Chapter 701: Can't I Have Been Reborn?

Chapter 701: Chapter 697: Can’t I Have Been Reborn?

A pretty little stage had been set up in the center of the banquet hall. The moment Yvette walked onto it, a few boisterous guys set off handheld party poppers. The sound of POP, POP, POP echoed through the hall as colorful paper confetti filled the air.

The atmosphere instantly became electric. Everyone clapped and cheered as Yvette happily waved to the crowd.

“Thank you all so much for coming to my birthday party today. Every year on this day, I can truly feel the happiness that friendship brings me. And today, we have old friends, and new friends…”

When she mentioned new friends, Yvette made a point to glance at Cecilia Sterling, who was on the fringes of the crowd. Even though Cecilia was standing at the very back, she was the most eye-catching person there. Her fair skin seemed to glow, making her radiantly beautiful.

“Whether you’re an old friend or a new one, I hope you all have a fantastic time today. I’ve arranged a big dinner for everyone at Phoenix Hall tonight, so let’s not go home until we’re drunk!”

“Happy birthday, Yvette!”

“Happy birthday, gorgeous!”

The crowd erupted in cheers again, and Cecilia smiled and clapped along.

The birthday party had officially begun, and the background music in the hall became more upbeat.

Kylie Churchill was the first to rush forward, grabbing Yvette’s arm. “Yvette, let’s go out to the terrace and take some pictures! The snowy view is gorgeous, like a scene from *Tiny Times*.”

All the other girls got excited at the suggestion, completely ignoring how thin their gowns were. All they wanted were some killer photos.

“Okay!” Yvette clapped her hands. “All the girls, let’s go to the terrace for pictures first. We can catch the sunset with the snow.”

Hearing this, Estelle glanced at Cecilia. “Cecilia, are you going?”

Cecilia gently shook her head.

‘I could have gone. Even though I can’t stand the cold, I’m already here, so I might as well keep Estelle company.’

‘But that idiot girlfriend of Shawn’s is going too, and she’s obviously good friends with the birthday girl. If I join them, we’ll probably end up arguing.’

‘This is someone else’s birthday party, after all. I don’t want to ruin her big day.’

‘Most importantly, I don’t want to argue with that simple-minded girl in front of so many people. It’s simply beneath me.’

“Well, I’m going to go take a couple of pictures with Yvette, and then I’ll be right back. If you need anything, just find my brother. He might not be the most reliable guy, but I’m sure he’d be more than happy to wait on you hand and foot.”

Cecilia smiled. “It’s fine. Go on.”

‘She completely understood. As a good friend, Estelle had to take pictures with the birthday girl.’

After Estelle left, Cecilia headed for the restroom. After eating all that food, she needed to touch up her lipstick.

And as luck would have it, she ran right into Shawn Lane.

“Cecilia…”

Shawn Lane froze, thinking Cecilia had followed him on purpose. He couldn’t help but speak first. “Are you following me?”

Cecilia just stared at him blankly.

From the look on her face, Shawn knew he had misunderstood. He feigned nonchalance, however, and looked at Cecilia with a grave expression. “I don’t know what you’ve gone through this past year or so, but as your ex-boyfriend, I sincerely hope you can live your life with integrity and a clear conscience.”

“Did you get your head caught in a door?” Cecilia said, her face a mask of disgust.

“You can stop pretending in front of me. I’ve been suspicious about the change in you for a while now; I just didn’t want to believe it. Back then, my feelings for you were strong enough that I deluded myself.” Shawn spoke with self-righteous conviction. The more he talked, the more he convinced himself. His confidence grew, and he began to believe every single word he was saying was the truth.

“But things are different now. A year has been more than enough time for me to face the reality of your sudden change and all the suspicious things about you. I’ve even confirmed it—you have a boyfriend outside of school. He’s probably very rich, isn’t he?”

At first, Cecilia was completely baffled, with no idea what nonsense Shawn was spouting this time.

‘But by the end, she understood. Does Shawn think I’m being kept by some rich old man?’

“Do you think the only way for me to change my life is by getting some old man to be my sugar daddy?” Cecilia asked with a sneer.

Shawn narrowed his eyes. “At your age, right now, do you have a more logical explanation?”

Cecilia adopted a perfectly serious expression. “Couldn’t it be that I was reborn?”

“Cecilia, don’t take me for an idiot. I may have been out of my mind when I was in love with you, but I’m perfectly clear-headed now. My only regret is not seeing you for who you really are. I never imagined you were that kind of person.”

“What kind of person?” Cecilia laughed in exasperation. “I look like this, and the only thing you can imagine is that I’m being kept by some old geezer?”

“Couldn’t it at least be a handsome guy? After all, it wouldn’t be that hard for me to find a young, hot, and rich guy to be my sugar daddy, right?”

As if on cue, Jonah Goodman happened to wander into Cecilia’s line of sight.

She raised a hand and called out, “Jonah Goodman!”

“Cecilia!” Jonah grinned and eagerly trotted over.

When he noticed Shawn Lane, Jonah’s expression faltered.

‘He vaguely remembered… Didn’t Cecilia and Shawn date for a bit?’

“Shawn, long time no see!”

“Jonah.”

The two knew each other, but only enough to exchange greetings. They weren’t friends.

Cecilia looked at Jonah and asked, “Jonah, do you like me?”

Jonah didn’t hesitate for a second. Without any regard for Shawn standing right there, he blurted out, “Of course! You know I do.”

Shawn’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Cecilia asked again, “So, how much do you like me?”

Jonah declared, “I’d be your dog!”

Shawn was speechless.

A satisfied smile touched Cecilia’s lips. She turned and gave Shawn a provocative look. “If I were ever to get a sugar daddy, he’d have to be at least on Jonah’s level.”

“Sponsoring?” Jonah’s eyes lit up. “Is that offer still on the table? Forget you being sponsored—I’ll pay you! You can have all my credit cards to max out!”

Shawn’s face went ashen.

“Jonah Goodman!” he ground out through clenched teeth.

Jonah blinked at him. “You two broke up ages ago, right? So this doesn’t technically make me the other man, does it?”

“Wait, no, I think I actually *am* the other man!” Jonah said, looking at Cecilia as it dawned on him. “You have a boyfriend!”

Cecilia nodded and patted Jonah’s shoulder. “I’ll let you know when the next slot opens up.”

Jonah nodded cheerfully. “Deal! I’ll be waiting with my number ready to be called!”

Shawn’s vision went dark, and he almost fainted from pure rage.

But just then, who should appear around the corner but a furious Kylie Churchill. Her eyes immediately locked onto Cecilia and Shawn, standing face to face.

A knot of fury tightened in her chest, and she charged toward them, her heels clicking rapidly against the floor.

Seeing this, Shawn’s heart plummeted. ‘It’s all over,’ he thought.

‘In a situation like this, the last thing he wanted was a direct confrontation between Kylie and Cecilia. If Kylie found out about certain things she wasn’t supposed to know, everything he had so carefully schemed would be for nothing!’