"Sure, Mr. Pilsner, go ahead," Jeremy said.

Jonah asked, "What would you do if you texted your girlfriend and she didn't reply?"

Jeremy thought for a moment. "Well, Mr. Pilsner, maybe she's just busy. When she's free, she'll get back to me. I'm not worried."

While Jeremy remained calm, Jonah was visibly anxious. Thɪs chapter is updated by find~novel~net

His nerves were through the roof.

"But this is a special situation," Jonah pressed. "What if your girlfriend went to hang out with a male friend? Wouldn't you be afraid of losing her?"

Jeremy smirked. "I understand now, Mr. Pilsner. You reached out to Ms. Hailey, and she hasn't gotten back to you, correct?"

Jonah was left speechless for a moment.

Although Jeremy was highly capable and intelligent, Jonah wouldn't mind if he

dialed back his cleverness this one time.

"Well, Mr. Pilsner, if you really miss Ms. Hailey, why not just call her? It's better than overthinking everything on your own," Jeremy said.

For Jonah, that was the essence of love. It sparked hesitation and left his mind in turmoil.

"Jeremy, cancel all my afternoon appointments."

"Mr. Pilsner, where are you headed?"

Jonah smiled to himself. He was going to...

...

The moment Hailey arrived at Aspenfield University, she dove into the enrollment process. She hurried from the chancellor's office to her classroom, barely pausing to catch her breath.

As a student in the fashion design program, she quickly connected with several fellow female students in the same field. They clicked right away, sharing an easy camaraderie.

Before she realized it, noon had arrived.

One of her coursemates tugged on her sleeve. "Hailey, it's lunchtime! Since it's your first day, we're taking you to the cafeteria."

Hailey smiled, genuinely grateful. "Thank you so much!"

As they headed to the cafeteria together, Hailey suddenly received a WhatsApp message from Jonah.

Just as she was about to reply, a familiar voice called out her name.

She looked up and saw Lester approaching.

"Hailey! You made it to campus right on time. I'm sorry I couldn't meet you earlier. I had a class this, morning and couldn't step away came as soon as it ended. Do you need help with anything?"

Hailey's lips curved slightly. "Lester or I guess I should say Prof. Larden now that we're here. You've already been a huge help.

"I completed the registration process and have already met several fellow fashion design students. We got along wonderfully."

The female students beside her smiled and chimed in politely, "Hello, Prof. Larden."

Lester gave them a nod. "Hello, everyone."

He turned back to Hailey and said, "Come on, let me take you out for lunch."

Hailey politely declined, "Thank you

the declined, "Thank you

d offer, Prof. Larden, be

for

the cafeteria will be fine. The food here actually looks pretty good.

Lester didn't press further. "Alright then, but dinner's on me."

Hailey hesitated. "I—"

"Hailey, you can't say no to dinner!"

She thought about how much Lester had gone out of his way to help her. She owed him a big favor and couldn't bring herself to say g again.

"Prof. Larden, dinner sounds great, but I insist on paying. Consider it my way of

thanking you for your help."

"But Hailey, there's no way I can let a woman pick up the tab."

"Prof. Larden, I'm serious. Either I pay, or we forget the whole thing."

Lester smiled and nodded. "Alright."

Just then, someone walked up. "Prof. Larden!"

"I need to take care of something. I'll see you later, Hailey," Lester said.

"Go ahead. See you soon," Hailey replied.

She waved goodbye and joined the other female students.

One of them asked, "Hailey, what are your plans for this afternoon?"

"I have class."

At that moment, someone nearby suddenly exclaimed, "We've got some exciting

news right here at Aspenfield University!"