Free Web NovelChapter 360: Chapter 358: She Faces a Bloody Calamity
Back in her dorm, Mia Grant grabbed her things and went to wash up.
Inside the bathroom, the sound of running water echoed.
Mia Grant glanced at her lit-up phone beside her, let out a slow breath, and closed her eyes to continue washing her hair.
Drying her long hair took some time. By the time it was completely dry, Mia’s wrist was a little sore.
After putting her things away, she didn’t rush back. Instead, she found a corner in the laundry room to settle into, took out her phone, and unhurriedly scrolled through her messages.
Hayes Hughes had called her twice.
He had also sent her messages on WeChat.
[Mia, are you asleep?]
[I have the day off tomorrow. Is there anything you’d like to eat? I can make it and bring it over.]
When she didn’t reply, he asked again after a while: [How about pork rib soup?]
[It won’t be too greasy. If you don’t want soup, I can make some congee. Sweet or savory?]
——
Mia Grant scrolled up and down, reading through the messages three times before stopping.
Leaning against the window, she let out a long sigh. The worst part was, she couldn’t even tell what she was feeling right now.
It was a tangled mess, like a ball of yarn a kitten had gotten its paws on.
The laundry room window was half-open. Having just showered, Mia had a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, which had now been dried by the wind.
Fortunately, it was a spring night, and the breeze felt comfortable as the temperature was already starting to feel like summer. It wasn’t cold enough to give her a headache.
Mia waited for her laundry to finish, tapping away at her phone before finally replying: [You don’t have to go to the trouble, Hayes. My roommates and I are having a get-together tomorrow.]
After a pause, she added: [Some other time. I’ll come over to your apartment for a meal another day.]
He seemed to have been waiting by his phone for her reply, because he responded almost instantly: [Okay, just let me know whenever you’re craving something. I’m not busy with work lately, so I have plenty of time.]
Mia swallowed with difficulty. [Okay.]
Turning off her phone, Mia was caught off guard by the sight of her own miserable, grief-stricken face on the dark screen.
SIGH.
’How did things end up like this...?’
’I don’t understand.’
’It should have been a perfect, clean ending. Why did it have to turn into a heart-wrenching, life-and-death drama?’
She suddenly remembered what that Dr. Quinlan had said.
He had used chess pieces to represent the people around her.
’So, has my queen betrayed me?’
’Then again, is Hayes Hughes really my queen?’
——
Mia had probably noticed that her state of mind was getting worse and worse lately, so she decided to shelve any questions she couldn’t find a quick answer to.
’I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.’
The moment her mind went blank, it felt as if all her strength had been drained away. She lay on the top bunk in her dorm room and let out a long breath.
’People really shouldn’t be so hard on themselves.’
’If you can’t let things go and keep fighting yourself, nothing good will come of it.’
’Just muddle through.’
’Let them go, and let myself go.’
Mia clicked her tongue softly, feeling as if she were suddenly surrounded by a Buddhist halo.
With that in mind, she bought a ticket for the next day and went to a temple early in the morning to offer some incense.
She said nothing, appearing to have no desires, yet paradoxically, she knelt in the main hall for a long time, unable to rise.
On her way out, she ran into a master.
He told her she would face a "blood-related disaster" soon.
After hearing that, Mia felt a sense of dread and went back to buy more than ten Amulets.
When she came out again, she ran into the same master.
Mia decided to take a detour to avoid him.
Luckily, she slipped away quickly this time and didn’t hear anything else.
But she didn’t feel a sense of relief either.
On the way back, Mia took out the Amulets. She stuffed one in her wallet, one in her shirt, one in her pants pocket, one in her phone case... and then another one in her phone case for good measure.
She stuffed the rest of them into her backpack all at once.
She stared at the four large characters on the Amulet that read "Avert Misfortune, Gain Fortune" for a good while. Clasping her hands together, she prayed silently: ’If there must be blood, I wouldn’t mind my period coming early this month.’
’Anything else... please, just forget it.’
’Seeing how devout I’m being, please, I’m begging you!’
With the master’s words in mind, Mia was extra careful for the next week. Aside from attending classes, she turned down every activity that required her to leave the dorm.
Student council, dinners, dates—she rejected them all.
Yates Donovan, after spending a week abroad, rushed back.
He was worried about Mia. No matter how busy he was overseas, he planned to free up his weekends to fly back and spend time with her.
Even if the travel alone took up a full day.
He had to see her in person to feel at ease.
His subordinate’s reports were far from enough... especially this past week, when his subordinate said she hadn’t left the school at all.
’It’s very strange.’
How could he possibly rest easy?
She hadn’t left campus all week, which meant she could have only seen the two Sinclair brothers at most.
He had no idea if those two little brats had taken good care of her.
The moment his plane landed, Yates Donovan asked Mia Grant out.
And was ruthlessly rejected.
Kitty: [No time.]
Seeing those two cold words, Yates sat up straight in the car and tutted. [I’m leaving tomorrow. Come on, just come out for a meal. I came all this way back just for you. Are you really going to let me make the trip for nothing?]
Mia didn’t seem to be on her phone, as she only replied over ten minutes later: [I really don’t have time. Next time.]
Her reply speed was indeed very slow. Yates stroked his chin, assuming she must be genuinely busy.
’But what could she be busy with at this hour? It’s not like she has any exams.’
After a moment’s thought, he typed a message: [You can study hard some other time. Come out and get some fresh air.]
[Hurry, hurry, hurry, grab your stuff and come downstairs. I’m almost at your school’s back gate.]
[I’ll give you an hour to do your makeup.]
[I’ll wait for you.]
He finished by sending a cat-heart sticker.
By the time Mia saw the messages, another ten minutes had passed.
She put down the model piece in her hand and frowned at the messages on her screen.
’This overbearing CEO act again.’
Glancing at the half-assembled model on her desk, then at the time on her phone, Mia sighed and stood up.
——
Yates had given Mia an hour, but Mia wasn’t in the mood for makeup and came out in less than ten minutes.
As she pulled the car door open and got in, Mia immediately started complaining, "This is the last time! Next time I say I don’t have time, I mean it!"
"What were you so busy with?" Yates grabbed her hand, his brow furrowing slightly when he saw her reddened fingers. "What have you been doing?"
"Building a Gundam model."
"..."
Yates was speechless. "This is what you were busy with?"
"Don’t tell me you’ve been doing this all week?"
"Yeah." Mia took out her phone to show him the one she’d completed. "I can give you one later."
Yates: "..."
"And here I thought you were studying hard."
"It’s enough to pay attention in class. I need to relax after class," Mia said, putting her phone away.
"When did you get into building these?"
"Just to pass the time."
"Why haven’t you been going out?"
Mia shot him a look. "Because the tarot cards said I shouldn’t go out for the next month."
The man paused. "The wh-what cards?"
Mia deadpanned, switching to something he would understand, "Playing cards."
"..."
