CHAPTER 425: 0423 WATER FIRE

Lynch is a gentleman; it was just a playful joke, and he voluntarily eased the awkwardness between them without forcing Anna to call him "uncle."

"Are you always like this?" Anna walked side by side with Lynch, even though his malicious joke took her a while to recover from, reality remained reality. Before her father returned, she had to maintain this seemingly harmonious relationship.

Sometimes, those who live at the bottom aspire to upper-class life, believing that with money and status, they can escape the cruelty of fate.

But in reality, even with money, there will always be things that leave you helpless, like someone wealthier or more important than you. These people always exist, so don’t fool yourself with the thought "no one is more important than me."

The higher you go, the more real and ruthless society becomes, just like Anna at this moment.

She is wealthy, possesses an enviable surname and father, and has everything without the need for effort. Ninety-five percent of people dream "if only I could be her..."

But they fail to see that behind the glamour, sometimes things are not so ideal, and there are plenty of worries as well.

Those oppressed and exploited people can angrily throw reports in the boss’s face, pointing at his nose and telling him, "I’m quitting."

Sometimes they have nothing, so they fear losing nothing more.

Anna can’t do that. Even if she truly dislikes Lynch, she must accompany him until Mr. Pato returns. That’s upper-class society.

You can dislike someone, but it’s only your own affair. The entire social structure operates around a set of rules; you can’t bring your personal emotions into it, or you’ll break the rules!

Anna accompanied Lynch; it’s the task given to her by her father. If during this process Lynch left, then regardless of the circumstances, she would ultimately be at fault.

Just like Lynch said, he and Mr. Pato are equal independent natural persons interacting with each other; they’re on equal footing, so Mr. Pato wouldn’t think the reason for any unpleasantness between them comes from Lynch.

Unless it’s some fundamental principle error, most mistakes would ultimately fall on Anna.

She enjoys things others don’t, but she also has to endure some things.

"Me?" Lynch tilted his head, looking at the girl walking beside him, "What’s wrong with me?"

"Infuriating!" Anna said seriously. She was truly angry, despite Lynch claiming it was only a joke, there was a moment when she almost blurted out "Uncle Lynch."

This made her feel ashamed; whether she said it or not, she was defeated, defeated in her heart.

"You here?!" Lynch was just about to say something when a familiar girl’s voice rang in his ears; if he guessed right, it should be Severa.

Sure enough, she walked towards them rapidly with surprise, continuously apologizing to the ladies and gentlemen she disturbed, quickly arriving at Lynch’s side.

In such occasions, moving quickly could be seen as impolite and lacking in sophistication, but when people’s gaze touched Severa’s young, perfect face, displeasure turned into tolerance.

Everyone knows Mr. Wardrick has just this one daughter, who is bound to inherit everything he owns in the future unless he unexpectedly has more illegitimate children before dying.

How could anyone not show a pleasant expression to such a lovely, young, beautiful lady?

In the moment of turning around, Lynch subtly caught a glimpse; Anna’s hand hanging by her skirt tightly grasped her dress. There seemed to be something between her and Severa?

"You didn’t tell me you were coming!" Severa stood facing Lynch, only a day passed since they discussed writing matters, yet in such a short time, Severa felt somewhat... lengthy.

It was an unprecedented feeling; she, carefree since childhood, couldn’t grasp how time could halt so slowly. Some originally interesting, quick time-killing methods gradually turned dull.

This was why Mr. Wardrick had to take her out; his daughter’s inexplicable depression needed a change of scenery.

Lynch chuckled; in Severa’s eyes, his smile was golden, captivating her attention, "I didn’t know you were coming, so I didn’t mention it."

Today’s event, although not entirely formal and somber, wasn’t merely a social gathering either. After all, there were many matters to discuss, and numerous dignitaries were present. The proper approach was to bring a female companion; although it was fine not to.

Lynch expected Mr. Wardrick to bring his wife, but it turned out to be Severa.

Severa actually didn’t mind, "We..." She wanted to continue yesterday’s topic, as she spent a whole boring night coming up with new ideas. She hoped to gain Lynch’s approval because she saw Lynch as perceptive in certain aspects.

But before she could speak, Anna, standing beside Lynch, abruptly stepped forward, "Good afternoon, Severa sister..."

Severa reluctantly shifted her gaze to Anna’s face; the two locked eyes for a moment, and the girl’s enthusiastic smile cooled a bit, "I didn’t notice you earlier."

"I’ve been here all along." Anna countered.

"Really?" Severa no longer paid much attention, retracting her smile, "Well, hello, Miss Anna." Watching Anna, she seemed to change into another person.

It was Severa’s first display of "sharpness" to Lynch. A simple "well, hello" directly left Anna hanging, leaving her without a continuance.

She couldn’t possibly say, "Yes, I’m fine, Severa sister," or "I’m actually not fine at all since seeing you," with Severa’s current look and attitude. Almost everyone could sense, Anna was a "redundant" girl.

Anna’s hand tightly clasped the skirt, yet another involuntary predicament faced by upper-class individuals. People constantly compare—this wasn’t only typical in ordinary social groups.

Moreover, attitudes here would polarize; they expressed extreme tolerance towards those unfit to inherit core resources and who abandoned themselves.

Regardless of their decadence or indulgence, as long as they didn’t touch upon core principles, everyone treated them with abundant leniency.

Such leniency made those strictly judged begin to question their existence, wondering who really was the lucky one.

However, regarding those who could inherit core resources, people were exceedingly critical; even if they used an extra piece of toilet paper, it would stir discussions.

Of course, no one really discussed how much toilet paper these two girls use; it’s merely an example, a little joke.

This reflects the issues faced by these "elites"; they must ensure they look more competent than others, at least appear that way.

Severa published books and owned her brand in fashion. These weren’t all her ideas, but she must do them.

Because everyone else was doing them, each person was "building from scratch"; if she didn’t do well, people would pressure her and remark, "Mr. Wardrick should have another child; his daughter doesn’t deserve to inherit his all!"

So even these two, who never had deep connections but were constantly compared, wouldn’t show warmth or joy when meeting.

Between Anna and Severa’s comparison, Anna was clearly at a disadvantage, possibly also because her father had more children. Mr. Pato wouldn’t unconditionally support anything she undertakes; in this aspect, she lost to Severa.

Her current competitive nature was essentially to prove she’s not inferior to Severa.

Two girls stared at each other; some noticed but quickly averted their eyes, not wanting trouble.

Seconds later, Severa took the initiative to change the topic; even at this point, Anna didn’t speak further, she already lost in this confrontation.

"What were you discussing?" Severa naturally stood next to Lynch, curious expression added to her face, "I didn’t know you knew each other."

Following the initial confrontation and someone’s victory, the atmosphere significantly eased.

"I went for an interview at Saint Szechka today, and coincidentally met Miss Anna." Lynch replied.

Severa looked at Lynch in surprise, "I thought you’d choose the Southern Saint Harmony Alliance Academy; it’s closer to York State."

The South also has a Saint Harmony Alliance Academy, and compared to Bupen, it’s clearly closer to Lynch’s current residence; traveling would be more convenient, unlike coming to Bupen, which takes a day or two each trip, too far away.

Her expression shifted again, "So you’re my junior?"

Severa also graduated from Saint Szechka Academy; her bestseller, "How to Quickly Integrate into the University Social Circle," was written while she studied there; the place held special feelings for her.

Adding what she discussed with Lynch, she gained new ideas; based on Lynch’s suggestions, she planned to write a new campus novel, adapt it into a script, and promote it for screening!