Chapter 1220 If You Love, Then Chase
After finishing their piano practice, Charles drove Hannah and Randy back home.
On the way, Randy sat quietly in the back seat, staring out the window at the neon lights, lost in thought.
Hannah, still uneasy, turned to Charles. "Charles, you really should have someone look into Emeric! His family background might not be great, but his character has to be solid!"
Charles chuckled. "No need to remind me! I already had Wyatt start investigating during dinner. While Randy was teaching Stella piano at the Reed family's place, Wyatt sent me the results."
"Emeric is twenty-three, a music major. He should be in his senior year, but when he was a sophomore, his dad got really sick. He had to take a break from school to work and earn money for his dad's treatment, while his mom stayed at the hospital to care for his dad. In the end, they spent all their money, and his dad still didn't make it. He passed away, leaving the family in debt."
"Emeric has been chasing his dreams while working various jobs and taking care of his ailing mom. This kid has had a tough life! But thankfully, he was raised well, excelling in both character and academics, with no bad habits. Apart from being aloof and friendless, there's nothing to fault him for. I think his aloofness and lack of friends might be a defense mechanism. He needs to protect himself to keep going strong."
"However, he's almost obsessively passionate about music. His life has revolved around his parents and music since he was a child. I doubt he's interested in romantic relationships anytime soon. Stella might find it a bit challenging to win him over."
After hearing Charles' words, Hannah's opinion of Emeric softened a bit. It seemed she had misunderstood him earlier in the day. His reason for adding Stella on Facebook, because of Randy being her cousin, was likely just a pure love for music, without any ulterior motives.
"As long as he's a good person, that's all that matters! With Stella's background, I'm worried she might be taken advantage of!" Hannah said.
Charles laughed. "Don't worry, she's sharp! She won't be easily used! The only mismatch between her and Emeric might be their backgrounds. But my uncle isn't someone who looks down on the poor and favors the rich! If a man truly loves Stella, my uncle won't care about his background. So..."
He paused deliberately, glancing at Randy in the rearview mirror, and raised his voice with a meaningful tone. "So, if you like someone, go for it! Stella might have a fiery temper and a bold personality, but she's actually very simple and easy to win over! I believe if you truly like someone, nothing should stop you! Better to go for it than regret watching the woman you love being pursued by someone else."
Hannah frowned. Somehow, Charles' words felt off to her. Emeric wasn't even here, so what was the point of saying all this? But she didn't think too much of it, assuming Charles was just speaking from the heart, and nodded in agreement. "You're right! As long as he genuinely likes Stella, nothing else matters!
Since Emeric's character isn't an issue, I can rest easy! I'll stop meddling and let them develop freely!"
Charles kept glancing at Randy through the rearview mirror. Noticing that Randy's expression hadn't changed at all, Charles felt puzzled. Could he have been wrong? Did Randy really see Stella only as a sister, with no romantic feelings? Randy acted completely normal the entire evening.
The next day, Stella went to school, and Charles and Randy helped Hannah with some chores at home.
At 5:40 PM, Stella, worried that Emeric might arrive early, showed up twenty minutes ahead of time to wait. To her surprise, Emeric arrived exactly at six o'clock, not a minute early or late, right on the dot.
Stella, sweating from the heat, smiled awkwardly. "Wow, your sense of time is impressive!"
Emeric noticed her flushed face and sweaty forehead, and pulled out a pack of napkins from his pocket. "You don't need to come early to wait. If I say six o'clock, I'll be here at six. I won't stand you up."
Though his face remained expressionless, his tone and attitude were much better than the day before.
Stella took the napkins, wiped her face, and smiled, "I was just too excited, so I came early!"
Emeric seemed puzzled. Stella, feeling familiar, grabbed his wrist and led him towards the cafeteria. "Alright, enough talking! The cafeteria gets crowded, and if we're late, there won't be any food left! What do you like to eat? You find us a seat, and I'll get the food."
Emeric, slightly dazed by her touch, pulled his hand back awkwardly and walked towards an empty seat, placing his books on the table. "You sit, I'll get the food. What do you like?"
Stella, used to being straightforward, sat down without thinking. "I like spicy food! Anything spicy works for me!"
"Okay," Emeric responded calmly and walked away. Stella didn't think much of it and took out her phone to transfer money to Emeric, noting it as: Meal money.
Emeric either didn't see it or didn't want to accept it, as there was no response after she sent the transfer.
After a while, Emeric returned with a tray of food. The tray had four dishes and a soup. Two spicy dishes, a vegetable dish, a pork rib soup, and two hamburgers.
While eating, Stella noticed that Emeric only ate the vegetable dish, avoiding the other three dishes entirely. She couldn't help but feel puzzled. "Don't you eat spicy food?"
Emeric nodded, "No."
She expected him to be polite or offer some excuse to comfort her, but he just admitted it outright! Stella felt a bit awkward. "Well, if you don't eat spicy food, why didn't you tell me?"
Emeric, focused on his meal, didn't even look up, "You eat yours, I'll eat mine. No conflict."
Hannah was right!
This guy was indeed a tough nut to crack.
He spoke bluntly, was cold, and lacked social finesse. But no matter how tough, she wouldn't give up.
As Stella silently cheered herself on, Emeric suddenly asked, "Do you know when Randy's next tour is?" A subtle, unreadable glint flashed in his eyes.
Since he was looking down, Stella didn't notice.
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