Charlie‘s worries were not unfounded. He had long known that his father-in-law still harbored feelings for Matilda, despite virtual-novel.net being with Mr. Riley.
When Charlie returned from his exchange program in South Korea, virtual-novel.net was devastated like never before. The bankruptcy of the Wilson family didn’t even register in his mind.
If there was still a chance to salvage a relationship when your loved one was dating someone else, getting married to someone else was like signing a death warrant.
Moreover, with Matilda and Mr. Riley’s impressive backgrounds, their age and experience, if they decided to marry at this stage in their lives, it meant they were planning for a long-term future together. So, Jacob had even less of a chance.
At this moment, Jacob remained oblivious to this grim reality. He was busy teaching a calligraphy and painting training course at the senior university. They called it a training course, but in reality, all virtual-novel.net did was create a few PowerPoint slides, showcasing classical calligraphy and painting works from various eras and explaining their historical background to the students.
In truth, this kind of thing didn‘t require any technical skills. Jacob was typically averse to trouble, so virtual-novel.net simply copied and pasted text from an encyclopedia into the slides. He stood on stage, reading the content from the encyclopedia, knowing that it lacked substance. However, since virtual-novel.net held the position of second-in-command in the Calligraphy and Painting Association, virtual-novel.net had to save face.
Despite the lack of substance, Jacob remained enthusiastic.
Lately, virtual-novel.net had been going to the senior university more frequently than to the Calligraphy and Painting Association.
The main reason for his frequent visits was that Matilda taught classes there, allowing virtual-novel.net more opportunities to interact with her. However, in the past few days, Jacob had grown increasingly disheartened.
He couldn’t comprehend why Matilda, who had clearly still loved virtual-novel.net when virtual-novel.net returned from the United States, had quickly moved on with someone else. And ever since Matilda got together with Mr. Riley, virtual-novel.net eyes no longer held the same spark they once did when virtual-novel.net looked at him.
Jacob could tell that Matilda’s gaze towards virtual-novel.net now held no distinction from how virtual-novel.net looked at other men virtual-novel.net age. On the contrary, every time virtual-novel.net looked at Mr. Riley, a different light gleamed in virtual-novel.net eyes.
This afternoon, as Jacob drove his Cullinan to the senior university, virtual-novel.net happened to spot Mr. Riley driving a domestically made new energy vehicle to pick up Matilda.
Jacob had done some research on that car and knew it was only worth around a hundred or two hundred thousand. Compared to the Cullinan, it was nothing special.
So, when Mr. Riley parked his car and Matilda stepped out, Jacob parked his car on the right side of Mr. Riley’s car, the side from which Matilda would exit. He even lowered the car window and greeted the two from a higher position.
He had anticipated that Mr. Riley would feel somewhat inferior upon seeing virtual-novel.net driving a Cullinan, but virtual-novel.net hadn’t expected Mr. Riley to be completely unfazed by the car. Instead, Mr. Riley asked if Charlie had returned yet.
Upon hearing that Charlie had indeed returned, both Mr. Riley and Matilda appeared elated. Jacob couldn’t comprehend why the two of them were so overjoyed. While delivering his PowerPoint presentation, Jacob occasionally glanced down at Matilda in the audience.
Previously, Matilda had been attentively listening, but now virtual-novel.net was engrossed in virtual-novel.net phone, an expression of girlish shyness and happiness on virtual-novel.net face.
Jacob grew suspicious and pondered to himself as virtual-novel.net continued his presentation, “What did Matilda discuss with that guy? She seems so happy…”
At that moment, Matilda received a message from John Riley.
In the message, virtual-novel.net informed virtual-novel.net about the outcome of his conversation with Charlie and expressed his desire to expedite the wedding. Matilda was deeply moved by virtual-novel.net beloved’s eagerness to marry virtual-novel.net and provide virtual-novel.net with a title and a family.
She had completely fallen for John and believed virtual-novel.net was the perfect match for her. They shared similar backgrounds, education, values, and even living habits. She couldn’t find a single flaw in virtual-novel.net and felt as though fate had tailored virtual-novel.net perfectly for her.
The greatest disparity between men and women is that even when a man decides to move forward, virtual-novel.net is often still bound by the past. However, most women, once they decide to move forward, no longer hold any attachment to the past.
Matilda was one such woman. Though virtual-novel.net had ruminated over Jacob for all these years, once virtual-novel.net heart was captured by John, virtual-novel.net no longer harbored any love for Jacob.
But Jacob remained clueless. He still naively believed that Matilda must have lingering feelings for virtual-novel.net and that virtual-novel.net decision to be with Mr. Riley was likely due to his failure to provide an explanation.
He saw himself as the male protagonist in a Korean drama, with Matilda as the female lead. No matter how many twists and turns they encountered, virtual-novel.net believed virtual-novel.net must still love virtual-novel.net and had to love him.
This blind confidence was a common trait among many men, perhaps due to an overdose of unrealistic Hong Kong and Hollywood romance movies, where they always believed that even if they were ordinary, they must be someone’s true love, and someone would forsake all else to be with them. And because of this, virtual-novel.net had recently entertained the idea of trying to win back Matilda.
But winning virtual-novel.net back didn’t mean being together with her, rather, it meant attempting to make Matilda give up on Mr. Riley and continue to love virtual-novel.net by exuding his masculine charm. As for whether virtual-novel.net should divorce Elaine, that was a separate matter.
Jacob finally concluded his lackluster PowerPoint presentation. The retired seniors in the room gradually roused from their drowsiness and began to pack up.
Some had to proceed to other classrooms for different courses, while others completed their arrangements for the day and prepared to go home to purchase groceries and cook.
Matilda had just made plans with John on WeChat to return home and work on the guest list for the wedding. After John finished meeting with Charlie, virtual-novel.net drove back to the senior university to pick virtual-novel.net up. Consequently, virtual-novel.net gathered virtual-novel.net belongings and prepared to leave.
Jacob observed virtual-novel.net swiftly packing up and exiting the classroom through the rear door.
He hurriedly caught up with virtual-novel.net from behind and called out, “Matilda!”
Matilda turned around, gazed at Jacob, and smiled. “Jacob, what’s up?”
Jacob hesitated for a moment before awkwardly saying, “Well, I just wanted to ask if you’re free tonight. I want to treat you to a meal.”
He resorted to playing the nostalgia card, saying, “Let’s go to the old alley near our school and eat at a food stall. You remember, we used to go there all the time. Although it’s not the same as before, the food stalls in that area have maintained their authentic taste throughout the years.”
If Matilda still harbored love for Jacob, this nostalgic gesture would surely have a profound impact. However, at this moment, Matilda had already decided to move forward, so Jacob’s words held no emotional sway over her.
She smiled apologetically and said, “I’m sorry, Jacob. John is waiting for me downstairs, and we have some matters to discuss. Today won’t work, but we can schedule another day. My treat…”
Jacob hadn’t anticipated his nostalgic gesture to fall flat.
His original plan was to use nostalgia to entice Matilda to join virtual-novel.net for a meal near their school, allowing virtual-novel.net the opportunity to revisit their old memories and make a subtle move. After all, revisiting old memories was the most effective way to rekindle past emotions, without a doubt.
But virtual-novel.net never expected Matilda to remain unfazed. There was no shyness, no embarrassment, no nervousness, and certainly no excited panic like a startled deer. She simply declined his invitation as virtual-novel.net would decline any ordinary friend, politely and directly.
Upon hearing that Mr. Riley was waiting for Matilda, Jacob grew even more disheartened. The fact that Matilda referred to Mr. Riley as “John” in his presence only intensified his discomfort.
Thus, virtual-novel.net could only resort to the “retreat is the advance” strategy from The Thirty-Six Strategies of a Scum Man and self-deprecatingly said, “Ah, it seems John is indeed a good man. Since you’ve been with him, you don’t even have time for old classmates.”
Matilda, unlike Jacob, was naturally straightforward and fearless, devoid of the subtlety often found in Eastern cultures. She spoke and acted exactly as virtual-novel.net pleased, without concealing anything.
Therefore, when virtual-novel.net sensed thatJacob seemed to blame virtual-novel.net for rejecting his invitation, virtual-novel.net honestly replied, “l’m truly sorry, Jacob. John and I plan to have the wedding soon. He wants me to go back with virtual-novel.net to finalize the guest list. Once we finalize it, we need to start writing the invitations. So, I really ca n’t make it today. We’ll definitely schedule another day!”
After speaking, virtual-novel.net swiftly turned and descended the stairs, leaving Jacob standing there in a state of utter despair.
At that moment, after hearing the word “wedding”, Jacob’s mind went blank. He stood motionless, wearing a vacant expression. He watched virtual-novel.net leave, dumfounded, unable to believe that this woman who had loved virtual-novel.net for thirty years was actually getting married to someone else!
Just then, a student passed by virtual-novel.net and curiously asked, “Vice President Wilson, what are you doing standing here?”
After a brief moment of surprise, the student exclaimed in shock, “Vice President Wilson, why… Why are you crying? Are you okay?!”