Chapter 13: Chapter 12
Joanna Kennedy turned her face away, ignoring him.
After a moment, there was no sound, no movement.
’Simon Lockwood never has much patience with me. Don’t tell me he actually left?’
Joanna nervously turned back to look, her eyes meeting Simon’s calm gaze.
’He didn’t leave.’
Joanna was happy inside, but her words were prickly. "We get it, you’re tall. What are you showing off for, standing there...?"
Simon took a step toward her, a hint of mockery in his tone. "Jealous?"
Joanna’s eyes widened slightly, unable to believe he could say something so shameless.
Standing at 5’4", she really wasn’t tall. She had to crane her neck just to glare at Simon Lockwood.
Feeling insulted, Joanna kicked some stray leaves at Simon’s faded sneakers, tossed her head, and stomped off in a huff.
The end of her high ponytail drew an arc through the air, brushing against Simon’s chin.
His chin felt an odd itch. He narrowed his eyes but didn’t touch it.
Back home, Joanna was still ranting about how clueless Simon was and how infuriating his words could be.
Only after she finished venting did she realize 166 had been silent. Thinking back, it seemed 166 hadn’t been online since she and Simon had made things official.
’Strange.’
Joanna put her backpack down and reached inside for something, her hand touching a plastic bag.
’What’s this?’
Puzzled, she pulled it out. A can of Yunnan Baiyao pain relief spray lay quietly in the bag.
"..."
Joanna stared, stunned, holding the can. Her ankle gave a phantom throb of pain.
She clearly remembered not buying it. ’Who could it be from?’
An image flashed in her mind: Simon at the entrance of The Crimson Hall, a plastic bag partially hidden behind his back.
*
The spray worked wonders. A few days later, the redness and swelling on Joanna’s ankle had completely disappeared.
For some reason, she never asked Simon about it. It was as if the can had appeared out of thin air.
Her relationship with Simon remained lukewarm. If Joanna didn’t initiate contact, Simon wouldn’t say a word to her. And sometimes, even when she did, he would ignore her.
After a light rain, Aethelburg turned cool overnight. People on the streets started wearing trench coats and thick sweaters.
remained offline for so long that Joanna had almost forgotten it existed.
Then one day, as Joanna was listening to a boring physics lecture with her chin in her hand, it suddenly spoke: [A new plot point is approaching. Host, please prepare yourself.]
’?’
Joanna sat up straight. [’Oh, so you’re alive?’]
[...]
corrected her in a deadpan tone: [The system is an artificial intelligence. It does not die. It can only be recalled and destroyed.]
[’So you were recalled for a while?’]
[...This system went to evolve.]
[’Ohhh~’]
Unable to win the argument, 166 said: [In three days, there will be a new plot point. Be ready, okay?]
With that, it threw a chunk of plot at Joanna.
With a personality like Simon’s, he should have treated "Joanna Kennedy" as if she were invisible. The reason he would come to loathe "Joanna Kennedy" so much later on all started from this plot point—Joanna Kennedy’s birthday banquet.
「The library.」
"Simon Lockwood, what kind of cake do you like?" Joanna asked, sitting across from him and watching him with big, hopeful eyes.
Simon didn’t answer, simply pulling out a new test paper and continuing to write.
"Fruit? Chocolate? Yogurt?" Joanna snatched the black gel pen from his hand, pouting. "Say something~"
Simon finally looked up at her, then bent his finger and silently tapped twice on the "Please Be Quiet" sign.
Joanna: "..."
She couldn’t stay quiet for more than two seconds. "Don’t you buy me a present. I definitely won’t like anything you pick."
"What present?"
Joanna: "..."
She said in a huff, "The day after tomorrow is my birthday."
A flicker of surprise crossed Simon’s eyes, but it was gone in an instant, replaced by his usual indifference. "Oh."
’Oh? That’s it?’
Joanna stormed off in a huff again.
Leaving Simon alone, staring at the test paper, lost in thought.
In class the next day, he overheard classmates discussing what to get Joanna, and some even asked her directly what she liked.
Joanna glanced in a certain direction and deliberately replied in a loud voice, "I like a lot of things. It’s the thought that counts, not the price. Just you guys showing up is enough."
"No way! Don’t worry, we’ll definitely prepare a surprise for Miss Kennedy!" someone teased, and the classroom instantly erupted in lively chatter.
Serena Sutton pulled her gaze back, hiding the emotion in her eyes, but she couldn’t stop the sour feeling in her heart. Her almond-shaped eyes looked to the person beside her as she asked in a low voice, "Simon Lockwood, are you going to Joanna Kennedy’s birthday party?"
Simon’s expression didn’t change. "Not sure."
Seeing Serena’s confused look, he explained, "I’ll go if I have time."
Serena didn’t get the answer she wanted and sounded a little disappointed. "Oh, I see."
Three days passed quickly. Joanna’s birthday party was held at Riverbend, which she had booked out for the occasion. It was a grand affair; she had invited her entire class, friends from her social circle, friends of friends, and some even brought their partners. The crowd was a mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces.
Within the first ten minutes, she had already received a huge pile of gifts.
Anna Yates had saved up a month’s living expenses to buy her a limited-edition crystal bracelet. "Jo, happy birthday."
Joanna smiled distractedly and accepted it. "Thanks, Anna."
"What’s wrong? It’s your birthday and you’re not happy," Anna asked, puzzled.
Joanna didn’t say anything, but her gaze kept drifting toward the entrance.
Anna’s eyes swept across the private room, and she instantly understood—Simon Lockwood hadn’t shown up.
Her brow furrowed in displeasure. She had disapproved of Joanna being with Simon from the very beginning.
From what she’d seen, that Simon was a heartless guy. Her dear Jo was completely throwing herself at him.
And now this was even better. He couldn’t even be bothered to show his face for his own girlfriend’s birthday. ’What kind of boyfriend is that?’
She thought it, and she said it.
’Exactly! Simon is just the worst,’ Joanna agreed internally.
On the surface, though, she had to pretend to be embarrassed that her feelings were so obvious. If Simon didn’t come, she’d lose face. "Who’s waiting for him? He can come or not, I don’t care."
Inside the private room, someone called for her to cut the cake. Joanna took one last look toward the entrance, but didn’t see the familiar figure.
’If he’s not coming, then he’s not coming. It’s not like I care...’
Joanna took a deep breath, suppressing the ache in her heart, and turned to cut the cake.
「The Crimson Hall.」
The manager sent last month’s wages to Simon Lockwood’s WeChat and chatted casually, "Why’d you request to get off early today?"
Simon accepted the transfer, put his phone in his pocket, and pursed his lips. "Something came up."
"Alright, if you’ve got something to do, get going," the manager said with a wave of his hand. "Just make up the hours during the holidays."
"Okay," Simon said.
His bicycle moved through the bustling streets. Simon glanced at the time and picked up his pace. The cold wind blew his short bangs off his forehead, revealing his cool, handsome features. The tips of his ears were slightly red from the chill.
The bike stopped in front of a brightly lit jewelry store. Simon stared at the store for a moment before heading inside.
"Welco... sir. Is there anything I can help you with?" The sales assistant, a young woman in her twenties, was stunned by Simon’s appearance for a few seconds. When she came to, her face was a little red.
Simon’s gaze swept over the dazzling array of bracelets and necklaces, finally settling on one particular section.
