Not far away, Mary stood behind the mast gate, gnashing her teeth, her gaze so dark and stormy that it seemed to swallow all light.
She was about to go mad with anger!
Once again, she had seen that woman, Xie Yier, kiss her precious Junior Schoolmate!
Her precious Junior Schoolmate was gone, sullied by Xie Yier!
Mary had waited at the Academy gate all morning, right up until the bell for class rang, but she never saw Aier. At that time, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of anxiety and resentment.
Was her Junior Schoolmate sick, or had that hateful woman, Xie Yier, thrown all sense of decency to the wind and simply dragged her off?
With no one to question, she could only wander by the Academy gate every period, anxiously waiting for Aier to appear. In the end, she saw this scene.
Her slender, fair little hands clutched the iron railing, which even let out a faint groan under her grip.
But when Mary saw Aier’s innocent, adorable face, she comforted herself inwardly—it could still be salvaged, couldn’t it? Maybe, if she washed her…
Aier walked straight ahead, completely unaware of Mary’s presence nearby, nor of the look of hatred contorting Mary’s features.
Mary stepped forward…
“Senior Schoolmate, why didn’t you come this morning?”
Aier had only just entered the campus when Mary’s voice called from behind her.
Mary caught up in a few quick steps, grabbing Aier’s little hand and holding it tightly between both of hers, her every action brimming with concern.
“I didn’t see you all morning, I thought…”
Mary’s voice faltered, her words trailing off with a tremor as gentle as a stream.
Compared to the gloomy look she wore while lurking in the corner, now she wore a gentle, approachable mask befitting a caring Senior Schoolmate.
Aier turned her head and saw Mary standing right beside her.
Her hair was youthful and lustrous, her lips flushed with color, and her large eyes were brimming with unshed tears as she glared angrily at Aier.
Feeling guilty, Aier glanced back—the Carriage of Xie Yier was already nowhere in sight.
Aier replied softly, “It’s you, Senior Schoolmate… Well, last night when I was coming downstairs, I accidentally slipped and fell, so I took leave this morning to go to the infirmary.”
“Is that so?”
Mary stared intently at Aier. Aier’s fatigue was obvious, and her golden hair seemed a bit lackluster.
Mary also noticed the bandage wrapped around Aier’s wrist, and her heart twinged painfully.
Mary took a step closer, almost pressing up against Aier.
“See? You can’t even look me in the eye when you talk. And maybe you don’t realize, but when you’re nervous, you unconsciously hook your finger.”
“Huh? Do I?”
Aier instinctively looked down at her own hand.
Seeing there was no such motion, she realized she had been tricked.
But before she could react, Mary had pinched her cheek, making Aier yelp in surprise.
“Wha—you’re lying!”
You’re tricking me! Does the big boss not care for honesty?
“Tell the truth. Did that woman go crazy and rough you up after you got home last night?”
Mary pressed in, her hands stubbornly grabbing Aier’s soft cheeks and pulling them together.
“Ouch! Senior Schoolmate, a little mercy…”
Aier pleaded pitifully, on the verge of tears.
Her body was already sore and aching, and now, being tormented like this, she could hardly bear it…
So Aier could only mutter softly, “Yes, it’s partly because of that…”
“What? How could she do that!”
Only then did Mary release Aier’s hands, fuming with indignation.
That damn Xie Yier—she torments such a delicate little girl until she can barely get out of bed!
Ugh, disgusting!
I should have expected this outcome!
Truly ruthless, she could do whatever she wanted just by spending a little money.
Probably even bought some strange tools, and it wouldn’t have cost her much.
What a sick woman, even sicker than most!
At that moment, Mary’s hatred for Xie Yier reached an all-time high.
But alas, this world is so cruel. No matter how angry she was, Mary still couldn’t pull Aier away from Xie Yier.
She was unwilling to accept this.
At that moment, a few passing students noticed the commotion and looked over curiously.
“Um… Senior Schoolmate, keep it down…”
Aier, seeing the students watching from nearby, hurriedly dragged Mary to hide behind a tree.
“Senior Schoolmate, thank you for your concern, but… let’s leave it at that, okay? Please don’t bring it up again.”
“…Alright.”
Mary still wanted to say more, but Aier gently patted her hands and said, “In the end, this is my own choice, so I should accept everything that comes with it.”
Aier smiled, let go, and headed to the Classroom.
Mary stood there, watching Aier’s departing figure, feeling both angry and powerless, as if a stone was weighing down her heart with nowhere to put it.
In the end, it was her own lack of ability—she couldn’t compete with Xie Yier.
In the Classroom, Aier laid her hair, still slightly damp, softly across her desk.
For some reason, she suddenly felt, “I survived, I’m amazing!”
Thankfully, aside from the pain in her chest and her lack of energy, she could still attend class normally.
So, one period of Language class passed in a blur.
“Hey—what happened to your wrist?”
Tang Huan, as usual, found her way to the empty seat beside Aier and sat down.
She reached out curiously and poked Aier’s wrist.
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”
“Stingy! Hmph!”
Tang Huan pouted, then sat quietly for a while, her fingers idly twirling the hem of her clothes, eyes drifting, as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t.
After a long moment, she finally seemed to make up her mind, and said awkwardly, “Well, yesterday… what I said was… too blunt! Sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you!”
Aier blinked, then realized Tang Huan was referring to what happened at the coffee shop yesterday.
So she really was bothered by it…
Honestly, Aier hadn’t taken it to heart at all.
But seeing this stubborn girl apologize so earnestly, she felt a bit warmed inside.
“It’s fine, I didn’t mind, you don’t have to worry.”
“Really?”
Upon hearing Aier’s response, Tang Huan’s eyes immediately sparkled, and the cloud between them dissipated, restoring her usual lively self.
But the next moment, Aier’s words made her frown again.
“Tang Huan, I made it clear yesterday—I don’t have any problem with you, but my situation is complicated, and I might drag you into trouble, so…”
Even though Xie Yier had said she could make friends and interact with classmates as usual, after much thought, Aier still felt it was better to keep some distance from Tang Huan and Mary.
The less trouble, the better.
However, Tang Huan would not be so easily discouraged.
“What? Xie Yier won’t let you make friends, not even friends?”
Tang Huan didn’t care at all—she was going to stick to Aier no matter what.
Aier: …
Really, can we just be friends?