Chapter 396: Which Finger Should an Engagement Ring Be Worn On? |
The final people to negotiate with Hoshino Gen were two school board members from George International School.
Unlike his previous conversation with Teacher Tina, the tone and content completely changed with these two. Hoshino Gen was clearly here because of the incident where Monica unleashed her pet snake to harm someone, yet the two board members did not mention a single word about it the entire time.
Instead, they spoke exclusively about Fanxing Entertainment and Hoshino Gen's recent actions within the company, showering him with constant praise and flattery.
It was only at the very end, when Hoshino Gen expressed his desire to leave and the two board members stood up to see him out, that they assured him the school would handle Monica's situation. They promised a satisfactory resolution and stated that the school itself would step forward to properly mediate with the other student's parents.
Hoshino Gen expressed his gratitude and made a personal donation to fund the construction of a new club building for the school, absolutely refusing to owe them a favor.
The two board members were slightly disappointed but still enthusiastically invited Hoshino Gen to stay for dinner.
Hoshino Gen naturally declined, collected Monica, and left the school grounds.
The early September autumn sun lacked the scorching intensity of midsummer, yet its direct rays still carried a sweltering heat.
Walking out of the school gates, Monica seemed rather dispirited. Hoshino Gen knew exactly why, but he chose not to address it.
Yes, in Monica's eyes, the building Hoshino Gen had just donated was a concession made to smooth over the trouble she had caused.
Settling into the driver's seat, Hoshino Gen glanced back at the rear seats. He had taken the five-seater Mercedes-Benz S600 out today, and ten-year-old fifth-grader Monica was legally prohibited from sitting in the front passenger seat.
"Compensation?" Hoshino Gen said calmly. "You are overthinking it. You saw the attitude of those two school board members today. If they wanted to, they could have resolved this the moment the incident occurred. Instead, they refused to show their faces until I arrived. I didn't even have to bring it up before they eagerly volunteered to handle the aftermath."
"What they wanted was a favor from the Isabelle family, and perhaps a personal one from me as well," Hoshino Gen continued, his tone nonchalant as he started the car and merged onto the road. "I don't like owing favors, so I threw money at them to preemptively shut their mouths before they could ask for anything more down the line."
"Of course, they won't dare take that money for nothing. When you go back to school, just watch—no one will dare bully you again. You could even try picking on the kids you don't like, just to see if the teachers will so readily demand you call your parents ever again."
...
Monica blinked, a look of pure bewilderment on her small face. She scratched her cheek and muttered in slight embarrassment, "That sounds so complicated. I bet Bula would understand it, though."
The underlying implication being that she hadn't understood a single word...
Hoshino Gen did not mind. He was just speaking out of boredom anyway, casually chatting with the little girl to pass the time. He had no real intention of doing his uncle and aunt's job of educating the kid.
"Still, Brother, thank you for today. When we get back, I'll ask Mom to pay you back—" Monica rambled on before her small face scrunched up in distress. "Ugh, the whole point was to keep Mom from finding out... sigh."
She paused for a moment before changing the subject. "By the way, where are we going now?"
Pushing her worries aside, Monica gazed out the car window at the unfamiliar scenery. "Aren't you taking me home?"
"Is anyone even at your house?" Hoshino Gen asked.
"Uh..." Monica scratched her head. "Mom had some business back in the UK, and Dad usually gets home really late."
As soon as Hoshino Gen asked, she caught on, looking a bit sheepish. "Are you taking me out for dinner?"
"We are picking someone up first," Hoshino Gen replied.
Monica understood perfectly. She fell silent, though her large eyes remained fixed on Hoshino Gen's profile as he drove.
Suddenly, she spoke up. "I always thought you hated me, Cousin Jane."
Keeping his eyes on the road, Hoshino Gen replied absentmindedly, "Why is that?"
"Because you're always so cold..."
Hoshino Gen met her gaze through the rearview mirror, his expression completely apathetic.
Monica stuck her tongue out playfully and let out a cheeky giggle.
...
Navigating through the bustling urban area, Hoshino Gen did not drive particularly fast. However, since the distance was quite short to begin with, he arrived at the gates of Segawa Private Academy well before the agreed-upon time of three-thirty.
Due to the academy's prevalent club culture, students who actually left campus immediately after classes ended at three-thirty were in the minority. Although a few cars were parked outside waiting to pick up students, they were almost exclusively luxury cars that one rarely saw on an average day. It was safe to assume that the students these high-end vehicles were waiting for shared similar backgrounds to Sasaki Ayane.
With their top-tier family backgrounds, they would not—and indeed, were not allowed to—waste their time on frivolous school club activities.
After waiting in the car for a brief moment, right around three thirty-five, Sasaki Ayane's slender, beautiful, and aloof figure appeared in his line of sight.
Monica was already acquainted with Sasaki Ayane, having met her during their summer vacation trip to the coast.
She knew full well that this was her cousin's fiancée, so the moment Sasaki Ayane opened the door and slipped into the front passenger seat, Monica greeted her with a bright, enthusiastic smile. "Good afternoon, Sister Ayane!"
Sasaki Ayane wasn't surprised to find a little girl sitting in Hoshino Gen's car. That was just her nature—it seemed as though no unexpected turn of events in life could ever easily break her serene composure.
She gave Monica a calm nod in response. "Good afternoon."
With Sasaki Ayane in the car, Hoshino Gen didn't immediately step on the gas to drive off. Instead, he fished an exquisitely crafted ring box inlaid with several emeralds out of his pocket and handed it to her. "The engagement ring. It just arrived today."
Sasaki Ayane paused in mild surprise before her expression smoothed out. It made sense; they had gotten officially engaged several months ago. If anything, this engagement ring was a few months overdue, so there was really nothing to be shocked about.
She reached out to take it, but Monica piped up from the back seat, interrupting the exchange. "Brother, that's an engagement ring!" she said, looking utterly baffled. "Are you really just handing it to Sister Ayane like that? When Rod got engaged to Phoebe, he got down on one knee to put it on her finger!"
Both Sasaki Ayane and Hoshino Gen turned their heads to stare at the little girl.
Then, in perfect unison, they withdrew their gazes and looked at each other.
Sasaki Ayane had fully intended to pretend she hadn't heard a word and just take the ring, but to her surprise, Hoshino Gen opened the velvet box himself.
He retrieved the ring from within—a piece so breathtakingly beautiful it could have been an illustration straight out of a fairy tale book. Looking at Sasaki Ayane, he simply instructed, "Hand."
Sasaki Ayane pursed her lips. She withdrew her extended right hand, swapped it for her left, and gently placed it onto Hoshino Gen's open palm.
Hoshino Gen lifted his fiancée's fair, slender left hand and slowly slipped the ring onto her middle finger.