Chapter 8: The Strange Pursuer
Madonna had come specifically to find David—she wanted to ask if he had taught Jennifer a lesson.
“David, about this morning, I hope you can pretend you didn’t hear anything,” Madonna said sorrowfully.
That morning, David “coincidentally” ran into Madonna at the school gate. Seeing her look dejected, he asked her what was wrong.
Madonna had told him that her parents had found their biological daughter, and as their adopted child, she was going to be kicked out by Jennifer. She claimed she didn’t know what she had done wrong, but Jennifer had been highly unreasonable. She had even shown David a scrape on her elbow, insisting that Jennifer had pushed her.
As Madonna’s loyal admirer, David had naturally felt outraged on her behalf. That was why Jennifer had faced hostility from him when she stepped into class on her first day.
“I hope you don’t target her. After all, she is still my sister. Outsiders might think I asked you to cause trouble for her, which would damage my family’s reputation,” Madonna continued, her voice full of pity. With her wronged expression, she looked just like a delicate rose drenched in rain.
In the past, whenever David saw Madonna like this, he would feel deeply distressed, comforting her tirelessly while growing even more resentful toward Jennifer.
There’s an old saying: a woman’s tears are a man’s emotional catalyst.
Madonna firmly believed this. She wanted to use her meekness to contrast Jennifer’s supposed cruelty, making David despise Jennifer even more.
Jennifer, you idiot from the slums—how could you possibly compete with me? she thought maliciously.
But suddenly, a hand patted Madonna’s shoulder, followed by David’s voice.
“There might be some misunderstanding between you and Jennifer. I’ve been observing her, and she doesn’t seem as malicious as you described. Are you sure that scrape on your elbow wasn’t just from accidentally falling?”
David’s tone was serious. He felt that Jennifer wasn’t as wicked as Madonna claimed—after all, she had discovered his secret but hadn’t spread it around. Considering he had been hostile to her, her silence about his secret made him feel like the petty one.
Madonna had no idea what was going through David’s mind. She even wondered if he was running a fever.
Damn it! After hearing my story, shouldn’t he be clenching his fists in anger and charging to trouble Jennifer? Why is he defending that bitch instead?!
Madonna didn’t understand why David was acting like this, but she couldn’t afford to ruin her sweet and obedient image in front of him.
“You might be right,” she forced a smile. “Thinking about it carefully, it could have been a misunderstanding. Jennifer and I were standing at the staircase, close together, so maybe I just lost my balance and fell.”
“Looks like I was right—it was all a misunderstanding. You two sisters should get along better,” David said with an uncharacteristically kind smile.
What the hell is wrong with this guy? Did he get possessed or something?! Madonna instinctively took a step back in caution.
David still holds onto some illusions about Madonna; otherwise, he wouldn’t have tried to find excuses for her. As for what had caused her personality shift, he figured that something must have happened to change her. Maybe he could even help her get back on the right path.
“Alright, Madonna, I need to get back to class. I have something to look into—I just realized what I want to do in the future,” David said, waving as he walked away.
Madonna was still puzzled by his sudden change in behavior, but she was curious about his plans.
“Looks like you finally have a dream. What is it?” she asked.
David suddenly stood tall, pounding his right fist against his chest. His eyes were firm, radiating righteousness.
“I want to be a narcotics officer!”
Madonna stood there dumbfounded, staring at David’s retreating figure. It seemed like he was glowing for a moment—almost blinding her.
“I don’t understand why this idiot wants to be a narcotics officer. Shouldn’t you be helping me deal with my problem instead?!” she muttered.
She glanced toward Class 13, snorted coldly, then turned and left. She needed to find another way to target Jennifer.
Meanwhile, Jennifer felt dazed inside the classroom—all her new classmates were too enthusiastic.
“Jennifer, can you share your social media account with me so I can add you as a friend?”
“I bought this hair clip yesterday. I think it matches your hair color perfectly, so I’m giving it to you.”
“Jennifer, this must be your first time at our school. Do you want me to show you around?”
“Have you had breakfast? I bought too much this morning—I can give you some.”
“Jennifer, since this is our first meeting, I don’t have a proper gift for you… Here, take this $500.”
“…”
Jennifer had no idea what was going on. She could understand them wanting to add her as a friend, but gifting her presents on the first meeting? Even offering her money? She was utterly baffled.
Are all my classmates this friendly? Wasn’t this class supposed to be full of difficult people? I thought I’d be bullied here, but they’re all so warm that I almost feel guilty for looking into their secrets.
Jennifer’s thoughts echoed in the minds of every classmate present.
Their eyes lit up. If Jennifer didn’t want to read their secrets, that was great news—at least they wouldn’t feel so exposed. If they became friends, Jennifer might even be able to see their futures. Surely Jennifer wouldn’t just ignore them if they faced trouble, right?
Realizing this, the students began looking at Jennifer as if she were a priceless treasure.
Everyone’s enthusiasm is making me uncomfortable. I should keep some distance from them so that I won’t feel guilty when reading their secrets. Now, whose secret should I check out next? I haven’t looked into Carl’s yet—he’s next.
Upon hearing Jennifer’s inner thoughts, the students suddenly had the urge to flee. Just how obsessed is she with peeking into people’s privacy?! But then they remembered that Jennifer had even peered into her brother’s secrets. If she didn’t even spare her sibling, then… well, they couldn’t exactly complain, could they?
Soon, the bell rang for the next class.
It was math class. The teacher began explaining a problem on the blackboard.
But none of the students were paying attention—they were all waiting for Jennifer to expose Carl’s secret.
On the other hand, Carl was sweating nervously, his heart pounding in fear.