Gossip

All the tiring classes were over. It was time to leave. Some were leaving, exhausted and some were filled with excitement in the anticipation of completing their plans.

Meanwhile, Zou Haoran was waiting for his friends in the car.

Not after long, Caleb arrived. "Where is she?" Zou Haoran asked, seeing no sign of Opal with him. Caleb just opened his mouth to answer but at the moment she came."Sorry, I was a little late."

Zou Haoran nodded his head, "Let's go".

They had plans to visit Zou Haoran's new place. His parents bought a house so that he could live with comfort even if he is not with them. Their new school wasn't near to their residents despite being in the same city leaving them with no choice but to make these arrangements.

A visit without a meal is meaningless. They were going to fill their tummy with the yummy food cooked by his chef.

"So, what have you decided?" Zou Haoran directed his question to both of them.

"I'm thinking of giving it a try," Caleb answered, understanding the real question of his friend.

Then they moved their eyes to Opal. "Huh… oh… I don't think I'm fit for it." It took her some time to follow their conversation but it reminded her of a message she was asked to convey. "By the way, Lani reminded me to give the answer by tomorrow."

"I'm surprised." Zou Haoran broke the silence that was lingering in the car.

"She does not seem that bad." Caleb chuckled. "Aren't you paying a little too much attention?" He threw a question casually but his eyes were saying otherwise. As far as he could recall none of the memory tells him that Zou Haoran ever paid any attention to any girl. He didn't even react much when he told him that he likes someone. The only thing he could recall was his bland replies.

"You are thinking too much." Zou Haoran refused to express his inner thoughts. 'Maybe I'm paying attention. Only a little bit more than usual. But she's too amusing to be ignored.'

Seeing him refuse blatantly, Caleb didn't press him anymore.

When the car halted, they exited. In front of them was a two-story house. They entered the house and were welcomed by Martha, the caretaker who is also the cook. She was a lady in her early forties, proficient in her job. Caleb was familiar with her already. "Hello, Martha. You are as beautiful as ever."

Her light wrinkles were smiling with her too. "Hello, Caleb dear. You are as cheeky as ever." She turned to Opal to greet her. "Hello, you must be lady Opal."

Opal nodded. "Hello, Martha. Nice to meet you."

After exchanging pleasantries, they all proceed to the dining room. After all, they could feel rats jumping in their stomachs.

On the way, their eyes kept paying attention to the interior of the house. They saw semi-flush light hanging in the dining room, lighting it up and giving a beautiful touch to the ceiling. A small round dining table was in the center of the room.

After washing their hands, those three started devouring the food served to them. They were eating elegantly, creating a beautiful picture for someone's eyes. If not for the food that kept disappearing from the plates at a faster rate one wouldn't guess how fast they were.

"I need to go. Sis is coming today." Opal said whose stomach and heart both were satisfied with the meal since she hasn't got used to the changes.

"I'll ask Uncle Jones to send you to the hostel" Zou Haoran called his driver David Jones who was also trained as a bodyguard too.

"Please Tell Martha on my behalf that the food was delicious." Only Opal left, Caleb stayed behind.

"When I went back to the class after the lunch break. I found some love letters in the compartment of my desk." Zou Haoran picked something to talk about that he himself was least interested in. Caleb listened silently not knowing his purpose behind this revelation. "Seeing them, she taunted without any restraint. Are you sure you wanted to work with her?" Zou Haoran was looking straight into his eyes.

Hearing this, Caleb felt a little unbelievable. 'Since, when this guy became this... caring.' He was used to not showing his concerns clearly. Caleb didn't answer instantly instead he asked. "So, what did she say?"

Zou Haoran looked at him before repeating her words. "She said maybe some girls were blind and only got cured today to write a guy's name. Having a correction pen is a blessing, no...!" Thanks to his sharp memory he didn't miss a single word.

After hearing this, Caleb could imagine her mocking tone and the way she would be trying to get back at his friend by squeezing herself into an unrelated situation. "Pfft. I have been friends with you since childhood and I have tolerated you. So, it won't be a problem to work with her." He was clearly reminding him that he is no different from her when it comes to being sarcastic.

"But if you say otherwise…" He looked into his eyes. "At least give me a good reason, I'll consider it."

…

Layla and Lani returned from school. As soon as they entered the hostel building, they could hear Big sister Ava, their warden scolding a girl again. "You left your cooler on. How many times have I told you to switch off every appliance in the room before leaving. Do you really think that electricity… blah… blah!!!"

They both ignored this and went to their room. It was the most common occurrence. Daily, their warden sits near the gate at this time just to catch the girls that are on her target list and start scolding them. Well, she can't help it too, when she has to send reports of expenses and all to higher-ups.

They entered the room dragging their tired self. "Ahh… I'm tired. Quickly turn it on."

"Me too." Lani turned on the cooler. This was a second-hand cooler but enough to save them from heat.

"Where's Opal?" Layla asked not seeing the main reason for their fatigue.

"Went with her friends," Lani replied tiredly. "You know… girls collected some news about Zou Haoran." She was ready to share all the gossip she heard in a single day.

"Hmm…this fast?"