After class on Friday, Serena Sutton went straight home.
Upon reaching home, she was holding her phone, staring at the WeChat interface, and daydreaming.
She had added Caleb Lockwood on WeChat two days ago, but they hadn't spoken a word. Serena Sutton wanted to chat, but she couldn't find a topic.
With no experience, she didn't know what to talk about.
As she was pondering, she saw Ms. Hayes coming out of the bathroom clutching her nose, loudly questioning, "Who's been smoking in the bathroom again?"
"Everyone, come out."
Almost simultaneously, Mr. Sutton, Norbert Suttun, and Nathan Sutton opened their doors.
Nathan Sutton was holding a book, very thick and all in English. He pushed his glasses up and looked at Ms. Hayes with an indifferent expression.
"Wh-what's going on? What happened?" Mr. Sutton, holding a tea cup, walked over with a concerned look and asked.
Norbert Suttun lazily yawned, casually ruffling his hair, and leaned against the wall carelessly: "What's up?"
Ms. Hayes angrily scolded, "Who was smoking in the bathroom? It's full of choking smoke in there. Aren't you suffocating smoking in the bathroom? Norbert Suttun, confess honestly, was it you?"
"Why me?" Norbert found it somewhat amusing. He tilted his head and chuckled lightly: "I never smoke in secret, always out in the open."
"I wouldn't do something so sneaky." His tone was lazy, with a hint of roguishness.
Ms. Hayes squinted her eyes at him, as if trying to stare a hole through his face.
"In our house, you're the only one who smokes. If it's not you, who else?"
Hearing this, Serena Sutton instinctively glanced at Old Sutton standing aside. Old Sutton looked a bit uneasy, his eyes avoiding contact.
He definitely looked guilty like a thief.
Norbert Suttun lazily lifted his eyelid, casting a glance at Mr. Sutton: "Who knows, maybe some people just don't smoke in front of you."
Ms. Hayes, having heard this, seemed to understand Norbert's implication, narrowed her eyes dangerously, and looked at Mr. Sutton.
"Zane Suttun, could it be you?" She asked through clenched teeth.
Mr. Sutton gave a guilty laugh: "Not me, I've quit. Hehehe…"
Watching Mr. Sutton's guilty and awkward performance, Serena Sutton pinched Norbert Suttun's arm, asking in a low voice: "Isn't it a bit harsh to sell Old Sutton out like that?"
Norbert winced in pain, then grinned and bent down slightly, whispering in her ear: "In this situation, it's either him or me. Survival is key. Why are you so biased?"
With that, he pinched her cheek as a form of revenge.
Serena Sutton pouted, huffed, and didn't want to pay attention to him.
Ms. Hayes moved closer to Mr. Sutton and sniffed him, then sneered coldly: "Still lying. How do you explain the smell of smoke on you?"
Mr. Sutton cowered instantly: "I, I, um…"
"Get in here." Ms. Hayes grabbed Mr. Sutton's hand with great force, yanked him, and pulled him into the room.
With a bang, the door was shut. Serena Sutton leaned against the door, straining her ears to listen to the commotion inside.
The soundproofing at home was quite good, but traces of Ms. Hayes reprimanding Mr. Sutton could still be heard faintly.
"Tsk tsk, poor Old Sutton," she couldn't help but sigh.
Norbert Suttun, with one hand in his pocket, sauntered behind her, yawning: "I heard you're going to the Children's Welfare Institute on Sunday?"
"How did you know?" Serena turned her head, frowned, and stared at him suspiciously.
Indeed, their volunteer association planned to visit the Children's Welfare Institute on Sunday, but how did her second brother know?
"I forgot to tell you earlier, the president of your volunteer association, the one from the computer science department, is interning at our company. He's one of my fanboys."
Norbert Suttun rubbed her head, grinning mischievously.
Serena Sutton twitched her mouth. Although Norbert looked unreliable, he was quite amazing in his field and a big shot back in school. Little did she expect he had so many fanboys and fangirls.
No wonder he was always aware of whatever events she attended.
"Hey, can you even find your way? You won't get yourself lost again, will you?" Norbert's voice was somewhat hoarse with sleepiness, dragging out the lazy tone, magnetic in quality.
Serena felt her intelligence being insulted: "Do you think I'm stupid? Can't I just call a taxi?"
"I'll take you." A deep, mellow voice chimed in, the tone indifferent.
Serena Sutton and Norbert Suttun simultaneously looked at Nathan Sutton, who had somehow closed his book and stood with a serious expression.
Norbert raised an eyebrow, lowered his eyes, and placed a large hand on Serena's head: "Then let big brother take you."
With that said, he returned to his room. Originally, he planned to take this little directionless one himself, but since big brother offered… so be it.
"Big brother, I can manage on my own. You don't have to specially take me…"
"What time?" Nathan Sutton suddenly interrupted Serena, the young lady paused, held up eight fingers.
Honestly, when facing Nathan alone, Serena still feared him a little. She always felt her elder brother had this "domineering CEO" aura about him.
Cold, reticent, and successful. Anyone would be in awe of him.
Nathan Sutton nodded, said nothing, and turned into the room.
After dinner, Ms. Hayes asked Serena to write a sign on A4 paper and stick it at the bathroom door.
No Smoking.
Serena wrote a few more and stuck them in the living room, on the balcony, and even at Norbert Suttun's door.
Upon seeing it, Norbert unceremoniously pinched her nose, threatening: "Looking for trouble, huh?"
Putting such a sign on his door? Cheeky move.
Serena, with her nose pinched and feeling miserable, yelled for help: "Dad, Mom, second brother is hitting me!"
Mr. Sutton was the first to rush out, grabbing a feather duster nearby as he came.
"Norbert Suttun, what are you doing? Bullying your sister again! Are you looking for a beating?"
Norbert: "…" He was definitely at the bottom of the food chain.
-
Victor Rhodes followed Caleb Lockwood out of the operating room, feeling utterly exhausted and thirsty, so he went downstairs to the supermarket to buy two bottles of energy drink.
When he returned to the office, Caleb Lockwood was writing in the surgical records, his gaze cold and focused.
"Teacher Lockwood, have a drink. I noticed you haven't drunk much water today. This will help replenish some energy." Victor placed the drinks on Caleb Lockwood's desk.
Without raising his head and remaining focused on typing, Caleb replied coolly, "Thanks, I don't drink beverages."
Victor paused for a moment, feeling a bit awkward, and hurriedly said, "Then I'll get you a cup of hot water."
Is this one of Teacher Lockwood's quirks? It's quite unique.
Caleb nodded, continuing his work.
Yet suddenly his phone rang.
It was a WeChat message.
Since that day, he had set notifications for messages.
Caleb took out his phone, his dark eyes fixed on the screen, his gaze flashing slightly.
Student Serena, who dreams of getting rich: "Hello Dr. Lockwood, my name is Serena Sutton."