CHAPTER 111: CHAPTER 111: THE TRUTH HURTS MORE

Actually, the circle in this industry isn’t very big in the country. If the person listening to Lynn Kendall today wasn’t her, but someone who didn’t understand Sheila Yardley, and then spread Lynn Kendall’s words to others, one to ten, ten to a hundred...

If her reputation goes bad, then as an inexperienced newcomer, Sheila Yardley might not have a foothold in this industry.

"Oh well, she’s not coming anyway, so let’s not talk about her. I have a design draft here, but it feels a bit off. Can you take a look for me?"

In the afternoon, Aidan Lockwood came back after finishing his class at school. It seemed he had just learned about what happened with Sheila Yardley, so he went to Shannon Quinn to ask about the situation.

Shannon Quinn didn’t explain specifically what happened, considering that Lynn Kendall now provides some help in the studio. After all, it was she who had asked Aidan Lockwood to bring Lynn Kendall in. If she spoke ill of Lynn now, it would also put Aidan Lockwood in a difficult position.

All she could say was that they now knew what kind of person Lynn Kendall was and to be cautious in the future.

When explaining this to Aidan Lockwood, Shannon Quinn only said, "Elaine said she’s pretty busy lately, with lots of classes and stuff at the hospital, so she can’t show up for work on time as she used to. She said she won’t be coming anymore, so I wanted to discuss with you. Let’s not have her go to Lynn; let her stay with me instead. If she has time, she can come by, and if not, that’s okay too. We’ll just keep it flexible."

Aidan Lockwood agreed willingly and then asked her, "Didn’t you say... you won’t be coming to the studio often anymore?"

Shannon Quinn just smiled and said, "Actually, I’m just using your money to pay Elaine her salary, letting her live a little better. Usually, there’s not much work for her to do; she can come to me privately if she has time, just like you used to mentor me. If there are any events, I’ll take her to see them. The main thing is to let her learn. She needs to slowly get exposed to work; we can’t rush it."

"Hmm, the apprentice I trained is now a mentor," Aidan Lockwood said with a laugh. "Teach her well. I think this kid could be the next you."

Shannon Quinn nodded and smiled, "I think this kid is quite hardworking."

Before Aidan Lockwood left, he said, "I can rest easy leaving her to you."

Shannon Quinn pondered over his words. Could he have some opinions about Lynn Kendall as well?

But Aidan Lockwood never speaks ill or well of others, so maybe she’s overthinking it.

After work in the afternoon, Shannon Quinn contacted Sheila Yardley and went to the hospital to check on Catherine Yardley.

Upon arriving at the hospital, from the look in Catherine Yardley’s eyes, Shannon Quinn vaguely sensed that there was some connection between them, though neither had brought it up.

Shannon Quinn only asked a few simple questions about the situation as a friend of Sheila Yardley and did not engage in much conversation with Catherine Yardley.

At the hospital, only Sheila Yardley was there; Julian Yardley had his work to do. The hospital staff understood their situation, so there wasn’t money for a caregiver. Typically, nurses would take turns looking after Catherine Yardley and would only call Julian Yardley if anything happened.

Both the siblings were filial, and they would come to the hospital to accompany Catherine Yardley after their own work was done.

Before leaving, Shannon Quinn also told Sheila Yardley about what she and Aidan Lockwood had discussed that afternoon, and Sheila Yardley was naturally pleased.

Shannon Quinn already saw Sheila Yardley as her sister, and sensing something inexplicable between herself and Catherine Yardley only made her more protective of Sheila.

She was curious about what happened in the past and what this woman had been through.

But she didn’t ask, nor did she investigate. Even if there were signs, she wouldn’t pursue them.

Because sometimes the truth is more painful; it’s better to stay in the dark.

"Why are you here again?"

While Shannon Quinn was chatting with Sheila Yardley, Julian Yardley’s voice rang out behind them, still in that impatient tone, holding a bag of fruit with his work badge still on. It seemed he had just gotten off work, bought some fruit, and came over.

Sheila Yardley scolded him, "Show some manners!"

Julian Yardley sneered, not lingering around them, walked straight to the ward’s door, and obediently called "Mom," followed by a series of greetings.

In front of Catherine Yardley, Julian Yardley behaved quite well.

"Where does your brother work?" Shannon Quinn casually asked.

"He seems to be doing something related to game software, but I don’t really understand."

"Roughly how much does he earn?"

Sheila Yardley shook her head, "I don’t know. When I ask, he never tells me. He only gives me money when I need it, but I actually hate spending his money."

"Now he’s earning to support you, and when you make money, you can support him. There’s no need to hold back; he’s working hard to give you a better life, isn’t he?"

"That’s true, but I really feel bad for him. Even though we were born on the same day, I’m the older sister, so I should be the one taking care of him."

Shannon Quinn knew they both cared for each other and didn’t want Sheila Yardley to have any burdens, so she comforted her, "You shouldn’t feel guilty, just work hard so your brother’s efforts don’t go to waste."

"Yeah, he’s really talented in computing; he even participated in competitions and won many awards in middle school. But mom said he wasn’t focusing on his studies because he was always playing games. He didn’t want to disappoint her, so he gave up this hobby entirely and focused on studying."

"His grades are better than mine; I knew this. At home, he would help me with the questions I couldn’t solve, but he always purposely did poorly in exams, just to save on his tuition for me. So, he didn’t continue studying after middle school."

Looking at Julian Yardley’s carefree attitude, it seemed to Shannon like he was just hiding behind a mischievous child’s facade, not wanting those around him to feel guilty. It was quite considerate in a way.

"Due to his educational background, it was hard for him to find a good job at first. He’s done all sorts of work and been in all kinds of places. Once, I went to the KTV where he worked and saw him apologizing to customers with a low voice and a smile. It made me so sad, but I felt completely useless, unable to help at all."

Hearing this, Shannon Quinn felt a pang of sympathy for the siblings. She patted Sheila Yardley’s head, comforting her, "How can you say you’re useless? You and your mom are what motivates your brother to work hard. You have a good brother; you should be happy about that."