Bella hummed a little tune, marching toward the school gates with the victorious steps of a conqueror. In her mind, a tiny version of herself was already doing a celebratory dance while popping champagne.
But just as she stepped out of the gate, her gaze unexpectedly collided with a familiar silhouette.
"Mamma mia."
Bella's hairs stood on end, and the celebratory dance in her head instantly morphed into a funeral march.
Pretending to admire the scenery, she did a 180-degree turn on the spot, ready to find a chance to slip away.
"You can't see me, you can't see me, I'm invisible..."
She chanted the spell frantically in her heart, secretly hating that she was just a Muggle right now. Suddenly, she felt a resistance from behind.
Her backpack strap had been hooked with precision. Immediately after, a young man's voice sounded faintly behind her ear:
"Running so fast, where are you in such a hurry to hide from me, Bella?"
Bella gave a dry laugh and brought out the acting skills of a lifetime:
"Oh, classmate Ye, what a coincidence! I was just about to turn around and look for you, but when I touched my backpack, oh my, I left my prep book in the classroom. I won't be able to sleep tonight without it!"
She babbled nonsense while trying to break free from his grip.
"Is that so?"
Ye Jinzhi's voice was lazy, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He played along with her words:
"In that case, I'll go with you. It just so happens that I also have some things I want to 'review' in the classroom."
He paused, taking her backpack into his hand, and delivered the fatal blow:
"No rush, Bella. I have plenty of time."
Facing the surrounding students who practically had the word "gossip" written on their faces, watching the passersby walk slower and slower with their ears perked up higher and higher, Bella's defenses crumbled:
"Well..."
Maintaining her last shred of dignity, she gave a dry laugh and slapped her forehead, her acting exaggerated to the extreme:
"Oh! Look at my memory, I actually brought it! It's right here in the inner pocket of my backpack. No need to go back, let's go!"
After saying that, she didn't dare look at the expression on Ye Jinzhi's face. She completely cut off all eye contact with him, stiffened her neck, and strode forward without looking sideways.
Her back revealed a fearless determination:
As long as she wasn't embarrassed and walked fast enough, all those gossiping stares behind her would have nothing to do with her, and the world would still be a beautiful place.
As Bella walked forward, the phone of the person behind her kept ringing.
Wild joy surged in her heart: Go away! Hurry up and go save the world, Mr. Busy!
She tried hard to suppress the smile that was about to take flight from the corners of her mouth, stopped in her tracks, and put on a posture of "Although I hate to part with you, I am very understanding."
"Oh my, your phone keeps ringing. Is your house on fire... oh no, is there some important contract to sign? If you are really busy, you really don't have to worry about me. I'm a grown person, I still know the way home." She blinked her innocent big eyes.
Bella's palms were full of sweat, and she screamed frantically in her heart: Go! Hurry up and go! Don't look back!
The two gradually moved away from the noisy school gate.
Ye Jinzhi naturally held Bella's hand, his fingertips rubbing her palm from time to time.
At this time, the life-claiming phone vibrated again.
The young man picked it up, his tone so cold that it didn't carry a single fluctuation:
"Hello... Does it have to be now? Fine... I'll be right there."
Bella kept her head down, her mouth almost flying up to the sky with joy. She relied purely on strong willpower to switch back to her "expressionless" mode the moment Ye Jinzhi turned his head.
"Sorry, let's call it a day here. I'll take you somewhere else tomorrow."
Ye Jinzhi raised his hand to tidy the stray hair by her ear, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I'll have the driver take you to the hospital first, and then take you home."
Bella followed his gaze backward, only to realize that a Rolls-Royce Cullinan was following them at a moderate distance.
"I really don't need it, I can call a..."
"Be a good girl and listen to me."
Bella shrugged her shoulders:
Fine! A Cullinan, right? Might as well take it; the saved taxi fare can buy a cup of milk tea.
She got into the car generously, not even leaving Ye Jinzhi a glance, just presenting him with a chic view of the back of her head.
Waving perfunctorily, she slumped into the leather seat. Just as she was about to open her mouth to give her address, the corner of her eye caught the center console screen.
On the navigation system, the exact coordinates of her home had already been precisely marked.
"Heh..."
Staring at that overly precise location on the screen, Bella let out a cold, warmthless laugh.
Expected, wasn't it?
For a yandere, finding out her house number was probably easier than ordering takeout.
She was too lazy to even think deeply about when he had started this. She simply shifted into a more comfortable position, sank into the leather seat, and closed her eyes in self-deprecation.
The driver took her to the hospital first. The doctor evaluated her and, just to be safe, gave her a shot.
As for the expenses, naturally, Ye Jinzhi covered them all.
Thinking of the apology the young man had given her before leaving school, Bella wished in her heart that she could transform into Nanny Rong and stab him vigorously with a needle.
Just you wait, Ye Jinzhi.
Pushing open the door to her home, she happened to bump into the delivery guy arriving right on time.
After all, today was Thursday. Carrying her KFC, Bella completely dismissed any faint thoughts of cooking.
Shen Wenjing had gone home for the past few days, leaving her all alone in the rented apartment.
Well-fed and fully hydrated, Bella curled up on the sofa and let out a satisfied burp.
"Peace and quiet is nice," Bella sighed sincerely as she spread open her books.
According to her daily plan: review first, draw later.
Time ticked forward.
Bella closed her workbook and began sketching on that unfinished drawing once again.
In the center of the canvas, the young man's American-style forward haircut looked sharp and rebellious, but his state was not as flamboyant as his hair.
There was an unhealed wound on the corner of his forehead, and a band-aid lay horizontally across the bridge of his nose, making him look as if he had just withdrawn from some brawl or high-intensity training session.
The young girl in the drawing held a timer in one hand, while her other hand, besides holding a textbook, abruptly carried a leather collar.
Her crossed feet casually rested and tapped against his thigh.
On the other side of the image, the toyed-with timer recorded the passing seconds.
Right next to the exam papers was a cute pencil case that clashed entirely with the mood—a mark belonging to the girl.
The young man in the drawing had his brows tightly furrowed, staring at the problems in front of him.
Beads of sweat covered his forehead, making it impossible to tell if it was from the anxiety of being unable to solve the questions, or because of the collar set aside, ready to be fastened around his neck at any moment.
Bella left a string of narration at the edge of the canvas:
"You are completely unaware of its wound-up spring, yet this spring is secretly and patiently counting your hours. It accompanies you with a heartbeat you cannot hear, and in those millions of endlessly ticking seconds, you have only once cast a hurried glance its way."
Bella felt her drawing turned out okay; it carried a touch of a young girl's wicked, contemptuous amusement, forming a sharp contrast with the rebellious yet profusely sweating boy in the picture.
Even though it was a highly aggressive collar, the piece was given a somewhat serious title, one that even carried a hint of a teacher's lecture.
Tapping her fingertip lightly on the tablet, she clicked upload on this artwork titled "Can't Even Understand the Questions You're Doing."
Not long after the upload, the familiar chime of a donation rang out.
10,000 RMB.
Bella's eyes curved into a smile, her fingertips flying across the screen:
"Thank you for your support, sis! You always give so much, you're going to spoil me rotten. I'll keep working hard. ՞˶･֊･˶՞~"
She had expected the other party to remain aloof and silent as usual, but to her surprise, "User is typing..." suddenly popped up at the top of the chat box.
A few seconds later, a reply appeared:
ABL: "You're very welcome~ I really admire you. Seeing you work so hard in a field you're passionate about always reminds me of my daughter, and I just can't help but want to support you a bit more."
Bella raised an eyebrow, her inner guard loosening slightly at the word "daughter".
Immediately after, the other party sent another message, their tone as natural as an elder picking out a gift at a shopping mall:
ABL: "It just so happens that some partner brands recently sent over some new arrivals, and I'd like to gift you a few intimate nightgowns as a reward for your creations. I was wondering what your size is? Do you usually prefer silk or pure cotton fabrics? ...Or, what kind of cut do you prefer?"
