Free Web NovelChapter 276: Chapter 278: She’s Already Kind for Not Bullying Others
Stella Sterling sighed and finally said, "It’s not that I look down on you."
’Well, when it comes to combat ability, I really don’t have much faith in him.’
But Stella Sterling held her tongue, swallowing the words before they could escape.
She changed her tone. "Besides, your parents are at Meridia Base. If I were to poach you for my base, I doubt they would let you go."
"And while there’s no conflict between me and Meridia Base right now, that doesn’t mean there never will be."
"You have to understand, this is an era of fighting for resources. No one can guarantee that Meridia Base and I won’t end up competing for them."
When that happens, would you help me, or would you help Meridia Base?"
Louis Grant calmed down after hearing her words. He scratched his head. ’So that’s what Stella was thinking. I was just overthinking things.’
He laughed awkwardly. "You should’ve just said so! I actually thought you believed I was useless. In that case, I would’ve had to prove my skills to you one way or another."
’Better not let him try to prove anything,’ Stella thought. ’If he really went for it, he probably wouldn’t prove his abilities, but his pride would definitely take a massive hit.’
Stella Sterling wasn’t particularly close with Louis Grant, but she didn’t mind his company. ’I guess you could call him a friend.’
She didn’t want him to fall into a slump he couldn’t recover from. The guilt would be too much.
At that thought, Stella wanted to give herself a mental round of applause.
’I really am such a kind-hearted, model citizen. It’s hard to find someone as benevolent as me in this apocalypse.’
"You’re right. I didn’t think it through."
Louis Grant sighed and sat back down. Now that he was calm, he knew everything Stella had said made perfect sense.
Him going off to join Stella just wouldn’t work.
His parents were at Meridia Base, he’d been there for over a year, and he’d grown attached to the people.
If their two sides really clashed, he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to move against the people of Meridia Base.
And that wouldn’t be fair to Stella.
Once he’d worked it all out, Louis didn’t dwell on it. Still, for some reason, he felt there was something strange in Stella’s eyes, as if she was holding something back.
But he didn’t ask. His intuition told him that if he pressed the issue, he wouldn’t like the answer he’d get.
"Forget it, forget it. Just pretend I was talking crap just now. I’m actually doing pretty well at Meridia Base. I hope that in the future, no matter what the relationship between our two bases becomes, you and I can always be friends!"
Stella Sterling nodded.
She felt their relationship was good just the way it was. As for what Louis had suggested before, it was inappropriate no matter how she looked at it.
If he really became her subordinate, then aside from the reasons she’d just given, it would be impossible for them to remain friends.
What Stella Sterling demanded from the people in her base was their absolute loyalty and an assurance they would never betray her.
But if you added a layer of friendship to that kind of relationship, the two would become very difficult to balance.
’Things are fine just the way they are now.’
Louis Grant was genuinely surprised when he saw her nod. Although he had always called himself her friend, Stella had never acknowledged it before. At times, she had even actively distanced herself from him.
Over the past year, it might not have seemed like much changed, but in reality, a great deal had.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Louis suddenly said, "You know? I used to have a thing for you. The romantic kind."
Stella Sterling was beautiful and capable. Louis Grant had always thought she was his type, and he’d grown to like her even more after spending time with her.
Rather than just wanting to be her friend back then, it was more that he wanted to use friendship as a pretext to get close to her and pursue her.
Even over the past year, that thought had never faded.
He had even thought that if they ever met again, it would be a sign of fate, and he absolutely had to seize the opportunity to try and win her over.
So when he returned from his work and heard from Vivian Larkin that Stella had come back to Meridia Base, only he knew the extent of his joy.
But now, after meeting again and talking a few times, that particular desire had faded.
It wasn’t that he didn’t like her anymore, but that he now recognized the gap between them.
Stella Sterling was simply too brilliant. Even he, who had always been self-confident, felt like he wasn’t good enough for her.
Though it had only been a little over a year, that time had stretched the distance between them into an infinite chasm.
He even had the feeling that he could never keep up with her.
He had no hope before, and he feared he had even less now.
After realizing this, he figured that rather than forcing something impossible, it was better to maintain the status quo. Being friends with Stella was perfectly fine.
If they were just friends, there wouldn’t be so much to worry about, and he could be happier. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Hearing his confession, Stella showed no surprise. She accepted the news calmly.
She held her head high with a frank expression, but her words made one want to smack her. "For an outstanding woman like myself—smart, beautiful, and powerful—it’s perfectly normal for you to fall for me."
"You don’t need to feel any particular way about it. Liking me is the default state. But I have to be clear with you: I don’t like you back."
The corner of Louis Grant’s mouth twitched. He had to admit that everything she said was true, but hearing it come from Stella’s own lips... how could she be so brazen?
"Yes, yes, you’re right," Louis said, playing along. "You’re so exceptional, it’s only natural for people to like you."
Louis was just teasing. The fact that he could say all this to Stella so frankly meant he had already thought things through and truly let it go. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Therefore, even when faced with Stella’s blunt rejection, he only felt a slight twinge of disappointment, not true sadness.
Thinking this, he reached out and patted Stella’s shoulder. "You’re something else. You’re so exceptional that if you end up with someone who isn’t good enough for you or doesn’t treat you right, I’ll be the one looking down on *you*."
"Haha."
Stella laughed. "You’re kidding. How could anyone I, Stella Sterling, choose be anything less than exceptional? People who aren’t exceptional don’t even get the chance to show their face in front of me."
Louis fell silent again. He suddenly realized his words were completely unnecessary. With Stella’s mindset and thick skin, she didn’t need any reminders from him.
’Who could possibly bully this woman? It’s a testament to her kindness that she doesn’t bully other people!’
