Chapter 104: Power Duo of the Entertainment World
"Got into trouble?" Ethan started to ask, but then figured that with Emily's personality, offending Emerald City's elite families was probably inevitable. "Forget about her then. As long as no one's giving you a hard time. If anyone does, you tell me—I'll knock some sense into them!"
Sophia chuckled softly. Birds of a feather flock together—anyone who could be James's close friend must have decent character and values.
When they reached the gates of Silver Fir Academy, James ruffled Sophia's hair. "Head on in. Call me if anything comes up."
"Okay." Sophia turned to leave.
A few steps away, she turned back and pulled out her phone, looking at Ethan. "Hey Ethan, let's connect on Facebook."
Ethan hesitated, glancing at James beside him, uncertain whether he should add her.
Seeing his hesitation, Sophia smiled. "Didn't you say I could come to you if I had trouble? If someone gives me a hard time, I need to be able to reach you, right?"
It was a joke, and Ethan relaxed. He added her. "Sure thing. I'm not much of a student, but I've got solid fists."
Sophia smiled, said goodbye, and headed into school.
Ethan walked toward Oakwood High School with James.
"James, Sophia's really gorgeous! Must be those Johnson family genes! With all those rich brats at Silver Fir Academy, aren't you worried someone might sweep her off her feet?"
James pressed his lips together with a hint of resignation and sighed inwardly. "Already happened. Her boyfriend is Michael, the chairman of Cloud Group."
"Holy crap!" Even Ethan, a trust fund kid himself, was shocked. Though thinking it over, it made a certain kind of sense.
Sophia grew up in the Smith family. Every gesture carried the poise and refinement of a high-society heiress. The Smith Group was among Emerald City's top-tier elite. Meeting Michael from Cloud Group and falling for him... yeah, it tracked.
Ethan changed the subject. "When are you wrapping up that web series?"
"Three more scenes this weekend and we're done."
"I've been watching your show, by the way. Your acting's pretty solid. With your looks, why not just apply to film school and become an actor?"
"I'll think about it. What about you? Finance major, taking over the family business?"
"My dad's still young—let him work a few more years. I've got a dream, actually. I want to be a singer."
"That dream sounds... ambitious."
"Don't crush my spirit, man! Picture this: you become an award-winning actor, I become a music star, we sign with the same agency—a power duo taking over the entertainment industry. How's that sound?"
"Sounds like a stretch."
"..."
...
Back in the classroom, Sophia noticed Emily's empty seat and felt a wave of relief.
Finally, no more annoying pest buzzing around.
But she'd forgotten—her friend Amelia could be quite the buzzer herself.
"Sophia!" The moment Amelia returned, she threw herself at Sophia with a pitiful expression. "Emergency situation! I need backup!"
"What happened?"
Before the study trip, on the day Michael confessed to Sophia, Wayne had mentioned breaking off their engagement to Amelia for the first time.
For a while after that, they'd existed in an awkward, delicate atmosphere.
But during the study trip, Wayne acted like nothing had happened, as if the conversation never occurred. Things between him and Amelia gradually eased back to normal.
Amelia thought the whole thing had blown over—that they'd both forgotten about it and could continue being friends despite the engagement hanging over them.
Then last night, Wayne suddenly texted her asking if she'd thought about the engagement thing.
She didn't know how to respond, so she just... didn't. She figured she'd wait until today and get Sophia to help her analyze what Wayne was thinking.
Sophia felt a bead of sweat form. She thought this issue had been resolved. Turned out they still hadn't talked it through?
"What did you do yesterday? He wouldn't randomly ask about breaking off the engagement for no reason."
"I didn't do anything! We just had dinner together." Amelia looked completely innocent. Everything had been fine during dinner, but then after she got home and took a shower, he suddenly sent that message.
"What did you talk about during dinner?"
"Nothing much. I just watched two episodes of James's web series and told him how much I liked James."
Sophia: ...
She really didn't want to get involved in her friends' romantic drama. She knew investments, not feelings—she couldn't handle emotional problems involving more than two people.
But Amelia was staring at her with those pitiful puppy eyes, and Wayne was probably wallowing in misery right now too. If she didn't help mediate, who knew what chaos these two would create?
Sophia sighed helplessly. "Fine. I'll ask him what he's thinking."
Did she even need to ask?
What else could it be?
He has feelings for you!
But these words couldn't come from Sophia's mouth. What kind of confession was it if someone else delivered it? If anything needed to be said, Wayne had to say it himself to Amelia.
Just as she finished speaking, Wayne walked through the front door of the classroom.
Usually Wayne just had a casual air and lazy demeanor, but today he looked genuinely exhausted. He clearly hadn't slept well—dark circles shadowed his eyes.
Amelia pressed her lips together, shot Sophia a hopeful look, then pretended nothing was wrong and walked back to her seat.
Sophia took a deep breath, exhaled through her nose, and resigned herself to her fate. She got up and walked toward Wayne.
She pulled the bag off his shoulder, tossed it carelessly onto his seat, grabbed his sleeve with her other hand, and dragged him away. "Come with me. Need to talk to you."
The two stood in the hallway, leaning against the corridor window.
Sophia glanced back into the classroom and met Amelia's expectant gaze. She slowly withdrew her eyes and said to Wayne, "Why don't you just tell her straight up?"
Wayne scoffed softly, tilted his head back, and took a deep breath. "She clearly doesn't feel that way about me. If I confess, we won't even be friends anymore. Right now she doesn't even dare ask me what I'm thinking—she sent you as a messenger instead. She's obviously terrified of hearing that I actually have feelings for her."
Sophia thought for a moment, organizing her words carefully. "I'm not saying you should make some grand romantic gesture. Just be honest about how you feel. You're already at the point of wanting to break off the engagement—what could be worse than that? If you really like her, be upfront about it and pursue her properly. If you keep dragging this out, whether you break off the engagement or not, neither outcome will be good."
Amelia was carefree and straightforward, but when it came to feelings, she was dense. Not just about other people's feelings—she was clueless about her own too.
She claimed she only saw Wayne as a brother, yet she was troubled and anxious about Wayne wanting to break off their engagement. Despite her normally direct personality, she didn't dare ask Wayne face-to-face what he was thinking.
In Wayne's eyes, it was avoidance. But to Sophia, it was fear.
Perhaps Amelia wasn't entirely indifferent to Wayne—she just hadn't realized it herself yet.
Wayne fell silent for a moment, then gave a bitter laugh. "She likes guys like James."
Sophia nearly rolled her eyes. She didn't want to keep advising. These two were both stubborn and refused to give in!