“Oh, alright! Miranda, go a—”

Before Madison could finish her sentence, Miranda was already far away.

Madison stood there, puzzled. “Why is she in such a hurry?” It was rare to see Miranda this flustered and in such a rush.

Miranda had hurried out of the lecture hall, following Paul down the shaded path before finally catching up with him.

He looked at her in surprise.

She took a deep breath, calming herself before looking him directly in the eye. “Dr. Jefferson, do you have a problem with me?”

Paul’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t expected her to chase after him, and even less to ask something so direct.

“…No,” he replied quietly. How could he have a problem with her?

“If not, then why have you been avoiding me?”

Paul’s gaze flickered, avoiding hers. He was clearly feeling guilty.

“…I wasn’t avoiding you.” He coughed, his voice low.

“Did something happen that I don’t know about?” Miranda pressed further.

Paul froze, his mind unintentionally filling with inappropriate scenes and vivid details from his dreams. And now, the woman from those dreams was standing right in front of him.

All he had to do was reach out. He could pull her into his arms, just like in the dream…lower his head, and gently kiss her…

The thought jolted him back to reality, and he mentally scolded himself. What on earth was he thinking?

When he met Miranda’s clear, innocent eyes again, he felt even more ashamed.

“Dr. Jefferson? Dr. Jefferson!” she called, snapping him out of his daze.

“Huh? Sorry, I was lost in thought.”

“Are you sick?” Miranda asked, feeling concerned as she studied him.

Paul was confused.

“Your face,” she said, as she pointed to her cheek. “It’s really red.”

It looked like he had a fever.

Paul became even more flustered. “It’s probably the heat… too much sun.”

“Is that so?” Miranda seemed to accept his explanation.

“I don’t know why you’ve been avoiding me lately, and maybe I misunderstood, but that’s not what matters,” Miranda said earnestly, her eyes focused on him.

“From now on, could you promise not to do that? Or, if I’ve done something wrong, just tell me directly. I don’t like guessing games.”

She didn’t want to lose Paul as a mentor and friend over something so unclear.

He gave a slight nod. “Alright.”

Miranda smiled. “Shall we go to the cafeteria for lunch then?”

Feeling relieved, Paul nodded again. “Sure.”

Madison was also in the cafeteria. Her mouth slightly opened in shock, with a few bits of beans falling out.

Sebastian, sitting across from her, finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Can you close your mouth, please?”

Madison mumbled an apology, “Sorry, I just can’t.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “What now?”

She motioned with her chin toward something. When Sebastian turned to look, he too was momentarily stunned.

Not far away, Miranda and Paul were sitting together, eating and chatting. The atmosphere between them looked surprisingly harmonious.

“What’s so shocking about that?” Sebastian asked, turning back to his meal.

Madison leaned in, grinning mischievously. “Hey, do you think Dr. Jefferson is handsome?”

“Yes,” Sebastian answered honestly.

“And Miranda’s pretty, right?”

“Mm–hmm.”

“So, what do you think of the two of them together?”

Sebastian looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“Do they look like a good match?”

Sebastian sighed, clearly annoyed. “Just eat your food. Why are you worrying about this?”

Madison pouted. Some people were just no fun!

After finishing their meal, Paul told Miranda he needed to head to the lab. They then parted ways at the entrance of the cafeteria. But after walking a few steps, he suddenly turned back.

Miranda looked at him in surprise.