Chapter 15 Not As Handsome As My Brother

• “It's a long story.” Finneas let out a sigh.
• “It's all right. Now that you're back, live your life to the fullest. If you encounter any difficulties, don't hesitate to tell me.” Simeon didn't probe any further.
• Instead, he gave Finneas a reassuring pat on the shoulder, showing ample understanding, just as he had always done in the past.
• Finneas hummed in acknowledgment, a wave of emotion uncontrollably rising within him. Once a teacher, always a teacher!
• After the death of his parents, Simeon essentially became the elderly figure in his life.
• Finneas didn't mind disregarding everyone else, but he held a deep regard for a select few.
• At that moment, Simeon turned his gaze toward Alyssa and Kelly who were standing nearby. “Who are these ladies?”
• With a smile, Finneas replied, “She's my sister, and this is her classmate.”
• “Lyssie, this is my former professor—the best teacher I ever had,” Finneas introduced.
• Upon hearing this, Alyssa and Kelly quickly stood up and greeted Simeon. “Nice to meet you, Professor O'Dorney!”
• “Nice to meet you, Professor O'Dorney!”
• “Hello!” Simeon nodded, revealing a benevolent smile.
• The turn of events was not something Jayson had expected.
• A hint of dissatisfaction flashed in his eyes. Professor O'Dorney is biased as usual! Even in Finneas' current messed-up state, he still speaks to him in such a nurturing tone.
• Jayson felt Finneas didn't deserve such deference. In fact, he expected Simeon to show him more respect. Am I not as good as Finneas? I'm the chairman of a publicly traded company and a distinguished alumnus of the university! And my assets total a billion, not to mention the countless luxury cars and villas I own! What does Finneas have, other than his looks? What makes him superior to me?
• With those thoughts in mind, Jayson let out a sigh. “Professor O'Dorney, I thought it would be nice for us to gather since it's not often we get to meet each other. I invited Finneas to join us for dinner, but he didn't seem too keen.”
• “Is that so?” Simeon furrowed his brows, then turned to Finneas. “Finn, it's been a decade since we last met. Let's meet up and have a good chat, shall we? There are some things I'd like to discuss with you as well!”
• “All right!” Finneas nodded, finally accepting the invitation.
• Soon, they entered a private suite named the King Room on the top floor of Zesty Heat.
• True to its reputation, this private suite was indeed the most luxurious in the restaurant. Spanning nearly a hundred square meters, it was equipped with all sorts of amenities, not to mention a team of five dedicated service staff!
• Reserving the King Room without ordering any dishes alone would easily cost a few thousand!
• “We're still waiting for a few more guests to join us. Why don't we sit down and chat for a bit first?” Jayson, taking the role of a gracious host, warmly welcomed the school leaders to take their seats with a smile.
• Several school leaders gathered around Jayson, each wearing a smile and offering words of praise.
• From their conversation, Finneas managed to glean some information.
• Jacaster University, located on the outskirts of the city, was in the process of constructing a new independent college. The project was estimated to cost more than two hundred million dollars. However, they were short on funds, lacking around thirty million dollars. Thus, they were hoping for financial support from Jayson.
• “Of course, I'm not just going to contribute a small amount. As an alumnus of Jacaster University, I can easily contribute thirty million.” Jayson spoke quite generously.
• “What a generous man you are, Mr. Yowell!” Theodore exclaimed with laughter. “I knew it. I knew Mr. Yowell would be willing to help us fund our building project! Our school has indeed produced an outstanding alumnus!”
• The other school leaders, too, responded with a chuckle as they spoke.
• Sabrina, who was standing aside, couldn't help but marvel as she looked into Jayson's eyes. Over thirty million? That's not a small sum!
• The fact that Jayson could produce such a large amount of cash without hesitation demonstrated his wealth.
• Previously, Jayson had been persistently pursuing her. She didn't agree to date him right away, planning to observe him more before making a decision.
• Having witnessed the scene before her now, she felt that she could give a relationship with Jayson a try.
• “Hey, please don't flatter me! I simply did what I thought was necessary,” Jayson said, feigning modesty.
• As he spoke, he subtly glanced at Finneas once more.
• He felt gratified seeing how Finneas glared at him. Ha! Now you see the difference between us, huh, Finneas Lamorde? I can easily give away thirty million to the school. What about you? Can you even afford to contribute three thousand?
• The school leaders followed Jayson's line of gaze and glanced at Finneas, but they quickly diverted their attention elsewhere.
• Since Finneas was a nobody, they didn't bother wasting their time paying attention to him.
• If it weren't for Jayson who invited him to dinner, an ordinary person like Finneas wouldn't have been qualified to dine with them!
• Seeing Finneas being looked down upon, Alyssa felt a twinge of anger. She murmured, “What a show-off.”
• Upon hearing that, Kelly responded in a hushed voice, “Well, you gotta admit, being able to casually pull out over thirty million in cash is impressive! Plus, I've heard that this guy named Jayson is one of the top ten outstanding youths in Jacaster! And it seems he single-handedly established an emerging company called Sky Group!”
• “So what? He's not even as handsome as my brother,” Alyssa mumbled disdainfully.
• “Oh, come on...” Upon hearing this, Kelly couldn't help but roll her eyes.
• While Kelly acknowledged Finneas' superior looks compared to Jayson's, she also understood that in a world where wealth and power reign supreme, good looks held little value.
• “Kelly, if you were to choose between him and Finn, who would you pick?” Alyssa asked.
• After some thought, Kelly replied, “Logically speaking, I should choose Jayson, but since you're my bestie, I'll go with your brother.”
• Upon hearing those words, Alyssa immediately chuckled.
• Finneas, who overheard their conversation, was bewildered for a moment. Kelly is such an interesting girl.
• Meanwhile, Simeon, who was sitting nearby, comforted him. “Finn, don't get mad. Jayson is thriving at the moment, and many influential figures in the city have already taken notice of him. If everything goes as expected, he'll have a bright future.”
• Finneas shook his head. “There's no reason for me to get mad. We all live our lives differently.”
• Simeon couldn't help but sigh. “There's something on my mind, but I'm not sure if I should say it out loud.”
• “Go ahead, Professor O'Dorney.”
• “Sometimes, it's good to just let bygones be bygones. Had you accepted Jayson's help back then, your life might have taken a different turn,” Simeon said. “I know your capabilities well. All you need is a good opportunity! Enduring hardships is part of the journey to achieving our goals. I'm sure you understand this better than I do.”
• After studying the earnest expression on Simeon's face, Finneas fell silent for a moment before he finally responded with a grin. “Professor O'Dorney, if I were to act differently, would I still be the Finneas you've always known? Besides, I don't see myself as any less than Jayson right now.”
• Upon hearing this, Simeon heaved another sigh. His words took a turn as he then asked, “By the way, what exactly happened between you and Natalie? Weren't things fine between you two back then? Why did you break up out of the blue?”
• “I guess we were not meant to be together.” Finneas appeared somewhat crestfallen.
• Apart from disappointing his parents and sister, the person he felt most indebted to was probably Natalie!
• Back in the day, Natalie loved him so deeply that she didn't care that he didn't own a car or a house.
• She had even promised to marry him without a second thought as long as he was willing to visit her parents at Yiefmery and ask for their blessings.
• Finneas still remembered that scene from before they parted ways, even after such a long time had passed.
• On that particular night, they were at the Jacaster train station, enveloped in the flickering glow of neon lights.
• As Natalie straightened his collar, she gently said, “Finneas, I'm heading home first! Remember, you must come over as soon as possible. I'll have a big surprise waiting for you.”
• In the blink of an eye, a decade had passed, yet Finneas didn't show up.
• “You know, not long ago, Natalie came looking for me, asking if I had seen you,” Simeon said.
• A shiver ran through Finneas' heart as he asked, “What happened after that?”
• “It seemed like she hadn't been doing well. After not seeing her for several years, she had completely changed. She was no longer the lively and adorable young girl she once was.” Simeon sighed. “I asked her what happened, but she wouldn't say. She just left a phone number, telling me to give it to you and insist you call her if I saw you.”
• As Simeon was speaking, he took out a pen and paper, jotted down a phone number, and handed it to Finneas.