After learning the truth, Ethan felt a swirl of emotions. He turned around, wanting to say something to comfort Zinnia. He called out, "Zinnia!"

Zinnia flipped through a comic book. It was a gift from Fiona. Fiona had been reluctant to part with it, but eventually gave it to Zinnia with a heavy heart. Zinnia hadn’t had much time to read it before.

Now that Zinnia was at school, she found it impossible to focus during class. So, she brought the comic book along. As long as it wasn’t studying, Zinnia felt like she could do anything. Hearing Ethan call her name, she looked up.

Meeting her clear, innocent eyes, Ethan realized Zinnia didn’t seem to care about the Shaw family drama at all. He fumbled around and pulled out a lollipop.

He handed it to her and said, “I just wanted to ask if you’d like some candy. This one’s really good.”

Zinnia’s eyes lit up when she took the lollipop. She said, “Thank you.” After a moment, she started rummaging through her desk drawer, digging around until she found a box of chocolates. She handed it to Ethan.

Ethan looked at Zinnia with a puzzled look.

After dealing with Lydia’s silent reactions, Zinnia had finally figured out what silence usually meant. She nodded earnestly and said, “Thank you for the candy. My brother says you should always return a favor. It’s the polite thing to do.”

Seeing how serious Zinnia was, Ethan burst out laughing.

Brian turned to Zinnia. He held a pink box of cookies with a strawberry bear design. His narrow eyes sparkled with amusement as he teased, “Zinnia, what will you give me in return if I give you the cookies?”

He remarked inside, ‘It’s rare to meet someone this pure-hearted like her.’

Zinnia rummaged through her desk and finally pulled out a bag of nuts. She looked up at Brian and asked, “Do you want these?”

“Sure,” Brian said with a laugh, clearly entertained by her sincerity. He handed Zinnia the cookies and took the nuts in return.

Zinnia blinked, completely clueless as to why everyone was laughing. She tucked the lollipop and cookies into her desk and continued to read her comic book.

Lydia glanced at Zinnia and couldn’t help but smile. She thought, 'Zinnia is kind of adorable.'

Lydia looked up at the two boys in the front row. They exchanged amused glances before bursting into laughter. They all had the same idea about Zinnia.

The self-study period ended with the sound of the bell. Zinnia rummaged through her bag and pulled out a pack of cookies. Just as she was ready to enjoy them, a shadow fell across her desk.

Zinnia looked up to see Maisie standing in front of her, arms loaded with snacks. Behind Maisie, a group of girls had gathered, each holding an assortment of treats. Their gazes fixed on Zinnia with an intensity.

Zinnia had just unwrapped her cookie and hadn’t even taken a bite. Blinking nervously, she held out the cookie and asked, “Do you want some?” Her voice was soft and uncertain.

She thought, ‘Why are they staring at me like this? Some of them even have reddened eyes. I haven’t done anything wrong, have I? I've been perfectly well-behaved in class, just sipping milk and flipping through the comic book, barely saying a word.’

The girls couldn’t resist Zinnia’s adorable expression, which tugged at their heartstrings and made them feel protective of her. Maisie bent down and placed her pile of snacks on Zinnia’s desk. Then, without warning, she leaned in and planted a kiss on Zinnia’s cheek.

She said, “Zinnia, you’re the cutest little thing. Don’t worry, we will take good care of you from now on.”

Chapter 48

Zinnia froze, her lips slightly parted in shock. She didn’t know how to react. Her mind went blank as she stared at Maisie, completely stumped.

Maisie’s neat, shoulder-length hair framed her delicate features, and her slightly upturned fox-like eyes gave her a bold, striking look. Her eyes were filled with joy, as if she had just found her favorite treasure. She even touched her lips absentmindedly, as though savoring the memory.

Zinnia instinctively touched the spot on her cheek where she’d been kissed. She thought, ‘Master and Jackson never warned me that school would be this strange.’

Maisie had acted on impulse. She felt Zinnia’s skin as delicate as silk, irresistibly charming. Unable to control herself, Maisie kissed Zinnia with a bit too much force, leaving Zinnia with the distinct impression that she’d been nibbled on.

“Are you hungry? I’m not tasty, but these cookies are really good,” Zinnia stammered. She nervously handed a cookie to Maisie while covering her face with one hand.

She thought, ‘Cookies are for eating, not me. Sure, Maisie is pretty and smells nice, but that doesn’t mean she could take a bite out of me!'

Zinnia didn’t mind too much. Back in the town, Fiona and the others loved to pinch her cheeks whenever her Master wasn’t looking. She figured she just had one of those faces people couldn’t resist, aside from her family.

Though Maisie’s sudden kiss felt a bit strange, Zinnia wasn’t angry. She could sense that Maisie meant no harm. Maisie was the first person in this class to shower Zinnia with compliments. Maisie’s kindness was as clear as day.

Maisie clutched her chest dramatically as she gazed at Zinnia’s bewildered expression. She exclaimed, “Zinnia, you’re so cute I could die!”

The other girls stared at Maisie with burning jealousy. They thought, ‘We were just a step too slow. If we’d been quicker, we could’ve stolen a kiss from Zinnia, too. With such a pretty face, her cheeks probably feel soft and sweet.’

Feeling the intense gazes on her, Zinnia turned her head and saw several other girls eyeing her like she was a delicious snack. She pursed her lips and hesitated before saying, “You can’t bite me. I’m not tasty.”

Zinnia protested inside, 'I’m not food. Why does everyone want to bite me? Maisie even made a sneak attack.'

Seeing Zinnia’s serious expression, those girls laughed, though they also felt a pang of regret.

“Do you need something from me?” Zinnia asked softly as she glanced from one girl to another.

Hearing her question, the girls suddenly remembered their purpose. With a collective determination, they pushed past Maisie and dumped a pile of items onto Zinnia’s desk. The small desk was quickly overwhelmed, with some things even spilling onto the floor.

“Zinnia, these are for you,” one of the girls said brightly.

“Why are you giving me these?” Zinnia asked, puzzled.

The table was laden with imported snacks–biscuits, chips, chocolates, candies, everything one could think of.

A girl explained, “Because we like you. And these aren’t just from us. Some of the boys chipped in too. They were too shy to give them to you directly, so they asked us to do it.”

The boys thought Zinnia looked adorable when she ate. Too shy to approach her directly, they had the girls deliver the snacks on their behalf. When they were caught staring, some of them even smiled sheepishly.

In the end, Zinnia shared all the snacks she had brought in her backpack, but she ended up with an even bigger pile of new treats.

Chapter 49