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Chapter 2

Author: Anonymous
After submitting my application form, I packed my schoolbag and got ready to head home.

Just as I reached the school gate, I heard clear laughter ring out from behind me.

"Oh, come on! Stop messing around!"

Susan's voice sounded sickeningly sweet and completely different from the coquettish tone she used with me.

I glanced back to see her with Wilson, who was in the class next to ours. She was clinging to his arm and pressed right up against his side.

Seeing me look toward them, Susan immediately tilted her chin up and smiled even wider on purpose. She even reached out to help Wilson straighten his collar.

Despite all that, there were evidently still tears in her eyes.

"Don't move. Your hair's a little messy. Let me help you fix it," she said softly, brushing her fingers lightly across the tips of his hair.

Wilson was slightly stunned, clearly not expecting her to start acting so intimately all of a sudden. The tips of his ears had gone red.

I looked away and turned to leave.

Susan suddenly shouted after me with a hint of smugness, "Alfred Grant! Aren't you going to say something?"

I stopped, looked back at her, and asked, "What do you want me to say?"

She bit her lip, her gaze darting around shiftily.

"You… How would I know?"

"I have nothing to say," I said calmly. "Have fun, you two."

With that, I left without a backward glance.

Susan shouted after me, sounding angry and flustered, "Alfred Grant! You—"

I pretended not to hear her.

The next day, rumors that Susan and Wilson had gotten together started circulating at school.

During a classroom break, Charles leaned in secretively toward me and asked, "Hey, Alfred, have you heard? Susan and Wilson…"

I kept my head down, flipping through my physics question set without once looking up.

"What does that have to do with me?" I asked.

Charles' eyes widened. "No way. Do you really not care? Didn't you use to—"

I interrupted him. "That was then. It's up to her who she wants to date now."

Charles looked incredulous. He seemed to have more to say, but a commotion suddenly erupted from the classroom doorway.

Susan and Wilson walked into the classroom side by side.

She was wearing a new skirt that day, and she had taken the time to style her hair. She had also put on a light layer of lipstick. All in all, she looked dazzlingly beautiful.

Wilson, on the other hand, looked like the cat that got the cream. He was carrying a bag of snacks, and now and then, he would lean down to say something that sent her into fits of giggles.

Everyone first focused on them, then looked toward me in unison, as if waiting for my reaction.

I continued working on my question set with my head down and didn't even bother looking up.

Susan's smile stiffened for a moment.

Then, she deliberately tugged Wilson over to my desk and asked coyly, "Wilson, shall we head to the county seat to watch a movie this weekend? I heard that a new romance film has been released—"

Wilson, looking flattered, nodded vigorously. "Sure!"

I kept my head down and continued to write out clear formulas on a piece of scratch paper.

Susan gritted her teeth before abruptly reaching out to tug on my sleeve.

"Alfred, would you like to join us?"

I finally looked up at her and replied calmly, "No thanks. I want to study."

Her expression fell slightly. It seemed like she hadn't expected me to be so indifferent.

Seeing this, Wilson deliberately draped an arm around her shoulders and shot me a challenging look.

"Alfred, why have you become so diligent lately? Did something set you off?" he asked.

Quiet laughter immediately rang out through the classroom.

I closed my exercise book, stood up, and glanced condescendingly at Wilson.

"Wilson, if your test scores were even half as good as your gift of the gab, you wouldn't be at the bottom of your class every exam."

His smile instantly froze on his face.

I needed a quiet study environment, but these two were clearly out to cause me trouble.

So, I simply decided to collect my things and walk straight out of the classroom.

Susan cried out after me with a hint of panic, "Alfred Grant! Stop right there!"

I didn't stop.

She chased after me and grabbed my arm, her eyes teary.

"What exactly is wrong with you? Are you angry? Is it because Wilson and I are always together lately—"

I cut her off. "Susan, you don't have to feel me out or deliberately rile me up. I already told you that we're done. You can be with whoever you like. I don't care."

She was stunned, and her fingers trembled faintly.

"Y-You're lying! You clearly—"

I suddenly laughed as I gazed at her. "Clearly what? Did you mean to say that I clearly used to follow you around like a dog and hung on to your every word? People change, Susan."

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