Chapter 4 : Scott

After two consecutive days of rain, Aqua City finally welcomed a long-awaited sunny day.

Monday.

In the auditorium.

"Raymond, hurry up and have all the students participating in the opening ceremony rehearse. The school leaders will be here soon, and if they see us in chaos, we might as well resign."

"Yes, yes, Mr. Torres."

Herbert sat in the audience, watching with great interest as the elderly Mr. Torres instructed another teacher. Her finger was like a conductor''s baton, making Mr. Nguyen run in circles.

After Raymond had been busy for a long time, Mr. Torres, dissatisfied, had to go over and do it himself.

Herbert didn''t understand. If Mr. Torres thought others couldn''t do it well, why not do it himself from the start? This way, he was wasting two people''s time.

However, it was somewhat interesting and kept him from yawning continuously in the early morning.

Unlike his leisurely state, Christian, waiting in the hall outside, seemed quite busy.

He was cooperating with Mr. Nguyen for a rehearsal, occasionally looking down at the script in his hand.

Looking over, Herbert sneered.

Acting like a big shot.

Wasn''t this script hastily written in 20 minutes this morning?

Thinking about his own 20-minute essay, Herbert could guess that Christian''s speech was probably not much better, just a polished turd.

Amidst the noise, waves of freshmen entered, including some attractive guys and girls.

Herbert immediately became interested, his eyes scanning each face like searchlights.

Soon, he had a discovery.

"In the crowd, he saw his former crush, the school beauty, Jessica Scott."

Jessica, true to her name, was as delicate as a rose.

A perfect Omega.

Everyone flocked to her; she was the most famous school beauty in Aqua City High School. She had studied traditional dance since childhood, representing the school and Aqua City in various competitions, bringing back enough trophies and medals to fill an entire wall, or so they said.

Herbert had never been to Jessica''s house, so he didn''t know if there really was such a wall.

All he knew now was that his goddess was attending the same school as him.

He quickly stood up and shouted towards the door, "Jessica!"

The girl turned her head, her honey-orange hair swaying like a beautiful ribbon. Her lightly made-up face gave her a delicate and charming appearance.

Seeing Herbert, Jessica waved and walked over.

Before they could start chatting, the school leaders entered, surrounded by others.

On stage, Mr. Torres began adjusting the microphone, his eyes like torches staring at the students below. "Alright, everyone, please be quiet. Our opening ceremony is about to begin."

Herbert didn''t care about any of this. He leaned his head towards Jessica and said obsequiously, "Jessie, you''re as beautiful as ever."

Jessica covered her mouth and laughed, saying, "Aren''t you still as sweet-talking as ever!"

Herbert thought, do you want to know just how sweet?

He was just about to ask Jessica if she was in the dance academy when a terrifying gaze shot at him like lightning, "The student with the frizzy hair, stop talking to the girl next to you. If you have something to whisper, wait until after the opening ceremony."

As soon as these words were spoken, almost all eyes turned to Herbert.

He hid his head.

Even though he was usually fearless, he still felt a bit embarrassed.

Especially since Mr. Torres had described them in such an ambiguous way.

*

Mr. Torres''s voice through the microphone was loud, even the students in the waiting hall could hear it, including Christian.

His gaze swept casually across the room and quickly spotted Herbert and the girl next to him.

He didn''t look closely, but for a moment, Christian felt a sense of alarm.

She looked familiar, probably the legendary pure school beauty.

Before he could think further, Mr. Nguyen''s voice came to the front.

"Alright, everyone, line up according to the formation we practiced earlier. Listen to Mr. Torres announce the progress of the meeting, and appear on time to do what you need to do, understood?"

"Understood."

Christian followed the team to the backstage.

Here, he couldn''t see the audience, only the shiny heads of the leaders.

Not seeing was better.

He didn''t want to see Herbert and the school beauty chatting and laughing, it would probably be more blinding than the noonday sun.

So, Christian chose to look at his speech.

As the meeting continued, the people in front of Christian went on stage one by one.

Finally, it was the main event.

"Next, let''s welcome Christian, the representative of the 2023 freshmen of Aqua City University, to give a speech."

The applause from the audience was thunderous, but Christian couldn''t muster any interest.

Christian strode onto the stage, his black hair, fair face, and tall, upright posture were all points of fascination.

Under the spotlight, the boy''s expression was calm, as serene as water.

"Good morning, teachers and students." His deep voice flowed slowly from the speaker, and the already enthusiastic applause grew even more intense, the discussions almost lifting the roof.

"Isn''t his looks a bit too extraordinary?"

"Oh my god, in my lifetime, I actually get to see someone with both looks and intelligence!"

*

Christian almost attracted everyone''s attention, including Jessica''s.

Even though she didn''t express it verbally like others, Herbert still saw the surprise in her suddenly bright eyes.

He was very familiar with this feeling.

Because when he was pursuing Jessica before, his eyes were also full of such care.

After all, even if you cover your mouth, your eyes will still secretly reveal affection.

Herbert gently patted Jessica, but she didn''t react, still seemingly immersed in Christian''s beauty.

Until he said, "Christian, huh, just my neighbor."

Jessica immediately turned her head, grabbing Herbert''s right arm and shaking it, her voice filled with disbelief, "Really, Herbert, you know him?"

Seeing the girl in front of him so excited, Herbert''s heart sank a bit, falling to the bottom.

He responded with a low hum.

The girl, however, felt she had finally found the path to the temple, no longer reserved, and started chattering, "I''ve heard before that Christian from Aqua City High is a top-notch handsome guy, and he never flirts around, always keeping himself clean. I''ve wanted to meet him for a long time, but never had the chance. Herbert, you''re amazing, knowing you is so lucky..."

Jessica then said a lot of words thanking Herbert, but he didn''t hear any of it.

What kept echoing in his ears was, "I''ve wanted to meet him for a long time."

So, the reason she hadn''t accepted his pursuit, rejecting him over and over, was because of Christian?

Herbert looked at Christian, surrounded by the spotlight, indeed exuding an air of superiority.

A good-looking guy.

And enviable academic achievements.

But at this moment, Herbert felt like he was being trampled into the dirt by Christian.

His clenched fists made a cracking sound.

Jessica noticed his bad mood and suddenly remembered she had said a lot earlier, quickly trying to make amends: "Herbert, I didn''t mean anything by it. If you feel uncomfortable, I can apologize."

Herbert smiled, "You did nothing wrong, you have nothing to apologize for."

Jessica seemed a bit at a loss, and Herbert, seeing her expression, softened his tone, "It''s okay, I was just surprised. I didn''t expect you to be paying attention to him too."

Maybe Herbert hid his emotions too well, as Jessica seemed to forget his mood and said a bit shyly, "Not always, just once after evening study, I ran into him on the road and thought he had a great aura. I originally thought he was an art student, but it turns out he''s a top student."

Girls always blush when praising someone they like.

Jessica was no exception.

Herbert was speechless; saying this was practically humiliating himself.

At some point, Christian''s speech had ended, and he walked off the stage, glancing in their direction.

Herbert felt a bit annoyed, while Jessica seemed a bit excited.

"Herbert, do you think he was looking at me just now?"

For the first time, Herbert felt that Jessica was not the goddess he had in his heart.

After all, how could someone sitting on a pedestal lavish praise on someone like an ordinary person among the masses?

He nodded, "Maybe." Feeling uncomfortable, he stood up to leave, not forgetting to find an excuse, "I''m going to the bathroom."

Jessica nodded, then called him back.

"Herbert, can you... send me Christian''s contact information?" Her pretty face showed a pleading expression. In the past, Herbert would have done it without hesitation.

Even if Jessica wanted the moon in the sky.

But now he no longer had that boldness. He instinctively looked away and lied, "I didn''t bring my phone, maybe next time."

As soon as he finished speaking, he ran out of the auditorium.

Hastily, as if fleeing.

Once outside, Herbert took deep breaths of fresh air, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.

It''s just a girl, right?

Three-legged toads are hard to find, but there are plenty of two-legged girls.

He didn''t need Jessica.

Besides, there are plenty of fish in the sea.

Herbert always thought he could take things up and put them down, but why did he feel so bad now?

Tears fell uncontrollably, annoyingly.

At this moment, a pair of white sneakers entered his sight, followed by their owner.

"Herbert, what''s wrong?" Christian held Herbert''s shoulder, trying to see his face.

Just as he saw the tear-streaked face, he was pushed aside, "Screw you! I don''t need your fake concern!"

Herbert ran out the door, leaving Christian stunned.