Renee Winslow erged from the restroom and saw Jack Yates leaning against the sofa with one hand in his pocket, while the other supported his chin, his index finger rhythmically tapping his face.
He seed lost in thought, unaware of her presence.
Was he contemplating work, or was he preoccupied with family matters?
Seeing him deep in thought, Renee Winslow chose not to disturb him and turned towards the balcony.
"Renee Winslow," Jack Yates suddenly called out to her.
Renee Winslow turned her head, murmuring in a daze, "Hmm?"
Jack Yates walked over to her, holding her hand, "Your grandmother called Secretary Lowell."
Renee Winslow imdiately furrowed her brows, her face tense.
Jack Yates gently stroked her face, "Your grandmother wants to buy your father a car."
Renee Winslow’s brows furrowed even tighter, her eyes gradually reddening.
Jack Yates: "Don’t be angry, I haven’t agreed yet."
Renee Winslow remained silent, her gaze icy as she looked at him.
Seeing her expression, Jack Yates suddenly chuckled.
"What’s this look? I buy your family a house and a car, and you’re not happy? Do you really think my money grows on trees?"
Renee Winslow pursed her lips slightly, speaking softly, "I just don’t want you to spend extravagantly."
Jack Yates sneered, "Don’t want to spend extravagantly, or don’t want to get too entangled with ?"
Renee Winslow pressed her lips tight without speaking.
Jack Yates pinched her face, "Renee Winslow, whether you want to be entangled or not, you already are; it’s not up to you."
The words "not up to you" left Renee Winslow feeling helpless and lancholic, turning countless words into silent sighs.
"Jack Yates." Renee Winslow smiled at him, holding his hand to guide him to the sofa, where she sat down with him, gazing at him gently, "Jack Yates, only two years remain, and to be precise, not even two years, it’s a year and eight months. In this year and eight..."
Jack Yates scoffed, "You’ve calculated it clearly, counting the days?"
Renee Winslow: "...No, I’m just good at math."
"Is that so?" Jack Yates’s lips curled, "If I recall correctly, you didn’t pass math in your college entrance exams."
Renee Winslow: "..."
The saying goes, don’t hit where it hurts, don’t expose one’s shortcomings.
Renee Winslow was particularly weak in certain subjects; in high school, she scored over a hundred and forty in language and English, but teetered at the brink of passing in math, often failing.
Especially during the college entrance exams, she didn’t pass, scoring only 88 in math, two points shy of passing, becoming her biggest regret during her youth.
So she chose a major in Chinese Language, as it didn’t require advanced math.
Yet Jack Yates, this wretched man, openly ntioned her failure in math!
Renee Winslow, annoyed, retorted, "You excel in math, you’re superior, you’re amazing!"
Jack Yates’s inner discontent vanished, smiling as he caressed her face, "Alright, don’t be angry, co on, let’s go downstairs and eat."
Renee Winslow batted his hand away, "You’re always like this, never listening to completely."
Jack Yates, mood lifted, smirked, "Go ahead."
Renee Winslow sighed, "My dad wasn’t good to ; he never raised . My birth was rely an accident. Since he didn’t raise , I naturally won’t support him."
"However, my grandparents raised ; I owe them nurturing grace. So when grandpa fell ill, I decided to... to ask for your help."
Saying this, Renee Winslow looked up, eting Jack Yates’s sharp, intense gaze.
"Jack Yates, if you consider your girlfriend, you should stand by , consider my feelings. For those I dislike, even if they are blood-related, I hope you don’t treat them well, nor use them to morally coerce ."
"Additionally, there’s only a year and eight months left, and during this ti, I hope we can get along well and try not to argue. So when we part ways, in reflection of these three years, neither of us holds animosity, rembering only the good in each other."
She believed her tone was sincere and her words genuine.
However, Jack Yates listened without responding, his expression cold, his gaze as fierce and sharp as when she first encountered him last sumr in the West Wing of the Yates Family.
That day, amidst a violent storm, he sat in his wheelchair, his gaze as fierce and sharp as now.
Renee Winslow knew Jack Yates was angry again; when truly angry, he didn’t yell but rather looked at her silently and coldly like this.
After a montary stare-down, Renee Winslow conceded.
"I’m not constantly thinking about leaving you, but Jack Yates, do you think we have a future together? Or should I ask, when I graduate, will you be able to marry ?"
She used "able," not "willing."
"Willing" implies subjective intent, his personal desire.
While "able" is objective, not up to him.
Realizing wishes and feasibilities are two different matters.
She knew Jack Yates couldn’t, for marrying her would require imnse sacrifices, confronting his entire family.
Once leaving the Yates Family, he’d face even greater challenges.
Power versus won, which is more significant?
At twenty-eight or twenty-nine, Jack Yates might struggle to choose, but by thirty, or forty?
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