The sudden ringing of the doorbell in the dead of night.
It seemed unexpected, but Sam was not foolish; he quickly started to think.
No unfamiliar neighbor would ring the doorbell at such a late hour; it could only be someone he knew. And who was the only familiar person nearby?
Clearly, it was Zoe.
Only her.
Even the convenience store manager Mia, his teacher Alice, and Angel didn’t yet know where he lived.
Louis, being under strict home discipline, was unlikely to leave his house at this time, and he would have called or texted Sam in advance if he were coming.
So, this abrupt visit could only be Zoe.
But Sam didn’t move; he didn’t get out of bed or give in to curiosity to peek through the peephole to see who it might be.
However, the doorbell only rang briefly before quietness returned to the night, as if nothing had happened.
It all seemed like an illusion of Sam’s, a dream made at some unknown time.
Carrying a slightly anxious heart, Sam fell asleep.
Perhaps because of the day’s events, the fight he had, and the sudden scare, once he relaxed, he slept very deeply.
So deeply that he didn’t notice some movements that he should have.
For instance,
The door suddenly opened a crack, then wider, until it was large enough for someone to walk through.
Sam didn’t open his eyes, but if he had, he would have seen the edge of the bed, where no one was, suddenly dip down as if under a weight.
Even on such a night, he wouldn’t hear the faint sound that seemed to appear out of nowhere.
“You saw everything just now, didn’t you? Sam…”
….
“Didn’t sleep well last night? Or are you cosplaying a panda?”
Louis looked at Sam, who had dark circles under his eyes, with a face full of schadenfreude, as they stood near the shoe cabinet.
Sam showed a somewhat weary expression. “Ah, probably insomnia, so I’m a bit tired.”
“Insomnia? You suffer from that?”
Sam shrugged.
“Can’t help it. I spent the whole night pondering whether, if I weren’t this handsome, I could lead a quiet and undisturbed life like you.”
“You jerk, always joking around with me, drop dead!”
“Bang.”
Just then, Sam heard a familiar sound of a door closing and instinctively turned his head.
He saw Sophie, who always seemed out of place in this world.
Still the same, with a cold demeanor, as if she didn’t care for anyone.
But this time, what was slightly unexpected was that when he looked at her, she seemed to sense it and looked back.
Her glance at him seemed to carry a deeper meaning.
But soon after, Sophie put on her shoes and left.
“What are you looking at? Stop it. Even if you can be friends with Angel, even if the new teacher Alice seems to pay special attention to you, you will never be able to captivate someone like Sophie!”
Sam looked curiously at Louis, who appeared very confident.
“Why are you so sure?”
Louis laughed and said, “Simple, because Sophie hasn’t made a single friend at school to this day. Someone even posted on the school forum, hoping to get Sophie’s contact information, her social media handles… But guess what? It turns out no one has them!”
So, that’s her character setting? A misanthropic girl, alienated from the whole world?
A lone wolf who wanders alone, not needing any friends, an aloof and proud existence?
Louis patted Sam on the shoulder.
“So don’t overthink it, okay? Even if you’ve got my approval as a rare handsome guy, you still can’t connect with Sophie. She’s like a goddess in my eyes!”
Sam nodded.
“It’s better that way.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing, just reminded of a saying.”
“What saying?” Louis looked at Sam curiously.
Sam displayed an elegant, gentlemanly smile. “Even a card dealt from the bottom of the deck has its favorites.”
“???”
The morning classes were calm, with Louis not overly disturbing Sam, seemingly realizing that Sam genuinely wanted to concentrate on his studies.
And Alice didn’t find any opportunity to come and ‘hypnotize’ him.
Just usual passing glances, with a hint of satisfaction in her expression.
Until right before lunch break, Sam received a text message.
By this time, Louis was already eager to rush to the cafeteria, ready to wage a massive war with the food.
But just as Louis stood up, Sam said, “I can’t have lunch with you today, I’ve got something on.”
Louis was taken aback.
“What’s so urgent? Don’t tell me… you have a date?”
Sam shook his head with a smile.
“Can’t exactly call it a date, but… it’s better I don’t tell you.”
“What do you mean it’s better not to tell me? Are you afraid I’ll be hurt? I’m really going to cry… wait! Who are you going on a date with? Don’t tell me it’s…”
…
The door creaked as Sam pushed it open, greeted by a fierce wind.
The wind carried the heat of summer, somewhat stifling, but wildly intense, not the usual kind, except in one place.
The rooftop.
It was really high here, the sun seemed even closer than usual.
Sam stepped out, walking towards the figure standing at the edge of the railing, seemingly gazing into the distant horizon.
“Angel, why call me to a place like this? Couldn’t you have just said it over the phone?”
Indeed, the person who had sent him a message before noon break, summoning him here, was Angel.
Wearing the school uniform, yet with a nobility and elegance starkly different from the others. Her poise was still so perfect, requiring no backdrop to enhance it.
She turned around, looking at Sam with a cold indifference that seemed somewhat overly deliberate.
“What? Afraid I’ll push you off here?”
Sam shook his head, the wind tousling his bangs.
“I’m just not fond of high places, a bit acrophobic. Is there a special reason for talking here?”
Sam didn’t get too close, maintaining a distance of about three meters from her.
Angel glanced at the distance between them.
“You should know, even this distance isn’t safe. With my ability, it wouldn’t matter if you ran to another continent.”
Intimidating, isn’t it?
But time stops for only five minutes, how far can you run?
Sam kept these known facts to himself, merely smiling.
“I didn’t mean that. I just think maintaining this necessary courtesy is a form of respect towards you.”
Angel raised an eyebrow, seemingly uninterested in Sam’s smooth talk.
She cut straight to the chase. “Yesterday after school, did someone trouble you?”
Sam’s expression remained unchanged; he had already guessed this would be the topic.
“A bit of trouble, yes. You’re asking about this… are you planning to help me out?”
Angel smiled, moving a few steps closer.
The familiar scent of her perfume invaded his nostrils, stirring Sam’s thoughts.
Her smile was enchanting yet still immensely dangerous.
“Sure, I could have them brought here and throw them off one by one. Want to give it a try?”
