Giselle felt exasperated. Not much time has passed since the last time we met, yet here he is yapping about how long it has been. Is he trying to tell me that he misses me?
As she thought about it, her face reddened. It sounded so foolish in her head. Heâs my student! Surely heâs just joking!
âCasper, whatâs up with you these days? I havenât seen you in class lately.â
Giselle changed the subject to ease the awkwardness.
Casper brushed it off. In a way, he had been really busy.
âSay, Ms. Clauder, do you take to live-streaming regularly?â
Giselle was apparently taken aback by his words. but she quickly understood what he meant. It was true that she had made a name for herself on the internet. It made sense that he knew about it.
âWhat about it?â Giselle asked.
Casper hesitated for a moment. He wanted to enlist Giselleâs help to direct some traffic to his live-
streaming app.
âWell, the thing is, Ms. Clauder, how would you like to take the next step on a different platform?â
Giselle blinked in surprise, not quite catching on.
âWhy would I want to do that? What are you up to?â
Casper did not want to hide the truth anymore, so he told her everything.
âYou see, I know youâre quite popular online, Ms. Clauder. Iâve recently started an entertainment company, and Iâve developed my own live-streaming app. Iâd like to invite you to join my venture.â
He was actually panicking when he extended his offer. He did not know what Giselle would say or how she would react after hearing about his entrepreneurship.
In other words, he was somewhat anxious, which soon turned into regret.
What if our relationship worsens because of this? What if she thinks Iâm money-minded?
Strange thoughts began to form in his head one after another.
âMs. Clauder, itâs okay ifâ¦â
Giselle cut in before Casper could withdraw his invitation.
âSure, I accept your offer.â
Casper froze for a brief moment. He did not expect Giselle would take up his offer so decisively.
Then, Giselle added, âYouâre rich, arenât you? You must have been following me for a long time now, right? Could you be that Mr. Simpson?â
Giselle stared straight at Casper.
âI hope youâre not lying to me.â
She spoke again.
Giselle had long suspected that Casper could be the âMr. Simpsonâ who had been following her online.
She was simply just not convinced of the possibility, but what he said just now had allowed her to affirm her thoughts.
Catching the serious look in her eyes, along with her quote âI hope youâre not lying to meâ echoing in his head, Casper knew he could no longer hide his secret.
As such, he nodded.
âPlease⦠itâs not what you thinkâ¦â
As if he was trying to prevent a breakup with his first love, Casper got completely flustered and seemed incapable of putting his words in order.
Seeing him panicking like that, Giselle could not resist a giggle.
âWow, I didnât think thereâs such a side to you, Casper.â
âGigi, IâAh, noâMs. Clauder, are you really accepting my offer?â
Caught up in his emotions, he accidentally blurted Giselleâs nickname, which caused her to zone in on that verbal blunder.
âWhat did you call me?â
âN-Nothing.â
Things got awkward for Casper. At the same time, he recalled that Giselle had kissed him previously.
She canât be mad, can she?
Giselleâs cheeks turned red. She decided to switch the topic and talk about work.
âSo, youâve really started an entertainment company? Whatâs the app called? Let me download it.â
Casper quickly introduced the companyâs app to her. He even took the initiative to explain the benefits that would come with signing the contract.
It was then that Giselle shook her head.
âI donât intend to stay as a social media influencer,â she said. âso let me make this very clear. Iâm not signing any contracts.â
Cough.
Casper let out a cough and held his silence.
âI havenât eaten yet. Make me something to eat, will you?â
âAh? Oh, sure.â
Casper got busy in the kitchen and soon whipped up two bowls of macaroni.
He had eaten his share back at Tycoon, but he still had room for some macaroni.
They finished the food quickly.
âIâll be leaving then, Ms. Clauder.â
âSo soon? Donât you want to stay for a bit longer?â
Since she mentioned it, Casper opted to stay back.
Giselle switched on the television in the living room and sat down on the couch in silence.
Casper sat next to her.
It just dawned on him how awkward things had turned out after he decided to stay.
âYouâve changed, Ms. Clauder.â
Casper tried to make conversation.
âHmm? How so?â
Giselle muttered, perplexed.
âYouâve gotten prettier.â
The woman could not resist a laugh.
âWhat a sweet talker.â
Unknowingly, Casper found himself getting closer and closer to Giselle.
When the program ended, the two were basically pressed together.
Night had fallen.
Unable to bear it any longer, Casper gave Giselle a peck on the cheek.
âIâll be going then, Ms. Clauder.â
With that, he scurried off.
Once he left, Casper could feel his face heating up. Oh my gosh, Iâve actually kissed Gigi! Haha!
His heart was leaping with joy, and he was still beaming when he returned to his dorm room.
His roommates were present.
Seeing the smug look on Casperâs face, Felix had to ask, âWhat are you so happy about?â
âOh, itâs nothing.â
âCasper, whatâs with that getup? Youâre dressed in branded goods from head to toe.â
Colton was next to speak when he saw how different Casper looked that day.
Casper laughed.
âA girl bought it for me. I couldnât say no.â
What he said was actually the truth.
Colton snorted.
Then, they heard someone yelling from the ground below. âCasper! Get out here right this instant!â
It was Fabian.
Casper wondered what the young man wanted from him.
âWhatâs going on?â
Felix was puzzled too. He wasnât sure what trouble Casper had gotten himself in to make Felix come looking for him.
Casper had no clue either.
When he got downstairs, Sarah and Fabian were glaring at him.
âCasper, I asked you to pose as my auntâs boyfriend, but you messed up! You canât possibly think you can keep wearing those clothes, do you? A poor sap like you donât deserve them!â
Sarah wanted to stand up for her aunt as well. She was furious once she got wind that Casperâs cover had been blown. But since Emily did not inform her of the details, she came over to make a fuss.
She had Fabian tag along with her.
They intended to humiliate Casper and teach the country bumpkin a lesson.
âTake off those clothes! Iâd rather toss them in the bin than give them to a poor sap like you!â Sarah commanded.
Many students were walking around the campus at that time.
They saw Fabian and Sarah ganging up on Casper and came over to watch the show.
Casper did not like where this was going.
Seeing his inaction, Sarah spoke again.
âCome on, make it quick. I gave you those clothes, but you havenât been pulling your weight, so how could I let you keep them? Take them off now!â