Chapter 5

Hudson sat at his desk in the classroom. As he watched Winona interacting with the other students in a friendly manner, he couldn't help but feel a little creeped out. The way she acted at the university was exactly the same he had remembered. Her optimistic and bubbly charm seemed like it was something naturally ingrained within her. She could easily attract everyone's attention because of it. Winona's smile was warm and inviting. The way she spoke was always polite and elegant. Anyone could easily get attracted to her charms. In this course, Natalie was the rich heiress whom everyone steered clear from. On the other hand, Winona was the one whom everyone wanted to befriend and was loved by everyone. Every move she made was incredibly charming, as though she was born to be a star. Of course, Hudson knew that Winona was merely acting the whole time. The fact that she was able to achieve this level of acting meant that she was an absolute pro. Unfortunately, Hudson got the short stick in this case. He was already known to his classmates as Natalie's pet who followed her around. They all thought of him as a toy who would get discarded by Natalie at any given time. That was why the guys in his class relished in Hudson's pain when they found out that Natalie had broken up with him. They had mocked him, telling him that Natalie was way out of his league. Meanwhile, the other ladies also gossiped among themselves. They jeered at Hudson for being delusional enough to think that he deserved to be with Natalie. In the end, Natalie treated him as a pest who kept badgering her. But this morning, the sight of Hudson showing up with Winona hanging off his arm was quick to cause an uproar in the classroom. "Winona, what's going on? Are you and Hudson…" one girl asked. "Winona, Zarina told us you and Hudson are dating! Is this true?" A second girl tried to verify the truth from Winona. "Oh my god! Winona, since when did you start dating Hudson? I thought you two barely spoke to each other! There aren't any signs of you two getting together at all!" A third girl was shocked. Winona continued to smile sweetly as she listened to the other ladies' questions. A hint of shyness could be seen in her eyes. She hugged Hudson's arm lightly as she replied in a soft tone, "Oh dear… To tell you the truth, Hudson and I have had a crush on each other for a very long time. It's just that we didn't have the courage to confess to each other. "A few days ago, we finally mustered our courage and told each other how we truly feel about each other." At first, Hudson thought Winona would be laughed at by the others. After all, he didn't exactly have the best reputation in class. Not to mention, he wasn't really eye-catching in any way. Her reason basically made her seem like she was lowering herself just to be with him. However, Hudson clearly underestimated Winona's popularity. The moment her words fell, the ladies around her instantly gasped in surprise. They surrounded Winona and Hudson in hopes of being able to dig up more gossip about their relationship. At the same time, they gave the new "couple" their blessings. When Winona heard the ladies' blessings, her cheeks turned slightly red. At the same time, her smile deepened. She snuck a glance at Hudson. There was nothing but pure affection and love in her shimmering eyes. That made Hudson feel extremely uncomfortable. Winona really was amazing at acting. He wasn't sure what to do about the sudden relationship he was stuck in at first. But after witnessing Winona's reaction, he could only do his best to remain calm and play along. "That's right. I've had a crush on Winona for a long time," he said. At the same time, Hudson secretly thought that Winona's talent in acting was second to none. For a split second, he almost thought that he was in an actual relationship with her. However, the ongoing scene made a certain beautiful woman feel very suffocating and uncomfortable. Natalie and her lackeys watched coldly as Hudson and Winona were surrounded by everyone else, as though they were the center of the attention. She let out a cold scoff. "What a bitch." She didn't forget the way Hudson and Winona had humiliated her last night. Of course, she was bent on making them pay the price. It was as though Winona could overhear Natalie's grumbles. She suddenly waved at Natalie with a bright smile. "Natalie, I must thank you for letting me have Hudson. That's why we can finally get together. Hudson and I will be eternally grateful to you," she said. Loud chatter burst out in the classroom right away. It turned out Hudson didn't get dumped by Natalie—Winona was the one who had swooped in and stolen Hudson away from her. Hudson was stunned by what he just heard. Winona's strategy in telling her side of the story first worked wonders. Thanks to Winona's explanation, Hudson's status had elevated from a pathetic loser who was dumped to a charming guy who was the object of two beautiful women's affections. Natalie was also depicted as the loser in this situation. Her thunderous expression was enough to tell the entire class that Winona spoke the truth. "What are you talking about? I… I didn't give you anything!" Natalie yelled at Winona, clearly agitated. Of course, the other classmates were even more excited at the prospect of having more gossip. "Holy shit! Natalie's still not giving up on Hudson yet?" one person said. "I thought she was the one who dumped Hudson! But judging from what's going on right now… Natalie, I might be Winona's friend, but I support you! You should steal Hudson back from Winona!" a second person added. The classmates' teasing words nearly drove Natalie crazy. She tried to explain herself, only to successfully twist the truth even more. In the end, she rushed toward Hudson furiously. "Hudson, come with me! I need to talk to you!" If this had happened in the past, Hudson would get up and follow Natalie right away after hearing her order. But now, he merely shot her a weird glance. "Can't we talk here? We're all classmates, aren't we?" His voice was cool, yet what he said was sharp and ruthless. "I… I…" For a moment, Natalie didn't know what to say. She didn't think that things would progress to this point. In her plan, Hudson would always obey her every command. Even if they got into fights, he'd still show his concern for her and beg her for another chance. But now… "I just wanted to ask you a question. Aren't you planning to apologize to me for what happened last night?" Natalie asked. She attempted to slap on a haughty and confident façade. However, her chest, which was slightly heaving, proved that she was clearly rattled by Hudson's new persona. Before Hudson could respond, Winona had already moved to hug his arm again. She said, "Natalie, I understand what you're feeling right now. Since you're the domineering type, Hudson must've been under a lot of stress when you two were still together. Just let him go, okay?" Natalie was extremely pissed, to say the least. "Shut the hell up!" Natalie glared at Winona angrily. "You don't get to speak for my man!" She was so furious that she was starting to run her mouth carelessly. Thanks to that, everyone firmly believed that she refused to accept the fact that she had lost Hudson to Winona. Natalie was enraged as she bolted out of the classroom while the rest of the class murmured about the gossip. There were even a few people who openly mocked and laughed at her. "You really are something, huh? I never took you for a sly one," Hudson murmured to Winona. Winona glanced back. At that moment, her gaze reverted back to the icy one she had adapted last night. "You owe me one," she replied in a low tone. Her expression quickly shifted into an affectionate one. "Hudson, you won't ditch me, right? You can't leave me for Natalie, okay? Otherwise, I'll definitely cry!" The pitiful expression on Winona's face made a fearsome combination with her status as one of the most popular students on campus. Just the sight of her looking so pitiful could easily evoke all the guys' protective nature. On the outside, Hudson might be comforting Winona with a smile. However, he was secretly lamenting on the inside. What kind of trouble did he get himself into this time? Winona wasn't just skilled in combat, she was also extremely good in acting and scheming against others too. Just how many trump cards did she have up her sleeve? This was merely a performance to show Hudson and Winona's loving relationship, yet it was enough to make those who had mocked Hudson in the past clamp up instantly. The guys were extremely jealous of Hudson, but they had to remain nonchalant on the outside. Meanwhile, the ladies were envious of Winona. They hoped that they could be the protagonist of sweet romantic relationships as well. Of course, there were some who felt that Hudson didn't deserve to be fawned over by the two beautiful ladies. As for the other female students, they kept discussing Hudson among themselves. "From the way I see it, there must be something really special about Hudson. Otherwise, there's no way Winona would've set her sights on him." Another person said, "Precisely! Maybe he's very caring and gentle! After all, he's pretty handsome, isn't he?" "Hey, could it be that Hudson's extremely good in… you know?" A young woman lowered her voice while giggling cheekily. "Shhh! We can branch in that direction when we're in private!" Her friend was quick to retort, though her cheeks were suspiciously pink for some reason. Soon, the ringing bell interrupted the students' murmurs. Hudson's and Winona's seats were quite far away from each other. Still, Winona dragged Hudson to his seatmate. Winona asked, "Hey, Zarina! Can you switch seats with me?" Zarina Myers, the young woman who had bumped into Winona and Hudson when they were on their way to the campus, just glanced at the loving couple helplessly. She could already tell what Winona wanted to ask of her. So, she heaved an exasperated sigh before she began making fun of Winona and Hudson with a wide smile on her face. She said, "Oh my, it seems that you've truly fallen head over heels for Hudson, Winona! I know, I know; I'm just a third wheel at this point. If I don't switch seats right now, I'll be an insensitive idiot." Zarina quickly packed her books up before moving to Winona's original seat. Winona clapped her hands together. Then, she moved to sit next to Hudson. She even made sure to wink at Zarina gratefully. "Must we really sit together? This isn't necessary, right?" Hudson mumbled to Winona, who was in the midst of rearranging her textbooks. However, Winona just tilted her head slightly so that she could glance at Hudson icily. She responded in an equally soft voice, "According to the 24-hour non-stop monitoring period's protocol, you are not to leave my line of sight no matter what." Hudson was rendered speechless by her reasoning. Left without a choice, he could only stop resisting against Winona. It seemed that she was extremely serious when it came to certain aspects in life. … At the same time, a man wearing a worn-out jacket and a cowboy hat could be seen sitting on the edge of a tall skyscraper in Liveria. His legs dangled from the edge, yet he didn't seem the least bit frightened. In fact, he was even eating instant noodles in a relaxed manner. The man's phone, which bore a slightly cracked screen, suddenly rang next to him. He quickly put down the noodles before picking up the phone. As he wiped his mouth, he said, "Yeah? It's me. I'm having breakfast right now." "Your breakfast is instant noodles?" the caller asked in confusion from the other end of the line. "Heh! My mentee just got enrolled into university. I don't have any spare cash on me after paying for her tuition fees and buying her a few nice outfits," the man said. The caller replied, "It seems that you truly treat her like your daughter." "It's been more than a decade. What else do you think?" the man replied with a chuckle. "Alright, alright. I'm not going to beat around the bush this time. We just received a gig recently. A Vanguard-Class beast had torn a rift open and escaped to Liveria. I need you to investigate this case," the caller said. "A Vanguard-Class beast? Oho! These beasts really are getting more and more unpredictable! The Day of the Beast Wave isn't here yet, is it?" the man asked. "They're a bunch of monsters from the start. Why are you still trying to talk logic to them?" the caller replied with another question. "Okay, fine. Send the information to my phone. I'll go take a look at this beast of yours. Oh, by the way, I heard that you assigned my mentee to carry out a special mission," the man said after sipping from his beer can. He continued, "I'll have you know that my mentee is extremely cowardly despite having put on an extroverted façade. Don't assign her to any weird missions, you hear?" "Don't worry. She's just monitoring someone who's suspected to be an infected for one week. If she's determined that the target's infected, she'll eliminate them," the caller said. "Alright. My mentee's rather special, you see. Don't let her face any beasts on her own before she can overcome her own issues. Well, I'm going to hang up now. I haven't finished my breakfast yet," the man said. "Remember to investigate—" The man ended the call right away. After that, he picked up his instant noodles. In just a few large slurps, he finished his food before wiping his mouth. He smiled as he gazed at the distant horizon of the city.