Chapter 280: Tenderloin Skewers

With a smile on his face, Henry Sterling asked Vivian Lowell and Eleanor Rhodes if they wanted some pork tenderloin skewers.

Under the sunlight, the freshly deep-fried pork tenderloin skewers gave off a greasy, appetizing sheen. Dusted generously with chili powder, they smelled absolutely mouthwatering.

It made sense. With tender meat like pork tenderloin, as long as the seasoning was right, it was hard to go wrong. That was exactly why tenderloin skewers were always so popular outside school gates. And the skewers sold in the Aethelburg University cafeteria guaranteed both hygiene and taste, making them even more appealing!

Vivian was slightly tempted, but at a time like this, she had to stand in solidarity with Eleanor!

“…”

Eleanor’s response sounded somewhat petulant. She looked up, shooting Henry a rather displeased glare, and replied sullenly, “I don’t want any!”

“Alright.”

Henry didn’t push the matter. He simply returned to the spot where he had been reading earlier and quietly began to eat the skewers by himself.

Vivian watched him. He ate with remarkable elegance, as if he were holding not a common street snack, but a gourmet delicacy that demanded to be savored slowly.

Perhaps it was the faint, lingering aroma of the skewers drifting over, or perhaps it was because Henry’s attitude today was simply too bizarre. Vivian noticed that Eleanor was looking increasingly uncomfortable sitting there.

Vivian chuckled and shook her head. “Eleanor, if you want some, why don’t I go buy them for you? It’s boring just sitting here anyway, isn’t it?

“Besides, it’s not like we’re eating the ones Professor Sterling offered.”

Eleanor had wanted to resist, but hearing Vivian’s sound logic—and being a foodie who was now genuinely a little hungry—she agreed.

“Okay, but Vivian, be careful!” Eleanor couldn’t help but add a word of caution. Even though the cafeteria was only a few hundred meters away, Vivian was pregnant, after all!

A few minutes later, Vivian arrived at the cafeteria.

To her surprise, she ran into a junior she recognized. This junior was Finn’s younger sister, who also studied at Aethelburg University. She had previously visited the company to pick up Finn. At the time, Finn had even recommended the junior to Vivian, bragging that her grades were even better than Finn’s own and that she wanted to join Vivian’s company in the future.

Vivian hadn’t expected such a coincidental encounter here.

“Miss Lowell, it’s you!” Finn’s sister also spotted Vivian right away and hurried over. “What brings you here? Are you here to eat? My treat!”

“No need, let me treat you instead.” Vivian politely declined. After explaining her reason for being there, she used Finn’s meal card to buy a few tenderloin skewers, while Finn bought a fried fish fillet.

“The fried fish fillet is pretty good too, just a bit greasy. Um, Miss Lowell, did you catch the kittens?” After asking, Finn mumbled through a mouthful of fried fish, accompanying Vivian outside.

“Not yet. My friend is here too, and we’ve been waiting for a while.”

Vivian explained. The two of them walked a short distance before Finn spotted Eleanor and Henry.

“It’s her? And… Professor Sterling?” Finn looked somewhat surprised, a strange expression flashing across her face.

Vivian didn’t quite understand why Finn was reacting this way, until she suddenly recalled the online rumors about the love triangle involving Wendy Wynn, Eleanor, and Henry. Could Finn be thinking about that?

“Finn, they are actually…” Vivian wanted to defend her best friend. Those rumors were completely false. It would be the last thing Vivian wanted to see if Eleanor’s reputation were ruined because of them.

“I know.” To her surprise, Finn said, “I just remembered there’s a senior in our school who likes Professor Sterling! She even confessed to him recently!

“That senior is amazing. She has a first-class national scholarship! She’s very famous at our university and is the beauty of her department—a true top student with excellent character.

“After everything that happened, many girls at the university found out Professor Sterling is single, so they want to pursue him! As for her, everyone previously thought she was the most likely to get a yes from him.

“Her original major had nothing to do with Professor Sterling’s field, but she’s studying for a double major just for him. It really hasn’t been easy for her!

“Her relationship with Professor Sterling had always been quite harmonious. Some people almost thought they were actually together until Professor Sterling clarified things himself not long ago.

“Professor Sterling said he already has someone he likes. He mentioned that due to some mistakes he made in the past, he ended up hurting that girl.

“He wants to make amends for his mistakes, so he can’t accept anyone else’s feelings. After being rejected, that senior was heartbroken for a long time, but she eventually decided to keep trying.

“The senior said that even though Professor Sterling has someone he likes, they aren’t together yet. As long as they aren’t a couple, she still has a chance!

“Life is so short, and it’s rare to like someone this much. It would be a real shame to give up without even trying.

“Of course, if they really do get together, she promised she would back off!

“I still remember what that senior said, and I think it makes a lot of sense. I just didn’t expect… well, seeing how confident she was back then, I really thought she had a chance to succeed!

“But today, seeing Professor Sterling show up with Miss Rhodes, I feel like that senior has no chance at all anymore!”

Vivian fell completely silent.

This whole situation was ridiculously melodramatic. The most melodramatic part was that, after finally realizing his own feelings, Henry had truly started to love Eleanor with all his heart. She just wondered if Henry’s affection this time could withstand the test.

Moreover, this “senior” who had just appeared was far too similar to how Eleanor used to be. Even the things she said were practically identical. After all, Eleanor had held onto that exact same mindset for years before finally giving up. The entire process had been incredibly painful, and Vivian had witnessed every moment of it.

However, Vivian looked at Finn and asked, “Why do you feel that, after seeing Henry and Eleanor together today, the senior has no chance?”

It was strange. Vivian herself didn’t have that intuition.

Hearing this, Finn chuckled. She pointed at Henry and said, “Miss Lowell, haven’t you noticed? When Professor Sterling was eating his skewers, his posture and his gaze were entirely focused on Miss Rhodes!

“From where he’s standing, he can keep her in his peripheral vision the entire time.

“Tsk. I’ve had a crush on someone before too. Right now, Professor Sterling looks exactly like someone harboring a secret crush!”

Was that really the case? Vivian took a moment to observe and found that it was actually true. After a brief silence, she said, “Thank you for today.

“Next time you come to the company to pick up Finn, I’ll treat you to milk tea. I need to keep watching out for the cats here, so I won’t take up any more of your time.”

“Mhm!” As Finn walked, she had basically finished her fried fish fillet. “I was just a little hungry, so I came out to grab a bite to eat while I go back to grinding through my practice papers.

“Finals are coming up soon, so I really need to make a final sprint!

“Miss Lowell, I’ll be starting my internship next year too. If there’s a chance, I’d really love to work at your company.”

“Well, you’d be more than welcome. Of course, you can also intern while preparing for grad school. Either way, keep up the good work!” Vivian offered her encouragement.

Finn was thrilled to hear this. Wiping her mouth clean, she took her leave.

Vivian headed back with the tenderloin skewers.

Eleanor was bored from waiting, and her eyes lit up at the sight of the food. However, she never once glanced at Henry, keeping her attention fixed solely on playing with her phone.

The tenderloin skewers were indeed delicious. The cumin and chili powder were perfectly balanced, and the meat was incredibly tender. With one bite, beneath the spices, her mouth was filled with rich, savory meat juices.

Sure enough, humans were inherently carnivores. Meat simply tasted much better than vegetables.

Vivian felt very satisfied after finishing one skewer. Just as she was about to start on another, Henry walked over again.

He offered them some tissues. Eleanor didn’t take them; instead, she pulled one out of her own bag and waved it in front of Henry.

Seeing this, Henry took a half-step back, withdrew his tissues, and said slowly, “Um… it looks like the kittens went into the cage. And, there are two of them.”

This news came as a total surprise.

Vivian immediately looked toward the cage. Sure enough, a calico and a little orange tabby were already inside. The cage door had shut. The little orange tabby was still munching on the canned food inside, while the calico had realized something was wrong and was darting frantically around the enclosure.

“We actually caught them!”

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Vivian beamed with joy. She and Eleanor hastily finished their skewers and hurried over to check on the trap. They had caught two, leaving another two from the same litter hidden in the crevices of the rockery. After waiting for an hour, they finally had something to show for it.

“Let’s put them in the carrier first.”

Vivian brought the pet carrier over. The two of them put on gloves and transferred the kittens inside.

Next, it was time to set the trap again and wait.

Henry stayed by their side, keeping them silent company until, an hour later, the remaining two kittens successfully entered the cage.

After Vivian and Eleanor secured the kittens in the carrier, they prepared to leave. Only then did Henry make a move to leave as well.

“Um…”

Before they parted ways, Henry stepped forward once more.

Eleanor stopped in her tracks. Holding the pet carrier, she looked at Henry without saying a word. However, by simply standing there, it was clear she was willing to hear him out.

Eleanor was good-natured. Henry had been here all afternoon, his repeated gestures of goodwill ignored. Now that he wanted to say something, she would at least listen.