It was usually the warm and caring traits of board members that afforded them the opportunity to hold
such positions.
Therefore, it was not out of character for Jacques to make that offer.
Yasmin tilted her head in consideration of the offer for a moment before agreeing. “Thanks for the
trouble, Jacques.”
“No worries,” he replied cordially as he reached over to open his door for her. “We’re all classmates after
all.”
When they passed the famous bridge near their campus, Yasmin turned her head slightly and saw the
four figures outside through the car window.
“Did the university not deal with Zaylynn, Jacques?”
“How can they? The Neal family is one of the shareholders of the university,” Jacques explained patiently
with his eyes on the road. “Besides, it was an honest mistake on Zaylynn’s because she did not know
that what she did was against the rules. As soon as the incident had occurred, she immediately
confessed to the chief administrator and used her family’s money to make up for the loss incurred by her
mistake. With all said and done, the university has decided to consider the matter resolved.”
In his opinion, Zaylynn’s mistake was forgivable as she did not do it out of malice. Coupled with the fact
that she confessed to her mistake almost immediately, the university decided to give her another chance.
Jacques was not aware of the effect of his words in causing the gaze of his passenger seated behind to
become colder.
Ten minutes later, Jacques pulled up at the side of the most prosperous commercial plaza in the city.
“Here we are, Yasmin. Take care of yourself at night, won’t you? Don’t get home too late. If you ever feel
like you can’t cope with juggling work and study, I can help you apply for financial aid.”
“I’ll bear that in mind,” Yasmin said as she exited the car. “Thank you, Jacques.”
Financial aid. Yes, times are tough for me now. What about the offspring of the murderer? Why are they
able to sit around and enjoy the sunshine without a care in the world for their daily expenses, let alone
worrying about their future?
Stewing in bitter thoughts, Yasmin walked to the gate of the square.
To her further resentment, she did not expect to run into the four figures on their bicycles as soon as she
had changed into her apron at the cafe she worked at.
“Are we dining in that KFC?” Zaylynn asked. “Should we park our bikes here?”
“That works,” Timothy answered. “It’s not far, anyway. Let’s walk over.”
With a general murmur of assent, the quartet parked their bicycles in the square.
After locking hers, Susan came over and saw Ian frowning before producing his own phone to scan the
QR code provided at the designated spot.
“There is a QR code provided, Ian,” Susan said gently. “Just scan it and your bike will be automatically
locked.”
Ian merely grunted but the knot in his brow instantly relaxed.
After ensuring that everybody had managed to successfully lock their bicycles, the group marched
forward. Zaylynn’s boisterous debate with Timothy regarding the best-tasting flavor of chicken wings
made her a perfect match for him.
How childish!
With a scoff, Susan ignored them and turned her attention to the boy walking beside her.
“Have you had KFC before, Ian?”
“Not often,” Ian admitted.
For a prominent family like the Hayes’, KFC was something they did not particularly patronize. Besides,
Sasha’s attention to the health of her family turned her away from deep-fried food.
As a result, Ian had only had KFC several times when he was much younger and not anymore as he
entered adolescence.
Susan grew a little worried.
“I’ll get you something else later. Let’s order you a steak at a different restaurant.”
Ian refused gently. “That’s all right. Let’s dine together.”
Soon, all four of them arrived at KFC. As soon as Zaylynn and Timothy entered, they made a mad dash
to the counter to place their orders.
Susan and Ian simply exchanged a glance before getting a table.
“Let’s sit here, Ian.” Having found a table just right for four, Susan pulled her friend over to occupy it.
Ian obediently sat down.
It was a strange feeling for him as he rarely dined in such public places. Even if he did, it was always
with his parents at higher-end and cleaner restaurants.
As he was seated here watching the traffic of other patrons, Ian suddenly realized that he did not seem
to mind as much as he did from the way he meekly accommodated Susan’s requests.
“We’re back,” Zaylynn announced excitedly as she returned with a large tray. “Status report: two burgers
each, five packets of spicy wings, two packets of fries, and a large jug of Coke. How does that sound?”
Susan clicked her tongue in disapproval.
“That’s too much food, Zaylynn. We won’t be able to finish all of that.”
“That’s all right,” Zaylynn said with a generous wave of her hand. “We can share it with our classmates
and those homeless people outside.”
Susan was dumbstruck with incredulity and amusement.
Ian, who was sitting next to her, also raised his eyebrows as a smile played on his lips.
When Timothy returned with another tray of food, the group’s laughter stopped abruptly.
The group was so full after their meal that Zaylynn had to summon an errand boy to bring their leftovers
back to the university.
Yasmin caught a glimpse of the errand boy’s departure while on duty in the cafe beside the mall. Without
hesitation, she reached behind her and undid her apron.
“Where are you going, Yasmin?” came the shrill voice of her employer.
“There’s something I have to attend to. I’ll be right back.”
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