Chapter 12: Wild Rumors

"Why isn't Tara back yet?"

In girls' dorm 105, Josie put down her phone, sounding worried.

"Relax."

Cassie nonchalantly removed her nail art, saying calmly, "With Killian by her side, nothing will happen. Maybe she's already bagged him by now."

As she spoke, the sound of a key turning in the lock came from the door.

Two seconds later, Tara appeared at the entrance.

"Tara?"

Josie looked her up and down in surprise, then suddenly frowned. "What happened to your knee?"

Tara limped into the room and let out a long sigh. "It's a long story."

Ten minutes later.

"And that's what happened."

Tara recounted her experience from being rescued by Killian in the storage room to being sent back by someone he hired after dinner.

"Satisfying!" Josie said indignantly. "I'm glad you're okay. For a scumbag like that, Killian was being easy on him."

Cassie mused for a moment before saying abruptly, "So Killian actually spent two hundred bucks to hire two girls to walk you back?"

Tara nodded in defeat. "Yeah."

"Tsk."

Cassie rolled her eyes. "What an unromantic, dense guy. Facing a beauty like you and still not feeling anything? Is he a monk?"

She suddenly seemed to realize something, her eyes widening. "Do you think he might be gay?"

Tara and Josie were both stunned by the remark.

Tara had a complicated expression. "N-No way, right?"

"It’s very possible!" Cassie’s expression became serious.

"Think about it. It's been three years of university. In these three years, girls have pursued him like schools of fish, but he hasn't accepted a single one, and he's never been seen with any women!"

"On the other hand..."

At this point, Cassie’s expression turned meaningful, and she stopped talking.

"On the other hand, what?" an impatient Josie urged. "Just say it!"

Tara also stared at her without blinking.

"On the other hand," Cassie coughed slightly, then looked at Tara and Josie with sympathy. "Don't get mad when I say this, okay?"

Tara nodded. "I won't."

Josie lost her patience. "Just spit it out!"

"On the other hand, he's incredibly close with Sean every single day!"

Cassie said with great conviction, "Three years—over a thousand days—and they've been together for almost nine hundred and ninety-nine of them!"

"They have the same hobbies, the same ideals, and their personalities complement each other perfectly. One is cold and silent, the other is sunny and cheerful. I heard they even started a company together!"

She clapped her hands and said loudly, "That's true love!"

Tara: "..."

Josie: "..."

In the eerie silence, two young girls felt their worlds crack.

Josie immediately protested, "Impossible! How could Sean be gay? He said a long time ago that he likes girls!"

"And you believed him just because he said it?"

Cassie sneered. "The number of beautiful girls chasing him isn't much less than Killian’s, and that includes you. If he were a normal man, why wouldn't he date a single one?"

Josie fell silent.

Tara also fell silent, her thoughts beginning to drift.

Ever since they were kids, except for kindergarten, she and Sean had been in the same schools.

It was true that she had never seen him date anyone. Most of his time was spent playing games or making money.

That really wasn't normal!

Seeing Tara’s expression, Josie felt her soul leaving her body. "No way, Tara... you think your brother is gay too?"

Tara bit her lip and said nothing.

She wasn't sure either.

Seeing her like this, Josie put her head in her hands and started wailing.

After a long time, she finally seemed to accept reality, looking at Cassie with a pale face. "Then, do you think..."

Her voice was strained. "Which one of them is the top, and which is the bottom?"

"That’s hard to say."

Cassie pondered. "In terms of height and build, they're about the same, so you can't really tell."

"As for personality, Killian seems more refined and elegant, while Sean is more casual and rugged. So..."

Cassie didn't finish her sentence, leaving the rest to the imagination.

So, Killian is not only likely gay, but he's also probably the one on the bottom.

Tara silently finished the thought in her heart.

In other words, the man she had been chasing all these days was actually her "sister-in-law"!

Tara felt herself cracking too.

"A-choo!"

At the international airport in New York, a dark-faced Sean sneezed violently and couldn't help but curse, "Dammit!"

On the video call, Killian said calmly, "Is your rhinitis acting up again?"

"No," Sean rubbed his nose and said coldly, "I'm just allergic to that treacherous woman Catherine’s perfume!"

Killian’s dark brows knitted slightly. "Wasn't it just a matter of signing a contract? What, was there a change?"

"A change?"

Sean let out a mocking sneer. "We were being played from the very start."

"That woman signed with Watson a month ago. They knew we were trying to recruit her, so they had her lead us on for fun!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He sneered, "Old man Watson only has this much class—he loves these underhanded, gutter tactics!"

"When Galaxy finally makes it, the first company I'm going to acquire is Watson. Dammit!"

Looking at the fuming Sean, Killian offered a rare bit of comfort. "Calm down. She's just trash; it's better to see her clearly now. There are thousands of talented artists out there. We'll just find another."

"Then we'll have to keep our eyes wide open next time," Sean said self-deprecatingly.

"Anyway, enough of that. Call me when you're back in the country."

After saying that, Killian hung up and opened a WeChat message that had just popped up.

Wasp: [Boss, everything is handled. I guarantee that idiot won't dare bother your sister again!]

Wasp: [Video]

Killian’s gaze swept over the video indifferently. He didn't even bother to open it and simply transferred the payment.

Wasp: [Holy crap, this much? You're the best, Boss! Remember to hit me up if you have more work like this! /grin /handshake /handshake]

Killian closed the chat and massaged his brow tiredly. He logged onto a recruitment app and temporarily suspended Galaxy's artist search, then opened Weibo to check on a few artists he had been researching lately.

But the moment he opened it, a painting caught his attention.

In an endless landscape of ruins, the city had collapsed and the earth was shattered. It was as if all color had vanished from the world—silent, absurd, disordered, and lonely...

However, amidst this grey desolation, a cluster of vivid red roses was rooted deep within a pile of bones, standing tall and proud. They were the only vibrant, passionate spark of color in the world.

Beyond that, upon closer inspection, the details and artistic conception were stunningly beautiful.

Killian quietly "traced" the painting with his eyes. A moment later, his phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the caption above with interest.

Drawing Inklines with Oak

: [A new work by the goddess @BegoniaDrizzle! My mom asked why I was kneeling while looking at my phone. My knees are weak. I worship the Great One!]

Killian scanned the exaggerated caption, his gaze finally resting on the ID "BegoniaDrizzle," and he clicked into the profile page.