Free Web NovelChapter 8: Chapter 7
Her WeChat was blocked, so she switched to a new account to add him again. This time it went through, but her messages were met with complete silence.
It seemed Simon Lockwood truly despised her, so Joanna Kennedy gave up on harassing him with texts.
She filled the shipping address field with the home address she’d wheedled out of Kyle Aldrich and started sending gifts to Simon Lockwood.
A watch costing over a hundred thousand, shoes and clothes for more than ten thousand—if she thought it suited Simon Lockwood, she bought it and had it delivered directly to his home.
’That’s right! This is how a vicious, rich female side-character expresses her love—so domineering, so beautifully unpretentious!’
In the face of such an aggressive pursuit, Simon Lockwood moved into the school dorms in just three days. He also sent all the gifts back, completely unopened.
Joanna Kennedy stared at the huge pile of unopened delivery boxes. "..."
’Incorruptible, pure as the driven snow, a heart of iron, a will of stone...’ she rattled off one cliché after another.
shot back, ’Maybe you should enroll in a creative writing class or something.’ It was all such a mess.
Joanna Kennedy had a spoiled and willful personality, and her pursuit was conducted with great fanfare. Within a few days, the story of "Joanna Kennedy, the young miss of the Kennedy family, chasing after Simon Lockwood, the poor top student" had spread throughout the entire school.
Serena Sutton bit her lip, distractedly poking at her textbook with the tip of her pen. Beside her, Simon Lockwood looked no different than usual.
When the bell rang to signal the end of class, she couldn’t help but speak up. "...I heard Joanna Kennedy is pursuing you?"
Simon Lockwood’s brow furrowed. "I wouldn’t know," he said coolly.
He didn’t seem to have given the matter any thought, but Serena Sutton still felt a tightness in her chest. She wanted to ask him if he could ever like a girl like Joanna Kennedy, but she had no right to, which only made her feel more dejected.
However, the thought of Simon Lockwood moving into the dorms made her happy again. "Do you want to get dinner at the dining hall together?" Her face flushed as she added with a bit of embarrassment, "I’m a resident student, too. I can recommend all the best dishes."
"No need." As if not noticing the way her expression suddenly fell, Simon Lockwood said politely, "I have leave to be off-campus tonight."
He wasn’t deliberately rejecting her; he truly had something to do.
Serena Sutton’s expression brightened a little, and she managed a smile. "Okay, then. We’ll go together next time."
Seeing Joanna Kennedy approach, Simon Lockwood’s eyes flickered. The words of refusal that were on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down. "Alright," he said. "Next time, we’ll go together."
His tone was gentle, completely devoid of the cold annoyance he always showed Joanna Kennedy.
Before Serena Sutton could even feel happy, a hand slammed down on the desk, followed by an indignant female voice. "What’s ’alright’? Simon Lockwood, is this country bumpkin the reason you won’t be with me?!"
’Showtime!’
’After a few days, it’s finally time for another scene of the vicious supporting actress bullying the female lead.’
’Look at that, the female lead’s little face is so pale. If I were a man, I’d feel my heart ache for her too.’
’166, I’m so wicked,’ Joanna sighed internally.
was used to her self-praise. Hearing her suddenly berate herself was so new that it didn’t know how to react. It offered awkward comfort, ’You’re just following the plot.’
’Right!’ Joanna thought. ’I can be even more wicked!’
166: ’...’
Serena Sutton’s eyes were rimmed with red. With scorn and disdain, Joanna Kennedy unleashed her shameless verbal assault. "Serena Sutton, right? What makes you think you have any right to compete with me for him?"
She was as proud as a little peacock, beautiful and regal, but her words were pure venom.
"Are you mute, Simon Lockwood? I asked you what you promised her! What’s your relationship?"
"How come you never agree when I ask you out, but the second she does, you say yes?"
The girl’s incessant questioning grated on his ears. The surrounding students, eager for a show, had all turned to watch.
The annoyance in Simon Lockwood’s heart intensified. "Joanna Kennedy," he said coldly, "haven’t you made enough of a scene?"
Caught off guard by his retort, Joanna Kennedy froze for a second.
Serena Sutton bit her lower lip hard. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she stared back, feigning strength. "Miss Kennedy, I may not be able to compare to you in terms of family background or looks, but when it comes to character and refinement, you are not necessarily my superior."
Bolstered by the memory of Simon Lockwood’s defense, Serena Sutton spoke with newfound confidence. "My relationship with Simon Lockwood has nothing to do with you, and the contents of our conversation are none of your business."
Joanna Kennedy: "..."
The sound of derisive, mocking whispers rose from the crowd. Joanna Kennedy’s eyes reddened with fury, but she refused to back down. "Simon Lockwood, is that what you think, too?" freewebnøvel.coɱ
Simon Lockwood seemed to hesitate. He slowly raised his eyelids and, after a moment of silence, said coolly, "...And what if I said it is?"
"..."
Publicly humiliated before everyone, Joanna Kennedy didn’t even bother asking for leave; she just skipped class.
*
At a streetside malatang shop, Joanna Kennedy plopped down on a small stool and bellowed, "Boss, make it extra numbing and extra spicy!"
"You got it!" the owner replied.
Joanna Kennedy happily cracked open a can of Coke and took a huge gulp. ’Skipping class to eat malatang and drink Coke... it doesn’t get any better than this!’
There wasn’t a trace of sadness or heartbreak on her face.
witnessed her chameleon-like acting and resisted the urge to roll its eyes. ’Keep your voice down. Don’t let anyone you know see you. You’ll break character.’
’Who’s ever seen the young miss of a wealthy family squatting at a hole-in-the-wall shop eating malatang?!’
found it truly strange. In the real world, Joanna Kennedy was an A-list celebrity, after all. ’How does she seem so at home in this kind of street-side malatang joint?’
’It’s not that I look down on malatang, it’s just that it doesn’t really fit with the image of a famous actress.’
The system thought it, and then it asked.
Joanna Kennedy used disposable chopsticks to pick up a bundle of glass noodles, coated them in sesame paste and chili oil, and popped them into her mouth, her eyes narrowing in bliss. "I wasn’t born a celebrity, you know," she said.
Before she became a celebrity, she was an orphan. The orphanage director sponsored her schooling, and then, by a twist of fate, she was discovered by a talent scout.
When she got her very first paycheck, she could finally eat a full meal of malatang without having to worry about the price.
fell silent, its usual sarcastic tone gone.
Without 166’s noisy chatter, Joanna Kennedy could finally eat in peace. A bite of a lucky pouch, a bite of a kelp sprout—she ate with pure delight.
The owner was a generous man and had loaded her bowl with chili. Joanna Kennedy was eating so hard her eyes were watering and the tip of her nose was red. When she glanced up and saw someone sitting across from her, she jumped in fright. "COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."
As everyone knows, choking on something spicy is a uniquely torturous experience. She coughed so hard tears streamed from her eyes.
The person across from her quickly produced a bottle of mineral water, twisted it open, and placed it in her palm. The boy’s voice was full of undisguised nervousness and concern. "Are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you."
It was Ethan Crowe, the same boy who’d fallen for Joanna Kennedy at first sight on the athletic field. "I saw you were so focused on eating," he said apologetically, "so I just sat down. I didn’t think..."
He didn’t think Joanna Kennedy would have such a strong reaction.
’So now it’s my fault for being too jumpy!’
Joanna Kennedy shot him a vicious glare!
But with tears still welling in her glistening eyes, the glare held no threat at all.
