“Lillian, does my blood taste good? Not enough? Then go ahead and bite more.”
Lillian was disgusted by what he said. When she pulled away, there were still blood droplets at the corner of her mouth.
A deep red bite mark stood out clearly on Conrad’s neck.
He reached up to touch it, then raised his eyebrows. “I don’t want to repeat myself. Stay away from Frank.”
Lillian sneered. “Mr. Conrad, have you forgotten? There’s nothing between us anymore. Who I’m with isn’t any of your business, Mr. Conrad. This time you took the initiative to break up. You’re not someone who goes back on his word, are you?”
“I told you to stay away from Frank. What are you trying to say with all this?”
“I’m saying it’s not just Frank. It could be any other man. I never planned on staying single forever. Since you’ve let go, you should let me live my life.”
Before she could finish, Conrad kissed her suddenly.
Lillian was caught off guard by the kiss. She tried to resist, but Conrad cupped her face, kissing her deeply again. His agile tongue darted in, claiming her mouth as if marking territory.
Lillian couldn’t catch her breath; it seemed like he especially enjoyed kissing her like this.
But she couldn’t understand what he was trying to do.
Just as she was preparing to push him away, Conrad suddenly pulled back, staring at her neck for a long moment.
“Where’s the ring I gave you?”
“… You think it’s suitable for me to wear that thing? I’m just an ordinary person. I’ll never need it.”
“Did you lose it?”
“No…”
Who knew what his things were made of, besides, she wasn’t the type to lose things.
Conrad’s phone buzzed. He frowned as he looked at it, and Lillian, noticing, figured it was a call he had to take.
Once he answered, she quickly turned the doorknob and rushed out, not even bothering with the lunchbox on the floor.
Conrad watched the empty office door for a moment, then took a step forward but stopped.
He listened to the voice on the phone, “We found him, sir. What should we do?”
Conrad gritted his teeth, his voice cold. “That old bastard wanted to see him return, right? Let’s make sure he never comes back. Let the old man bury him!”
He hung up, and walked to the office door.
“Whose lunchbox is this left here?” The school leader frowned, then looked up to see Conrad coming out. “Mr. Conrad, I’ve been looking for you.”
Conrad muttered a disinterested “Mm.”
“Your presence is truly an honor for our school. I wonder if you’ve found any work that particularly stands out. If a student earns your approval, it would be the greatest recognition for them.”
Conrad thought for a moment. “How about that piece ‘Red and Black’?”
Lillian’s work.
The school leader nodded. “Indeed, Lillian is one of our best students. I mentioned before how outstanding her performance has been during her time here.”
Conrad nodded. “I’ll sponsor it. The best piece will be made into a full-length movie, and I’ll cover the cost of filming. I’ll provide all the latest equipment, and the film will be named after the winner.”
The school leader beamed. “We truly appreciate your generosity, Mr. Conrad!”
Lillian had hidden in the restroom for a while, checking her phone and catching up with the group chat. Once she saw Conrad had left, she came back out.
“Lillian, where did you go just now? Did you see how popular Conrad is? Several of us wanted to ask for his number.”
“Yeah, I think he looked at me a few times. Did you guys see it?”
“Are you kidding? I’m pretty sure he was looking at me. It could be he was checking out the paintings behind us. A man like that isn’t someone we should even be thinking about.”
He was still under 30, young and successful, and could move mountains in City N. He was truly the city’s golden bachelor.
Lillian felt a little frustrated. While they were still talking about Conrad, she quickly headed upstairs to retrieve Frank’s lunchbox.
It had already been thrown away, she wasn’t sure by whom. When she took it out, she saw that the paint on it had been chipped, and the beautifully prepared food inside was now a messy jumble. But just looking at it, she could tell that Frank had put a lot of care into it.
Lillian borrowed some dish soap from the cafeteria and cleaned it up before putting everything back in order.
Today, for some reason, she didn’t want to return to Taylor Mansion. She was afraid of running into Conrad.
It was strange-sometimes, when you don’t see someone, you might think about them in passing. But when you do see them, you almost wish you hadn’t.
Lillian had been staying away from home often due to her preparation for the graduation exhibition. Nancy had gotten used to it and, after reminding her to stay safe, didn’t say much more.
After hanging up the phone and gathering her things, Lillian was about to head to the hospital. But just as she reached the school gate, she saw a discreet black car parked there.
Justin opened the car door and got out.
“Lillian.”
It had been a while since she’d seen him, and she didn’t expect to run into him at this moment.
“Do you remember me? I’m Justin.”
Lillian nodded. “What can I do for you?”
Justin said, “I guess you didn’t notice me earlier. I was with my dad, too.”
At that moment, Lillian had seen Conrad and immediately ducked her head, retreating to the back. She hadn’t looked up at anyone else.
“Oh, I see.” She only knew that a lot of people had come today, many for the official anniversary and the graduation exhibition. As for who was there, she honestly didn’t know.
“Lillian, here’s the thing. I took a close look at your work, and I heard your professor mention that the location you need for shooting is a chemical factory, right? Well, that factory has been acquired and is temporarily closed to the public.”
Lillian nodded. “But why are you telling me this?”
Justin smiled. “It just so happens that my dad is in charge of that area now. I can take you in to shoot.”
Lillian didn’t feel any excitement at his offer. “There’s no such thing as a free lunch. What do you want me to do?”
“I think you misunderstood.”
“Just say it directly. I don’t like people beating around the bush. It’s exhausting.”
Justin took a deep breath. “Alright. I was hoping you’d give me a chance… um… to go on a date with me. It’s not easy for me to meet you, but I’ve never given up on the idea. So, how about swapping a shoot location for a chance to go out with me? I promise it won’t be a private date-just a meal at a proper restaurant. And if you feel uncomfortable at any point, you can leave right away. Would that be alright?”
Lillian thought about it for a moment. “How long would the shoot take?”
“At most a month.”
“That’s enough.” Lillian pondered and then said, “Okay, I agree, but only to have a meal with you.”
Justin smiled happily. “That’s enough! Lillian, I’m really happy you’re giving me this chance!”