Chapter 10 – Ruining the Mood
Evan took out a cigarette and stuffed it into the girl's mouth.
Then, with the rough casualness of someone from the streets, he tapped her lightly on the front of her jacket.
"Street rules. I gave you a cigarette."
"Our grudge is settled."
After saying that, Evan ran off before she could react.
Only the girl remained standing in the wind with a cigarette in her mouth, completely stunned.
Evan reached the office building and found Hannah's office without trouble.
Inside, Hannah was reading through documents with her head lowered.
When she saw Evan enter, she asked casually, "Done?"
Evan nodded.
"Yeah. Registration's finished."
"Are you busy, Hannah? Should I go home first?"
Hannah shook her head.
"It's fine. Wait for me a while. We'll leave together."
Evan glanced at the faculty board on the wall.
Not only was Hannah's photo there, but the position line read:
Computer Department Adviser and Department Director.
Good grief.
So she was a department director too.
Evan admired Hannah a little more.
As far as he knew, Hannah was probably only around thirty.
Being a department director at that age was not simple.
Evan sat on the office sofa and played with his phone.
He waited for more than an hour before Hannah finally put down her documents.
She stretched.
The fitted top pulled upward slightly, revealing a small strip of pale, flat stomach.
"Let's go. Work is done for today."
Hannah stood and placed her phone and small items into her bag.
Then she walked around the desk in heels.
Evan obediently followed behind her.
He had to admit it.
Hannah's figure was truly excellent.
The two walked toward the school parking lot.
Just as Hannah took out her keys and was about to open the car door, a greasy male voice came from behind.
"Hannah. Hannah."
Hannah turned.
The man approaching was middle-aged, potbellied, and balding.
"Vice Principal Lewis," Hannah said. "What is it?"
His name was Martin Lewis, vice principal of the trade college, and he controlled personnel decisions.
Martin's eyes moved over Hannah with an oily brightness.
"Hannah, long time no see."
"Didn't see you all summer. I actually missed you."
Standing beside the passenger door, Evan listened in disbelief.
Was this something a proper school administrator should say?
But since Hannah called him vice principal and remained polite, Evan did not interrupt.
Martin looked Evan up and down, then turned back to Hannah.
"You haven't eaten lunch yet, right?"
"I saw you busy in the office all noon."
"I went to your office to ask you to eat, but you had already left, so I guessed you must be in the parking lot."
"Come on, let's go eat. My treat."
Hannah smiled politely and refused.
"Vice Principal Lewis, I'll just eat at home. No need to spend money."
But Martin shamelessly stepped closer.
He even reached out, trying to take Hannah's arm.
Hannah startled and quickly pulled her hand back.
"Come on, don't be so polite with me."
He was, after all, a vice principal with personnel power.
And he was being so enthusiastic.
If she publicly embarrassed him and tore off his face, he could easily make her life difficult at school later.
Hannah looked at Evan beside her, troubled.
After weighing it, she could only say, "All right. Since you're so kind, I shouldn't refuse."
Then she pointed to Evan.
"By the way, Vice Principal Lewis, this is my younger family friend."
Martin glanced at Evan again with a smile that was not a smile.
"Oh? Your real younger brother?"
"I remember your file says you're an only child."
Hannah quickly explained, "Not by blood. He's a distant family friend from my hometown."
"We grew up in nearby circles. He's here to study at our school this year."
"I see."
Martin nodded perfunctorily.
Hannah had already said this much.
She had thought Martin would politely say, Then bring him along too.
Unexpectedly, the old creep pretended not to understand at all.
Hannah did not want to eat alone with him.
So she forced herself to ask directly.
"Vice Principal, Evan hasn't eaten either. You don't mind if he comes with us, do you?"
The corner of Martin's eye twitched.
A flash of disgust crossed his eyes when he looked at Evan.
It vanished quickly, hidden well.
But Evan caught it precisely.
"Fine," Martin said. "Then let's go together."
"You two follow my car."
Hannah and Evan got into the Honda and followed Martin's Mercedes out of the school.
In the car, Evan several times wanted to ask what that vice principal was trying to do.
But the words reached his mouth and stopped.
The adult world was never easy.
Everyone had moments outside when they had to lower their head and swallow discomfort.
Martin took them to a high-end hotpot restaurant.
To be honest, Evan had never eaten this kind of place before.
Looking at the copper pot on the table, he found it fresh and interesting.
After they sat down, Martin pretended to be generous.
"Young man, order whatever you want."
"Don't be polite with the vice principal."
Evan opened the menu.
Whoa.
The meat at a fancy restaurant was damn expensive.
Then he thought again.
Since this greasy old man was paying, why should he be polite?
Evan did not even finish reading the menu.
He pointed directly at the most expensive meat and ordered four or five plates of premium lamb.
While Evan ordered wildly, Martin's eyes widened and fixed on him.
It was not that a vice principal could not afford the meal.
He simply thought Evan, this country bumpkin, had water in his brain.
I said one polite line and you really ordered like you wanted to kill me?
After ordering a pile of heavy dishes, Evan handed the menu to Martin.
"Vice Principal Lewis, I'm done. Your turn."
Martin cursed in his heart.
My turn your ass.
You ordered this much. If you can't finish it, I'll stuff all of it into your mouth.
On the surface, Martin maintained the dignity of a leader and smiled stiffly.
"All right. Let me see what else is good."
"How about another plate of premium beef? Young man, do you eat beef?"
Evan shook his head and answered coldly, "I don't eat beef."
Martin was choked for a second, then patiently asked, "Cilantro? Do you eat cilantro?"
Evan still had that dead-eyed stare.
"I don't eat cilantro."
After saying that, Evan stared straight at Martin with a half-smile.
That gaze somehow made the vice principal feel a chill in his chest.
For the whole meal, Evan watched him like a searchlight.
The warning was obvious:
Don't even think about touching Hannah.
Under Evan's oppressive surveillance, Martin behaved like a grandson throughout the meal.
He did not even dare tell one dirty joke.
The meal ended quickly.
Less than half an hour from start to finish.
Martin felt staying there was only making himself angry, so he paid the bill and escaped with an excuse.
When Evan and Hannah returned to the Honda and closed the doors, Hannah finally could not hold it in.
She covered her mouth and laughed.
Evan looked puzzled.
"Hannah, what are you laughing at?"
Hannah started the car, still amused.
"Didn't you notice?"
"Our noble Vice Principal Lewis was almost green from anger because of you."
"Honestly, that was hilarious."
Evan did not laugh.
Instead, he asked seriously, "Hannah, does that Vice Principal Lewis have ideas about you?"
Hannah's smile faded.
She snorted coldly.
"Him?"
"He has ideas about every good-looking female teacher in the school."
"He's just an old creep relying on a little power."
Hannah lowered her voice and gossiped with open disgust.
"Let me tell you. Last time, he visited another female teacher from our department at her home."
"After he left, a pair of stockings drying on her balcony disappeared."
"All the teachers privately suspect he took them."
Evan rubbed the goosebumps on both arms.
"Damn."
"A vice principal, and he's that perverted?"
Author's Note:
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