Chapter 265: Filthy
So, in a flash, the new semester kicked off. My second year in grad school was jam-packed, keeping me on my toes every single day.
The start of the school year also meant it was prime time for universities to throw painting competitions, with each department sending out their best. Larry got a new gig and couldn't coach our department's team, so he wanted to dump that big responsibility on me. He even dragged me into his office for a long chat about it.
There were plenty of young hotshot teachers around, but Larry picked me, a grad student, for this big task because he wanted to give me a shot at some real experience.
But man, my schedule was already crazy tight, and I had more than half of my project still hanging. I needed to think it over before jumping in.
Before I left Larry's office, I caught the disappointment in his eyes.
I had to duck out of there fast.
From that day on, every little detail about the art school's competition plans, under Larry's orders, got dumped on me. I even got a bunch of planning reports in my email, not to mention the endless Facebook messages I had to read.
In the end, Adam got picked as the overall student leader for the competition. Even before the final list of contestants was set, he came to ask me to be a consultant. He buttered me up, saying I was awesome and perfect, hinting that if I didn't help, National Capital University might bomb in the competition.
That was a bit much. I didn't think I was that amazing.
After turning him down a few times, I finally caved with the excuse of leading the younger students to new heights and bringing more glory to the art school of National Capital University.
The day I agreed, I had no clue how Larry and Adam celebrated. But the next day, Adam showed up late and looked out of it all morning.
Time became super precious to me. Ditching all other plans, I found myself constantly bouncing between the classroom, cafeteria, our institute, and Crystal House. It felt like a mad dash, and my legs got lean from all the running.
Brad, who had put his project on hold for an exchange program, got back on track and took on a bunch of courses, making him super busy too. We barely saw each other, let alone had time to chill, enjoy the view, or share a hug and kiss like before.
We mostly communicated through our phones.
Brad, feeling stuck, messaged me, saying he really wanted to take me somewhere beautiful, away from all the noise and drama.
He followed that up with a selfie of him pouting, which made me laugh so hard I almost couldn't breathe.
Even though we were crazy busy, Brad and I kept each other going and stayed happy.
One day, during a big break when no one was bugging me, I finally snuck up to the rooftop for some peace, only to bump into Daniel again.
I guess it was my bad. I shouldn't have been blasting music in my headphones, and I shouldn't have suddenly decided to hit the rooftop, or I wouldn't have run into him.
The layout of our department's building was pretty old-school. To get to the rooftop, you had to walk through a narrow corridor. At the end of the corridor, on the left, was a small meeting room converted from an old storage room, which was rarely used and hardly visited. On the right was the entrance to the rooftop, leading to a big open space, which was where I was headed.
Just as I was about to turn right at the end of the corridor, with my headphones on, I vaguely heard a noise from the left. I instinctively turned my head to look. Then I saw Zoe wrapping her arms around Daniel's neck, kissing him passionately, with a look of pure bliss on her face.
Daniel's hands were, as usual, stuffed in his pockets, standing straight as a board. He didn't respond to Zoe's enthusiasm but didn't push her away either, just standing there like a statue.
Seeing that mess, my first instinct was to bolt, but I accidentally bumped into the iron railing, making a slight noise.
Daniel's eyes snapped to me, and his face darkened. He quickly pushed Zoe away, panic flashing across his face—a rare sight.
Ironically, even in his panic, his lips were still smeared with Zoe's lipstick.
No matter how wild my imagination, I never thought I'd witness something like this.
I was shocked, and a wave of nausea hit me hard.
Daniel, who was almost ruined by Zoe, could still kiss her!
What a crazy scene.
I gotta say, this hit me hard. Not because I had any feelings for Daniel, but because I felt he was a disgrace. All the worries and emotions Brad and our families invested felt wasted.
He knew all the nasty stuff Zoe had done, yet he still had the nerve to date her. This Daniel was a stranger to me.
If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have cared about him back then. Letting him fend for himself would have been better, sparing my eyes from such filth.
Daniel, had he turned himself into a garbage dump? We put in so much effort to pull him out of the abyss, and this was how he trampled on others' goodwill? Fine, others might mean nothing to him, and no one expected his gratitude. But didn't he feel dirty treating himself this way?
"Jane, what are you doing here?" Daniel wiped his lips with the back of his hand, then looked at the bright red stain on his pale skin, making it even more exaggerated and ironic.
I didn't know what a normal reaction would be, so I numbly said, "I wanted to get some fresh air on the rooftop. I didn't expect to run into you. Sorry for the disturbance, I didn't mean to."
I lost interest in going to the rooftop and turned to leave.
"Wait, Jane, it's not what you think." Heavy and urgent footsteps followed behind me.
From my experience reading novels, he should be saying next, "Jane, let me explain."
However, I didn't want to listen, nor did I have to listen, because there was no need for me to listen.
The nausea grew stronger. I was afraid I might throw up right there, so I quickened my pace, almost running.
This might look like a heartbroken escape to some people.
Daniel, with his long legs, quickly caught up and blocked my way. His face showed not only panic but also urgency, frustration, and maybe other emotions I couldn't figure out.
I didn't get what he wanted to explain to me or why.
The incident was caused by Zoe, while the pain and the criticism were his to bear. Yet now he could still let her kiss him without rejecting her. If that wasn't pathetic, what was?
I couldn't accept it because I felt he had no bottom line and was corrupt.
And he had no need to explain to me. I didn't want to waste my precious time on him.
Daniel, that boy who once shone like a star, had he rotted from the inside out?
What a pity.
Time had turned him into a pile of garbage, so unbearable that only Zoe could recycle him.
Daniel clearly wanted to explain to me, but I felt there was no need because I didn't care about the answer. As long as he felt good and thought it was worth it, other people's opinions and views were meaningless.
It was his own business.
"Anything else?" I said as Daniel reached out to grab my arm, but I sidestepped to avoid him.
In the past, I avoided him to avoid suspicion. Today, I avoided him because he was too corrupt.
The nausea was overwhelming.
"It's not what you think," he said again, glancing back at Zoe, who was still standing at the meeting room door, his eyes dim. "Sometimes what you see isn't the truth."
I smiled faintly. Whether it was the truth or not, it had nothing to do with me. I wouldn't care, and I certainly wouldn't mind.
He was an adult and should know what to do and what not to do. If he chose to degrade himself, it was his own business, no need to explain.
So, Daniel, I begged you, just shut up.
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