"Don't be in a rush to go back. Take Lily along with you once you finish eating," Grace ordered sternly.
Jasper lifted his head and nonchantly stated, "What will she do? I am not going somewhere little girls play."
Grace scoffed. "I don't care what grand things you do. I am busy enough with work as it is. Being at home alone like this, it is inevitable Lillian will feel lonely and sad. Look at how meek she is."
Lillian blinked her eyes.
Meek?
What made Grace get that impression?
Lillian interjected, "I will be fine at home on my own."
Although she was curious to learn how Jasper spent his time, she knew he had a strong idea of personal space, and it was understandable he didn't want let her in easily.
"Look! Because of how unwelcoming you're, your little sister is being considerate now," Grace expressed, shaking her head. "There is this only one younger sister you have. If you don't pamper her, who are you going to favor?"
One younger sister?
Lillian was a bit puzzled.
Ever since she came here, she realized the Grace prevented from mentioning Eva as much as possible. Except for her room, there were no signs of Eva here.
Grace did not hold the hypocrisy Mrs. Chen did.
Lillian wondered whether it was out of consideration for her or did Lu family have a bad relationship with Eva.
Jasper hissed.
"Mom, you're being annoying again," Jasper responded, "Last time, you forced me to take that one there, and she was frightened. You scolded me for taking her there, remember?"
Jasper rolled his eyes.
Grace slapped on his shoulder.
"Are you taking back to me now? You disrespectful child! Who told you take Lily there? Take her to a nice restaurant or an amusement park!"
Jasper scoffed. His eyes then fell on Lillian, silently pressurizing her to say something.
Lillian thoughtfully stared at him before replying, "I can accompany him to this work."
Grace stared at her heartbreakingly. "See, how sensible your younger sister is. You should be ashamed of yourself."
The man's eyes narrowed on Lillian. "I am not going anywhere decent. A pampered young miss like you will not enjoy it."
Lillian nonchalantly pointed out, "I am not a young miss anymore. If my family is into shady business, I need to get involved as well."
Jasper was caught off guard for a second.
A chuckle left Grace's mouth.
"Good," Jasper stated.
Once they were done with the breakfast, Grace made Jasper wait, giving Lillian the sweet time to get dressed. As Lillian put on her skirt and shirt, her phone rang up with notification.
The message was from an unknown remember.
"What an interesting set of information— you're determined to sink entire Jason Chen's career."
Reading it, Lillian knew it was from Sebastian.
The corner of her lips curled up. "As long as you join hands with me, it's possible."
This world wouldn't endure anyone more powerful than the male lead. Therefore, despite Sebastian's talent and hard work, he could only face death, serving as a stepping stone for Ethan Xu.
"Unfortunately, I don't have that large of an appetite," Sebastian responded.
Lillian scrunched up her nose slightly.
Then again, she never expected Sebastian to board her train so easily. She had time to warm him up.
"I do not enjoy taking advantage of others. What do you want in return?"
Lillian wanted to point out how this would make her more pleased than Sebastian. However, she refrained from it.
"Invest in my name in some profitable projects," Lillian responded.
What she needed the most right now was money.
Since she wanted to carry on her path in the scientific path in this life, it would take her time to earn money. She couldn't enter the business and make quick cash without compromising her true passion.
In her last life, due to being framed by Eva for plagiarism, she couldn't see the light of the day as a researcher.
"Good." She received the message from Sebastian.
Then, Lillian heard the impatient knocks on her door and got up to open the door. There was Jasper standing there, playing with his phone. His usual hood covered his face.
"Let's go," he said.
As Lillian followed him, she realized Grace had already left for work. When she made her way downstairs, she noticed the black, fancy motorbike belonging to Jasper.
It was modified to hold an edge that went along well with Jasper.
As Jasper sat down on the motorbike, Lillian got up behind him. He handed her the motorbike, and Lillian carefully put it on.
"Hold on tight."
Lillian reached out to grab his jacket. The next second, he sped up, having her hold on to him tightly.
Although Lillian had riden the motorbike a couple times with Sophie, the usually reckless girl drove more carefully and slower than Jasper.
Jasper, on the other hand, had no consideration for the traffic rules as he sped up indiscriminately and made sharp swerves. As the wind brushed against her, Lillian thought she would fly off the bike a couple times.
As the motorbike reached a noisy neighborhood, it halted. There were various establishments set around the place. Even in the daylight, there were youths gathered around, smoking and drinking.
The thick scent in the air made Lillian scrunch her nose for a second as she removed her helmet. Lillian jumped down from the motorbike, following Jasper.
This wasn't her first time here. Sophie brought her over here a couple times here, and no matter what, she couldn't get used to the environment.
As her eyes skimmed through the area, Lillian noticed the eyes on her and ignored them.
From her memory, Jasper worked at an internet cafe here. His job mainly composed of fixing computers, cleaning up, and making sure order was maintained.
However, in such a shady area with Jasper's pretty face, it made sense why he attracted a lot of unnecessary attention.
Lillian bit down on her lower lip.
It would be best if Jasper could quit his job here and get into a decent establishment.
But looking at her brother who still was going through his rebellious phase, Lillian knew that would be impossible.
As Lillian was lost in her thoughts, Jasper unzipped his jacket and placed it on her shoulder. Caught off guard, she lifted her head to stare at him questioningly.
"Zip it," Jasper ordered coldly.
Lillian hesitated for a second before his sharp eyes made her wear the jacket. Once she pulled up the zipper, Jasper roughly raised the hood, covering her face.
He then ran his hand through his hair, messily scattering them.
A soft touch of warmth spread through her chest.
"Thank you," Lillian muttered.
"I don't want to be blamed by mom if anything happens to you. She can make quite a fuss," Jasper awkwardly uttered.