Chapter 71

"Leia, look! Harley's here!" The girls around Leia immediately exchanged teasing glances.

When Leia saw Harley standing at the door, a pink hue instantly spread across her face. She then put on an awkward smile and said to the girls, "What's the big deal? Why are you all crowding around me?"

Girl 1 teased, "Still acting coy? During military training…" Harley ignored everyone. "But when you bought him water, he actually drank it!"

Leia blinked and defended herself, "What's wrong with that? We help each other out. It's just that one buys water for Harley, and the other only drinks the water you bought."

"You two are just…" Girl 2 giggled, "Right, helping each other out, or classmates, we get it."

Leia, embarrassed, covered her face and said, "Oh, stop! If Harley hears you, I won't be able to face anyone!"

Girl 3 smirked, "What's the big deal? I've never seen Harley treat anyone else like this. Just admit it."

Leia, smiling sweetly, replied, "It's all just rumors, you guys keep spreading things. If you keep this up, I'll get mad!"

The girls laughed, saying, "Harley's coming over, hurry up and greet him."

Harley, dressed in a black casual tracksuit, walked into the room. His tall, athletic figure and handsome face exuded a cool, laid-back vibe that immediately captured the attention of everyone in the class.

Leia had gotten along pretty well with Harley during military training. Compared to other girls, Harley was noticeably more patient with her. It made Leia think that maybe there was still a chance for her. After all, why would Harley treat her so differently if he didn't like her?

When Harley walked over, Leia stood up, ready to greet him. However, just as she opened her mouth with a smile, Harley completely ignored her and swiftly walked toward Noelle.

"Noelle, you're here!" Harley said excitedly, sitting down beside Noelle without even acknowledging Leia.

Noelle, who had been deep in thought, brightened at the sight of Harley, feeling like she had found a lifeline. "You came just in time, I need to ask you something."

"Sure, what's up?" Harley asked, noticing the sparkle in Noelle's eyes. He thought to himself, "Noelle is so cute, her eyes shine like stars."

Noelle pulled Harley closer and whispered in his ear, "I just want to ask you about…"

Meanwhile, the girls watching were stunned. "Wait, what's going on? Why did Harley sit next to Noelle? Does Noelle have a problem? Acting so familiar, pulling Harley aside to whisper, is she trying to show off?"

"Leia, aren't you going to stop this? Noelle is definitely using her connection with you to get close to Harley. How disgusting!" The girls muttered among themselves.

Leia felt a surge of anger. Her gaze fixed on Noelle and Harley, her hands gripping her clothes tightly, nearly tearing them apart. She thought that after two weeks of spending time together, Harley would have started to care about her. But now, as soon as Noelle showed up, it was as if Harley's focus was completely on her.

"What's so special about that bitch?" Leia seethed with jealousy but forced a smile, trying to maintain her composure. "What's the big deal? Harley is a good guy, and as the class leader, he's just taking care of the weaker members of the class."

"Honestly, Noelle probably skipped military training just to take advantage of this, right?"

"God, that's so scheming!"

"Unbelievable, she's such a green tea bitch!"

Leia heard the angry voices and glanced back at Noelle and Harley, who were sitting close together. Harley's eyes were glued to Noelle as if everything else around them was invisible.

"Noelle, here's the thing. Do you know what's going on?" Noelle said, explaining her feeling of being ostracized and asking Harley if he knew why.

Harley wasn't interested in gossip and wasn't aware of the rumors. He thought for a moment and said, "Maybe it's because you've missed two weeks of school. You didn't get the chance to bond with the group, but don't worry, you're amazing, and once you spend some time with everyone, you'll…"

Harley didn't actually want Noelle to fit in with the class. He was secretly glad that she hadn't. This way, he could keep her all to himself during school time.

"Is that so?" Noelle asked, resting her chin on her hands, feeling unsure. She didn't think it was that simple, but since Harley said so, she didn't feel like pursuing it further. "Fine, I'll ask Nick after school."

After class, Harley turned to Noelle and said, "Noelle, let me treat you to pasta for lunch. How was the restaurant we went to last time?"

"Sure," Noelle replied, happy at the offer.

Harley smiled, his lips curling up. "Great, let's go then!"

Just as they stood up, Leia suddenly walked over, smiling at Noelle. "Noelle, how about we have pasta together at lunch!"

Noelle turned her down, saying, "No need, Harley already invited me."

Leia's gaze shifted to Harley, and she gave him a playful wink, "Harley, how about we three go together? You treated us to pasta last time, so I should return the favor."

Harley was annoyed that Leia was inserting herself between him and Noelle. He shot her a cold look and said, "No need to make it a big deal. Last time was just an apology for me."

Leia, hearing this, said with a tinge of bitterness, "Oh, I see, it was just to apologize? Then why did you focus so much on Noelle and ignore me?"

Harley was speechless.

Leia then suddenly flashed a playful smile and said, "Just kidding. Anyway, who's treating doesn't matter, right? You agree, don't you, Noelle?"

Noelle shrugged nonchalantly, "I don't mind, as long as there's meat."

Seeing that Noelle didn't care, Harley sighed and said, "Fine, let's go."

The three of them headed out of the classroom. Outside, Leia's friends were waiting for her. She quickly turned to Harley with a smile. "Harley, wait here, I'll go tell my friends."

Harley sighed inwardly. "This girl always has to make everything complicated. She wouldn't stop clinging to me during military training, either. If it weren't for her being Noelle's relative, I would've cut ties with her already!"

Leia hurried to her friends and smiled. "Sorry, I'll be having pasta with Harley for lunch, you guys go ahead."

"Wow, looks like things are progressing nicely," one of her friends teased.

Leia blushed. "No, no, it's just pasta, nothing special. You're reading too much into it."

"But why's Noelle still going with you?" one friend asked, noticing Noelle by Harley's side.

Leia froze for a moment, then forced a smile. "I was chatting with Harley, and Noelle's just tagging along."

The girls instantly fumed with anger. "Does Noelle have a problem? Why is she crashing your lunch with Harley?"

"Leia, you need to keep an eye on Noelle, she's not as innocent as she seems."

"Unbelievable, I'm done with her."

Leia heard their voices growing louder and quickly intervened. "Okay, okay, it's not a big deal. I'll go now, we'll talk later, bye!" Leia walked over to where Harley and Noelle were waiting. Once again, it seemed like she was being blamed for something she hadn't even done.

There was some distance between them, but Noelle could still hear every word. And yet, when it came to Leia, her words were confusingly hard to criticize.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Leia said with a sweet smile as she arrived. Noelle stared at her, Leia felt uneasy under Noelle's intense gaze. Her face twitched as she forced a smile. "Noelle, why are you looking at me like that?"

Noelle, feeling slightly frustrated, turned away. "I'm not going to have pasta with you guys anymore."

At her words, Harley immediately tensed up and stopped her. "Noelle, what's wrong?"

Noelle sighed. "I'm just confused about something. I'm going to find Nick. You two go ahead. Bye." With that, she left on her own.

Leia, relieved, shrugged in front of Harley. "Noelle is really obsessed with Nicolas, Harley. Why don't we just go together?"

Harley watched Noelle walk away, his fists clenched. Then he turned to look at Leia…