Chapter 4: To Be His Girlfriend

"Mm..."

In the bathroom, amidst the rising steam, Tara curled up on the floor, clutching her knees in distress.

Her skin, usually as smooth and flawless as fine jade, was now covered in several startling red scratch marks.

Is Killian having an allergic reaction?

Tara couldn't understand why he wouldn't see a doctor or take some medicine to suppress it.

It was the same last time—his stomach was clearly bad, yet he kept skipping meals.

Did he have a self-destructive streak?

She wondered how he had even survived this long!

Tara’s body trembled, her nails nearly digging into her skin as she silently endured the discomfort radiating from her nerves.

The next day.

"Tara, you don't have class this morning. Why are you up so early?"

Josie, eyes half-closed, watched Tara finish getting ready and grab her bag. She asked in a low, curious whisper.

Tara whispered back, "To bring him breakfast."

There was no need to ask who "he" was.

Josie’s tone was teasing. "Tsk tsk, look at you being so thoughtful."

Tara: "..."

She just didn't want to experience another round of stomach pain.

Of course, the main goal was to find a way to become Killian’s girlfriend.

She wasn't sure if delivering breakfast would win her any points, but she wanted to try, so she headed to Cafeteria Number One.

Because she wasn't sure what he liked, she bought a bit of everything.

Fifteen minutes later, in the Advanced Mathematics classroom for Computer Science Class 1.

"Holy crap, who’s the pretty girl?"

Tara’s arrival instantly woke up the students of Class 1, who had been listless from the early morning start.

"I know her! That’s Tara, the belle of the Art Department!"

"Oh my god, it really is her! I didn't recognize her at first. She looks even better in person than in photos!"

"Is she here to deliver breakfast? Who in our class has that kind of luck?"

A barrage of gazes and whispers followed her.

Tara’s social anxiety flared, and she felt incredibly awkward.

She scanned the room quickly but didn't see the person she was looking for.

The schedule Sean gave her said it was this classroom.

Had she gone to the wrong place?

Unsure, Tara decided to step back outside to check the room number again.

However, as she turned to leave...

Thud!

Without warning, she collided with a figure walking into the classroom.

Tara stumbled back a few steps, her nose throbbing with pain from the impact.

"I'm sorry."

Before looking to see who it was, she apologized instinctively.

Then, the moment she looked up, she found herself staring into a familiar, handsome face.

It wasn't a stranger. It was Killian.

Tara froze on the spot, staring at him blankly.

In that instant, she felt as if she had touched an ancient, unmelting glacier at the North Pole.

Cold, indifferent, and chilling to the bone.

"Frozen" by his gaze, she forgot how to react for a second.

"Excuse me."

He spoke. His deep voice was calm, but his tone was exceptionally detached.

Tara suddenly snapped out of it.

"I'm so sorry!"

Embarrassed, she immediately moved out of the doorway and stood to the side.

Killian walked past her without a word or expression, heading toward the back of the classroom.

Immediately, the crowd that had been watching in silence erupted again.

"Heavens, Killian’s aura is way too cold. He scared the poor girl!"

"What did you expect? There's a reason they call him the Arctic Iceberg."

"Tsk, what’s the point of being that handsome if no one dares to chase him?"

"Who says no one does? Did you forget the school beauty has been chasing him for three years?"

Killian’s arrival was like a drop of ice water falling into a pan of hot oil, sending everything into a splattering boil.

With him at the center, the gossip wouldn't stop.

Tara watched his retreating figure, her fingers tightening nervously around the plastic breakfast bag.

The mental resolve she had built up over the walk here collapsed the moment she saw him.

He really is a cold guy,

Tara thought.

She wondered why he hadn't hit her when she kissed him in the bar.

Maybe he was too drunk to react then?

But he was completely sober now!

She felt like if she went up to him now, he’d probably tell her to get lost.

Tara started to lose her nerve.

After struggling internally for a few seconds, she finally summoned her courage and walked toward Killian’s seat.

Then, under the curious eyes of everyone in the room, she carefully placed the breakfast on his desk.

"This... this is for you."

Brave enough to withstand his chilling gaze, Tara lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him as she whispered, "I messaged you on WeChat just now, but you didn't reply."

"My brother said your stomach isn't great, so..."

The words 'remember to eat properly' never made it out of her mouth.

She felt like she was being frozen solid by his stare.

Out of nervousness, she bit her lower lip until it turned pale. Finally unable to take it anymore, she prepared to flee.

"Please... remember to eat."

She turned and bolted, her feet moving as if someone were chasing her with a knife, and vanished from the classroom in a flash.

The second Tara left...

"Tsk tsk, so it was a special breakfast delivery for our Brother Killian!"

His roommate, Parker, leaned in and threw an arm around Killian’s shoulder with a mischievous grin. "Killian, look at that breakfast from the Art Department belle. Aren't you going to eat it while it's hot?"

Another roommate, Sean (a different Sean), also leaned over with a grin. "Killian, you actually added her on WeChat?"

"The school beauty asked for your ID so many times and you never gave it," he said, full of gossip. "What’s the matter? Has the iron tree finally blossomed?"