Chapter 1

“Yeah! One moment!”

 

Zella was eating when she heard the bell ring and dashed over, believing it was the courier delivering the package of helmets she had bought. 

When Zella unlocked the door, she saw a square cardboard box wrapped in black bubble wrap. 

Zella scowled in surprise, as it was unusual for a courier to make a delivery like this; usually, the courier would deliver the parcel to her directly. She squatted down and observed that the box showed her name, not the sender's address.

 

Zella carried the box into the boarding house and used a razor blade to open it. Her eyes widened as she unlocked the cardboard door, revealing not the helmet she had requested but a blood-stained black chicken carcass and a blood-stained photo of an unknown individual.

 

Zella screamed loudly, reflexively throwing the box away. Their faces were deathly pale; her eyes stared in shock at the cardboard.

 

“Zella! What’s wrong with you?” With a worried expression, Lily approached Zella, who was cowering, her body trembling in fear.

 

“Zella? You heard me. What’s wrong with you?” Lily shook Zella’s body, awakening the girl.

 

“Lily....” Zella's pale face gazed at Lily as she tightly hugged her best friend, her hands trembling as she pointed at the cardboard box.

 

Curious, Lily followed the girl's direction; she briefly released Zella's hug before walking towards the cardboard box. Lily's eyes were wide-eyed, and simultaneously, her stomach churned violently, nearly bursting at the sight before her.

 

“Tell me, who is this from?” snapped Lily angrily.

 

Zella shook her head in ignorance. Lily let out a rough sigh, rubbing her furious face. Then, I hugged Zella tightly. “Okay, you just calm down. We report this to the police station, and you calm down, okay? The culprit will be caught.”

 

Zella remained silent, simply nodding and giving Lily a tight embrace. She calmed herself, still trembling with fear. Her life had always been safe and peaceful, but this was the first time she had experienced such terror.

 

In front of the police station, Zella then held Lily’s hand. “Wait!”

 

Lily turned her head and frowned in surprise. “Why?”

 

“I changed my mind.”

 

“What does that mean?” Lily raised her eyebrows in incomprehension.

 

Zella thought for a moment, trying to find the perfect sentence.

 

“I’m sure I can take care of it myself; I don’t want to deal with the police. Lily, I can move to another place, and chances are the guy who terrorized me won’t know my new boarding house. While I can still handle it, we should go to campus.”

 

“But Zella, are you sure? Lily hesitantly said, "This is too much terror for you, especially since you're my best friend."

 

Zella smiled, holding Lily with confident eyes. “Don’t worry, Lily; I can handle it.”

 

Lily sighed heavily, then looked at Zella sharply. “Okay, but next time that guy comes back to terrorize you again, tell me! I’m a boxer, after all; let me beat that guy up with my fists.”

 

Zella chuckled amusingly.

 

“Even laughing, I’m serious here.” Lily puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.

 

“Okay, sorry.” Zella showed two fingers, a sign of peace.

 

Since the start of the trip, Lily had remained silent in the car until they reached the Spienza University campus in England. Zella was about to get off, but Lily immediately held her hand.

 

“Oh yeah, I’ll be honest; I’ll introduce you to my boyfriend. Are you curious? You won’t believe this.”

 

Lily took a deep breath, squeezing Zella’s hand. "So... I... got a chance with that guy. We have been dating for a month now. I apologize for only discussing it now."

 

“Seriously?” Zella was wide-eyed, covering her mouth in disbelief.

 

Lily nodded enthusiastically. Zella laughed, teasingly nudging Lily's arm. “Why all the secrecy?”

 

"He wanted to keep our relationship a secret for a while!" I’m afraid he’s just playing with my feelings, but you know what? "He took me to the beach and gave me this ring... take a look," Lily exclaimed, gesturing to the gold ring in her hand. "He doesn't mind if people publicize our relationship."

 

“That’s great; I’m curious. Who is he?” Zella’s enthusiasm was impatient. She guessed the identity of her best friend's boyfriend.

 

Lily’s brightly smiling face changed instantly. Zella saw Lily’s sharp gaze, frowning in confusion; she waved her hand in front of her best friend’s face, but there was no reaction.

 

“Lily, what’s wrong with you?”

 

“It hurts, Lily!” Zella gasped, feeling her hand being squeezed firmly. She was about to pull her hand away, but somehow, her best friend’s strength was many times over. Before she had time to curse at her best friend, her hand was immediately pulled strongly.

 

Lily immediately bumped into a student chatting with a man wearing a blue suit. It seemed that the girl was given a water bottle and food supplies. However, due to Lily's actions, which caused her to bump into the girl, the food supplies and bottles of drinks were immediately thrown to the ground.

 

Viola looked sharply at Lily. Viola was about to curse but stopped when, without hesitation, Lily immediately pulled Viola’s hair firmly.

 

Zella was wide-eyed, surprised by Lily’s boldness.

“Lily! Already!” Zella fretted, trying to pull her best friend away, but Lily tightened her grip even more.

 

“Alright, don’t do that. Let go, Lily.” A man's gentle voice seized Lily's hand.

 

Lily immediately stopped her tugging, changed her facial expression in a split second to let go of Viola's hair, and turned to look at the man beside her with a frown.

 

“Honey, he’s the wrong one. It’s my own fault for getting close to my boyfriend,” Lily whined in annoyance, stomping both feet.

 

Damian smiled gently, arranging Lily’s messy hair and looking at her warmly. “Never mind.”

 

“What?! Lover?” Viola stared in disbelief.

 

Lily instantly turned around, glaring at Viola fiercely. “Yeah! Why?! Can’t believe it?! Look!”

 

Lily rudely displayed her ring, along with the one on Damian's finger, in front of Viola.

 

Viola gave a perfect glare, shocking not only herself but also Zella and the students gathered after hearing about their fight.

 

Lily gave a lopsided smile, looking at Viola triumphantly. Viola looked at Damian, asking for answers, while Damian, without saying much, told her with a gesture of grabbing Lily’s waist and hugging her. As if justifying.

 

Lily received this treatment while looking down and blushing.

 

Viola’s eyes glazed over, holding back the tears about to spill, then she turned and ran away crying.

 

“It’s your own fault for being flirtatious with someone’s boyfriend.” Lily folded her arms and mockingly stared at the woman.

 

"Honey," Damian whispered in Lily's ear. Lily snorted rudely and turned her head away. “I’m not wrong! He’s wrong!”

 

“Okay.” Damian smiled warmly as he fixed Lily’s messy hair.

 

Ten minutes had passed, and the two couples were still making out in front of this single person. Zella rolled her eyes lazily and turned to leave Lily, who was still lost in her own world.

 

Zella accidentally bumped into a man in the school hallway, causing the book in her hand to fall to the floor. Zella stared at the man; instantly, her eyes widened in surprise.

 

“You?!”