Cordelia flipped through the pages of the book she was holding, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
At the breakfast table, Everard lounged comfortably in his chair, watching her with amusement. In alow voice, he asked. âWhatâs up?â
Cordelia looked at him with surprise, âAre you actually reading the Bible?â
Everard leaned back, his eyes gleaming with mirth. He chuckled softly before asking, âGirl, what didyou think I was reading?â
Cordelia blinked.
Everardâs elegant fingers tapped on the tabletop, âWell?â
Each word he spoke seemed to twist and turn, playing a melody on the heartstrings.
After a pause, Cordelia thought of Flame No.1 and little Parrot, and she drawled, âComics, ormaybe a novel?â
Everard laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke, his laughter was melodious, but his wordswere enough to make one blush, âSo, youâre looking to read some adult comics?â
Cordelia was stunned.
Although she didnât know what adult comics were, Everardâs expression while saying it was enoughto tell her they were not for children!
Not wanting to expose her ignorance, Cordelia shifted the subject as she sat at the breakfast table,âWhy do you read the Bible every day?â
Everard replied, âFor purity of heart and desire.â
Cordelia was puzzled and retorted without thinking, âAre you trying to become a monk orsomething?â
Among the people she knew, Everard was already seen as an enigma, always lounging around inMidnight Scent, doing nothing. And he still talked about purity?
Everard laughed again, his voice seductive, âWell, I have to control myself, otherwise, I might not beable to resist gobbling you up.â
After saying this, he expected to see the girl blush with shyness, but what he got was-
Cordelia pulled a face, reminded of the orphanage she grew up in where the caretakers wouldscare the kids with tales of monsters gobbling up those who didnât sleep at night.
How childish. She bit into her sandwich, her words muffled, âThen try it.â
Everard, who was about to bite into his own sandwich, paused. He looked at the girl in slightastonishment. Did the girl even know what she was saying? Such provocative words.
His throat went dry from the unexpected counterâflirt, but Cordelia, unaffected, finished herbreakfast, held his hand for a moment, then picked up her backpack and left.
After she disappeared from âMidnight Scent, Everard slowly came back to his senses. He looked atthe sandwich in his hand and at the other hand that had been used as a prop.
After a while, he suddenly realized that Cordelia was in a pretty good mood today, though thehandâholding had been a bit brief?
At school, Cordelia walked past Merry, who had swapped her book for a physics textbook and wasnow crying over it.
Cordelia was speechless.
After sitting down, Cordelia poked Merry with a pen. When Merry turned around, her eye makeupwas smeared from crying, and she hiccupped. This story is so heartbreaking. Lin, what do you want?
Cordelia silently handed her a tissue.
Merry set it aside, âTil use it after Iâm done crying.â
Cordelia fell silent for a moment, then asked, âDo you still have any of those book covers?â
After a brief moment of confusion, Merry dug out a stack of book covers from her bag and handedthem to Cordelia, âLia, which subject do you need? Math, Literature, Science, I have them all!â
After Cordelia picked a math book cover, Merry had recovered from her emotional state, and shelooked at Cordelia with shock, âLia, have you finally descended to the mortal realm like the rest ofus? What are you Interested in reading?â
Cordelia pulled out a book from her bag and, recalling Everardâs words, said offhandedly, âAdultcomics.â
Merryâs eyes nearly popped out of her head, but then she watched as Cordelia slipn foreignâlanguage textbook, the title unreadable, into the cover.
Merry was speechless. She knew it, how could Lia be interested in those comics?
a dense, Cordelia placed the nowâincognito âElements of Chemistryâ book aside and picked up thehomework sheet handed out that day, quickly getting to work.
She never allowed her familiarity with the material to be an excuse for negligence, alwayscompleting her homework before diving into extracurricular reading.
While she worked on a book that includes past years SAT test questions, Merry opened hermakeup kit and touched up her face.
After finishing, Merry said to Cordelia, âLia, Iâm going to record a video, okay?â
Then she took out her phone, carefully ensuring Cordelia was not in the frame, before she started tospeak, âThis is my school, this is what my daily life looks like~ Even though Iâm still in high school,please follow meâ¦
She whispered for about five minutes before turning to Cordelia, âThe streaming platform asked usto share a glimpse of our daily life with the fans.â
At this, Hayley, who had been keeping quiet since being put in her place by Cordelia days before,couldnât help but speak up, âMerry, can you keep it down? If you donât want to study, thatâs fine, butI want to read! Youâre so loud!â
She didnât dare to mess with Cordelia, but now saw an opportunity to vent her frustration on Merry.
However, Merry wasnât one to take things lying down, her retort sharp as a knife, âItâs break time,and Iâll talk however I want. Which school rules say you canât talk during breaks?â
Hayley gritted her teeth, âBut recording a video in the classroom is not right. Did you ask for ourpermission?â
Merry scoffed, âI only recorded myself, I made sure no one else was in the shot. Besides, Iâm sittinga mile away from you, why would I need your permission? Do you own the classroom? Youâre waytoo full of yourself.â
Hayley was fuming, slapping the papers down on the table with a sarcastic sneer, âSome peoplejust donât know where their talents lie. Streaming, really? With what a whopping few hundredfollowers? Think thatâs worth bragging about? Youâre not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, sodonât go picking up jobs meant for the pros. Seriously, thinking youâve got the chops to break intoshowbiz? Dreaming of rubbing elbows with the likes of Bland? Youâre dreaming!â
Merryâs face tightened at the mention of her idol. Sheâd been streaming for a while, but to no greatsuccess. Hayleyâs words struck a nerve.
With a strained expression, she retorted, âAnythingâs possible.â
Hayley didnât bother to reply, but her dismissive attitude spoke volumes.
What neither of them realized was that Merryâs latest video, just uploaded online, was slowlystarting to gain tractionâ¦
After posting her video, Merry focused on her lessons for the day, not once checking for updates.
By the time school ended, Cordelia had already finished her homework during study hall andbetween classes. Hoisting her backpack over her shoulder, she walked out of the school building,musing to herself that she needed to remember to ask Lorna at home if she had ever heard ofLornâ¦