Andrew unpacked his luggage and put everything in place before glancing at the tightly shut bedroom door.
"I can't just hide in here forever… Can I?"
Right then, his stomach growled. He hadn't eaten anything since morning.
Andrew took a deep breath, steeling himself.
"A real man is born between heaven and earth; how can he live in gloom, confined to a room for long! At worst, it's just death. Worst case… I die. What's there to be afraid of?"
After bolstering his courage, Andrew cautiously opened the door.
He peeked into the living room, but it was surprisingly empty. He could only hear the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.
Through the frosted glass, he could make out a faint, blurred silhouette.
"Taking a shower at noon?"
Andrew frowned slightly, then shrugged it off, "Well… She's already weird and terrifying. Taking a shower at noon isn't anything unusual for her."
Just as he was about to head out for lunch, his phone suddenly rang.
Seeing his mother's name on the screen, he answered immediately, panic clear in his voice.
"Mom! I can't stay here! You need to find me another place right now!"
"Why?"
"Because this is Scarlett we're talking about! If I stay here, I might actually get beaten to death!"
Hearing his frantic tone, Alexa frowned slightly on the other end.
Listening to Andrew's frantic rambling, Alexa thought he had heatstroke. "What nonsense are you talking about? Little Letty was my student; she's a perfectly nice girl, okay? Did the heat get to your head or something?"
"Argh! That's how she is with you, but she has a completely different face with us! You have no idea how scary she is. She practically walks around with a killing aura!"
Leaning against the wall, he kept rambling, completely caught up in his panic. He didn't notice the water in the bathroom had stopped. Or that the glass door had quietly slid open.
On the other end of the call, Alexa's reaction slowly shifted from confusion to concern.
"Andrew, I really think you've got heatstroke or something. Are you hallucinating? You should go to a hospital."
"I'm fine, Mom. You have to believe me."
Some of what Andrew said was based on rumors, but one thing he had seen with his own eyes.
Outside their high school, he had personally watched Scarlett slap a man so hard he staggered back several steps.
Even from a distance, Andrew had heard that crisp slapping sound clearly.
This wasn't a rumor; he had seen it himself!
"Alright, alright, I believe you," Alexa said, clearly unconvinced. "But you should still get checked out in the hospital."
"No! I'm really not joking!"
Andrew suddenly felt like he was being treated as a lunatic, no matter how much he explained, his mom didn't believe him.
"Forget it… just enjoy your trip."
Andrew knew that explaining further was a waste of breath, so he gave up.
After hanging up the phone, he prepared to head out for lunch.
To his surprise, as soon as he turned around, his eyes met Scarlett's gaze. The distance between them was barely a few feet.
!!!
Andrew instantly sucked a breath of cold air, so startled that he dropped his phone.
Before it could hit the ground, Scarlett reached out and caught it effortlessly.
At that moment, only one thought echoed in Andrew's mind.
'I'm done for. I'm definitely dead this time.'
He felt that Scarlett must have heard everything he just said. Even an ordinary person would be unhappy, let alone this woman whose gaze alone could kill.
As Scarlett held his phone, Andrew's mind spiraled out of control.
'Is she going to crush my phone with her bare hands?'
'No… she'll probably smash it against my head instead.'
'Why isn't she saying anything? Is she… holding it in? Should I run? Is it too late to run?'
---
While Andrew was lost in his wild thoughts, Scarlett handed the phone back to him. "Hold onto it. It's a hassle to fix if it breaks."
This left Andrew stunned. He looked at Scarlett in a daze, momentarily unable to react.
This seemed a bit different from what he had imagined.
"What are you dazing for? Don't tell me you don't want your phone anymore?"
Scarlett suddenly raised her voice slightly and spoke with a cold expression.
To Andrew, it sounded less like a question and more like a warning. He quickly reached out and took the phone.
"Th-Thank you… um, Teacher Scarlett… about earlier…"
Andrew wanted to apologize to Scarlett for what had just happened, but his nervousness made him stutter.
Before he could finish, Scarlett placed a key in his hand, "This is the apartment key. Keep it safe. If you lose it, we'll have to change the locks. It's troublesome.
"Oh—okay!"
Andrew nodded quickly, clutching the key like it was something important.
Scarlett slipped on her shoes and opened the door. Noticing Andrew still standing there, she glanced back at him.
"Aren't you going to eat? Why are you just standing there?"
Andrew didn't dare eat with her.
But after everything he had just said behind her back… refusing now would feel even worse.
After a moment of hesitation, he followed her out.
Just as the two of them stepped out of the stairwell, Scarlett received a message from Alexa.
"Little Letty, I feel like Andrew might have a bit of heatstroke today. Could you please take him to the hospital for a check-up later?"
Scarlett glanced at Andrew, who looked tense even while walking, shy typed back.
"He does seem like he has heatstroke, acting all jumpy. But there's no need to go through the trouble of the hospital; I'll just look after him."
"Alright, then I'll leave it to you, Little Letty. Once school starts, keep a close eye on Andrew. If he doesn't listen, feel free to discipline him."
Looking at the message, the corner of Scarlett's mouth curled slightly as she replied with an, "Mhm."
She then glanced at Andrew, who was nervously looking ahead beside her, and thought to herself, "This Little Thing doesn't seem to need me to teach him a lesson; he's already quite obedient, isn't he?"
Walking onto the street outside the apartment, Scarlett asked Andrew, "What are you having for lunch?"
Andrew had been deep in thought. Being suddenly asked made him jump. "An... anything is fine. You choose, Teacher Scarlett."
"Let's have pizza and a cold drink. It's a bit hot today."
"Oh… Okay."
Andrew followed Scarlett into a pizza shop.
While eating the noodles, Andrew was still somewhat uneasy, still feeling anxious about the phone call in the apartment.
He was certain that Scarlett must have heard everything he said about her during that call.
But why didn't Scarlett show any reaction? It was as if she didn't care at all. That shouldn't be right.
Is she holding back for something big? Or perhaps she plans to make her move on me in the dead of night?
And she seems to walk without making a sound. If I fall asleep at night, wouldn't I be dead meat?
That's it. I'm finished. A handsome man like me… dying tragically in bed…
"What are you thinking about? Why aren't you eating?"
Scarlett's cold yet pleasant voice interrupted Andrew's imagination once again, bringing him back to reality.
"No... nothing. I'm just a bit hot, so my appetite isn't very good."
But the truth was, he didn't feel hot at all.
Ever since entering the apartment, a chill had settled in his body, cold sweat clinging to his back.
But was Andrew really hot? Ever since he entered the apartment, he had felt his body was chilly, and he had broken out in quite a bit of cold sweat.
And for some reason, Andrew always felt like he had been sold out by someone.