Chapter 3: Unexpected Encounters

Chapter 3: Unexpected Encounters

"Thirty seconds." Aaron King pressed his advantage, unwilling to spend more time with these two annoying fools in such sweltering weather.

Unbelievable! Lydia Moore cursed inwardly. But since she needed his help, she had no choice but to look up at the burly middle-aged man in front of her with a fearless gaze. She cleared her throat and said in a serious tone, "Sir, are you aware that citizens have basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution? These basic rights, also known as constitutional rights or fundamental human rights, are essential rights stipulated by the Constitution. They include political freedom, personal freedom, freedom of speech, and the right to make autonomous choices. Your actions here infringe upon three of these rights, namely personal freedom, freedom of speech, and the right to make autonomous choices, thus violating our country's constitutional provisions. As a former student of Qingli Law School, I have both the right and obligation to stop such behavior..."

The heat was unbearable, with plants drooping and only the cicadas continuously screeching from the branches, adding to the oppressive summer heat. The middle-aged man's sweat was increasing, and despite Lydia Moore's relentless verbal assault, he found no opportunity to interject. Eventually, he, unwilling to give up, shouted at Aaron King's retreating back, "I'll be looking for you again," and then turned away, fleeing the scene. He might go crazy if he stayed any longer.

"Ugh." Lydia Moore sighed deeply, feeling parched from all the talking. It was a relief he left first; otherwise, she wouldn't have known what else to say. Finally, she could catch a ride back to the dorm. Exhausted, she reached for the car door, but it wouldn't open. She tried again, still no luck. "Why won't you let me in?" She glared at Aaron King. Did he intend to back out?

He smiled charmingly, his attractive face illuminated by the bright blue of his ear studs, providing a hint of coolness in the scorching summer heat.

"I only agreed to deliver your luggage to the dorm, not you," he said matter-of-factly. She should have heard before that Aaron King's car only carried beautiful women, and she... His eyes, shaded behind sunglasses, scanned her with evident disinterest. Her oversized light green T-shirt and wrinkled knee-length shorts, along with her entirely average face, failed to make an impression on him.

"Walk back yourself," he said lazily before starting the engine and driving off in his sleek sports car, leaving her stunned and stranded.

"Hey!" Lydia Moore ran a few steps after the car, realizing he had no intention of stopping. She halted, watching the flashy car gradually disappear from view. She had to admit, his ability to argue was quite impressive.

The heat was so intense even the dragonflies only dared to hover in the shade, as if fearing their wings would be scorched by the sun. The road was burning under the relentless sunlight. Lydia Moore trudged forward, leaving a trail of white dust with each step toward the dorm.

By evening, as the clock struck six, the annoying cicadas gradually fell silent. After running around the entire female dormitory building and asking twenty-four different dormitory supervisors without any results, Lydia Moore was in a state of utter despair. The guy had taken her suitcase without asking which dorm she was in, and no dorm supervisor seemed to have any information about her luggage. Just as she was on the verge of breaking down, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out to find a string of unfamiliar numbers. After a moment's hesitation, she answered the call.

"Your luggage is now in the dorm," said the voice on the other end, coldly. Before Lydia Moore could even say "thank you," the caller hung up. Overjoyed at finding her luggage, Lydia Moore decided to overlook the rudeness and hurried back to the dorm.

To her surprise, not only was the guy from the afternoon handsome, but he was also quite capable, able to deliver her luggage directly to the dorm. Because of this, Lydia Moore decided to forgive his earlier behavior and let it go.

The empty dormitory corridor was eerily quiet, with every dorm room door tightly shut and the hallway lights off. As darkness fell, the corridor became dim and somewhat desolate. Lydia Moore sensed something was off. Despite it being a vibrant summer, the atmosphere here felt unusually dull.

However, she didn't have time to dwell on this. She just wanted to find her dorm, wash off the sticky sweat, and get a good night's sleep. The day's exhausting activities had drained her completely.

When she pushed open the door to A5227, Lydia Moore, looking quite disheveled, stepped inside. To her surprise, the dorm was clean and tidy, with bright lights. A girl standing by the window, watering a potted plant, had a slender figure. Her white dress highlighted her graceful and elegant appearance, giving her an air of sophistication.

Upon hearing the door open, the girl glanced briefly at Lydia Moore but then turned back to continue tending to the plant.

She wasn't stunningly beautiful but was definitely memorable—this was Lydia Moore's first impression of her. The girl with single eyelids had a subtle melancholy in her eyes that made her seem distant yet somehow inviting.

"Hi, I'm Lydia Moore, the transfer student," she said, stepping inside a little awkwardly and closing the door behind her. Seeing that the girl remained focused on her task and didn't respond, Lydia Moore shrugged and began searching for her luggage in the room. She finally found her suitcase, tossed carelessly in a corner of the dorm. She sighed in resignation.

"That bed is yours," the girl said without looking at her, merely pointing to the single bed with light-colored sheets on the right side. "I'm Elena Rivers." Her voice was calm and flat, yet melodious and reminiscent of wind chimes, much like her gentle and elusive beauty. After speaking, she set down the watering can and picked up a music score from the desk, quietly beginning to review it.

Elena Rivers—her name was quite poetic. Though her attitude wasn't particularly warm, Lydia Moore felt an immediate fondness for her. She had a strong feeling that they would become good friends. With this thought, Lydia Moore felt a burst of excitement and raised her voice slightly, "Elena Rivers, I hope we can get along well." She even bent slightly in a bow, mimicking Japanese etiquette. She was sincere about wanting to be friends, no matter how difficult it might be.