell them what you said."
"Thank you, Mr. Coleman."
"It’s just a word, no need to thank me! Here, have a slice of watermelon; it’s a school treat, thanks to you top students. Go on, take one."
Unable to refuse such hospitality, Ashley Shaw had to take a piece of watermelon.
"Well then, Mr. Coleman, I’ll be leaving soon."
"Go on, go on, and when you become a big expert in the future, remember to come back and see... just kidding, for your profession, I hope I won’t need to see you again."
Mr. Coleman joked with a smile, but there was a hint of reluctance in his eyes.
This reluctance was not just for Ashley Shaw, but for the whole class.
The class she had taught for two years, she might only see a handful of these students again in the future.
Graduation season equates to farewell.
Mr. Coleman was engulfed in sadness, and Ashley Shaw didn’t know what to say. Finally, Mr. Coleman waved her off, and she turned to leave.
Ashley Shaw left the office, feeling a subtle sadness in her heart.
As she walked down the corridor she had traversed countless times, seeing the graduates gathered below in their school uniforms taking photos, the sadness intensified.
What once seemed a long three years, now seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.
A seemingly long life is just a tiny speck in the river of time.
She was fortunate to relive a youth, and in the future, she would cherish the present even more.
"Ashley." A familiar voice suddenly called from the staircase.
Ashley Shaw turned in the next moment and saw Cillian Xavier appear there without her noticing.
In just a week without seeing him, he seemed much more haggard, with stubble making him look a bit rundown.
Upon realizing who had called her, Ashley Shaw smiled as usual.
"Archie."
The girl not far away had bright eyes and a warm smile like an orange sunbeam, gentle and pure, which made Cillian Xavier freeze for a moment, then he too smiled.
He took a few steps forward, hesitantly saying, "I heard from my sister that you did very well on your exams, congratulations."
Ashley Shaw nodded, "Thank you, I was just lucky this time."
"Luck is also a part of strength."
"What about you? How did you do?"
"Not bad, getting into Aethelgard University shouldn’t be a problem."
"That’s good then."
They both, tacitly, did not mention the study abroad topic, but something had indeed changed.
"I just came from the principal’s office, the school’s plan is to have everyone gather on the field after submitting their college applications to award the scholarship prizes. You’re one of the recipients."
Cillian Xavier was the student council leader, and he was called to school early for this reason.
He didn’t expect to meet Ashley Shaw, who also arrived very early.
Ashley Shaw was somewhat surprised.
"What? Even though we’ve graduated, there are still scholarships?"
"Yes, there are quite a few top students this time, so they added this event. Remember not to leave in a hurry after submitting your application."
"Alright, I understand. Thank you."
Cillian Xavier opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but didn’t know where to begin, feeling awkwardly at a loss for words.
After the last incident, he couldn’t comfortably face Ashley Shaw anymore.
He always felt... very ashamed.
It was Ashley Shaw who broke the silence by asking, "Anything else?"
Cillian Xavier quickly waved his hand, "No, you can go back to the classroom, I have to inform the other classes."
"Okay."
Ashley Shaw waved to Cillian Xavier naturally and turned back towards the classroom.
As for the matter with Cillian Xavier, she had long let it go.
But she didn’t know how to tell Cillian Xavier that she didn’t mind anymore.
However, this was fine too. Gradually, Cillian Xavier would move on by himself.
In her past life, the last time she went to Warren Prescott’s company, seeing him with a girl who looked a lot like Rosalind Lynch, she broke down crying on the roadside.
It was Cillian Xavier who handed her a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
For that alone, she couldn’t bring herself to dislike Cillian Xavier, even if he was Warren Prescott’s friend.
But only to the extent of not disliking, not rejecting.
To respond to Cillian Xavier’s feelings, she truly couldn’t do it.
So, she hoped Cillian Xavier wouldn’t waste any more time on her.
He deserved better.
Ashley Shaw returned to the classroom with the watermelon, where four others were already present.
Among them was the girl who once read her love letter to Warren Prescott aloud to the whole class.
Her name was May Lee.
After that incident, May Lee often targeted her both overtly and covertly.
But with the college entrance exam approaching, May Lee turned her focus more towards studying than on her.
Thus, the two of them eventually had nearly zero interaction.
Now as Ashley Shaw pushed open the door and glanced at May Lee, her gaze quickly moved away.
As soon as she entered the classroom, she heard May Lee’s voice.
"Classmate, are you in the wrong place?"
Ashley Shaw paused and looked at May Lee.
Seeing May Lee looking back with puzzled scrutiny, she finally realized—May Lee was speaking to her, having not recognized her.
"It’s me."
She replied calmly with her usual tranquil tone.
Yet inside, she found it slightly amusing.
Less than a month had passed, and she wasn’t recognizable, suggesting May Lee didn’t dislike her that much after all.
But then again, she had undergone eye surgery and no longer needed those thick black-framed glasses.
Moreover, throughout the month, she worked part-time in food delivery whenever free, which wore off the baby fat on her face, rendering her facial contours much clearer and her features more defined.
Adding to that, Ariana Grant had given her a makeover before she came today.
According to Ariana Grant, "No current starlet can compare to you."
While Ashley Shaw thought that might be an exaggeration, seeing May Lee’s bulging eyes looking at her as if she had seen a ghost made Ashley feel that though Ariana was exaggerating, she had definitely undergone a radical change.
"You, you, you are Ashley Shaw?"
Ashley Shaw simply nodded in response and then ignored them, thinking they would have no further interaction soon anyway.
It took May Lee a while to recover, her eyes full of disbelief.
The girl in front of her, unbelievably beautiful, was completely different from the previously nondescript Ashley Shaw.
The other three students also exclaimed in surprise.
"Wow, Ashley Shaw is actually that pretty?"
"Come on, you two guys are blind? She wasn’t ugly before; her style was just a bit outdated."
Another girl joined the conversation.