The moment those words left my mouth, the entire classroom seemed to be frozen by a pause button.
All the students were stunned even Rose, who moments ago had been openly gloating, stood there dumbfounded. The gap between expectation and reality was simply too great. People always said that girls were afraid of mice, let alone dead ones, dirty, foul-smelling things like these. And yet I, who looked so weak and delicate, didn't even have a tremor in my hands.
Rose stared at me wide-eyed, her gaze practically trying to bore a hole through my body, desperately searching for even the tiniest crack of fear. Unfortunately for her, she was utterly disappointed. I wasn't afraid. Not only was I unafraid, I was looking at those mice with a calmness that was almost… gentle.
I could clearly hear the grinding of Rose's teeth.
The corner of my lips curved slightly. To be honest, compared to the things I'd seen before, this wasn't even worth frowning over. Venomous snakes, live rats, fresh blood, the stench of iron, I'd long since grown used to them.
Ignoring everyone's dazed stares, I carefully wrapped the three mice with a napkin, my gentle voice echoing through the classroom.
"There's nothing scary about it. Look, they're completely motionless. There's no threat at all."
The girls clung tightly to each other, trembling, faces pale as if they were about to cry. They were clearly scared to death, yet none of them dared to refute me.
I smiled, my smile growing softer and softer.
How ridiculous. I'd seen piles of venomous snakes and live rats, how could I be frightened by something like this?
Besides, there was no way these mice had appeared in my desk drawer for no reason. And they were dead, right there. One glance was enough to tell that someone had deliberately interfered.
I raised an eyebrow, my gaze sweeping across the classroom like radar, capturing every expression.
Most of them were genuinely terrified.
Only one was different.
Rose.
She was afraid too but not out of pure fear. It was the horror of watching a script that was supposed to unfold… completely fall apart. Her expression was stiff, her eyes full of confusion, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
The answer surfaced instantly in my mind.
I narrowed my eyes, my smile gradually turning cold. Rose had rushed back from Country Ravenholm, she clearly hadn't planned to stay long. And now she was resorting to the most childish, and also the most despicable, tricks.
I turned my face away, my voice returning to its original pleasant tone.
"All right, everyone, don't be scared. I'll just throw them away."
Holding the napkin, I walked toward the trash can. At that exact moment, I noticed Rose quietly stretching out her leg from the opposite corner, blocking my path.
Trying to trip me?
I almost laughed out loud.
I'd played tricks like these until I was sick of them back when I lived in the countryside.
I withdrew my gaze, my expression relaxed as if I hadn't noticed anything, and kept walking. But just as I passed by Rose, I suddenly leaned sideways and flicked my wrist...
Bang.
The three dead mice flew straight onto her desk.
They lay neatly wrapped in the napkin black, bristly fur, mouths slightly open, bodies stiff. In that instant, the scene was so grotesque that the entire classroom fell dead silent.
Rose stared.
A few seconds later, a shrill scream tore through the air.
"Ah!"
She jumped up to run, only to catch on the edge of the desk and crash to the floor. One arm braced against the ground, pain twisting her face.
"Rosy! You did that on purpose, didn't you?!" she screamed up at me, her voice full of hatred.
In everyone else's eyes, Rose had always been an aloof, beautiful young lady who had to maintain elegance at all times. But now, kneeling on the floor and shrieking insults, she looked no different from a fishmonger screaming in the marketplace.
The entire class was stunned.
"Rose, Rosy is so gentle, don't talk nonsense," Hezze immediately stepped forward, her voice brimming with indignation.
Rose's face turned deathly pale, rage blazing in her eyes.
As for me, I remained completely at ease. I blinked, my eyes beneath curved lashes looking both innocent and sweet, just like a spotless little white rabbit.
Covering my mouth, I apologized softly.
"Ah… I'm really sorry. My hand slipped."
My hand slipped.
Rose nearly fainted from anger.
But the other students were completely disarmed by my "pitiful" appearance. Small, innocent, gentle and daring enough to pick up dead mice with bare hands. Who could bear to blame me?
I wrapped the mice again and tossed them neatly into the trash. After washing my hands and disinfecting them with alcohol, I returned to the classroom. Immediately, I felt countless burning gazes fixated on me.
A soft, white rabbit… yet brave enough to pick up three dead mice barehanded.
Compared to me, they looked more like a flock of helpless "chicks."
"Rosy, you're amazing!" Hezze gave me a thumbs-up, her voice full of admiration. "I was so scared my legs went weak were you really not afraid at all?"
"Not afraid." I shrugged. "Growing up, I've seen mice and snakes more times than I've eaten meals."
Actually… they were rather cute.
Especially venomous snakes wonderful medicinal ingredients.
Hezze shuddered, looking at me as if I were some kind of big boss.
The dead-mouse incident quickly passed, and the classroom gradually returned to calm. Halley, sitting behind me, gently poked my back with the cap of his pen.
I turned around. Under the sunlight streaming through the window, it felt as though a thin, gentle layer of light covered my whole body soft and warm.
"What is it?" I asked.
Halley stood behind my desk. He was tall, with a lean but not frail build, broad shoulders shaped by regular exercise. His light-brown hair was slightly messy from his habit of running a hand through it when nervous; his nose bridge was high and straight, and his amber eyes were unusually bright at the moment nervous and urgent. When I looked at him, he swallowed unconsciously, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"Little angel…" His voice dropped, tinged with hesitation. "Have you… worked as a doctor in a hospital before? In… rehabilitation and neurology?"
I paused slightly, then nodded.
"Yeah. I interned and participated in clinical treatment for a while. Why?"
Halley's eyes lit up instantly, like a drowning man grabbing hold of a lifeline. He leaned in a little closer, speaking quickly, afraid I might change my mind. He told me about his older brother, Jason, who had suffered lower-limb nerve damage after an accident and had been in a wheelchair for years. Recently, after a round of treatment, his legs had suddenly begun to regain sensation, even intense pain but the attending doctor had left without leaving any contact information.
I listened carefully, without interrupting.
"He has sensation now and pain?" I confirmed, my voice unconsciously turning more professional.
"Yes!" Halley nodded vigorously, his ears turning slightly red with excitement. "Real pain, not that fake numbness. He says it feels like needles stabbing deep into his flesh."
I nodded slightly, already reorganizing the information in my head.
"That's a good sign. Pain means the nerve pathways are starting to recover. You can proceed to the next stage of treatment nerve stimulation combined with intensive functional rehabilitation. If your family trusts me, I can review his records and examine him."
"We trust you!" Halley almost shouted. "My whole family trusts you!"
Hezze chimed in from the side, resting her chin in her hands and grinning, her eyes sparkling.
"Looks like everyone in this family has great quality. The brother in a wheelchair is handsome, and the little brother is like a puppy."
Halley laughed shyly at the teasing, dimples appearing as the tension finally eased.
"Little angel," he took a deep breath, summoning his courage. "After class… could you come home with me?"
I froze.
Captian's gloomy face instantly surfaced in my mind those deep, abyss-like black eyes. Last time, I'd only had one meal with Halley and Captian had been furious enough to nearly freeze the entire villa. If I went home with him this time…
I didn't dare think any further.
I was afraid that when the time came, it wouldn't be me "going home" but that some demon king would personally tear that entire villa apart.