Chapter 0316
Since it was lunchtime, the entire lab was quiet.
Paul opened the door to his break room. First, he washed his hands at the sink and wiped his face before walking toward the inner room. His clean clothes were kept inside.
Paul pushed the door open and approached the cabinet. As he unbuttoned his shirt, he reached for the clean one.
Miranda had woken up the moment Paul opened the door. Her folding bed was placed behind the door. When the door was open, it concealed her conveniently, creating a natural hidden corner.
However, being concealed didn’t mean being completely hidden. It was just harder to notice her; it didn’t mean she couldn’t see anything.
The sight of Paul taking off his shirt appeared before Miranda the second she opened her eyes. The shirt was already halfway off his shoulders.
Miranda was stunned at the sight.
As she was hesitating whether to speak up to remind him of her presence in the room, he had already taken off his shirt completely.
Well, there was no need to hesitate now. Speaking up at that moment would only make things more awkward.
So, Miranda chose to close her eyes and pretend to be fast asleep.
Despite that, the image before she closed her eyes was burned into her memory. Paul’s smooth back, toned muscles, broad shoulders, and narrow waist lingered in her mind, unbidden, vivid as ever.
Miranda suddenly felt a little guilty.
Paul finished changing into a clean shirt. He packed away the one he had just taken off and turned to leave. Suddenly, he noticed a corner of the folding bed peeking out from behind the door.
His breath hitched in his throat and his body stiffened, as if he remembered something.
Paul tiptoed toward the door, slowly and gently pulled it aside.
Sure enough, Miranda was having her afternoon nap on the folding bed.
It seemed that she hadn’t woken up. Paul finally exhaled the breath he had been holding. Miranda was sleeping soundly, her eyes tightly closed. Her long, thick eyelashes rested on her cheeks like tiny fans.
However…
Paul noticed the blanket on Miranda had slipped to one side.
He picked it up and gently covered her with the blanket. He found himself lost in thought as he gazed at Miranda’s sleeping face.
He quickly averted his gaze and left the inner room in haste.
Fortunately, no one but him knew how flustered he was at the moment, or how fast his heart was pounding.
Miranda found it excruciating to pretend to be asleep. Her heart was in her throat when Paul approached her.
He seemed like he was standing right by the folding bed. With a soft rustling sound, the blanket covered her.
Miranda was stunned. Paul was really… too considerate!
But why wasn’t he leaving? What was he standing there for? Was there something on her face? That short minute felt like an eternity to her.
Finally, Paul left. Judging from his footsteps, he must have walked away quickly. Miranda opened her eyes and let out a breath of relief.
“Paul? Why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to have class, so you wouldn’t be here today?”
Paul had just exited the break room when he ran into Silas. He replied expressionlessly, “I came to grab something.”
“Why are you sweating? Your face seems a little red…”
“I didn’t turn on the air conditioning in the outer room.”
Silas continued, “That’s true. Usually, Miranda takes her nap in the inner room, so the outer room’s air conditioner is off to save energy. She hates wastage, just like you.”
“Yeah.” Paul nodded.
“Hey, didn’t you see her when you went in?”
Paul shook his head. “No, I was only in the outer room.”
“I see.”
The reason Paul lied wasn’t because he felt guilty. Instead, he thought that him barging into the room while a young woman like Miranda was napping could affect her reputation.
Paul knew that Silas wouldn’t make a big deal out of it, but he couldn’t be sure that Silas wouldn’t mention this to others unintentionally. Some people might not mean harm, but others could have ulterior motives.
It was better to nip any rumors in the bud.
Silas asked, “What’s your schedule for the afternoon?”
“I have classes,” Paul replied.