Chapter 67 National Capital University
Mia looked at me, yawned, turned around, and fell asleep in Benjamin's arms like a content kitten.
All my efforts to make Mia happy by risking my life at the bar were pointless.
Isabella heartlessly covered herself with a blanket, leaving a small gap to secretly watch.
I was just laughing at Mia, and now I was the one being watched, feeling embarrassed.
I was so mad I wanted to cry!
I didn't know how long I cried, but just when I felt like I couldn't go on and my tears were about to dry up, Brad's face finally softened a bit, though he still looked upset.
Brad said, "Crying so loudly, do you think you're justified? If you keep crying, I'll call Helen."
Brad threatened me!
I wanted to cry more but was afraid he'd really call Helen. If she found out about today, she'd come deal with me herself.
I thought about it and decided to stop.
"If I stop crying, will you still call?" I sniffled.
Brad held back a laugh, "No, I won't."
"Okay, then I won't cry anymore."
In the middle of the night, I finally fell asleep, and in a daze, I seemed to hear Brad saying, "Jane, you really don't mind hurting me."
In the first semester of senior year, Ronan had a minor heart issue and was hospitalized for almost a month. Helen almost fainted from crying over it.
At that time, I was super busy before my internship and had no time to visit Ronan. I could only see him lying in the hospital bed through video calls every day, feeling so sad that I had no strength to walk.
Helen was suffering at home, and I was exhausted at school, making several calls a day to check on Ronan's condition, crying every day. Brad's jacket was stained with my tears.
During that time, I was like a madwoman in a particularly bad mood.
I wanted to go back to see Ronan, but Helen wouldn't let me. She said I should focus on my studies here, as going back would just stress Ronan out even more.
Brad stayed with me, saying all the nice words to comfort me until Ronan was discharged and personally called me via video to tell me he was completely fine. Only then did I feel relieved.
That day, I was especially happy and dragged Brad out for a barbecue to celebrate Ronan's recovery.
My classmates all started their internships, spreading out across the country.
I participated in several well-known industry competitions at the Northern Institute of the Arts and did well, gaining some fame in the art world, especially in the last two years. The professor asked me many times to be his assistant.
Several institutions offered me positions, and I liked two of them, but the office locations were a bit far.
Brad always brought up the bar incident, saying he had to keep an eye on me to prevent any trouble. If something happened to me, he wouldn't be able to explain it to Helen. He said if I caused trouble at the Northern Institute of the Arts, he could get there quickly, but if it was too far, he might not make it in time and would regret it.
I couldn't argue with him, and Helen agreed with Brad, so I had to follow Brad's advice and join a graphic design agency he found for me, where I could paint and learn design.
Four years of college life quickly ended, and I graduated with excellent grades. The Northern Institute of the Arts wanted me to stay on. But I refused and applied for graduate school at National Capital University, where I was admitted with the highest score in my major.
My parents were getting older, and I was their only child. So I wanted to be closer to them to take care of them more. Ronan's illness had scared me, and I was always worried about my family's health. I wanted to stay by my parents' side.
Even though National Capital University was still hundreds of miles from Sunhaven, it was much closer than the Northern Institute of the Arts, with a daily flight making travel easy.
At our farewell dinner, my roommates and I, who had bonded over four years, drank several cases of beer, got drunk, and cried together like we were parting forever.
Brad came to carry me back to the dorm that day, and I embarrassingly threw up all over him.
Four years had passed, and I was already twenty-two, no longer the girl who silently cried all night over Daniel.
When I ran into Daniel on campus, I greeted him calmly.
I never told him I was going to grad school at National Capital University. Over the next two years, my interactions with him were limited to Facebook and occasional encounters when I went home.
Daniel and Zoe had a good relationship. Although Zoe still secretly mocked me when we met, she treated Daniel well, and I gradually let go of what happened back then.
One afternoon, with nothing to do, I wandered around campus to get familiar with the place and ran into Daniel on a tree-lined path.
He was still thin, with delicate features and translucent skin, but I no longer felt anything.
Daniel was pleasantly surprised by my sudden appearance and was even happier to hear that I was attending National Capital University for grad school. He insisted on treating me to a meal.
I agreed calmly and ate with him in the cafeteria.
By now, Daniel was just my high school classmate and neighbor of over twenty years.
That's all.
Having a meal with a classmate in public was no big deal, and not going would be impolite.
Daniel had always been an excellent student and stayed on for further studies.
Zoe was also pursuing her graduate studies at the same school.
During the meal, Zoe joined us, sitting next to Daniel, still looking weak and submissive, crying at the drop of a hat, with no improvement.
When she heard I would be at National Capital University for three years, her hostility towards me deepened.
Being at the same school meant more chances to meet and more annoyances.
Several times, when I ran into Daniel in the cafeteria, he naturally queued up for food, telling me to find a seat and wait.
I never listened to him, queued up for my own food, and found my own place to sit, trying to keep my distance from him.
Daniel and I were already in two different worlds, with no need to force a connection.
Once, during the cafeteria's peak hours, I couldn't find a place to sit with my pasta and had to sit across from Daniel.
I had just picked up the pasta, not yet taken a bite, when Zoe came over, standing beside me without saying a word, just looking at me weakly as if I had stolen her man.
I was really annoyed, so I took my bowl and left, standing by the window to finish my meal.
I didn't know how Daniel explained that meal, but after that, Zoe treated me like a thief whenever she saw me.
After that, no matter how Daniel tried to contact me, I didn't respond.
After all, he had a girlfriend, and I didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble for myself.
Although I knew there would be various troubles attending the same school, this was too much. I couldn't help but regret coming to National Capital University. I was considering asking Brad for help to transfer to another school when I unexpectedly ran into someone who was both expected and unexpected.
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