Chapter 75 He Refuted Her
The night, there was not much traffic on the road back to the city. In less than forty minutes, the car reached the place, and the young male driver pulled over. Jane thanked him, and he said in a honeyed tone, "Take care, Miss Cooper."
After getting out of the car, Jane sent a text message to Ken: "I'm at the place. Thank you."
A few moments later, Ken replied: "I think that knowing your phone number is the second birthday present."
If he said this to other women, every one of them would grow interested in him secretly. Yet, Jane wouldn't "submit" to these words. Whether he was sincere or he did it to trick her, she was totally unaffected, and she didn't even give a reply.
She put away her mobile phone and walked into the leisure club. When she came to the door of the private room Vincent had told her about, she knocked on it.
"Come in."
Jane pushed the door open and walked in. What she first saw was a small bar counter, on which there were two wine glasses. She walked inside and looked to the right, seeing a pool table, where Edward was playing pool with Vincent.
"Mr. Smith, Mr. Perez."
Edward Smith's eyes were fixed on the ball, but Vincent turned his head and said with a smile, "You're here."
Jane smiled, and Vincent said, "Anything you want to eat, call someone in and order."
"Thanks, but don't bother. I've had dinner," Jane said.
Vincent walked to the bar counter and poured a cup of juice for Jane, and the latter asked, "You called me so late. You have something to tell me, right?"
"There's no serious business. While we were playing pool, Edward and I talked about you. Thinking that you might not have friends in S City, we decided to ask you out to play pool and chat with us."
But Jane thought that they must have something serious to tell her.
"Can you play pool?" Vincent asked.
"I played it when I was young, but I haven't touched it for years," Jane answered.
"It doesn't matter. Come and play," Vincent said.
Vincent came to the pool table and took out the balls from the pockets, but Edward, who was playing the game, raised his eyes unhappily. Vincent said, "Why should you be angry? You've been playing all night."
Edward didn't say anything. Instead, he stood up, put the pool cue upright steadily on the floor, lit a cigarette, and sat down on the sofa, playing with his mobile phone.
Jane took a pool cue to play pool with Vincent, and the latter casually asked, "I thought you studied at a university of Y City, and I was right. Where's your hometown?"
"H City," Jane answered.
Vincent was a little surprised. "I thought you are from the north. You have no southern accent."
"I lived in the northeastern region for a few years, and I went to H City later, but I attended university in Y City. Probably my accent is more like a northerner's."
"You moved from the northeast to H City, so your parents are from two different regions: north and south," Vincent keenly realized something and asked.
Jane nodded.
"Now your parents are both in H City?"
"They've passed away," Jane answered.
Vincent's expression changed slightly. "Sorry..."
Jane raised her head and said with a smile, "It doesn't matter."
It was unknown whether she truly thought it was nothing or she was used to saying "It doesn't matter" when asked, but her expression was perfect.
"From now on, when you're in any trouble, you can come to Edward or me. I think we can help you."
He spoke it in a reserved manner. Edward and he actually had powerful forces, so they could surely help her, not just that he thought they could.
Vincent pitied poor women by nature. Truly, he had never expected that Jane had lost her parents, so his heart softened unavoidably. Yet, Jane didn't want to be pitied because of it. She said with a smile, "I'm new here, but Mr. Smith and you gave me a job. The two of you have helped me a lot. I have a family, and they are all in H City."
When he heard that she still had a family, Vincent felt his heart soothed a bit and smiled lightly. "Friends close at hand are better than relatives dwelling far away. They live far away. If something emergent happens to you, you can't get timely help from them. Now you're teaching both Henry and Justin. The two boys are not easy to deal with. Edward and I both admire you, so when you need help, you should tell us. No matter what trouble you're in, just tell us. If someone so annoying haunts you, you can also tell us."
He was giving Jane advice. Jane didn't know that her and Ken's photo had been spread, but as a naturally sensitive girl, she had perceived something. After all, even if Vincent had the mood to ask her out to chat at night, the one sitting behind didn't seem to have such a mood. Therefore, there must be a reason for this.
Jane was confident that she had done nothing against her conscience. In S City, she didn't know many people except for...
"You mean Ken?" she asked directly.
"Including him. I mean, whoever causes trouble for you, you can tell us," Vincent said.
Jane realized that this must be the reason.
"So far, he hasn't caused me so much trouble," she said honestly.
"He doesn't have sons and daughters or brothers and sisters. He doesn't look like a man who has talent in school courses, so he won't invite you for your talent," Vincent said by following the course of her words.
"I told Mr. Garcia that if he wants to prepare to marry someone and have children, I can break my rules and teach his children when they are six," Jane said.
"You really said so?" Vincent couldn't help but laugh.
She nodded yes.
"What was his reply?"
"He said that I was asked by his father to urge him to get a wife soon."
"It's terribly bad luck for anyone to marry him."
A man's deep complaint suddenly came from behind Jane. Without looking back, she knew who he was, but she couldn't help but look back. Edward was holding a cigarette between two fingers of one hand and his mobile phone in the other, with indifference and disgust shown on his handsome face.
"Miss Cooper, you are not an outsider in my eyes. I sincerely advise you that you be cautious when you get along with him, because he is not a good man."
Before Jane could give a reply, behind her, Edward said for the second time, "If you want to do it, just do it. But think about Grace before you have any thoughts."
Afraid that she wouldn't understand, Vincent explained like a gentleman, "Ken is a fierce dog. He will take any prey he finds. If someone has ties with Edward, he will meddle. After that, he will immediately abandon them without caring about their fate."
Jane looked unaffected when hearing it. She said calmly, "He is not the man I like."
"What kind of man do you like?" Vincent asked with a smile.
"It's inaccurate to say 'I like'. I prefer the men striving to win a better future," Jane answered.
When he heard these words, Vincent suddenly said, "Then I'm hopeless. What do you think of Edward? He is a man striving to win a better future."
"For others, 'All roads lead to Rome' means that they can take different roads to go there, but it's different for Mr. Smith because he was born there," Jane joked with a smile.
"Should I be blamed for being rich?" Edward protested.
Jane, who hadn't expected him to comment on her words, hurriedly turned her head and said, "I envy you."
Edward raised his head and glanced at her. "I didn't see it."
"One has to strive hard if he is not born rich. Most of the people who need to strive hard are probably forced to do so," Jane said.
This didn't work on Edward. "In my view, you don't hate the rich, but have a prejudice against them."
Jane couldn't bear the accusation, so she instantly said, "I don't dare."
"You don't dare, but it doesn't mean you don't hold that view," Edward said.
Jane was a little panicky, wondering, "What's wrong with Edward tonight? Why is he so angry?"
With mischief in his eyes, Vincent stirred up the trouble by saying, "You don't think he's your cup of tea, and he's unhappy with it."
Jane didn't believe it.
"There are loopholes in her worldview. Being rich doesn't contradict striving for a better life. One can strive to make money, but one doesn't have to work hard if he's wealthy? How could she make Justin and Henry good students with such a thought?"