Chapter 234: Gone Mad
"What? Three times!" I couldn't believe it. He went three rounds and still had time to chill? "Brad, dude, you must be wiped out, right?"
Brad's face turned beet red, all the way down to his neck. He kept his head down, scrubbing his underwear like it was the most interesting thing in the world, avoiding my eyes. His hands moved faster. "I don't mind being exhausted. It's none of your business."
Alright, fine, none of my business. I won't ask. Happy now?
I grinned, trying not to burst out laughing.
The sound of water splashing filled the room, and Brad's face got even redder as he scrubbed harder, like he was taking out his frustration on the fabric.
I was worried he might scrub a hole in his underwear.
With Brad scrubbing like that, even the best quality fabric wouldn't stand a chance.
I felt a bit sorry for that underwear.
Watching him, I couldn't help but find thirty-year-old Brad so innocent, so I laughed out loud, feeling super cheerful.
It was just too funny, I couldn't stop smiling.
Brad's face, however, turned redder and redder, like it was about to bleed.
I had never seen Brad so shy before.
"Whatever, do your own thing," Brad growled at me in a low voice, like an annoyed beast.
Brad hung up the phone on me, and I finished brushing my teeth, still laughing until I collapsed back onto the bed, exhausted from laughing.
Outside the door, Yancy came and asked Mia what was wrong with me, why I was laughing like a maniac. Mia said I had gone crazy and told Yancy to stay away from me, so he wouldn't catch my craziness.
Because of that morning's incident, I was in an exceptionally good mood all day, practically floating all the way to Crystal House. The students and teachers I passed gave me puzzled looks, like I was acting super weird.
When I entered Crystal House, I was humming some random tune, grinning from ear to ear.
Adam arrived early and came over to see what was up. After watching for a while, he shook his head and said, "Gentle and refined? I think you're just a little lunatic lost in love."
It was rare for someone two years younger than me to make such a high-level observation.
Yep, I was a little lunatic lost in love.
That was because my love and my lover were worth it.
As someone who had been through it, I patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "Adam, you're still young. When you meet someone you love, you'll be a hundred times crazier than me."
Adam pouted, shrugged off my hand, and turned to leave. As he walked away, he mumbled something I couldn't quite hear, something about already finding love but not having the chance to go crazy.
At that moment, I was too elated to pay attention to what he said.
At noon, I received a love-filled lunchbox, ordered for me by my boyfriend Brad.
Holding the lunchbox, I thought about the morning's misunderstanding and Brad's expression, and I laughed for a long time, until Adam wrote "Lunatic" on a piece of paper and held it up for me to see.
I loved the lunchbox. While eating, I video-called Brad. It took a while for him to answer, and he still looked a bit upset. When he saw me, his tone wasn't very pleasant, clearly still annoyed by my misunderstanding that morning.
"What do you want? If it's not important, don't bother me," he asked, unhappy.
I smiled happily. I speared a piece of steak and tossed it into my mouth, chewing vigorously. The juices made my lips look even more vibrant. "Steak, I love it. Brad, I heard eating more steak gives you strength. Do you want to order some too? It's delicious."
Brad looked at me and suddenly smiled. His displeasure faded away, replaced by a bright, beautiful smile.
It looked like he was a lunatic too, just like me.
"No need for steak. When I get back, I'll buy ingredients to boost my stamina. How about that, baby?"
Adam walked in with his takeout box and came over to sit with me for lunch. Absentmindedly, he asked, "What? Oh, right, the Performing Arts Department said they need our help for next month's welcome event. Should we agree?"
I didn't expect anyone to be nearby, and his sudden question made me jump.
It was way too embarrassing to be overheard by Adam while I was sweet-talking Brad, so I quickly hung up the phone.
Brad's Facebook message came through fast, a simple message that made my scalp tingle.
[Just you wait!] I read the message, picturing Brad's angry face.
Alright, I admit it, he successfully freaked me out.
Fine, I'll wait. He wouldn't actually kill me, right?
I'll find a chance to get back at him someday, and I hope he won't beg for mercy then!
I turned down the welcome event because last year's fiasco was still fresh in my memory. Some things, I didn't want to repeat. I preferred a simple life, without all the scheming, explaining, flattering, and showing off.
I read all the documents Larry gave me and reorganized my creative direction and plans based on them. The new documents didn't change much, mainly adding names for each villa, and my task was to figure out the content of the paintings based on the villa names.
From the names, many of the sketches I had already completed could be used, which made me super happy and relieved a lot of the stress I had been feeling.
Larry said that if it were him, he wouldn't agree to FutureVision's demands. But FutureVision was an excellent platform to showcase my true abilities and gain recognition in the industry, so after much consideration, he agreed.
He was always thinking of my best interests, and I was very grateful, which made me even more dedicated to my work.
Summer break was almost over. Initially because of Daniel, and later to focus on my painting, I hadn't been home for several months. With Brad coming back this weekend, we really needed to spend some quality time together. So, I planned to go back to Sunhaven for a few days, to spend time with my parents and ease their worries.
When I told Brad about my plan, he thought for a moment and agreed, but he also reminded me not to go to the old house unless necessary, and to avoid Daniel if possible.
I agreed. Even without Brad's reminder, I didn't want to go back to the old house or see Daniel alone.
Daniel's actions had completely broken my heart, and I didn't want to deal with him.
After leaving Mia with Yancy, I set off on my journey home.
While waiting at the airport, I messaged Mia on Facebook, telling her to seize the opportunity and successfully get together with Yancy. She got mad and said unless I didn't come back, she would definitely beat me up.
Since it didn't work on Mia, I messaged Yancy, telling him to fully embrace his role as a boyfriend, take good care of Mia, and try to deepen his place in her heart.
Yancy didn't respond, probably busy with something. With no conversation to continue, I closed Facebook and listened to music alone.
I was excited as I entered the house. Just as I dropped my luggage without even taking a sip of water, Daniel arrived. He carried bags and packages even more than I did.
What a coincidence.
Seeing me at home, he was initially surprised, clearly not expecting my sudden appearance.
Daniel was a guest, so I nodded slightly as a greeting.
Daniel gave a faint smile, his eyes sparkling, clean and pure. He looked very different from the Daniel I had seen recently.
At that moment, I seemed to see the boy he was before he turned eighteen.
But no matter how he changed, it had nothing to do with me anymore.
Everything about him was irrelevant to me now.
"You're back?" he asked.
Well, duh.
I nodded instinctively. "Just got in."
"Who's here? Oh, Daniel, why are you here at this time? Is there something you need?" My mom came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands as she walked over, subtly positioning herself between Daniel and me.
Oh, my dear Helen, you came at just the right time.
I let go of the door handle, sat on the couch, then picked up my cup, drinking the water in one gulp.
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