Chapter 376

376
At the entrance of Kanit University ,
As Ana closed the car door , a breeze carried a lower petal right onto the brim of Vanessa’s cap .
Aria approached , flicking a petal from Vanessa’s cap with her fingertips as she whispered , “ Someone is following us . ”
Vanessa , wearing a baseball cap to keep a low profile , adjusted her ponytail as an excuse to discreetly glance back . “ The gray Honda ? ”
Aria nodded slightly . “ Yes . ”
“ That’s weird , ” Vanessa said . “ We haven’t pissed anyone off lately , so who’d tail us all the way to Kanit City ? ”
Vanessa suddenly thought of someone . “ Could it be Olivia ? She wouldn’t actually come after you because of those rumors , would she ? ”
At the thought , her eyes grew
alert .
‘ Damn that jerk Russell , ‘ Vanessa fumed inwardly . He’s always hanging around my best friend every single day !
‘ She rolled her eyes . ‘ Those two idiots ! ‘
Aria gave Vanessa’s cap a gentle tap . “ Don’t worry , I’ll keep my guard up from now on . ”
“ Aria ! ” Derek called out , his voice cutting through the summer cicadas ‘ drone .
He dashed out of the school gate , juggling several cups of fruit tea . If not for the drinks in his hands , he would’ve hugged Aria tightly . “ I missed you so much . ”
Aria teased , “ Didn’t we just have dinner the other day ? ”
Derek grinned and playfully joked , “ Not seeing you for a day feels like ages , so after all these days , it’s practically been years ! ”
His eyes sparkled with such warmth that anyone unaware of the truth would have thought he was Aria’s own little brother .
That’s exactly what Gloria thought as she stood at the entrance .
It was the first time Gloria had seen Derek express his emotions so openly and directly show affection for someone .
Derek genuinely adored Aria .
Aria also seemed quite protective of him .
They looked just like real siblings , while Gloria couldn’t help but feel like an outsider .
Patrick stepped forward with a polite smile and greeted Aria . “ Ms. Saxon , it’s been a while . ”
“ Long time no see . ”
Patrick said , “ I haven’t had the chance to properly thank you for helping with that scam ring . Since we’ve run into each other , how about I treat you to dinner ? ”
“ Count me in , ” Deangelo stepped forward , his face brimming with gratitude . “ We owe you our deepest thanks for rescuing two of our university’s
students . ”
Kanit University deliberately kept quiet about Patrick and Rhett infiltrating the scam ring . Otherwise , they would have thanked Aria publicly privately .
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Let me introduce my professor , Patrick said promptly . This is Professor Deangelo Reed , ”
Aria smiled and replied . “ Thank you , Professor Reed . Honestly , Patrick and the others deserve just as much credit for that –
“ If it weren’t for you , those two rascals wouldn’t have dared to pull it off . ”
Vanessa knew about Patrick and Rhett’s involvement , but Derek was completely in the dark . His eyes widened in disbelief . He just couldn’t believe someone as capable as Patrick had actually busted an entire scam ring .
That’s so awesome .
He wouldn’t even dare to imagine it .
He wished Aria had taken him along back then .
Aria introduced Vanessa to the group . “ This is Vanessa , my best friend ”
“ Hi everyone , ” Vanessa flashed a lopsided , kittenish grin .
Deangelo studied Vanessa , suddenly struck by a sense of familiarity , but he couldn’t quite place where he’d seen her before .
Patrick suggested , “ Let’s head to the backstreet first and chat on the way . ”
So the five of them set off together .
As they left , Aria scanned behind them . The car was gone .
Lennox was left standing to the side , feeling resentful . Then , he put on a pitiful expression and said , “ Auntie , do they have a misunderstanding about
me ? ”
In the past , whenever Gloria saw that pitiful look on Lennox’s face , she would comfort him despite her inner exasperation . But now , she simply couldn’t
be bothered .
A
“ Even I , his own mother , got ignored . What makes you think you’d be any different ? I’ve got things to do . Just go back on your own , ” Gloria said curtly .
With that , she hailed a cab and left without looking back .
Lennox stared at the receding taillights , a flicker of resentment flashing in his eyes .
If she had mentioned it earlier , there would have been exactly six of them and he could have gone with them to that old restaurant .
In the car , Gloria called Arnav , her voice trembling with emotion and uncertainty . “ Honey … have we been wrong all these years … ? ”
The five of them arrived at an old restaurant called “ Flavor Essence ” on the backstreet .
The signboard hanging at the entrance was worn smooth and rounded with age , its surface bearing the marks of time .
Peering inside , several vintage pendant lights hung from the ceiling . The faded retro patterns on the tiled walls and the sturdy , rustic wooden tables ar chairs added to the antique feel of the place .
The restaurant was bustling with lively chatter , nearly packed with diners .
Patrick said , “ This place has been here for fifty years . Everyone visiting Kanit City comes here . The food is absolutely incredible .”
Derek swallowed hard . “ Come on , let’s go in already ! ”
Aria knew this place well . Her mentor , Cloe , had trained here for a full year to master their culinary secrets .
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376
Patrick gave the reservation number , and the group was then led to a table by the window .
After they sat down , Patrick handed the menu to Aria and Vanessa . Both smiled and said they weren’t picky eaters , leaving the ordering to Deangelo .
Deangelo didn’t stand on ceremony . With a cheerful grin , he said , “ Well then , I won’t hold back . ”
He gave Derek a look and said , “ You pick something too . ”
“ Sure ! ” Derek said cheerfully .
Aria leaned in and whispered to Patrick , “ Who else has seen that portrait sketch from before ? ”
Patrick froze for a second , recalling . “ When I was checking on it , a few colleagues happened to see it . Why
are you asking about this all of a sudden ? ”
“ Someone found out I was looking for someone , and they even got their hands on the sketch ,” Aria said quietly .
Patrick’s expression darkened . “ I’ll get to the bottom of it . ”
Aria gave a brief nod . “ Mm . ”
Aria knew Patrick was very busy , so she didn’t bother him about it . After all , it wasn’t anything that could actually threaten her .
Now that they’d met , she figured it was fine to have him look into it .
After ordering , Derek looked at Vanessa expectantly and asked with a smile , “ Vanessa , are you really that good at coding ? ”
If Aria said he could ask Vanessa about computer – related questions , then that meant she was a pro in the field .
Vanessa lifted her chin with a playful , smug grin . “ Of course . When it comes to hacking skills , I could easily claim second place . ”
Deangelo couldn’t help but laugh . “ Well , she sure has a lot of confidence in herrself … ”
But before he could finish , his gaze landed on Vanessa’s face and froze .
The girl before him now overlapped perfectly with the memory – the girl on the surveillance footage , flashing a peace sign with a lollipop in her mouth .
Deangelo shot to his feet , too stunned to push his glasses back up as they slid down his nose . “ You’re the hacker who breached Nexa Corporation all those years ago ? ”
His gaze snapped toward Aria . “ Could it be that you’re the Nexa executive … ”
Realizing something , he stopped mid – sentence .
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