Sophie Hill brought Samuel Clark to the East Cafeteria, where Nathan Scott was also present. They even asked Samuel Clark to recommend some dishes. Samuel Clark had just ordered a clay pot rice noodle and puffed out her cheeks as she said, “You might not like what I order.”

Nathan Scott raised an eyebrow. “That’s looking down on us a bit, isn’t it? There’s nothing your big brother here wouldn’t dare to eat.”

Just then, the cafeteria lady at the window happened to push out a clay pot rice noodle. Nathan Scott took one look—extra spicy, with a layer of deep red chili oil floating on top.

Nathan Scott clasped his hands together. “I’ll take my leave.”

“Didn’t expect you to be such a spicy little pepper.”

“Just eat yours, you talk too much.” Jason Harris stood behind him and gave him a kick. “If you’re not eating, don’t block the way.”

At the table, the gossipy classmate Little Hill hadn’t even unwrapped her chopsticks before she started talking: “Uncle, what’s going on between you and Evelyn Baker? She’s always crying in the dorm. Everyone says you two broke up, but Evelyn Baker says you’re just fighting.”

“We broke up,” Jason Harris said lightly.

Samuel Clark was lowering her head, slurping her noodles. The soup sizzled in the pot. When she heard Jason Harris’s words, she was so startled she choked, the spiciness shooting up her throat—painful and burning. She coughed until her eyes filled with tears.

Suddenly, a slender, well-defined hand pushed a glass of water over. Samuel Clark met Jason Harris’s gaze and immediately felt flustered inside. His eyes were like rocks at the bottom of a river—when the water recedes, they’re black, silent, and shining.

Jason Harris was staring at her.

Chapter 6 Confession

“Thank you.” Samuel Clark picked up the water beside her and quickly tilted her head back to drink, using it as an excuse to avoid Jason Harris’s gaze. She gulped down several mouthfuls before her throat finally felt a little better.

“Are you sad?” Sophie Hill asked.

“Him?” Nathan Scott let out a cold laugh, turned and leaned in close to Jason Harris, running his hand theatrically over his chest. “Shuhuan, you have no heart!”

Jason Harris remained unbothered, leaned in to his ear, and spoke in a doting, breathy tone: “Be good, I’ll let you touch it when we get back tonight.”

Nathan Scott recoiled as if shocked, quickly putting distance between himself and Jason Harris, cursing, “Stop fucking flirting with me, I’m straight!”

“Your Master Harris doesn’t care about the breakup. He’s more upset about losing ‘Wei’,” Nathan Scott said.

“No way, you only had it for less than a month, even took it to the vet for shots and checkups, and now it’s gone already?” Sophie Hill said.

“Yeah,” Jason Harris replied blandly, lowering his voice, “white-eyed cat.”

After they finished eating, Jason Harris went to the restroom behind the cafeteria to wash his hands. When he came out, he was wiping his hands with a tissue and said, “I’m heading out.”

“Bye, fatty! Bye, Little Sister Clark.” Nathan Scott waved at them with a grin.

Samuel Clark nodded. Sophie Hill immediately clenched her fist and cursed, “Bye your ass, who wants to see you anyway?”

After they left, Samuel Clark and Sophie Hill walked back to the dorm together. Even though they knew about Evelyn Baker and Jason Harris breaking up, they decided to pretend they didn’t.

Because this time, Evelyn Baker seemed truly heartbroken.

A new week began. It had rained the night before, and when she opened the door to go out, the air was filled with the scent of fresh grass, mixed with the earthy smell of rain-soaked soil.

Samuel Clark had just gotten on the bus when the weather changed rapidly. The sun came out not long after, its bright rays piercing through the bus window, a bit blinding. Samuel Clark instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes.

She had arranged a tutoring interview for four in the afternoon. Samuel Clark had to transfer buses three times in a row. Because she was sweating, her clothes clung to her back. She sat on the bus, jostled until she felt nauseous, her face pale.

Finally, Samuel Clark got off the bus just before four. She walked into Amber Alley, searching for No. 79 Amber Alley according to the address her senior had given her.

Not long after getting off, Samuel Clark still felt very nauseous. She walked slowly. Suddenly, she spotted a convenience store not far away. The sign read 711, with a big red number 7 in the center, surrounded by a green border.

Samuel Clark walked over. The automatic door slid open with a “ding.”

“Welcome.” A lazy, emotionless voice sounded.

Samuel Clark looked over—it was Jason Harris. The boy lounged casually in the cashier’s chair, his dark lashes lowered, looking tired and indifferent, as if he hadn’t slept.

He had a cigarette dangling from his lips, his elbow bent, showing off firm muscle lines. He was looking down, playing a game. From the side, the vertebrae at the back of his neck were prominent—cool and alluring.

Maybe he’d been in the same position too long, because Jason Harris reached up to rub his neck. When he looked up and saw Samuel Clark, he raised his eyebrows slightly. “Why is it you?”

“I’m here for something,” Samuel Clark replied, a little nervous.

Jason Harris didn’t care much and just nodded, lowering his head to continue playing his game. Samuel Clark turned around and started picking through the row of freezers, while the sound of “KO” from the game kept coming from behind her. Jason Harris clearly wasn’t looking at her, but Samuel Clark was still extremely nervous, since the two of them were alone in the same space.

Samuel Clark froze for a moment, forgetting what she’d come to buy. The cold air from the freezer hit her, making her shiver. In the end, she hurriedly picked out a box of white peach flavored milk.