I kicked at a pebble as I walked with Asher, chatting and laughing, to the door of a bubble tea shop.
“Let me buy you a drink.” I was about to go in, phone in hand, when he stopped me.
“How could I let a girl pay? You sit here for a bit. I’ll be right back.”
As I sat down, I breathed a sigh of relief. I hadn’t expected the male lead to be so nice and easy–going. Talking to him was so comf- ortable and natural; he didn’t have that cold, aloof air at all.
Looks like this was a sure thing. We could start with these daily walks to build our relationship, and then I’d confess after the final exams. Our grades were similar; we could probably go to the same university.
As I was lost in thought, Asher came out with two cups of bubble tea.
“Let’s go.” He put the straw in one and handed it to me.
I didn’t know if it was a coincidence, but the sweetness level and the toppings were exactly to my taste.
When we reached the intersection where we had to part ways, my backpack strap was suddenly tugged.
“Wait.”
Asher came around behind me. “The zipper on the last pocket of your backpack is opeh.”
“Oh, really?” I couldn’t see it, so I had to ask him for help. “Could you please…?”
The crisp sound of a zipper, and Asher was beside me again. “All done. See you tomorrow.”
After smiling and waving goodbye, I turned around.
And saw a familiar figure standing under a tree not far away.
His profile was cold and gloomy. He was staring straight at me and Asher.
Leo?
Wasn’t he sick? How did my mom let him out?
I frowned and jogged over. “Leo, you’re still not well. Why are you out?”
Leo’s gaze slowly shifted from the distance and landed on my face, gentle again. “I came to get you.”
Needless to say, he must have snuck out while my mom was at her stall.
10:31 C
Suddenly, I noticed something was different. I looked again at the face under Leo’s cap.
“Did you… get a haircut?”
At my words, Leo quickly looked away, pulling his cap down lower. “Yeah. Your mom cut it for me.”
I reached for his cap. “Don’t hide it! It looks great!”
I had to admit, this villain had something going for him. With the long bangs that had once hidden his face now gone, his delicate, pale features and sharp brow were on full display. He was even more handsome than the male lead!
“Do you want to take the hat off?” I suggested kindly. “You look really handsome.”
Leo: “Really?”
“Really.” I nodded.
The moment the words were out, he took off the hat without hesitation.
As if to let me see more clearly, he leaned in closer, showing me. His handsome face loomed larger and larger in front of me. For a moment, my mind went blank, and I felt like I had stopped breathing.
When I came to my senses, I quickly put a hand on his chest. “Okay, I can see clearly now. Very handsome, very handsome.”
Leo seemed satisfied and stood up straight, casually tossing the hat into a nearby trash can.
“Are you… just throwing it away?” I stared, wide–eyed.
“Yeah.” Leo nodded. “If I keep it, I’ll still be tempted to wear it.”
Me: “?”
Something about that felt strange. It would be fine to wear it sometimes.
I didn’t think about it too much because Leo still seemed very weak. His body swayed as he walked. So I put an arm around him. “– Don’t lean that way. Lean on me. If you fall, you can fall on me.”
Leo immediately obeyed, leaning against me. “Okay.”
I didn’t see the comments above my head.
“This cunning villain…”
“He was just power–walking three miles a minute ago. The moment he sees his wife, he turns into a delicate flower.”
