Chapter 25 Beauty Is a Curse
"Heh."
Hayes let out a cold scoff, full of disdain.
Of course. Now she wanted to make up.
He closed his phone. Wanted to give Luna the cold shoulder a little longer.
He didn't type back until after dinner. One word. Slow.
Hayes: [Mm.]
Luna replied instantly: [You finally replied. I was scared to death.]
Luna: [I thought something happened to you.]
Luna: [Almost went to your house to find you.]
Three messages in a row.
Hayes's eyes dropped. The corner of his mouth curved into a pleased smile.
Right. This was the attitude Luna should have.
Hayes played games. Sent one word.
Hayes: [Oh.]
Luna: [Can you send it to me now? (shy)]
Hayes didn't catch on at first. Frowned.
Hayes: [?]
Luna: [The ninety thousand.]
Those who owe money are kings. Luna believed this. So her attitude was unusually sweet.
Hayes: "..."
He gritted his teeth. Typed in disbelief: [You're serious?]
Hmm?
Seeing that, Luna sat up straight in her chair. She speared a slice of apple. Crisp and sweet. Juice running down.
Luna: [You think I'm kidding?]
Luna: [That's ninety thousand we're talking about. Not nine thousand.]
Hayes stopped replying.
Half an hour later, Luna got a bank notification. Ninety thousand had hit her account.
Luna headed back to her room, pleased as punch.
-
The next day.
When Luna came downstairs, the dining table was empty.
She paused. "Did Leo eat already?"
"Not yet. Still in bed." Helen ladled porridge for Luna. "The young master isn't feeling well today. He took the day off."
"Oh." Luna took a sip of warm water.
Probably from last night's drinking.
This morning's classes were light. Two periods of Spanish, two of English.
For Luna, English and Spanish were like vacation. Biology was just class. Chemistry and math were pure torture. Physics was a death sentence.
The first two periods were Spanish. The teacher was a young woman, stylish and trendy. She wore a mini speaker. First period was basically study hall. Memorize vocabulary and essays. Plan your own work.
Second period was a regular lesson.
After two periods, there was a thirty-minute long break.
Tenth and eleventh graders had morning exercises. Seniors had free time.
Luna pulled out her textbook. She was about to face-plant on the desk for a nap.
She'd even pulled out her jacket to use as a pillow. Then someone knocked on the corner of her desk. Two knuckle taps.
Tap, tap. Quiet.
Luna blinked. Her eyes went straight to the hand.
First thought: damn, those were pale.
The wrist bone jutted out. Tight skin wrapped knuckles like bamboo joints. Cold, pale skin. Light blue veins pulsing faintly.
Her gaze traveled up. Long lashes lowered. A tiny dark mole on the tip of his nose.
Jax was really, undeniably gorgeous. Beautiful but not pretty. His frame was lean, wiry, and tough. He had this intense boyishness. Like the male lead in a teen drama.
And he smelled faintly of something clean and fresh. A scent Luna had never caught before.
"What... what is it?"
She'd been dazzled by his looks. Stumbled over her words.
"Math teacher wants you in the office." Jax said it flatly. Left just as fast.
"..."
Luna petrified in her seat.
What????
Until Jax knocked on Mila's desk too.
Mila's terror was visible. She shot up from her seat. She had her hair in pigtails today. When she whipped her head around, both tails bounced. She looked at Luna for help.
The two stared at each other. Both had the look of prisoners heading to the gallows.
Luna took a deep breath. Stood up.
The two left the classroom. Jax led the way.
The three of them walked down the hallway. Two of them were forum-famous. They drew plenty of stares.
Mila asked, trembling. "Class rep, did the teacher say what he wants us for?"
Jax said lazily. "He finished grading last night's test. Your accuracy is probably pretty tragic."
Mila looked at Luna. "Is that true?"
"..."
Luna sniffed. "Maybe."
"Who's the idiot you copied from this time?" Mila asked.
Luna said, wounded. "I wrote it myself."
"..."
Mila went silent.
Luna heard a faint laugh. The hallway was noisy. It wasn't clear.
She looked up. Caught a flash of a smile on Jax's lips.
Gone in a flash.
He seemed to sense her gaze. Jax looked down.
Their eyes met.
Luna demanded, fierce. "What are you laughing at?"
Jax coughed. "Wasn't laughing."
Luna: "I saw it!"
"Mm..." Jax said casually. "I have this thing where my mouth twitches."
Luna: "..."
Wow. So that's the kind of person you are.
The nerve.
Mila was confused. "That's a real thing?"
Jax: "Yeah. Pretty rare."
Luna: "..."
Mila's face filled with sympathy. "Wow, class rep. That's so sad."
Luna: "..."
Before Jax could speak, they'd reached the math office.
The door was open. Mr. Huang's desk was right by the entrance.
Mr. Huang was one of the older teachers at Kingsley Prep. Thin, not tall. But his hair was surprisingly thick. Bushy eyebrows too.
Hearing footsteps, he took a sip of hot tea. Waved them over. "Come on."
Jax walked over first.
Mr. Huang tossed him a stack of tests. "Class 2-B's. You grade them."
Jax nodded. Pulled over a stool like it was second nature.
Mr. Huang was well-known at Kingsley Prep. Strict teaching style. Always assigned tests as homework. Self-written questions. Couldn't even find answers online.
He also took students seriously. Politics family, business family. Didn't matter. You'd get lectured all the same.
In all his years teaching, Jax was the one exception.
There was even a viral thread on the forum. The OP suspected Jax was Mr. Huang's biological son.
Top comment: If you had Jax's brain, Mr. Huang would treat you the same.
Luna had laughed at that post for ages back then.
Today, she couldn't laugh.
Jax leisurely graded tests nearby. She and Mila stood with heads down, getting lectured.
Mr. Huang tapped the desk. "Come on. Tell me. How do you score a twenty on a test this simple?"
The test had five questions. Twenty points each.
Meaning they'd only gotten one right.
Mila, fearless as ever, spoke up without a shred of guilt. "Sir, that's your opinion. I thought it was hard."