CHAPTER 17: CHAPTER 17: AFRAID SHE’LL GET CAUGHT UP IN GOSSIP

Clara Sterling returned to the dormitory and began packing her luggage.

Isaac Sutton called again, but Clara glanced at the caller ID and didn’t want to answer.

She turned her phone face down and continued packing her things.

Her roommate Lynch Lynch walked into the dorm with a dejected look, "I’m screwed, I’m screwed. So many questions I couldn’t answer; I think I’m going to fail. I wonder if Lowell can help me out, sigh..."

Alice Woods said, "I think it’s unlikely. You hardly attended classes, and this last course is pretty tough. If your exam scores are too low, even if your participation scores are maxed out, you might not pass."

Lynch Lynch cried out, "Heavens, please don’t let me fail! I really don’t want to retake the exam!"

Another roommate, Sharon Shaw, suddenly gossiped, "Have you heard? Chloe Sullivan from the English department is being kept by someone."

"Huh? Seriously?" Lynch Lynch’s expression changed instantly upon hearing gossip, and she eagerly joined in, "Who told you that? Who’s keeping her?"

Sharon Shaw opened the College Alliance app and clicked on the most popular post, "Here, look."

Lynch Lynch glanced at it and immediately widened her eyes, "Whoa, whoa, it’s true! So sensational!"

Lynch Lynch excitedly grabbed the phone and scrolled down, growing more animated as she read, "Driving a Porsche Cayenne, indeed quite wealthy. But that guy is so ugly, with a face full of pits and craters, not to mention he’s fat. Chloe Sullivan is like the flower of the English department, and this is really a case of a beauty matching a beast."

Alice Woods also peered over to look, "That guy looks old enough to be her dad. She really goes that far."

Clara Sterling took clothes out of the closet and folded them neatly into her suitcase, casually commenting, "Maybe he really is her dad? Without evidence, it’s better not to spread rumors."

"No, no, no, Clara, this time it’s not just rumors. There’s pictures and the truth is undeniable," Sharon Shaw said, "The post even included photos of Chloe Sullivan and the guy kissing."

"Where? Why didn’t I see it?" Lynch Lynch leapt around like a gopher in a melon patch.

"Since the photos showed their faces, they were deleted by the admin. I have screenshots here," Sharon Shaw took the phone from Lynch Lynch, opened her album, and found the screenshot, "Look."

"Whoa, unbelievable! She actually kisses him," Lynch Lynch shouted.

Alice Woods was equally shocked, "Oh my, that’s really something."

"Clara, look," Sharon Shaw handed the photo to Clara Sterling.

Clara Sterling glanced at it and saw Chloe Sullivan and the man embracing and kissing passionately in front of a Porsche.

Lynch Lynch clicked her tongue twice and said, "A couple of days ago, I saw Chloe Sullivan getting out of that guy’s car. I didn’t think much of it then; who knew she’d be exposed as being kept today."

Sharon Shaw said, "Chloe Sullivan’s family is average financially, and reportedly they favor boys over girls. According to her roommate, her parents only give her 800 a month, with tuition covered by student loans, yet they paid 8000 without blinking for her brother’s tutoring. All these were things Chloe herself said."

"Oh my God, how can her parents be like that? What kind of parents are they?" Lynch Lynch looked furious.

Alice Woods sighed, "Sigh, how can there be such parents, unwilling to spend on their own daughter? There are plenty of men willing to support her."

"Yeah, truly clueless," Sharon Shaw said, "Aside from Chloe Sullivan, there are quite a few girls in our school being kept too. Those with ordinary family backgrounds but often picked up by luxury cars are basically being kept."

Lynch Lynch shook her head, "Tsk, tsk, truly a sign of societal decline."

Clara Sterling’s hand suddenly paused on the clothes, as something flashed through her mind.

She suddenly remembered, on the day of the certificate signing, Silas Sheffield asked his assistant Zachary Lynch to drive to the campus entrance to pick her up.

Zachary Lynch drove a very normal Toyota.

Clara Sterling had ridden in Silas Sheffield’s Maybach before, and during high school, visiting the Sheffield family, she’d seen countless luxury cars in their underground garage.

Years passed, and Silas Sheffield only increased his collection of luxury cars, yet on the certificate signing day, he came with a very old, ordinary BMW to pick her up from school.

Clara Sterling guessed that Toyota might have been Zachary Lynch’s car.

Silas Sheffield was in the car at the time; he likely never sat in such a cheap car before.

Was Silas Sheffield afraid to pick her up in a luxury car, attracting attention and gossip?

She hadn’t thought it through then, but now hearing her roommates gossip, she suddenly recalled the incident.

Need to find some time to ask Zachary Lynch.

Soon, Clara Sterling’s phone vibrated again.

She picked it up to look—a stranger’s number.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Miss Sterling? I’m from the cleaning company, now downstairs from your dorm; could you let me up?"

It was the person Silas Sheffield called to help her pack.

"I’ll be right down," Clara Sterling hung up and headed downstairs.

The cleaning auntie was highly efficient and packed the luggage in just over an hour.

Lynch Lynch was amazed, "Wow, Clara, you even hired a cleaning lady to pack? Did you pack everything? Are you not coming next semester?"

Clara Sterling nodded and said, "Uh-huh, my mom is seriously ill and needs treatment in another province. I have to go take care of her; I won’t be here next semester. Anyway, there are no courses next semester."

Their major courses were already completed, and the school hadn’t arranged any courses for the second semester of senior year, leaving time for students to write theses and intern.

There was a thesis proposal presentation at the start of the semester, typically attended onsite, but exceptions could be requested for online participation.

Clara Sterling had already submitted an application to the school requesting online participation.

She planned not to come back to school next semester, just return in June for the graduation ceremony.

Upon hearing Clara Sterling mention her mom’s serious illness, her roommates all reached out with care and support.

Clara Sterling was beautiful, achieved good grades, and had a likable personality, earning fondness from all three roommates.

Especially Lynch Lynch, who frequently asked Clara for favors during her truancy.

Alice Woods hugged Clara, "Love, I’ll miss you; wishing for Auntie’s speedy recovery."

Lynch Lynch: "I’ll miss you too; keep in touch, Clara."

Sharon Shaw suggested, "How about we go for dinner tonight? We won’t see Clara next semester."

Clara Sterling pursed her lips, "Sorry, my good friend from high school is back from overseas tonight, and I’ve agreed to have dinner with her."

"What? Such bad timing?" Lynch Lynch looked down, "When are you leaving the campus?"

Clara Sterling: "Probably about 1 PM tomorrow."

"Such tight schedule," Lynch Lynch pondered before saying, "How about we have an early lunch tomorrow, at the hot pot place outside the south gate?"

Sharon Shaw said, "I’m okay with it."

Alice Woods: "I’m okay too."

The girls all turned to Clara Sterling, "Alright then, let’s go at eleven. After eating, I’ll be leaving."

Lynch Lynch: "Let’s settle on that."

Alice Woods suddenly asked, "By the way, Clara, does Isaac Sutton know you’re not coming next semester?"

Lynch Lynch looked at Clara Sterling, "Yeah, you won’t be on campus, leading to a long-distance relationship with your boyfriend."

Clara Sterling calmly said, "I broke up with him."

The words caused an uproar among the roommates.

"What? When?"

"Whoa, this is major news; you broke up with Isaac Sutton?"

"I think you should’ve broken up with him earlier; he’s not good enough for you. Clara is so excellent, deserves better."

Clara Sterling said, "Don’t tell him I’m not coming next semester; and if he asks you about me, just don’t say anything."

The roommates all agreed.