My older sister is a villainous rich girl

After a period of reflection, Ascletis decided to change its previous strategy of only addressing one aspect.

Perhaps due to a grudge accumulated since childhood, although Ge Li and Chris often met, they almost never had in-depth conversations. Any topic between them always ended in a bad mood.

Over time, a tacit understanding developed, much like a king not meeting another king.

However, without fully understanding Chris, one wouldn't know exactly where her flaws lay. Goli didn't want to continue passively waiting, only to unilaterally accept that person's sometimes enthusiastic and sometimes indifferent responses, ultimately losing without even understanding why.

Even with all her pride, she wanted to know exactly what made Chris better than her, something that could make that person so... so blind.

Yes, she wouldn't admit that Chris had any real advantage over her.

Even if Wayne thinks that way, it's because he's blind, not because he's really worse than Chris.

“Although my friends are all very warm-hearted people, they won’t always be around me, and Miss Chris should understand that, right?” Gothic said casually. “Sometimes, having some alone time is also necessary.”

Chris was slightly taken aback by her answer.

"I see, that makes sense."

Chris originally intended to mock her for looking for trouble again, but judging from her tone, it seemed she wasn't there to start a fight on purpose.

Then the two fell silent again.

Perhaps because the atmosphere here was too strange, more and more people entered and took their seats, but a large circle remained empty around Chris and Ge Li.

Later on, even if people who didn't know the situation wanted to come this way, they would subconsciously stop because of the inexplicably chilling atmosphere and go to other more lively places instead.

Chris is having a hard time.

"Speaking of which, Miss Chris, where is your loyal hound today?" Ge Li suddenly spoke, his words carrying a chill that seemed to come from nowhere.

Chris frowned.

She corrected her earnestly: "First of all, Wayne is my... family. Secondly, as you said before, he has his own things to do and doesn't always have to revolve around me."

"Really?" Ge Li smiled. "Don't be so sensitive. I'm just a little surprised that he's no longer around."

Chris always felt that there was something hidden in Ge Li's words, but she couldn't quite figure out what it really meant.

"In your opinion, is Wayne someone I'm inseparable from, someone I'm always with?" Chris suddenly wanted to know how others perceived her and Wayne's relationship.

Given Ge Li's tendency to always dislike himself, he would surely speak ill of him. Perhaps, things that he himself might not notice are quite obvious to others.

Upon hearing this, Ge Li's gaze deepened slightly.

She was reluctant to admit it, but she had to, that Wayne had always treated Chris this way. Did this guy never realize it?

"Otherwise what?" Ge Li asked instead of answering.

Chris seemed to finally realize that the question was meaningless, and the answer couldn't be more obvious.

“...Yes, he’s always there for me when I need him, no matter when or where.” Chris sighed helplessly.

Chapter 622 Difficult to Handle

Ge Li gritted his teeth inwardly.

However, Chris was completely unaware of the sudden change in the girl's mood beside her. Her tone was not at all joyful; instead, it was filled with unspeakable annoyance.

"Making meeting another person's needs the center of one's life is hard and unfair to anyone."

She murmured to herself, "Those moments that seemed to me like moments of perfect understanding, those happy memories—was he really... not forcing himself? Or was it just a habit, regardless of whether he was actually happy or not?"

A strange, bittersweet feeling welled up in Ge Li's heart.

Even when unhappy, someone who keeps giving in to the other person—isn't that describing myself?

Why is it that the person who can so meticulously perceive such subtle details and say the words he wants to hear so perfectly is not him, but Chris, whom he hates the most?

Ge Li shook his head, forcibly suppressing those chaotic thoughts.

Noticing Ge Li's sudden movement, Chris glanced at her with a puzzled look.

Although she knew she should change the subject, she couldn't bring herself to say it for some reason. Ge Li awkwardly fiddled with her gauze skirt.

'As expected of my nemesis. He is indeed quick-witted and skillful, and very difficult to deal with,' Ge Li thought to himself with a sense of vigilance.

Chris felt that something was off about today's choir.

"Is there... something you want to tell me?"

"No."

The answer was so quick and decisive that Chris was unsure whether she should pretend to believe it.

……

Backstage at the school auditorium.

The members of each program team who were about to go on stage were busy making preparations, with Wayne, his senior Olive, and Lawrence in charge of coordination.

All the necessary coordination had been taken care of in advance, and the first two rehearsals went very smoothly. The three of them stayed backstage to ensure everything went perfectly.

“Oh, by the way, I just ran into Chairman Harold and Miss Beatrice outside,” Olive said with interest. “The Chairman seemed to be in a very good mood.”

Wayne understood immediately and gave a knowing smile. "That Miss Beatrice has been by the chairman's side for quite some time now, hasn't she?"

"Yes, it's been more than ten years."

As the founder of the Seiki Academy student council and a former outstanding graduate, Olive and Beatrice have had many interactions over the years and can be said to be quite familiar with each other.

Speaking of the past, Olive couldn't help but complain about a series of incidents that Beatrice had helped resolve, and finally commented: "Over the years, without her diligent handling of the chairman's official duties every day, I'm afraid many things in the academy would not be able to function at all."

Hearing their conversation, Lawrence also came over.

"Speaking of which, the chairman's wife passed away a long time ago, and many people originally wanted to introduce him to a new wife. However, the chairman privately refused all the good intentions of the matchmakers, saying that he could not forget his deceased wife, including my father." He sighed, "Over time, no one mentioned this matter anymore."

Was there really such a thing? Wayne carefully recalled Harold's usual behavior and didn't think he was particularly dwelling on past feelings.

He suddenly realized something.

Perhaps that's why Beatrice tried so hard to prove her worth by Harold's side.

—If you still have expectations for someone, letting go is not an easy thing.

Little did he know that he was being gossiped about, Principal Harold was in a very relaxed and happy mood at the moment.

Perhaps it was because from the moment I entered until I sat down, I was greeted by a constant stream of teachers and students, some familiar and some unfamiliar.

Today he wore a fuchsia tie and a silver brooch with a turquoise gemstone on his collar, smiling as he greeted everyone with "Happy Teacher's Day."

Harold breathed a sigh of relief when he finally managed to sit down.

"It feels like I've gone back to when I was still studying at the academy," he sighed. "Back then, I often dragged my junior brother along to various activities, and he always complained that I was interrupting his 'invention time'..."

Harold paused for a moment at this point.

Just as he was about to give up on the topic, Beatrice's gentle voice came: "But now it seems to be the other way around. Professor Conley is constantly attending various invitations and events to raise funds, while you stay in your office all day and don't want to go out."

Harold smiled faintly.

"To realize that guy's wildly imaginative ideas, financial support is essential, and it's fortunate that he can find a few suckers willing to sponsor him long-term."

“Aren’t you one of them too?” Beatrice turned her head to look at him.

"...Uh, it seems so."

For some reason, Harold suddenly felt that the indoor temperature was a bit high.

Beatrice seemed oblivious to his slight awkwardness and continued to ask curiously, "You rarely talk about your student days, there must have been many interesting things that happened during that time, right?"

"That was all when I was young," he said, unwilling to elaborate.

The close proximity made Harold notice that Beatrice had put on very elaborate makeup.

It's completely different from usual.

Miss Beatrice seemed unusually inquisitive today. Her delicate, bright red lips parted, and she pestered me in a coquettish voice, "You're still very young, Chairperson~ Tell me about it~"

Harold shuddered as he heard this, feeling a fine layer of goosebumps appear on his arm beneath his sleeve.

"Uh... I'm going to the restroom."

Using a half-baked excuse to temporarily avoid the difficult situation, Harold went to the washroom and casually splashed some cold water on his face.

Actually, he did notice some things.

She always noticed his needs immediately and always brought vibrant laughter to his side. Beatrice never did anything to disappoint him and always satisfied him in every way, perfectly embodying his ideal assistant.

However, perhaps it was precisely because he was so satisfied that the current perfect sense of distance made him unwilling to make any further changes.

Staring blankly at his no-longer-young face in the mirror, he let out a long sigh.

After tidying himself up, Harold prepared to leave the restroom. But he suddenly hesitated for a second.

He saw in the mirror that a wallet had fallen out of its place and was lying in front of the innermost closed cubicle.

"Who was so careless?" Harold reminded him. "Hey, friend inside, did you drop your wallet by the door?"

The empty restroom was quiet for a moment, then a slightly flustered reply rang out: "Ah...maybe so, I'll pick it up when I come out."

Chapter 623 Where We Don't Meet Again

Mr. Ross, the Laird family’s most loyal servant, is now in a very difficult situation.

He would never have risked sneaking into Seiki Academy if he hadn't had no other choice.

This place is a gathering place for the most elite nobles and mages in the entire kingdom. You never know which unfamiliar face you might bump into around a corner might be backed by a powerful figure in the kingdom's upper echelons. As a member of the fallen party, already as insignificant as a rat in the street, if he attracts the attention of those with ulterior motives, his fate is likely sealed.

Even so, he had no choice but to try his last hope.

Norman Laird had been missing for a long time, and Bulwer was initially willing to help with the investigation. However, after so much time, no news of any related secrets being leaked had emerged. Perhaps convinced that Norman had been quietly eliminated by an unknown powerful figure, Bulwer's attitude became passive and evasive.

It's no surprise that someone like him would have enemies coming from anywhere.

With this excuse alone, Bulwer justified his repeated delays in the subsequent investigation.

In truth, Ross had his doubts about Norman Laird's safety. But as a proud servant of the Laird family, he would abide by the promise of ancestral loyalty, made for generations, until the last drop of blood flowed from his bloodline, which was originally that of a lowly slave.

Just as she herself was the last to fulfill this promise, even though her master Norman had tragically died, the Laird family still had a successor to whom they could entrust a heavy responsibility.

That was Wayne Winche, the descendant of Archduke Laird, the royal heir who was hidden in what could be described as the safest place in the world.

Ross didn't know how such a whimsical design was achieved, but he still remembered the confident and ambitious expression on the man's face when he revealed this top-secret secret to him.

Even today, he is still horrified by Norman Laird's insane methods.

Ross believed that once he found an opportunity to meet that person and tell him the whole truth, he would make the right choice and rebuild the Laird family's business.

After all, bloodline is a curse that no one can defy.

To avoid trouble, Ross had withdrawn all the pieces he could control from the capital of Lornes some time ago. Now that Ross had no one he could trust, he had no choice but to take matters into his own hands.

He proceeded cautiously, first "borrowing" the uniform of an unlucky teacher to sneak into the school, then ambushing a staff member in the restroom who came to resolve a personal matter, preparing to repeat the same trick.

Fortunately, the performance was about to begin, and most people were concentrated in the audience. He only needed a few minutes to successfully complete another identity switch.

Ross loathed Qingxi Academy's strict dress code that divided students by class and status, which caused him immense trouble along the way. If he didn't dress according to the rules, even a passerby in this absurd academy could stop him at any time for an aggressive interrogation and a stern lecture.

Wearing a dark shirt, a brown vest, a bow tie with the school crest, and a white armband representing the staff organizing the event, he was about to change his trousers when he suddenly heard a noise outside.

Ross hesitated for a moment.

'It's not a big deal; no one's going to be so bored as to pry into how others handle their personal privacy,' he reassured himself.

However, to avoid any unnecessary trouble, he stopped any actions that might make a sound and quietly waited for the people outside to leave.

The sound of leather shoes on the floor, the splashing of water, followed by a sigh of regret.

After what seemed like an eternity, the commotion outside finally subsided, and the man was about to leave. However, before Ross could even breathe a sigh of relief, a deep, questioning voice suddenly rang out: "Hey friend inside, did you drop your wallet by the door?"

"..."

How could this happen?! I was so careless!

While feeling regretful, Ross responded in a flustered manner, thinking he should get the person away as soon as possible.

Fortunately, the person didn't seem to care too much about this little incident. He just gave an ambiguous "oh" and then heard the sound of footsteps gradually fading away.

With a sigh of relief, Ross quickly straightened his clothes, kept the door locked from the inside, and climbed out from above the cubicle.

Looking around but seeing no one, he splashed cold water on his face in the mirror to ease his tense expression.

Great. Now all you need to do is naturally go backstage, find Wayne Wincher, and tell him the whole story about his background, and you'll be all set.