The Unveiling of Secret Queen

Chapter 621: Nathalie Doesn’t Lack Money to Spend_1

Thankfully, Shawn Norton truly didn’t mind whether the gift was expensive or not. When Nathalie Quinlan suggested he open it later, he carefully packed the box away and then, looking up at the girl in front of him, said, "Oh, by the way, I’ve saved you a spot at the main table. You can sit with me later."

Sit with him?

Nathalie Quinlan imagined that scene and could foresee how many inquisitive glances would fall on her. She didn’t like attracting attention and declined without a second thought, "No need for the main table; I’ll just find a spot to sit anywhere. You don’t have to go out of your way for me."

"You don’t want to sit at the main table?" Shawn Norton saw her refuse without a moment’s hesitation and, anxiously, said to her, "There are quite a few people coming this time. Since you’re here, I thought I’d introduce you to some of my friends nearby, you..."

"I’m not good at this stuff, let’s not." Nathalie quickly refused, clearly showing no interest whatsoever.

"Ah!" Shawn Norton knew her personality too well, understanding that she wasn’t the type to seek the spotlight and would most likely not agree.

He had merely thought, since Nathalie had agreed twice to speak up for traditional music, that, selfishly, he held a slim hope that she might be willing to mingle with outsiders as she grew older and was coming to Beijing to study at Tsinghua University.

To his surprise, she was still the same as before, unchanged and uninterested in these things.

After one attempt, Shawn Norton didn’t press any further, merely saying, "I had specifically asked for a spot at the main table to be left open, just in case you came so you could sit with me... but if you don’t want to, never mind, maybe next time. When you come to Beijing for your studies, I won’t organize any sort of birthday party next year. I’ll just invite you and Owen Yapiter and a few other friends to have a meal together."

Nathalie Quinlan’s lips curled into a smile, and with a cheeky tilt, she pulled at the brim of her cap, and said quite audaciously, "Then next year, I’ll treat."

"Haha, alright, I’ll find the most expensive restaurant and have the waiters serve every dish in the place, see if I can make you go broke!"

He was just joking, of course.

He knew Nathalie Quinlan wasn’t short of money; at the very least among her peers, she might not flaunt it, but she was much wealthier than many others her age.

"Sure," Nathalie agreed cheerfully, her eyes and brows relaxing with an air of carefree ease, far from looking as if she was afraid of being bankrupted by him, her expression was undisturbed.

Shawn Norton’s smile blossomed, and he continued to chat with her at the door for a while about the music exchange conference.

Several times, the younger members of the Norton family came looking for him. As the birthday boy and the star of the banquet, he couldn’t just leave so many guests in the banquet hall to only attend to Nathalie.

Although Shawn Norton was reluctant, under the repeated urging of his family, he led Nathalie inside, instructed her to message him if anything came up, and then had no choice but to leave her for the time being.

Once he walked away, the many curious gazes that had circled around naturally dispersed, and Nathalie, relishing her freedom, pulled her cap lower and sought out a quieter corner to take a seat.

Dressed in stark contrast to the many guests who had dressed up for the occasion, her ensemble of a sweater, jeans, and canvas shoes was exceedingly understated.

So understated, in fact, that in a sea of fancy dresses she seemed noticeably out of place.

When many people noticed her coming this way, their glances skimmed over her with a slight frown of disdain.

They assumed she was some student from Tsinghua who belonged to Mr. Norton and had never been exposed to much of the world, which is why she dressed so simply to attend Mr. Norton’s birthday banquet.