Last night, after earning 200,000 star coins on the side, Vivienne got up early and bought a luxury scarf as a thank-you gift for Bailey Tong.
Even though Bailey had generously booked a long-term suite in the insanely expensive Zirak Tower…
After entering the tower, Vivienne messaged Bailey saying she had arrived. About five minutes later, Bailey replied.
[Bailey Tong]: Sorry, Xixi~ I just ran into an old friend I haven't seen in ages. I might have to stay a little longer.
[Bailey Tong]: Little cat smacking forehead.gif
[Vivienne Cross]: It's okay, no rush.
[Bailey Tong]: I'm on the 31st floor. Xixi can come find me here.
[Bailey Tong]: Or you can wait for me on the 64th floor. I'll be back soon!
Vivienne was hoping to get this over with quickly. After all, this was Zirak Tower…
Even though the odds were slim, it wasn't impossible to bump into certain people here.
Given her recent streak of bad luck, Vivienne carefully chose—
[Vivienne Cross]: Then I'll wait for you on the 64th floor.
[Vivienne Cross]: Salute with hood on.gif
She put down her terminal and said to the attendant, "Excuse me, please take me to the waiting area on the 64th floor."
"Fine, don't say anything if you don't want to. Acting all mysterious."
Having gone to ask Jan Squire about his love life only to be flatly shut down, Mason Pike sulked as he wandered off, only to look up and suddenly brighten.
"Hey!" A hand tapped her shoulder. Vivienne turned her head in confusion, only to see an unexpected face.
It was… the guy who barged in on the "cheating scandal" scene—Jan's possible future brother-in-law?
"Vivienne." Mason's excitement was palpable. "It really is you!"
He'd already given up, but who knew that just by turning his head, he'd spot the other party at the center of the drama.
"I knew it!" Mason was saying things Vivienne didn't understand. She couldn't figure out why he looked so happy to see her, or what exactly he had realized.
Vivienne was still waiting for the attendant to return. The first one had been called away by their supervisor, and this new one seemed lost, taking her around in circles until they wound up at someone's engagement party—
Then the attendant claimed they would find someone else to guide her, and disappeared into the crowd like a fish into the sea.
Within a minute, even with her unfamiliarity with the layout, Vivienne had lost patience and was ready to leave. She'd only heard two lines of gossip about the engaged couple being forced into marriage due to a pregnancy, and now Mason Pike had spotted her.
Vivienne tensed and stepped forward. "Mr. Pike, I have something urgent…"
She thought: No way, right? Don't tell me this is another trap?
"Hey, don't go!" Mason grabbed the sleeve of Vivienne's coat and glanced around before lowering his voice. "Tell me, Vivienne, I'm your senior too! Are you really dating Jan Squire?"
"Or is he chasing you? Are you two still in the ambiguous stage?"
The barrage of personal questions caught Vivienne completely off guard.
Huh?
What was all this? Was this something she could even answer?
But maybe it was because Mason's thirst for gossip looked so familiar and transparently sincere, or maybe it was the 200,000 star coins that Jan had deposited into her account—
Vivienne didn't deny it as firmly as last time. She gently pulled her sleeve from Mason's loose grip and politely replied, "Mr. Pike, you should probably ask Jan about that."
"I really need to go."
Mason looked reluctant. "Can I get a selfie? SS-rank?"
Vivienne didn't understand or agree, and after shaking her head, she elegantly strode away.
"I knew it!"
Wesley, who had been idly flicking at flower petals floating on his wine glass, lifted his eyes without interest.
He had expected Mason to return dejected and frustrated, but instead the guy looked like he'd popped something illicit and was practically glowing. He leaned in without a care for personal space and pointed.
"She's here! That SS-rank sentinel, she's really here!"
"Look, Wesley!"
In that split second, Vivienne's recently heightened senses picked up the noise amid the chaotic chatter.
[Wesley]
[Look, Wesley!]
The moment she heard that name, Vivienne's internal alarm screamed:
RUN, VIVIENNE!!!
Her graceful exit turned into a near-stumble, and without a second thought, she dashed out of the banquet hall like a gust of wind, drawing curious looks from all the posh guests nearby.
Seriously? Why did he keep haunting her like this?
Vivienne finally understood—when bad luck hit, even cold water could choke you.
Should she actually thank Milo for her hellish training?
["Training may be tough, but not only will it strengthen your body, it might help you escape danger in a crisis."]
["Think about that time in the guide dormitory—if you'd been faster, maybe the little duke wouldn't have caught you."]
Vivienne could almost hear Milo whispering devilishly in her ear.
—["Now imagine: if you're too slow in the banquet hall, won't that little duke catch you again?"]
Which might actually be true—
Or not!
If not for that stupid training, she wouldn't be needing such frequent mental counseling. She wouldn't be back at Zirak Tower again, begging Bailey for help!
Vivienne sprinted out of the banquet hall like a lightning bolt.
Totally freaked out, she messaged Bailey:
[Tongtong, can I go wait in your room now?]
Bailey didn't reply immediately.
Vivienne found another server on their way to deliver food. This one seemed way more reliable than the last. "Miss, this is the 31st floor. The 64th floor is for private residences. You'll need to take the elevator—please go left… Do you have a keycode?"
So this was the 31st floor? Bailey was right here, but Vivienne didn't want to risk wandering—what if she ran into him again?
"Can I use this keycode?" Vivienne showed the one she'd used to enter the tower.
Thankfully—
"Yes, that will work."
She headed toward the elevator, checking her terminal as she walked.
Bailey still hadn't responded. But now she had an incoming call.
It was her dear Milo.
She got straight to the point. "Vivienne, we've completed the investigation on Dong Ping'an."
"He insists he only left you on the bench at the Mingyuan gate and then left."
"The surveillance footage shows the same. But right after he left, the cameras went fuzzy for ten minutes."
"When the signal came back— you were gone from Mingyuan."
Yep.
Vivienne thought, in less than ten minutes she'd sprouted wings and flown straight into Wesley's room.
"He must think the entire faculty are fools."
"Still a student and already playing dirty games—"
"Due to the lack of hard evidence, and for the sake of the school's reputation, we've decided to expel him."
Vivienne figured the school should give the trial spot to someone who actually wanted it—
This hellish training was killing her.
"Milo, then… does this mean I can drop out of the Seven Schools Trial?"
"Vivienne, there's no backing out now. The school already submitted the participant list yesterday." Milo sounded exasperated. "This is such a great opportunity—why not seize it and create a future for yourself?"
Vivienne hadn't had high hopes anyway, and she inwardly complained about how decisively the school moved.
A clean cut, huh?
Sigh.
Take it one step at a time. This trial had both pros and cons.
After hanging up, Vivienne suddenly realized she'd walked right past the elevator doors.
She turned around—and saw a blond youth standing at the corner.
Her heart skipped a beat.
It was Wesley.
He gazed at her thoughtfully, those gold-green eyes reflecting her silhouette—
Who knew how long he'd been staring.
The crisp voice like polished jade, the willowy figure, the straight and proud posture…
As Vivienne turned around in shock, Wesley's eyes flickered with realization.
He curved his lips into a faint, ambiguous smile.
"I finally found you."
"That night, Wednesday…"
"It was you."