Suddenly, my cheeks flushed bright red, and I glanced hastily at Daniel Carter, quickly explaining to Adrian Gordon, "I was just too lazy to deal with you, so I deliberately said those sarcastic words. Daniel and I are entirely innocent." Adrian Gordon stared at me, as if he couldn’t quite distinguish which of my words were true and which were false. Daniel Carter had long been informed about this matter by Natalie Yates, and I had explained it to him face-to-face, so he didn’t care about Adrian Gordon’s "revelation" at all. In fact, he didn’t take Adrian Gordon seriously at all. His eyes warmly looked at me, and with an elegant smile, said, "Lily Miller, it’s about time. Let’s go." "Alright." I replied with a smile, passed Adrian Gordon, and walked toward Daniel Carter. "Lily!" Adrian Gordon turned around and called me sternly, "Don’t dream about climbing up to the Carter Family! Think about your dad, he’s imprisoned, and you’ve been divorced. The Carter Family would never accept a woman like you as a daughter-in-law!" I turned a deaf ear, disdaining even to respond, and got into Daniel Carter’s car. The car door closed, and the surroundings suddenly fell silent. I fastened my seatbelt, looked back at Daniel Carter with an apologetic smile, and said, "Sorry, I didn’t expect him to show up, and don’t mind what he said." Daniel Carter calmly and leisurely turned the steering wheel, his posture composed and elegant, glancing at me with a smile, "Shouldn’t I be the one comforting you? Don’t mind what he said. If our family cared about social status, we wouldn’t have allowed me to interact with you from the start." I was taken aback, unable to muster a reply. Does the entire Carter Family accept me? I never considered myself outstanding enough for that. "Forget it, let’s not talk about these things." Daniel Carter looked at my dumbfounded expression, smiled indulgently, and picked up the food box beside him, "Brought you breakfast, hurry up and eat while it’s hot." "There’s even breakfast?" I was surprised, accepting the thermal bag, saying, "I was even thinking if you hadn’t had breakfast, I would treat you first, and then we’d head out." He smiled wordlessly, paused, then suddenly asked, "By the way, didn’t you say yesterday... your classmate is coming too? That’s why I brought breakfast for two." I paused, no wonder... I thought there were two boxes, treating me like a pig. "Oh, she had something come up last night, had dinner with me, then went to another district. Today, she’s returning to school from there, it’s closer." I explained. Daniel Carter nodded. Along the way, we talked about school days. Daniel Carter mentioned that he had been too busy with work and hadn’t returned to school for two years, certainly a lot had changed. I felt even more guilty, not having returned since graduation, only passing by the school gate a few times on business and glancing at the campus entrance from afar. Both of us smiled as we talked, feeling we’ve let down our alma mater’s nurturing. As we approached the school gate, my phone rang; it was Grace Chandler calling. "You’re here already? I’m almost there... Hmm, okay, I’ll get off at the school gate, see you soon, bye—" After hanging up, I told Daniel Carter, "My roommate arrived at school, we’re meeting at the north gate entrance, I’ll get off the car in a bit." "Alright, I’ll park at the school gate then." "Hmm." I thought about the next itinerary, uncertain about what time we’d leave in the evening. Before I could ask, Daniel Carter said, "Let’s touch base after the event, I’ll drive you home." "Oh, there’s no need. I can just take a taxi; it’s quite convenient." Daniel Carter smiled with a side glance, without turning his head, and replied warmly and softly, "I’ll drive you home; it’s safer." My heart warmed slightly, unable to refuse anymore. Reaching the school gate, from afar, I could see the square in front of the gate adorned with fluttering banners and swinging balloon verticals, festively decorated everywhere. The grand centennial celebration is truly impressive! The entrance was under traffic control, not allowing non-campus vehicles in, leaving only a narrow path blocked by barriers and overseen by staff. Daniel Carter rolled down the car window, and not even greeting the staff, they moved the barrier politely, smiling brightly, "Welcome back to your alma mater!" I was surprised, "Do they all know you?" Daniel Carter chuckled, "How could they? The license plate was registered in advance." I nodded, my eyes searching the entrance for the silhouette of my roommate. But I didn’t see it until the car entered the campus gate. I was about to call Grace Chandler when my gaze suddenly caught a figure standing inside the gate, "Ah! My roommate’s there!" Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novel★fire.net "Okay, but it’s not convenient to park here; we’ll drive a little further in." I still made a call to Grace Chandler, "Grace, I’ve entered the campus, walk a little further, I’ll get off soon." Grace Chandler was surprised on the phone, "Wow, you actually drove in!" "No, no, we’ll talk later." Daniel Carter drove about fifty meters into the campus and parked to the side. I unbuckled my seatbelt, "Thanks, let’s touch base tonight." Daniel Carter turned to me, his smile charming and deep, replying meaningfully, "You can also reach out during the day." Just as I was pushing open the door to get off the car, hearing those words, my heart skipped a beat, and I could only feign ignorance by not responding. This paint-peeling state looks a bit like a couple in the throes of romance. I slapped the car door and, through the descended window on the passenger side, waved goodbye once more. Grace Chandler spotted me and shouted loudly, "Lily Miller!" When she got close, she eyed the departing Hongqi SUV curiously and asked, "Whose luxury car is that? Don’t tell me it’s the man who lent you the coat yesterday?" Feeling guilty, my cheeks awkwardly burned, I didn’t deny it. Grace Chandler’s eyes widened in surprise, "Amazing! You really are Lily Miller! The campus belle of Elmore University back then! This new flame is far ahead of Adrian Gordon, isn’t he? A Hongqi car isn’t something you can buy just with money; it’s a symbol of prestige." "Oh, no, no... We’re just friends, fellow alumni, just catching a ride." I tugged Grace Chandler forward, denying quickly. Grace Chandler smirked knowingly, "I get it. Still in the ambiguous stage, haven’t defined the relationship yet, huh?" "No!" I retorted, increasingly feeling guilty, with my cheeks starting to heat up. Suddenly, a voice called from behind, "Lily Miller? Grace Chandler?" We both turned in response, and upon looking closely, we unexpectedly encountered classmates from our department. Even more surprising was that my nemesis, Jessica Sawyer, was among them. Seeing Jessica Sawyer, both Grace Chandler and I didn’t want to interact, so we smiled and greeted casually before turning to walk away. Unexpectedly, they caught up quickly, acting unreservedly, and said, "Lily, you are getting prettier and prettier! We’ve heard you had some issues recently, we thought you... hehe, seems all is well now! Was that Hongqi luxury car your husband’s?" I didn’t bother to explain, choosing to smile silently. Jessica Sawyer began speaking, in a particularly sour tone, "With Senior Brother Gordon’s status, I doubt he could afford a car of such caliber."