Chapter 378 Ice Cream
Lucas detected the hidden implications in Oliver’s words and inwardly swore, "It’s not like you allowed me to be close to my sister before!’
The driver left Natalie and Lilian at the entrance of the university.
From afar, Natalie spotted a tall, slender young man at the northern gate of the campus, donning the duckbill cap and the windbreaker she had gifted him.
Lucas noticed his sister and waved at her. He naturally saw the lively little figure next to his sister as well.
In America, Lilian had been familiar only with Natalie's university, known for its contemporary vibe. Conversely, Lucas's university boasted a well-regarded, comprehensive education with a history spanning a century, its buildings preserving the architectural style of the past century.
Lilian craned her neck and scanned her surroundings with the curiosity of a cat exploring a new territory.
Lucas laughed. "Natalie, look. She’s so short that she needs to stand on tiptoe and stretch her neck just to look around."
"Lucas!" Lilian widened her eyes in anger.
Lilian agreed to come here to avoid Morris. Oliver had said that Lucas was the best person to deal with Morris. As such, she decided not to bother with Lucas, whom she thought was doomed to be unable to find a wife in his life.
"Lucas!" Natalie scolded, though without much hope of effect.
Lucas apologized sheepishly to his sister and promised not to make fun of Lilian. After a few more reminders from his sister, he finally left.
For the purpose of drafting design sketches, Lucas had rented a house off-campus. He would stay there whenever he undertook projects for the organization.
As he led Lilian to the house, he asked casually, “Oliver mentioned you’re seeking refuge here?”
"Something like that."
Without Morris in the picture, Lilian did not feel as though she was fleeing from obligations. Noticing some girls nearby enjoying large ice cream cones, she tugged on Lucas’s sleeve, saying, "I want one as well!"
Following her gaze, Lucas remarked, "It’s only the start of spring. Why would you want ice cream? Eating ice cream in colder weather could lead to a cold."
Lilian thought that Lucas failed to grasp her point and quickly approached the girls to inquire about where they had purchased their ice creams. However, after receiving directions, she still appeared confused. She had never visited the area before, and the only details she grasped from the directions provided were ‘nearby’.
However, despite it being ‘nearby’, she could not find the ice cream shop.
Lucas approached, and one of the girls recognized him. He nodded, thanked them, and grabbed Lilian playfully by the collar before he said, “Let’s go. I’ll take you there.”
Lilian nodded with satisfaction, not bothering to look back or thank the girls for their help.
The girls exchanged surprised glances.
"Was that Lucas just now?" one asked.
"Yes. How could you not recognize our campus’ heartthrob? By the way, that girl earlier is so cute!”
"I agree! She’s super adorable. No wonder Lucas has turned down so many girls. If I had a girlfriend as cute as her, I wouldn’t want anyone else either.”
"That’s right! Who wouldn't be charmed by such cuteness?"
Halfway through their journey, Lilian glanced back to see the two girls still buzzing with excitement.
"Hey, Lucas, are you getting ice cream too?"
The person behind the counter at the dessert shop was a classmate of Lucas, working there part-time.
Lucas only nodded casually, not planning to explain.
At this time, Lilian, who was standing behind him, piped up, “I want chocolate, not vanilla!”
With a slight lift of his brows, Lucas glanced back at her before informing his classmate, "Make it chocolate, please."
At the same time, Lilian clearly understood Lucas’ gaze that said, ‘Who are you to order me around?’
Lucas’ classmate could barely contain his curiosity as he said, glancing between Lilian and Lucas. "I had assumed this lovely girl was a new exchange student... Lucas, you really ought to keep me in the loop when something happens!"
Lucas’ heart skipped a beat when he heard the implications of his classmate’s words. He glanced at Lilian nervously, hoping she might pick up on the underlying message, yet also fearing that she would understand it.
However, Lilian's attention was solely focused on the ice cream, her eyes brimming with anticipation for the treat.
Lucas rolled his eyes and sighed inwardly.
As she savored the ice cream, Lilian's continued to improve. She found no reason to quarrel with Lucas at all.
At the same time, Lucas, stealing glances at her, felt a little restless.
Lucas had rented a two-bedroom apartment, transforming one room into a study, which left it unfit for sleeping. Therefore, he offered Lilian his own bedroom while he opted to sleep in the living room.
This arrangement was not new to them; they had managed a similar setup before with ease.
Yet, Lucas's emotions this time around were distinctly different from before. Previously, he had only felt impatient, but now, he was experiencing a mix of anxiety, nervousness, and an unexpected sense of anticipation.
His phone buzzed with a message from Natalie.
Natalie: [Lucas, remember that you and Lilian aren’t kids anymore.]
After a while, Natalie sent another message.
Natalie: [You know what I mean, right?]
On the other side, Natalie, her fingers hovering over her phone screen, trembled as she read the messages Oliver sent her. At the same time, she felt that she should worry about herself first before worrying about Lucas.
Lucas’ heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively glanced at Lilian.
She was gazing intently at a model he had mounted on the wall, her hands by her sides, head tilted to the side inquisitively.
Feeling a knot in his stomach, Lucas hastily replied to his sister.
Lucas: [I understand.]
Lucas felt as though his inner thoughts had been seen. However, before his heart could settle down, the group chat exploded with messages.
[Finally, Lucas is off the market!]
[It's about time the campus heartthrob to date a beauty! Only the best for the best, right? So envious.]
[Kudos, Lucas!]
[Hey, Lucas, you owe us a celebration feast for leaving the single club!"
The barrage of congratulatory messages overwhelmed Lucas. It took him a moment to register the messages, after which he responded to the group chat with a series of question marks.
The messages kept coming.
The classmate who worked at the ice cream shop: [Let me tell you. I saw his girlfriend when he brought her over for ice cream! She’s really cute!]
Someone sent a photo and said: [I saw them too!]
The photo, sneakily snapped, captured Lucas playfully ruffling Lilian's hair, towering over her. Meanwhile, she held the ice cream as she looked up to glare at him.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
