Chapter 421
Lisette Cavendish gave it a casual glance, then exited the livestream.
She didn’t bother paying it any more attention.
Bradley Hayes had a grin hanging at the corner of his mouth as he asked in that slightly wicked, teasing tone, “Not gonna see how the internet is roasting those three ungrateful snakes p>
“No need p>
Everything that had to be said had been said.
Everything that had to be done had been done.
The knot in her chest had finally loosened.
As far as she was concerned, the whole mess was over.
Whatever the netizens wanted to say about those three twisted girls, however hard they dragged them online, Lisette really didn’t care that much.
She turned to the principal and said, “I’m sorry for holding everyone up just now. We can start the graduation ceremony now p>
“Yes, yes, of course p>
The principal and several school officials finally snapped out of the shock from just moments ago.
No matter how they thought about it, they still couldn’t wrap their heads around it—a tragedy had started just because three female students grew intense hatred toward a wealthy roommate for giving gifts?
It was seriously unbelievable.
After a silent round of disbelief and sighing to themselves, they returned to the stage one by one.
The graduation ceremony officially began.
As the national anthem rang out, loud and solemn, all the teachers, students, and invited guests stood up.
After that, the host began announcing the school leaders present, the board representatives, faculty representatives, and distinguished alumni in attendance.
The principal spoke first. He praised the graduates for their diligence, hard work, and perseverance over the past four years, then offered them his warmest wishes for their lives and careers. After him, several influential board members, professors, and student representatives each gave brief remarks.
Then came the awards segment. Aside from speeches and applause, the venue stayed quiet for most of the time.
Not until the host announced, “Next, please welcome Mr. Dorian Clemens, eldest son of the renowned pianist Mr. Philip Clemens, who will perform a piece and send his best wishes to everyone p>
“Wow p>
In an instant, the whole venue burst into loud applause.
Mr. Philip Clemens was basically a legend in the piano world. Earlier this year, at the piano summit in Veridia, he had performed a duet with Lisette Cavendish, and that moment had practically become iconic in classical music circles. It stayed trending forever.
Anyone who knew just how high Mr. Philip Clemens stood in the piano world was already hyped for Dorian Clemens’s performance.
But what really made every girl in the room lock their eyes on him was something even more direct—his tall, straight posture, his graceful bearing, that clean aristocratic vibe, and a face so handsome it was honestly unfair.
Dorian wore a sharply tailored tailcoat as he stepped onto the stage.
Beneath the deep charcoal-black outer layer was a crisp white Egyptian cotton shirt, and the pale blue tie at his collar made him look polished, refined, and ridiculously elegant.
The second he appeared, he gave off the kind of vibe old-world noble gentlemen were made of.
Everything on him, every last detail, even the most easily overlooked button, had clearly been carefully chosen and matched to perfection.
Once on stage, Dorian gave the audience a slight bow.
When he lifted his head, those clear blue eyes swept across the crowd and found Lisette Cavendish almost instantly. He gave her a small nod and a faint smile.
But the few times they had met before had all ended badly.
Not to mention the cousin he doted on so much had secretly hired someone to kill her.
Lisette Cavendish had zero interest in getting involved with him any further. She only returned the gesture with the barest nod, then sat still and focused, ready to simply listen to the piano piece without letting anything distract her.
Even from a distance, Dorian could feel the chill in her attitude.
He quietly withdrew his gaze and walked to the piano.
Then he began to play.
Lisette put aside every bit of personal bias and listened as nothing more than a member of the audience, letting herself take in the music.
She had never heard of Dorian performing piano in public before, but the truth was obvious the moment he touched the keys—he had perfectly inherited Mr. Philip Clemens’s gift. One song was enough to stun the room, and his skill was in no way inferior to that of a top master like Mr. Philip Clemens.
Listening to his music was pure top-tier enjoyment.
Lisette Cavendish got pulled in almost right away.
By the time she was really savoring it, the piece had already come to an end.
She was completely caught in the spell of Dorian Clemens’s piano.
Then, out of nowhere—
A voice sounded above her head, Chinese laced with a faint foreign accent. “Miss Shen, long time no see. Hope you’ve been well p>
Lisette looked up.
Dorian was standing right in front of her, still wearing the tailcoat he’d had on while performing.
Those deep blue eyes of his looked refined, almost gentle at first glance, yet always carried that distant chill. Right now, they were fixed on her without wavering. His thin lips parted slightly. “Happy graduation p>
Lisette: p>
The girls around them all instantly looked over.
This man really did have insane opposite-sex appeal.
She could already hear a few girls nearby breaking into dramatic little squeals.
“Ahhh, I’m so jealous. Another gorgeous guy has fallen under Shen Nanzhi’s charm. Why are all the hot guys always somebody else’s? Can’t one of them be allocated to me for visual enjoyment p>
“Not somebody else’s. They’re all Shen Nanzhi’s p>
“Ahhh, okay, that hurt p>
“The guys around Shen Nanzhi are all premium-grade handsome. If she’d just share one with me, I’d literally pass out from happiness p>
Someone even started counting on her fingers, seriously tallying up the elite hot-guy squad around Shen Nanzhi.
“The Hastings family’s richest man, and also her dad, who seriously looks way too young for his age.” Two fingers folded down.
“The three Cavendish brothers p>
The girl bent down three fingers.
In the blink of an eye, one whole fist was basically accounted for.
Then she lifted her other hand and kept counting. “Bradley Hayes.” One finger.
“Owen Scott, Gabriel Knight p>
Two more.
“And that hot foreign guy by her side.” Bradley again. Another finger folded down.
“And now there’s Mr. Dorian Clemens too p>
“Man p>
With a long, dramatic sigh, she said from the bottom of her heart, “There goes another fist. Gone. Again p>
She looked over at Lisette Cavendish with pure envy in her eyes. Lisette was completely surrounded by handsome men, with her parents, her bestie, and that scar-faced uncle who always stayed close to protect her all gathered around too.
“So many people, all revolving around her. I swear, I’d kill to be Lisette Cavendish for one day. No, forget one day—even one hour, one minute would do. Let me experience what it feels like to be the ultimate favorite, totally spoiled by all these big shots p>
The girl wasn’t standing far away, and every word of her muttering drifted straight into Marshall Cavendish’s ears.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
He turned his head and looked at his beloved wife. “Honey, am I getting old? Did I lose my charm p>
Daphne Delaney had been busy low-key gossiping in her head about Dorian Clemens’s unusual attention toward Lisette Cavendish, wondering if the man had really fallen hard, heart first and all. Then she suddenly heard her husband speak and burst out laughing.
She patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, “Babe, what are you saying? Even if you are old, you’re still very charming p>
Marshall Cavendish’s expression instantly turned a little tragic.
Sigh.
“So I really am getting old p>
Even his precious little darling thought so too.
Marshall Cavendish swept a glance over the four children of the Cavendish family.
Three sons, all tall, handsome, and carrying themselves like they owned the room.
One daughter, beautiful and radiant. Not only was she married, she was already carrying his precious little grandbaby.
In another eight months, he was going to be a grandpa.
Only then did it hit him for real—yep, he really was getting older. He lifted his head, stared at the sky at a perfect forty-five-degree angle, and looked like a man carrying the weight of the world.
Daphne Delaney finally noticed something was off. She blinked, puzzled, and asked, “Honey, what is going on with you p>
“I p>
Marshall Cavendish hesitated, then repeated every last word of that girl’s muttering from earlier, not leaving out a single detail. “Velton King is about the same age as me, and somehow he still got sorted into the hot young guy category. Me? I’m just some washed-up old man p>
His voice sounded a little weak, a little sulky, full-on emotionally wounded.
“Hahaha p>
Daphne Delaney burst out laughing, then leaned in with a mysterious look on her face—