Chapter 299: Chapter 299: "We’re all adults, so naturally we should kiss the adult way.

The area couldn’t have been more silent.

The rustling of leaves in the wind became exceptionally clear.

To any onlookers, it looked like Sherry Walsh was staking her claim.

Jane Jenkins glanced in Noah Sterling’s direction. "Miss Walsh, don’t you understand that it takes two to tango? My word alone means nothing in this matter."

"This isn’t a case of ’it takes two to tango,’" Sherry Walsh corrected. "It’s more like ’flies don’t swarm an egg unless it’s cracked.’"

With that one sentence,

she had essentially called Jane Jenkins a fly.

Jane Jenkins finally lost her patience. Her first instinct wasn’t to snap back at Sherry Walsh, but to look toward Noah Sterling.

Sure enough, Noah Sterling set down his fishing rod and walked over.

Everyone nearby watched, but no one dared to say a word.

To put it in modern terms,

one was the unforgettable ex, and the other was the current girlfriend.

Noah Sterling strode over, his eyes fixed on Sherry Walsh. "What are you two talking about?"

He’d been too far away to hear clearly.

He could tell from their expressions that Sherry was holding her own.

"We’re talking about you."

Sherry glanced at Noah’s face first, then her gaze drifted down to the casual shirt he was wearing.

He followed her gaze, looking down at himself.

"I was making Miss Jenkins swear that she’d never have designs on my boyfriend." Sherry pouted. "Of course, as a divorce lawyer, I know full well that oaths are useless."

Divorce lawyers witness all sorts of bizarre things in a marriage.

Whirlwind romances before marriage.

And nothing but cold calculations after.

The onlookers wisely took their leave, and soon only the three of them remained in the small clearing.

The woman from earlier also went to find her husband by the lake.

Jane Jenkins bit her lip, finally speaking up in a low, strained voice. "You two can stop pretending. I know your relationship is fake."

A silence fell over them.

Sherry immediately retorted, "You have quite the imagination. What’s there to fake about this?"

"You’ll have to ask Noah about that." Jane Jenkins stared intently at Noah Sterling. "We’ve known each other for so many years. We know each other inside and out. I can tell if you’re lying to me just by looking at you."

Sherry looked at Noah Sterling too.

Jane continued, "I understand what you’re thinking. We didn’t get to say a proper goodbye back then, so I hope we can sit down and have a proper talk."

Sherry watched Noah’s expression closely.

’If his expression falters for even a second,’

’I’m done playing along with this act.’

’The last thing I want is to become just a prop in their reconciliation drama.’

"There’s no need."

Noah’s reply was swift.

He didn’t let Jane Jenkins continue, cutting in to state his position. "We have nothing to talk about. Right now, all I want is to prevent my girlfriend from having any more misunderstandings about you and me."

He sat in the empty chair beside Sherry, resting one hand on the armrest. In a gentle voice, he asked her, "Are you bored? I can show you around."

"Sure."

Sherry noted his resolute tone.

She decided to see this act through with him.

Just as she was about to get up, her hand was grasped by his broad palm, their palms pressing together.

His palm was rougher than hers, but warmer. The heat transferred through her skin in an instant.

Before Sherry could even react, his gentle pull had brought her to her feet.

As she turned to look at him, her gaze first swept over Jane.

Jane’s expression was a mask of unconcealed fury as she watched them.

That’s when Sherry suppressed the urge to pull her hand back. Instead, she put on a blissful expression and let him lead her away.

After that little interlude,

all the former classmates understood the dynamic between the three of them—and Noah Sterling’s stance.

-

At dinnertime,

the group gathered in an open area by the lake for a barbecue.

The adults sat around drinking while the children ran around, jumping and playing games.

Around nine o’clock,

the children all went inside to bed.

Having eaten and drunk their fill, the adults started playing drinking games.

They played a simple dice-guessing game.

Everyone participated.

Before long, the table was littered with empty bottles.

In the next round, Sherry lost the dice game again.

She was never good at games to begin with and had already lost many times. She really couldn’t drink anymore.

"After this glass, I’m out. I really can’t drink anymore."

Sherry surrendered.

At this reunion, many people were trying to curry favor with Noah Sterling, so naturally, no one was going to give Sherry a hard time.

When she said she wanted to quit, everyone agreed.

Just as Sherry was about to pick up her glass, a hand reached over and took it from her. "You don’t have to drink this. I’ll take it for you."

It was Noah Sterling.

Noah had offered to drink for her before.

But Sherry had stubbornly refused him then.

This time, before Sherry had a chance to refuse, a voice rang out:

"How about this: you two kiss, and then Miss Walsh can quit."

The speaker was Jane Jenkins.

Everyone looked at her.

Jane had also had a lot to drink, but she held her liquor well, so it didn’t show on her face.

She looked at the couple across from her and smiled. "We’re all adults here. It should be an adult kiss."

"Oh, no, no need for that. We’re all friends here. If she can’t drink anymore, she can just quit. It’s fine."

Kent Phelps, as the organizer, quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"We’re not recording it or anything, it’s just a kiss," Jane said with a smile. "Otherwise, I might actually start to believe you’re a fake couple."

"What is wrong with you?"

Sherry shot Jane a glare.

She was getting annoyed. Her first thought wasn’t to refuse, but rather—

’Should we kiss just to prove her wrong?’

’But we’re not actually a real couple.’

While she was still hesitating, Noah took her hand and said with a smile, "Sorry, we can’t do that."

Jane froze.

Sherry was also taken aback.

Noah pulled her hand close and said, "I know Sherry’s personality. She wouldn’t be comfortable with that. Besides, I don’t like to display our affection in public like this. It would be disrespectful to her and to our relationship."

The area fell silent once more.

Sherry looked at Noah beside her, a complicated, indescribable feeling welling up inside her.

It felt as if a seed, long buried in her heart, had suddenly sprouted.

Kent broke the silence, being the first to speak. "Well, I’ll be! I knew it back in our school days—Noah Sterling is a real stand-up guy."

The others immediately chimed in with their agreement.

In the dim light of the evening,

only Jane’s expression turned ugly.

She watched as Noah took the glass from in front of Sherry and downed it in one go.

Sherry sat for a while longer, then got up to go to the restroom.

The resort’s restrooms were quite far away, so Noah naturally accompanied her.

Just as she was about to come out of the restroom...

"Noah, you weren’t like this at all back then."

Jane’s voice came from outside.

Sherry subconsciously stopped in her tracks.

"Back then, if you had a thousand dollars, you’d spend it all on me. Then you’d tell me not to worry, that you wouldn’t starve."

There was a sob in Jane’s voice. "You promised you’d marry me as soon as I came back. I’m back now. When are you going to marry me?"