Compared to Josie, who had suddenly become rather prickly, it was Tina’s well-behaved, obedient, sweet, and sensible nature that mattered most to Jaden. She regarded only him, consistently placing his interests above all else and complying with his wishes in nearly every matter.

Jaden admitted that he did have feelings for Josie, but the Josie he liked was the one who used to be obedient and well-behaved. The Josie who now opposed them at every turn was nowhere near as likable as Tina.

Jaden said, “Aiden, Tina and I are leaving now. I don’t think you should get involved in Josie’s affairs anymore. You’re genuinely concerned about her, but she doesn’t appreciate it. If this keeps up, she’ll be cheated out of her money and taken advantage of sexually. When that happens, she’ll suffer.”

Jaden was convinced that Josie would face retribution and would sooner or later come back to beg them.

“Stop talking so much. If you’re leaving, hurry up and go.” Aiden waved his hand impatiently at him but remained standing at the restaurant entrance.

Delilah’s remarks left Aiden feeling very uncomfortable.

He consistently conducted himself as a humble and courteous gentleman both in public and in private at school. He was well-liked by both teachers and classmates, and no one had ever publicly criticized or insulted him.

Delilah accused him of blatantly lying. He wondered what he said that was so wrong for Delilah to embarrass him like that.

He was merely genuinely concerned about Josie; was that truly a mistake?

‘How unappreciative!’ he thought.

“Aiden?” Natalie gently tugged at his sleeve and said, “Jaden is right. Since Josie does not appreciate your kindness, why do you still concern yourself with her? Currently, the people around her are either recipients of the school’s Grand Prize or members of the First Prize team. How could she possibly think highly of our Third Prize team? If you truly care about her, why not make the most of this opportunity to collaborate with the research institute and achieve results in your research more quickly? When that happens, Josie will naturally…”

Natalie did not finish her sentence, but her meaning was already clear. Josie was just a power-worshipping snob who curried favor with the powerful and wasn’t worthy of their concern.

Aiden was well aware that Josie wasn’t that kind of person, but hearing Natalie say so still made him feel much better.

“You’re right. Currently, our research is our top priority. Vincent and Gavin, come to my place this evening so we can have a good talk about our next research plans.”

Chapter 199

This time, when signing the contract with the research institute, Aiden brought both of them into the team. As for Kyle, although he was invited to the meal, Aiden had no intention of discussing research matters with him.

“Aiden, can I join you guys?” Natalie didn’t want to be left out. “I can help too. I can organize the materials, and you can also entrust me with the preliminary work of the experiment. Although I may not be as capable as Josie, I was properly admitted through the official entrance exam.”

Natalie looked eagerly at Aiden, afraid that he might refuse her. If she had not been repeatedly outperformed by Josie, she would not be in such a passive position within the team now.

“This research project is a collaboration with the research institute. You do not have sufficient qualifications.” Aiden coldly pried her hand away. “Let Kyle take you home. It’s getting late; don’t wander around outside anymore.”

After Aiden finished speaking, he immediately turned and led Gavin and Vincent into the car, without so much as a glance at Natalie. His demeanor was cold and indifferent, as if he were dealing with an ordinary classmate.

“Hey…” Natalie took two steps after Aiden, still trying to grab him. However, because she was injured and wearing high heels, she nearly fell.

Fortunately, she was caught and supported by Kyle.

Kyle said, “Isn’t it obvious? Now that Josie is around for comparison, Aiden doesn’t think highly of you at all. He’s someone who cares most about individual ability. Now that he knows Josie was the one who helped him prepare those materials back then, he must be filled with deep regret, and his resentment toward me has only intensified. If it weren’t for you today, he would never have agreed to have a meal with me.”

Kyle had originally called Natalie, and they agreed he would treat her to dinner. Before she left, Aiden posted a message in the group chat, inviting everyone to join for a meal.