Chapter 261: Chapter 261: Replenishing Form with Form
All the students in Crestfall taking the college entrance exam were assigned to testing centers in the city, so the students from the countryside had all come into town today to prepare.
The moment Vera Xavier stepped out of the school gates, she saw many plainly dressed students from the countryside. They were here to check out their exam locations ahead of time.
The college entrance exam officially began tomorrow. This was the first timeāacross two lifetimesāthat Vera was taking it. āHonestly,ā she thought, āthis is a pretty novel experience.ā
Nathaniel Nathanās bearing and appearance were so outstanding that she spotted him from afar before she had even left the school grounds.
Because of what had happened yesterday, she felt a little embarrassed seeing him today. He, however, looked completely at ease, as if yesterdayās incident had never even occurred.
Vera figured, āWell, if heās going to be like that, what do I have to feel awkward for?ā So she, too, acted as if nothing had happened.
As usual, Nathaniel took her to their regular restaurant for a meal. As they were heading in, they ran into Quentin Sterling and his family of three.
The moment Lana Sterling saw her, she called out happily, "Auntie Vera!"
Vera had saved her life, so Lana felt an instinctual affinity for her.
Hearing this, Vera nearly jumped out of her skin. āWhen did I get promoted to "Auntie"?ā
It was Nathaniel who clarified from her side, "Thatās Lana Sterling."
Only then did Vera recognize the adorable girl before her as Lana Sterlingāthe same girl who had fallen in the water and nearly died. Quentin Sterling had told her to call him āBrother,ā so based on their respective generations, Lana really was supposed to call her āAuntie.ā
But Lana was only a few years younger than her; this sudden feeling of being an elder was bizarre.
Nathaniel, however, didnāt seem too pleased to see Lana. The reason was simple: Vera had "kissed" her to save her life, and it just occurred to him that he hadnāt yet gotten that kiss back from Vera.
Quentin Sterling said with a smile, "Last time, it was all thanks to you for saving Lanaās life. Weāve been wanting to thank you properly, but we never found the right chance. Tomorrow, Vera will be taking her college entrance exam, so Corinne and I talked it over and decided to treat you to dinner tonight. We want to wish you the best of luck on your tests!"
Vera quickly replied, "Youāre being too kind! It was really no trouble at all."
Corinne Walsh smiled and said, "Weāre all family here, so why stand on ceremony? Once your exams are over, weāll throw you a party to celebrate!"
Veraās heart warmed at their words, so she didnāt refuse their offer.
Nathaniel ordered a bowl of pig brain soup. He was a man of his word. For the past few days, someone from the restaurant had delivered the soup to her school at noon. While the restaurantās soup was quite good, she couldnāt stand having it every single day.
She immediately protested in a low voice, "Can I skip it today?"
"With that tiny brain capacity of yours, if you donāt get some nourishment from this, youāll soon have the brain of an actual pig," Nathaniel said coolly, giving her no chance to refuse as he ladled a full bowl for her.
Vera stared at the soup, getting the distinct feeling he was messing with her on purpose. Of all the different kinds of soup, the one she hated mostāaside from papaya soupāwas pig brain soup!
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She pouted, her displeasure written all over her face.
Seeing her expression, he remarked nonchalantly, "If you donāt drink it, Iāll feed it to you."
His voice wasnāt loud, but the private room was small, and the three members of the Sterling family heard every word clearly.
Quentin Sterling and Corinne Walsh managed to maintain their composure, but Lana Sterling had already burst out laughing. "Uncle Nathaniel and Auntie are so perfect for each other! When I grow up, I want a boyfriend just like Uncle Nathaniel!"