Chapter 269: When the Lancaster Family Went Bankrupt, It Was the Eldest Miss Who Performed on the Street to Support the Family...

Jane Lancaster’s face was calm. "Perhaps it’s because I was the one by Father’s side after the family went bankrupt, which gave him the motivation to make a comeback."

She pressed the spot between her eyebrows, a hint of exhaustion in her eyes. "I’m going up to rest. You two can do as you please."

Caleb Lowell started to go after her. "Jay, I need to talk to you..."

He stopped, his gaze falling on the hand blocking his way.

Jasper Sterling smiled. "Since our senior is tired, it’s best if you don’t disturb her, President Lowell. If you’d like to chat, why not stay and talk with us for a bit?"

He turned to Butler Forbes. "Butler Forbes, would you be willing to chat with us for a bit?"

Butler Forbes chuckled. "In that case, please, you two young masters, sit down for some tea and snacks."

The old butler knew perfectly well that Jasper Sterling wasn’t interested in making small talk with an old man like him.

Given his enthusiasm, he was most likely here to ask about the Young Miss.

Butler Forbes glanced at Caleb Lowell. He used to think the Young Miss and Caleb were a perfect match, but his opinion had started to waver ever since the engagement was called off.

Caleb Lowell had let the Young Miss take the fall for that Luna Morgan, causing her to be verbally torn to shreds by the old guard at The Lowell Group. It was simply outrageous!

Even though Caleb Lowell had personally called the Master afterward to explain that there was nothing between him and Luna Morgan, apologizing profusely, the butler still felt he wasn’t good enough.

Jasper Sterling, on the other hand... he used to think the man was too calculating and hard to read. Now, however, he seemed gentle, polite, and very attentive. At least he always stood by the Young Miss unconditionally, unaffected by any rumors, which was an incredibly rare quality.

And most importantly, the young man was genuinely handsome—a worthy match for the Young Miss.

Butler Forbes invited the two men to sit in the receiving area and instructed a servant to bring out fruit and pastries. He then took out a gongfu tea set to personally brew tea for the two young masters.

Amidst the fragrant aroma of the brewing tea, Jasper Sterling’s opening words were shocking. "I seem to have heard a rumor that our senior was once taken to dinner parties to perform for money as a child?"

Caleb Lowell frowned. "Where did you hear such a ridiculous rumor? That never happened!"

Jasper Sterling produced a photograph. "This photo has started circulating online again recently."

Caleb Lowell looked down at the photo. It wasn’t unfamiliar; Vincent Holt had shown it to him before.

He relaxed considerably. Jane Lancaster had denied it at the time, and Yara Yates had also helped clear things up.

He looked at Jasper Sterling with a mocking expression. "What are you trying to say? You think it’s shameful that Jay performed for people’s entertainment at such a young age? Well, you’re mistaken. At that dinner party, Jay was just curious and posed for a few pictures. She doesn’t even know how to play the erhu."

’It’s normal for a little girl to be curious and want to explore new things. She was a guest, saw an erhu, and wanted to take a picture with it. What’s wrong with that?’

’Whatever his intentions are, he’s about to be proven wrong.’

Jasper Sterling asked, "Are you sure?"

Jared Thorne’s movie was about to be released, and its theme song was composed by Jane Lancaster herself. He had already heard the demo, and it was breathtaking.

Caleb Lowell grew impatient. "Of course I’m sure. I’ve known her for years. How could I not know?"

Butler Forbes picked up the photo and looked at it, then sighed. "I never knew... so the Young Miss really did perform at dinner parties for the wealthy."

Caleb Lowell whipped his head around to look at him, stunned and incredulous. "Jay knows how to play the erhu?"

Butler Forbes nodded slowly. "After The Lancaster Family went bankrupt, it was the Young Miss who performed to support the family. That’s what motivated the Master to pull himself together."

Caleb Lowell’s voice was strained. "But... Jay never mentioned any of this to me..."

Butler Forbes gave a wry smile. "It’s not exactly a proud memory, after all."

Jasper Sterling took the teapot, expertly rinsing and brewing the leaves. He offered the first cup to Butler Forbes. "Would you be willing to tell us about it?"

Perhaps it was because so much had happened recently, or perhaps it was the sincere look in the young man’s eyes, but Butler Forbes found himself lost in his memories.

Back when The Lancaster Family went bankrupt, Butler Forbes had considered taking the still-young Jane Lancaster back to his own home to care for her.

But Timothy Lancaster was stubborn. He refused to let his daughter leave his side, insisting that as long as there was a bite of food to eat, he would give it to Jane and never let her go hungry.

Left with no choice, Butler Forbes had to give up the idea.

Who would have known that when he went to visit the father and daughter some time later, he would find Timothy Lancaster drinking his days away in a rented room, while the Young Miss was out on the streets, busking with her erhu to support the family.

The little girl was so young, yet she was bright as a button, with clean clothes and an intelligent way of speaking. She played the erhu for tourists in scenic spots, and many people were willing to give her money. Business was surprisingly good.

She kept them going like that for an entire winter. Not only did she keep them from starving, but she even earned enough extra money for her father to send some to his brothers in the countryside.

It was precisely because Jane Lancaster hadn’t given up that Timothy Lancaster finally sobered up from his drunken stupor and decided to take her to Solara to find new opportunities.

"The Master stayed in Solara for a month before we finally got good news. His business proposal had impressed a certain big shot, who agreed to fund his project."

After that, life for The Lancaster Family got better and better. Timothy Lancaster not only paid off all his debts but also brought back all the former employees of The Lancaster Group, staging a magnificent comeback.

But as for that past, Timothy Lancaster treated it as a taboo. He not only forbade anyone from mentioning it but even smashed the family’s erhu.

He was so affected that even the sight of Adrian Lancaster’s violin bow upset him, and he would order the servants to throw it away immediately.

One time, his bow was thrown out, causing Adrian Lancaster to nearly miss a competition. It was Jane Lancaster who secretly went and retrieved it for him.

"I know the Third Young Master has always felt wronged. The Second Young Master also says that the Master is biased and deliberately suppresses him. But the truth is, by choosing a stringed instrument that the Master dislikes from the very beginning, he was destined to never win his father’s favor."

"The Third Young Master gave up the violin because the Master wouldn’t approve of it. It’s truly a shame."

Jasper Sterling silently refilled Butler Forbes’s cup.

He held his own teacup, tracing its rim with his thumb, but never took a sip.

A heavy feeling, like a stone, settled in his chest. "It is a great shame."

That movie theme song... after getting the demo, he had listened to it for a whole night. The desolate yet resilient sound of the music had felt like an impenetrable net, wrapping tightly around his heart.

He couldn’t imagine how much more stunning she would be if she had been able to formally study music.

Caleb Lowell felt a pang in his heart as well. "Jay... she really owes Adrian too much."

"She owes Adrian Lancaster?" Jasper Sterling was so angry he almost laughed. "How did you arrive at that conclusion?"

Caleb Lowell didn’t understand his sudden hostility. "Isn’t it obvious? Because Jay busked with an erhu when she was a child, a brilliant talent like Adrian was dragged down with her and had to give up the violin. If that’s not owing him, what is?"

Even though Adrian Lancaster is a famous actor now, he’s not recognized by the classical arts community.

What he gave up was the path to becoming a violin virtuoso, the recognition and admiration of the high-society art world.

How could anyone not find that regrettable?

Jasper Sterling set his teacup down on the marble coffee table and said coldly, "Uncle Lancaster was afraid of that past and forbade his children from learning bowed string instruments. Who was the first person to be affected by that?"

It dawned on Butler Forbes. "...It was the Young Miss!"

Even after the family’s situation improved, she took many extracurricular classes, but never a single music lesson.