Chapter 312 Have You Been Dieting


    Shari''s gaze lingered on Linsey''s ensemble, an admiring smile ying on her lips as she remarked, “Linsey, it''s been a long time, and you''ve only grown more stunning."


    Linsey replied, her eyes lighting up with excitement, "Shari! You''ve finally arrived! I''ve been eagerly waiting here for what


    feels like forever."


    She stepped forward and enveloped Shari''s hand in a warm, earnest handshake.


    Shari paused, her expression a mix of surprise and nostalgia, as if Linsey''s gentle touch had transported her back through


    the years.


    As she observed Shari''s now slender face, Linsey''s eyes softened with concern. She reached out, her fingers brushing


    against Shari''s shoulder-length hair.


    Shari used to have such long hair back in college. Linsey found herself curious about when she had decided to go for the


    short look.


    "You''ve lost quite a bit of weight," Linsey noted, her tone light yetced with worry. "Have you been dieting?"


    With a yful nudge, Linsey ushered Shari forward. "Come on, let''s heads in. Everyone''s pitched in for tonight''s feast-we


    should make sure we enjoy it to the fullest!"


    Shari''s spirits visibly lifted, her enthusiasm catching up to Linsey''s vibrant energy. "Absolutely, let''s go!"


    Linking arms with Shari affectionately, Linsey guided them towards the private dining room. "Honestly, if Kane hadn''t assured me you wereing, I might have thought you''d skip out on us."


    Shari let out a sigh, a gentle note in her voice as she exined, "I''m sorry for the dy-my little one was having a tough night, and my mom was overwhelmed. It took a while to soothe my child."


    Linsey nodded and gently ushered Shari to an empty seat, her hand lightly touching Shari''s shoulder.


    The moment Shari entered, a wave of surprise rippled through the room, her arrival prompting raised eyebrows and


    stealthy nces among the students.


    Wait, Shari actually came? And Linsey was the one who brought her along?


    Although taken aback, everyone managed to mask their astonishment with bright, albeit slightly strained, smiles.


    "Hey Shari, it''s been ages! How''ve you been?"


    "Come, join us and grab a bite."


    Despite the warm wees, a veil of awkwardness soon descended upon the group, the weight of a recent unsettling event still lingering in the air, unspoken but palpable.


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    01:41


    Shari, with her keen sense of the room''s dynamics, tilted her head slightly and inquired with a hint of concern, "Is


    something wrong?"


    Kane, caught off-guard but recovering quickly, shed her a reassuring smile and waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, don''t


    worry about it. Shari, you got herete, so you''re probably hungry. Help yourself to some food. We''ve got juice too!"


    Kane''s deration seemed to cast a veil of pretense over the crowd, each one subtly shifting to y along with the unspoken agreement to ignore the tension.


    Shari, sensing the undercurrents, chose to dismiss her uneasy thoughts, assuming she was just being paranoid.


    Linsey''s gaze meandered through the crowd, pausing when she realized Kristy was conspicuously absent.


    Had Kristy fled the scene in a flush of embarrassment, or was it something else?


    Dismissing the thought with a practiced ease, Linsey redirected her attention to Shari, pulling her into a warm, weing


    conversation.


    "It''s really been too long, hasn''t it? Seeing you here lights up the room for me," Linsey eximed, her eyes sparkling with


    genuine delight. Leaning in, she confided in a hushed tone, her breath tickling Shari''s ear. "Honestly, I almost skipped this gathering, but when Kane mentioned you''d be here, I couldn''t stay away."


    Shari''sughter, light and liberating, filled the air as she found herself easing into thefort of old friendship.


    "I actually checked with Kane too, just to make sure you''d be here. It''s a relief to have a familiar face in the crowd. Really,


    you''re making tonight so much easier for me,” she admitted, her voice tinged with heartfelt sincerity.


    Linsey responded with a gentle squeeze of Shari''s hand, her touchforting, "Hey, let''s drop the formalities and just


    enjoy our time, okay?"


    As she chatted, she casually picked up a piece of strawberry cake and offered it


    to Shari. “Here, have some. You used to love this, right?"