Chapter 417 Effect
Rachel ducked to the side and shot me a wink. I bit my lip to keep from making a sound.
Brad snapped at Jenny a few times before calmly hanging up the phone.
Daniel subtly played along with Brad, which infuriated Jenny so much that she abruptly ended their call under the pretense of a meeting.
After the call, the tension in the small cabin was thick. Rachel squeezed my hand, and Daniel gave me a cautious look, like he wanted to say something but just ended up asking if I was okay.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I thought I'd be spending New Year's Eve alone, but seeing Brad on the video call was better than any gift. I'm really happy," I replied.
"Glad to hear that. Brad's efforts paid off," Daniel said, looking relieved.
If we hadn't had such a rocky past, Daniel might've patted my shoulder and told me to hang in there.
Suddenly, everything clicked for me.
How did three pairs of people who usually couldn't stand each other all end up forcing me to spend New Year's with them? Considering how much Amelia and Mia disliked Daniel, it was a miracle they didn't punch him.
It was Brad. He didn't want me to be sad spending New Year's alone, so he went all out to arrange for Daniel to surprise me. And the others showing up wasn't random; it was all planned.
Daniel knew I wouldn't agree to meet him alone, so he got Amelia and Yancy to help.
Pulling off a surprise meeting without tipping me off was no small feat.
Anyway, I had a really great New Year's Eve.
After New Year's, it was time for finals.
At our level, everything was judged by our work.
Luckily, I had talent and worked hard. While Brad was away, I didn't slack off, and my final evaluations were excellent. The portrait I painted of Brad, standing against a snowy mountain and looking into the distance, was even hung in the observatory by Professor Evans for everyone to see. It got rave reviews from students and faculty alike.
Because of that one painting, I became the talk of the school again.
At National Capital University, almost everyone had heard of Jane, but few had actually met me.
I heard that some art students even formed study groups to analyze the painting, trying to grasp its essence.
When I painted this picture, I didn't think too much about it. I just painted Brad as I remembered him.
Soon, people started creating stories based on the painting, casting me as the heroine in various love stories published in different journals.
I heard that one sweet romance story was even turned into an audio drama by a cultural platform and became super popular. The author came to find me, insisting on giving me a share of the royalties, saying that without my painting, she wouldn't have been inspired to write such a touching love story.
My classmates came up with a term for this whole chain reaction: the Jane Effect.
Looking back, I never imagined that submitting Brad's portrait as an assignment would cause such a buzz or be so well-received.
It was a nice surprise.
After finals, it was vacation time. Amelia and I packed our bags, planning to return to Sunhaven. I was on break, and Amelia was using her saved-up vacation days.
Through her own hard work, Amelia had become a full-fledged police officer. Now, she was the real deal, and her natural sense of justice and quick reflexes were finally being put to good use.
Amelia was full of energy, and the emotional scars Ryan left had healed well.
I wondered how Ryan was doing now. Seeing Amelia so spirited, how would he feel?
I remembered when we were kids, Amelia would always tell people she wanted to be a police officer who could fly a plane.
Today, Amelia had achieved the first part of her childhood dream through her hard work. As for flying a plane, we'd see what opportunities came her way.
Staying away from bad men really did lead to a bright future.
After some persuasion from Yancy and me, Mia finally put aside her pride and called her parents to apologize.
The next evening after work, Mia was surprised to see her parents waiting for her at the entrance of her apartment complex. They were carrying large bags, and when Mia approached, her mom dropped everything and rushed to hug her, crying and hitting her at the same time.
The family reconciled, and Mia finally started moving forward. This time, Mia wouldn't let herself get hurt again.
I packed a few clothes and headed straight to Sunhaven alone.
I arrived home at five in the morning. I quietly opened the door and went in. My parents were still asleep. I tiptoed back to my room, took a shower, changed clothes, and sat on the living room sofa drying my hair.
Ronan, who got up early to make breakfast, saw me sitting on the sofa and was so surprised his mouth dropped open. We stared at each other for a moment before he snapped out of it, excitedly shouted, and then turned back to the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
I was left alone in the living room, combing my messy hair.
That was my loving dad's first reaction to seeing me home.
After a good five minutes, my parents came out hand in hand, fussing over me. Helen, in particular, was so happy that her eyes glistened with tears, and she choked up several times, only to be comforted by Ronan to hold back.
Helen's tears were the most direct way to show her concern for what I'd been through. Of course, Ronan cared too, but as the head of the family, he had to show some strength. Besides, my crying was no big deal, but Helen's tears would break Ronan's heart.
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