Chapter 205: Self-Proof Segment
"How did it go? Did Chloe York really move her residency out?"
As soon as Miles York returned, Alice Cole immediately bombarded him with questions. She was desperate to know if Chloe truly cared so little that she’d actually transfer her household registration. After all, once Chloe moved her residency out, transferring it back wouldn’t be easy. She had been the privileged daughter of the York family for over a decade. Was she really willing to just throw that away?
"Of course it’s true!" Hearing Alice’s words made Miles’s temper flare up.
"Hey, why are you getting mad at me? It’s a good thing she moved it out. What, were you planning to raise someone else’s daughter for them?"
"What do you mean, ’raise someone else’s daughter’? Right now, she’s the one raising us! How many times do I have to tell you? Almost all the company’s business partners are only working with us because of Chloe. And the only reason our products are selling well is because her fans are supporting us."
Alice didn’t want to hear Miles talk like this. It made it sound as if Chloe were something incredibly special. If they hadn’t raised her, would she be this capable? At the end of the day, she was just reaping the rewards of their hard work.
With the residency matter settled, Chloe now just had to wait to go abroad. However, she hadn’t expected a certain someone to show up right in front of her.
"Chloe, you’re going abroad!"
Zoe Roland’s sudden visit was entirely unexpected. To be honest, ever since Chloe had told Zoe about the university she chose, they hadn’t really kept in touch. If Zoe hadn’t appeared right in front of her now, Chloe probably wouldn’t have remembered her at all.
"Yeah, I am!"
"I haven’t even made it to this school yet, and you’re already leaving," Zoe said, sounding a bit disappointed.
She knew Stella Winters had gone abroad. She had thought that once she got into this university, she could hang out with Chloe, and no one else could intrude on them. She hadn’t expected Chloe to go abroad too. So, the moment she learned Chloe was leaving, she insisted on coming to find her, terrified that Chloe would forget all about her.
"It’s fine. You’re taking the university entrance exams for yourself, not for anyone else. You can go to the university you want to attend and work hard for the life you desire. You don’t necessarily have to follow someone else."
Chloe could tell that Zoe wanted to follow her to this university, which was honestly unnecessary. Zoe’s parents weren’t here, and it was so far from her home; she really shouldn’t choose this school.
"No, people have goals and idols. Being with your idol is the happiest thing in the world."
Hearing Zoe say this, Chloe decided not to push the topic further. "Have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet!"
"Let’s go grab some food, then. My treat."
"Okay!" Zoe happily linked her arm through Chloe’s.
"Chloe!" Right at that moment, Wendy Winters’s voice rang out from behind them.
Zoe turned around and saw Wendy. Initially, her gaze was confused, but when she saw Wendy intimately link her arm through Chloe’s other arm, her expression instantly darkened. She hadn’t expected Chloe to make another close friend so quickly.
"Who’s this little girl?" Wendy finally noticed Zoe and asked curiously.
"She’s a junior from my old school. She heard I was going abroad, so she came over to see me."
"I see. Hello there, junior! My name is Wendy, and I’m Chloe’s good friend."
"Hello, I’m Zoe Roland." Zoe politely reached out and shook Wendy’s hand, but she quickly pulled it back.
Wendy’s hand was left hanging in midair. She mostly hadn’t anticipated Zoe pulling away so fast. But she didn’t think much of it, assuming the younger girl was just a bit shy.
"We were just about to go eat. Want to join us?" Chloe asked Wendy.
Zoe immediately looked at Wendy, praying she would decline. She had finally gotten a chance to be alone with Chloe and didn’t want a third wheel. But there was no way Wendy could know what she was thinking. Naturally, she agreed to eat with them.
"Sure, let’s go together."
What was supposed to be a meal for two had turned into three, and to their surprise, they bumped into Evan Shaw along the way.
Evan was quite shocked to see Zoe, considering they had all attended her birthday party back then. Zoe was equally surprised; she hadn’t expected Evan to be at this university too. Meanwhile, Chloe couldn’t help but wonder how a casual meal had suddenly turned into what felt like a farewell dinner.
The group arrived at the restaurant, and everyone ordered a dish they wanted.
"Sigh, once Chloe goes abroad, who knows when we’ll have the chance to sit down and eat together like this again," Wendy suddenly lamented. Chloe was the very first friend she had made after starting college! They hadn’t even had enough time to bond properly, and now her good friend was leaving the country.
"Yeah, Chloe, I thought you were going to stay here at Southbend University until graduation!" Evan added.
"What’s with you guys? I’m just going as an exchange student. I might be back before you know it."
At the time, the principal had only mentioned sending her abroad as an exchange student, without specifying the duration. It was entirely possible she’d be back after just one semester. However, for the sake of being with Stella Winters, she might choose to stay there longer. If possible, staying until graduation would be fine too.
For the rest of the meal, they chatted about this and that. When they were almost finished, Chloe went to pay the bill, only to find that Evan was planning to pay as well.
"I’ll pay for this one. I was the one who said I’d treat Zoe, so how can I let you foot the bill?" Chloe said.
"It doesn’t matter who pays, we’re all friends here. Besides, you’re heading abroad soon. Think of this meal as my treat to you. If I ever get the chance to visit you overseas, maybe I’ll have you treat me then!" Evan replied.
"You don’t need to buy me this meal. If you ever come abroad, I’ll still treat you. So let me pay for this one. If you consider me a friend, you’ll let me pay."
Hearing Chloe put it that way, Evan didn’t insist any further.
"All right, then!"
Meanwhile, back at the table, the atmosphere between the two remaining girls had become noticeably tense.
Wendy had no idea why, but the moment Chloe left, the expression of the younger girl sitting across from her seemed a bit off, as if she harbored a deep hostility toward her.
Zoe’s next words confirmed Wendy’s suspicions.
"When did you meet Chloe? Did you take the initiative to befriend her, or did she approach you?"
Zoe’s words carried a questioning, interrogative tone that made Wendy extremely uncomfortable.
"Hold on, what’s with you, little miss? Why do I feel like you’re speaking to me with so much hostility?"
"Hostile? I don’t think so. I’m just asking you a normal question. Or could it be that you approached Chloe with ulterior motives, so my asking makes you anxious, which is why you’re accusing me of being hostile?"
Now Wendy was truly bewildered. She genuinely felt like this Zoe Roland girl was making her head spin. How had she suddenly been backed into a corner where she needed to prove her innocence?