A young man’s first love makes him offer his whole world recklessly—clumsy, boundary-blind. When love finally wins and he bares his softest heart, the girl he cherishes kicks it aside, leaving him shattered.

For two days, Alarieka and Shi Yao didn’t speak.

To be exact: Alarieka ignored Shi Yao while he—cheek visibly red—shamelessly shadowed her everywhere.

He ignored everyone’s stares, boldly displaying his flushed face.

Alone, he’d coax Alarieka with sweet apologies: “I’m sorry,” “I was wrong,” “Don’t stay angry—it’ll hurt you.”

Everyone sensed the tension—even newly returned Jaylene and Nie Guanyu spotted it instantly.

But this was their private matter, and Alarieka seemed dangerously upset. Nobody dared pry.

Alarieka listened to Shi Yao’s babbling without reaction, as if he were invisible.

Alarieka showed no reaction despite Victor’s persistent talking.

He felt discouraged but refused to give up.

Alarieka wanted to kick out Victor, who kept spouting nonsense, but he knew her too well. He’d always shut up right before she lost her temper, softly promising to stay quiet and let her work.

When Alarieka glared at him, she saw Victor pressing his lips together, eyes bright and obedient. He’d make a zipping gesture over his mouth, looking utterly well-behaved. Combined with the suspicious five-finger marks on his face, Alarieka couldn’t bring herself to shout at him to leave. She coldly averted her gaze.

Then Victor would grin impishly, pulling a chair to sit quietly beside her.

Gradually, Alarieka noticed her water cup never emptied. Every sip was perfectly warm and soothing.

She pursed her lips.

Her anger was genuine, and she truly couldn’t fathom why Victor had exploded that day, acting like Kieran was his mortal enemy.

Still, no matter how furious she felt, she couldn’t stay mad at Victor for long.

He’d helped her too many times—she remembered every single one.

Before she knew it, the day to meet Kieran arrived.

Alarieka warned Victor again not to follow when she got in the car, instructing him to stay with Jaylene.

Victor stood outside, nodding obediently.

Skeptical of his compliance, Alarieka pulled Jaylene aside in front of him. “Make sure he doesn’t follow me,” she emphasized.

Jaylene understood Alarieka’s history with Kieran and her reasons. She nodded without hesitation. “Got it. Go ahead, call me if needed.”

Alarieka nodded, and the car drove off.

Only when the car disappeared did Victor reluctantly look away.

Jaylene slapped his shoulder. “Hey, what happened to your face? Someone hit you?”

Victor touched his cheek, humming in acknowledgment.

Jaylene raised an eyebrow. “That’s odd. Who’d dare slap you?”

Noticing the strange tension between him and Alarieka, she ventured a guess. “Was it Alarieka?”

Victor kept silent, still touching his face.

Jaylene chuckled. “Your silence says it all. Judging by how fresh that mark is, she did it today, didn’t she?”

Victor pressed his lips together, stealing another glance where Alarieka had left.

Truthfully, the marks from Alarieka’s slap and his own should’ve faded by now—they vanished yesterday.

But Victor wanted her sympathy, so he’d slapped himself again that morning to make the red palm print linger.

It hadn’t worked. Alarieka showed no pity and still refused to let him come along.

Victor’s mood soured.

Jaylene probed eagerly. “So? What did you do to piss off Alarieka?”

The memory irritated Victor. He didn’t want to discuss it, but recalled Jaylene had come to the capital with Alarieka—she likely knew about her past.

His eyes suddenly brightened.

He mumbled ambiguously, “Just… accidentally upset her.”

He immediately followed up: “Do you know who Alarieka is going to meet?”

He stared at Jaylene’s face, clearly seeing her gossipy expression darken instantly. Her tone remained flat: “Of course. The mighty Mr. Argent.”