Chapter 22: The Ownership Negotiation
Tessa’s outrageous line struck like thunder, instantly shattering the suffocating battlefield that had nearly solidified outside the dorm building.
The air went silent.
Time seemed to pause.
Molly’s slightly red, rabbit-like eyes widened into perfect circles from sheer shock.
Seraphina’s flawless gentle smile, which had carried a faint edge of icy possessiveness, also froze completely in that moment, cracking into pure astonishment.
As for Riley, the actual victim of that verbal critical hit, her face had already been red from guilt and anger. Now, with a boom, the blush spread from the base of her neck all the way to the tips of her ears, so red she looked like she might bleed.
Her body stiffened like a flash-frozen stone.
Her brain crashed completely. Blank. Empty.
The only part of her still capable of reacting was her abdominal muscles, trained for years under brutal discipline and apparently possessing a will of their own. As if they had understood Tessa’s tearful request, they tightened uncontrollably on instinct.
In that instant, Riley’s flat, firm stomach became harder than granite. The outline of every muscle showed clearly through the thin workout fabric, full of strength and beauty.
“Pfft.”
A soft laugh, desperately suppressed but ultimately impossible to hold back, broke the dead silence.
It was Seraphina.
She was the first to recover from the shock. Looking at Riley, who was flustered, red-faced, and so unexpectedly innocent that she almost seemed to be steaming, then at Tessa, who was hiding behind Riley, clinging to her arm as if she was about to faint, a helpless and indulgent amusement flickered through Seraphina’s beautiful eyes.
“All right. Tessa is so tired she’s starting to say strange things,” Seraphina said, elegantly brushing back her long hair and reclaiming control of the situation. She stepped forward, her voice gentle but impossible to refuse. “Let’s send her back to the dorm first so she can rest.”
That finally rescued the other two from their petrified state.
Molly also let out a small laugh. The worry on her face was replaced by a smile she could not quite hold back. She hurried over and, together with Seraphina, carefully supported Tessa’s noodle-soft body from either side.
Riley finally came back to herself too. She looked down at Tessa, who was still tightly gripping her arm and burying her little face against her back. Feeling that damned, sweet, cloying orchid fragrance coming from Tessa, Riley’s heart skipped several very unhelpful beats.
Face red, she forced out a stubborn growl. “Let go already! Do you want me to carry you up there?”
In the end, with the three of them “working together,” Tessa, who had almost completely lost all mobility, was half-supported and half-carried back to Room 407 like a precious doll that could no longer move on its own.
When the dorm door opened, Chloe, Vanessa, and Iris saw the world-famous painting unfolding before them and were all stunned speechless.
There was too much information. Their brains could not process it all at once.
“Holy crap…” Chloe was the first to let out a dreamlike gasp.
As for Vanessa, the wicked strategist, after her initial shock passed, her beautiful peach-blossom eyes instantly lit up with the excitement of someone who lived for drama. She nearly pulled out her phone on the spot to start taking bets on one question.
[Who will win the right to attend little Tessa tonight?]
⸻
Inside the small space of Room 407, the three “creditors” completed the handoff with Tessa’s three “family representatives.”
Tessa was carefully placed on a chair, while the three heavyweights naturally occupied the remaining positions in the dorm. For the first time since Tessa had crossed into this world, a formal negotiation over her “ownership” began.
Undercurrents churned at the negotiation table.
“Ahem. I believe what Tessa needs most right now is systematic, scientific physical training,” Riley said first, breaking the silence. She took out the new nanny-level training plan she had stayed up late preparing and slapped it heavily onto the table. “She has a voice gifted by heaven, so she needs a strong body capable of supporting that voice. This plan can fundamentally improve her core strength and cardiovascular function, and it absolutely won’t make her feel exhausted again.”
“The body is important, but nutrition is the foundation!” Molly immediately pushed back, refusing to yield.
She opened the pink insulated lunchbox, revealing the steaming, translucent soup dumplings inside. A rich, savory aroma spread instantly through the room. Holding the nutrition menu she had carefully prepared against her chest, her small face flushed bright red. Her voice was not loud, but it was unusually firm.
“Tessa fainted from low blood sugar because she eats too little! I have a full seven-day meal plan with three different meals every day. I guarantee I can nourish Tessa until she’s soft and healthy, with rosy cheeks!”
As she spoke, she looked at Tessa with watery eyes, her tone carrying a faint hint of grievance and accusation. “And… and Tessa really likes the food I make!”
“Physical health is the foundation. Nutrition is the guarantee. But the richness of one’s inner world is the final standard that determines a person’s true height.”
Seraphina was the last to speak. As always, she was elegant and composed, as if everything remained firmly under her control.
Unlike the first two, she did not take out any physical object. She simply took out her phone at an unhurried pace and opened the Student Council event schedule. Her voice was gentle, yet naturally carried the pressure of someone in authority.
“I’ve already registered Tessa for a classical music appreciation salon this weekend and a volunteer docent event at the art museum next week. These will help broaden her horizons, raise her artistic cultivation, and allow her soul to reach the same elevated realm as her singing.”
Three people. Three completely different “development plans.”
One wanted to forge the strongest body.
One wanted to provide top-tier logistics.
One wanted to cultivate a noble soul.
They all wanted what was good for Tessa, but they also all wanted to shape Tessa into the form they liked best, the ideal version they each imagined.
Seeing the three of them insist on their own positions, with no one able to convince anyone else, the smell of gunpowder in the dorm grew thicker and thicker. A new war was about to erupt inside Room 407.
“Ladies, have some tea and cool down a little.”
At that moment, Vanessa, the wicked strategist, swayed in with her snake-like waist like a smooth, socially gifted tavern hostess. Gracefully carrying three cups of freshly brewed hot tea, she stepped into this war without smoke.
She placed the cups before the three of them one by one, then leaned lazily against Tessa’s bed. Her seductive eyes swept around the room, and her voice was soft, teasing, and full of amusement.
“I do have one little suggestion, though it’s not exactly mature. Since everyone’s goal is to help Tessa, why can’t we… do it separately?”