Right after class, Russell stopped Nicole. "Is Luna back on campus? Why wasn't she in class today?"

"Luna's back," Nicole replied. "She told me she changed her major, so she won't be taking the classes she'd previously enrolled in." Nicole looked puzzled. "I thought you and Luna were close. Hasn't she told you about this? Did anything happen between the two of you? Why else would she quit Professor Hanley's team and switch her major?"

Russell tried to control his anger. "What exactly did Luna say to you?"

"She confirmed the rumors on the online forum," Nicole said, her cheeks flushing. "She quit Professor Hanley's team and changed her major. Wait. Did something really happen between you and Luna?"

Russell shook his head. "No. Stop guessing. Do you know what her new major is?"

"No, she didn't tell me," Nicole said. "Ask her if you're curious! She's at the dorm right now."

Relieved, Russell said, "Please get her to come down. We'll wait for her on the first floor."

After Russell got Nicole to call Luna, he texted the group chat, informing everyone that Luna was back. Meanwhile, Nicole found Luna in the dorm.

"Luna, Russell and the others are looking for you. They're on the first floor," Nicole said. "Tell me honestly—what happened? They looked mad."

"They might be angry at me for suddenly switching majors!" Luna exclaimed, rising. "I'll go down to the first floor and clear things up."

Nicole stopped her. "Why did you switch majors? You clearly loved Professor Hanley's classes. In fact, you were more invested than anyone else. Not to mention, you were top of his class! Was it because of the plagiarism incident?"

"Stop making wild guesses," Luna snapped. "I got bored of my previous major, and I'd like to learn something new. It's really not that big of a deal!"

She walked past Nicole and headed downstairs. Russell and Kevin stood at the entrance of the female dorm, with Mia.

Luna stopped when she saw Mia, reluctant to proceed. Mia was unpleasant, and Luna hated being around people like her. Still, enduring Mia now was nothing compared to what she'd gone through in her past life.

Luna walked forward. "Russell Fisher, Kevin Dorsey, Mia Monroe, are you here for me?"

Russell was taken aback. Luna had never called him by his full name before. They hadn't seen each other for only two days, but something had clearly changed in her.

"I heard you wanted to quit the team and change your major!" Kevin, always hot-tempered, didn't appreciate Luna's manner of addressing him. "Luna, how dare you quit the research team and change your major on a whim? Did you even ask for our opinion?"

Luna found his accusation laughable. She coolly glanced at him. "I have the right to quit the team or change my major. Why do I have to ask for your opinion?"

Kevin was dumbfounded. Luna, once always obedient, had never snapped at him. She'd even meekly turned down his love confession in the past because she didn't want to upset him. He remembered her fawning expression; it had been so lovable that he hadn't had the heart to blame her for anything. This Luna—cynical and cold—was as if she were staring at strangers poking their noses into her business.

Mia interjected softly, "Luna, you shouldn't speak to Kevin that way! They're just worried about you. They don't want you to be tricked into throwing away your bright future. That's why they hurried over to talk you out of your rash decision. How could you brush off their kindness?"

Kevin, grateful to Mia, glared at Luna. "Don't be ungrateful. We're only here to talk some sense into you because we're teammates. If you insist on burning bridges, do you really think Professor Hanley will take you back in the future?"