Chapter 19 A Heart of Stone
At Jane's level, her 100 lessons were 800,000 dollars. Forward Education had always served the rich. There were not many customers who signed contracts at this price at one time and at even higher prices, but just because the client was Edward, everything had changed.
The civilities and compliments were omitted. The whole signing process was extremely fast. Edward walked out of the reception room, followed by Jane. It's not that Sofia didn't want to see Edward out, but that she didn't want to get in trouble.
Jane came to the elevator with Edward, pressed the button for him, and said with a smile, "Thank you very much, Mr. Smith. I will do my best to live up to your trust."
Edward didn't look at her and replied, "We're doing each other a favor."
Jane thought of the meaning of this sentence and nodded without saying a word. As Edward got in the elevator, she stood outside the door and nodded politely. "See you."
After Edward left, Jane turned around and went back to the office. Her colleagues had been waiting for a long time, and all congratulated her with smiles. Mary even exclaimed, "Miss Cooper, Congratulations! Shouldn't you treat us to dinner?"
Jane smiled and replied, "I've been here for so long and wanted to treat you guys to dinner, but you are usually too busy, so I have never found an opportunity. You are more familiar with S City. How about you decide the place and the time? My treat."
"Don't worry. Even though you have gotten a big client, we won't go too far. Let's find a delicious and inexpensive restaurant, mainly to celebrate for you," said Mary, laughing.
Jane said with a grin, "Then I'll depend on you, Miss Johnson."
Mary replied quickly, "All right, leave it to me."
From trial to formally being hired, Jane's speed was beyond everyone's expectations, including not only others but also herself. She could guess what other people would talk about behind her back, but she still underestimated the spread speed of gossip.
Sitting in the office, Jane received Aaron's message. He asked suspiciously, "You've signed the formal contract with the Smith family?"
Jane typed to reply, "Have you heard so soon?"
Aaron replied, "I was still late. I heard it from a classmate from another educational institution. She came to ask me if it was true, and said that it had spread all over her company."
Jane typed a flushed face emoji.
Aaron couldn't wait to ask, "Edward went to sign the contract in person?"
Jane replied yes.
Aaron asked, "What does he mean? Is he interested in you?"
Jane replied, "Come back first. Let's talk about it at night."
The message was sent out, and someone called her on WeChat. It's Jennifer.
She asked, "You signed the formal employment contract with him?"
Jane said resignedly, "Where did you know this?"
Jennifer sounded hurried, cautiously lowering her voice, and said, "Noah personally called me just now and wanted to invite me to dinner. He also congratulated me. I didn't know what happened until he said that you signed a formal employment contract with the Smith family."
At this moment, a flushed face emoji could no longer express how she was feeling. Jane could only be direct and typed, "Did they have Edward bugged? Are there any secrets left?"
Jennifer said, "I told you Edward's every move in S City is the focus of thousands of people's attention. What's more, he also showed up in public, which made it clear that he didn't want to hide it... Wait, you only visited him twice. How did you get him? Did you give him a magic potion or were you brainwashed by him?"
While Jane was talking to Jennifer, Aaron sent a lot of messages. Jane had no choice but to say in the group chat of three, "Let's talk about these at dinner."
Aaron and Jennifer immediately ignored Jane after contacting each other. They exchanged information and both felt that Edward was typically trying to make nice. It's like the weasel pays a New Year call to a chick, which is without good intentions. There's no free lunch. His trick was obvious to everyone...
It's not that Jane didn't want to explain, but that it was inconvenient to say something on the phone, so she simply put down her phone and did other things. She finally got off work at night. They gathered in the private room. Jane talked about the people she met at the Smith's house and what happened during the day and then ate calmly.
Then, Jennifer and Aaron had different expressions. They looked at each other, and the former said, "It doesn't seem to be groundless."
Aaron said, "What do the Smith family think of you? A spear or a shield?"
Jane said calmly, "It's neither the weasel pays a New Year call to a chick, nor free lunch, even the obvious trick. I told you, if Edward is the kind of person who only cares about good looks, I won't have anything to do with him at all."
Jennifer frowned lightly, "But what he did was like being angry with that woman and intentionally using you."
Jane said calmly, "What does it matter? First, their internal fight has nothing to do with me as an outsider. Secondly, the fight between gods doesn't need mortals to mediate. I originally dealt with him for interests. How can I choose the starting point after gaining some profits? It's like bargaining for stolen goods."
Jane was so rational and even indifferent that Jennifer and Aaron couldn't argue.
After a while, Aaron said, "It's a good thing that Edward is not interested in you. I'm afraid that woman doesn't think so, and you would be used by them. You don't want to get involved, but if the trouble finds you, is it up to you?"
Jane replied, "So Edward helped me revise the contract without saying a word. It can be regarded as a precaution and an early compensation."
Aaron said unhappily, "There are still risks."
Jane raised her head and replied, "Dear Aaron, life is not idealistic. A bad relationship with classmates is not a reason for not wanting to go to school, and hating the intrigue in the office is not an excuse for not going to work. Since the boss has already paid the salary, I think the salary includes not only individual labor but also dealing with daily interpersonal relationships and emergencies. To put it bluntly, survival of the fittest."
"Don't tell me that I'm vulgar for money. Everyone has different goals. Your family has oil fields, so don't you still come so far to S City to suffer? Dare you say that you will not bear any external resistance on the road of chasing my senior? On the other hand, as you often say, 'Kill Buddhas if Buddhas get in the way and kill devils if devils get in the way'. Look at your enthusiasm for your dream. Why couldn't you bear a small grievance when it comes to me?"
After Aaron became speechless as usual, Jane picked up her chopsticks and ate leisurely.
Jennifer got pleasure from their conversation for several years. Seeing this, she pretended to touch Aaron's head and pouted, "Okay, okay, let's not refute. Miss Cooper is giving free public lectures, and we can just listen."
It took a long while for Aaron to calm down, and said helplessly, "I know you are a tough girl. Don't you get tired of fighting like this?"
Jane replied with an expression as usual, "Who is not tired of living? You can early enjoy life if you make your way early. Tired for a while or for a lifetime? It's the only choice that can be made."
Jennifer and Aaron both knew about Jane's family background, and they were not surprised why she worked so hard to live but would still worry about her from time to time. However, Jane herself was the most 'hard-hearted' one, and she never knew to be nice to herself.