Chapter 87

As the car turned back toward the city, Pei Yi stole a glance at his boss. Mu Chuan's face gave nothing away, which, in Pei's experience, meant he was in a terrible mood.

For the past week, Mu hadn't mentioned Elise Whitmore once. He hadn't returned to the skate park, either. Pei knew heartbreak when he saw it.

Mu watched the scenery pass outside the window. He could plan his way through almost anything, but Elise was another matter.

He had canceled every meeting for two days and shut himself in his room before he finally understood. To Elise, he was probably no different from Qi Yaqiu. Qi had tried every possible way to catch his attention and refused to give up, no matter how little encouragement he offered. He didn't like her. Her persistence exhausted him, and sometimes it even disgusted him.

Elise must feel much the same. His pursuit was only troubling her.

Pei checked the schedule. “You have a meeting at four. Should I keep it at the hotel?”

“Where did Northbridge High go camping today?”

Pei blinked. “I heard it was in the next city.”

“Find out exactly where they're staying. Book a hotel nearby.”

“All right.”

He had decided not to trouble Elise again, but he still wanted to see her from a distance.

The fall trip lasted three days. The school had booked rooms at a resort, though students who wanted to camp on the mountain could rent tents. Anyone who preferred a bed could stay in the hotel throughout the trip.

Elise's class arrived late, after the other classes had already checked in. Ms. Parker went to the front desk and came back looking so excited that her face had turned pink.

“The hotel upgraded our whole class to suites!”

A chorus of questions broke out. “Why?”

“You can thank Elise. We all benefited because of her.”

Elise stared at her. Then she thought of the cars Julian had sent. Perhaps he had arranged the rooms while he was at it.

There was no point protesting in front of everyone. She smiled. “We're classmates. I'm happy to do something for the class.”

Beside her, Nora looked proud on her behalf. She already knew how much Elise's brothers doted on her, and she was used to enjoying the benefits herself. Even so, she couldn't help envying her friend a little. There really seemed to be no limit to it.

Elise and Nora were assigned a luxury suite. The moment they got inside, Nora video-called Jade without bothering to unpack and began giving her a tour. Elise unpacked her backpack, placing her things away one by one. Then she remembered something and opened the family group chat.

Elise: Thank you, brothers! Everyone's thrilled about the suites.

Julian: ?

Theo: @Julian You arranged the rooms too?

Adrian: Wow. Thought of everything, didn't you?

Miles: Why didn't our class get any? @Julian You play favorites.

Julian: ...

Julian: I was going to, but I've been in a meeting and haven't told anyone to do it yet.

Elise: ?

The others filled the chat with question marks. Elise pressed her lips together. Ms. Parker had sounded certain Julian was responsible. Had Ethan taken the initiative before Julian could ask?

That seemed likely enough, so she let it go.

The trip was organized by class. Ms. Parker told her students not to wander off, then gave them free time to recover from the journey. Elise and Nora visited the girls next door, and together they explored the resort. It stood by the sea, where the wind had a chill to it, but curiosity carried them on.

Some of the rooms had broad terraces overlooking the beach. Bundled up against the cold, Elise glanced toward one and saw someone sitting in a chair. The light was dim, but the outline seemed familiar. Her heart jumped. When she looked again, the person was gone.

It couldn't be Mu Chuan, she told herself. The shape had merely reminded her of him.

By the time they returned to the hotel, darkness had fallen and dinner service was over. The resort stood outside town, with no stores nearby, and the restaurant stopped serving at nine. Elise was hungry too. The girls searched their bags and came up with a few packets of instant noodles and snacks, but it wasn't much of a meal.

As they wondered what to do, the doorbell rang. Nora answered it and stood staring as a staff member wheeled in a cart laden with steak, salad, and other food.

“Is this for us?” Elise asked.

The staff member opened a bottle of sparkling grape juice, wished them a pleasant meal, and hurried out before anyone could stop him with questions.

“Suite service is amazing! They even bring you a late dinner.”

“Finally, food. Next time I'm not losing track of time.”

Elise had never stayed in a luxury suite before and didn't know whether a free late meal was normal. Her stomach growled at the sight of the cart, and she reached for the food.

The next morning, Elise got up on time and made it to breakfast. The buffet offered a generous selection of dishes. She took a picture of her plate and sent it to the family chat while she ate.

Julian: Is that the only hotel nearby?

She could picture him frowning. The food wasn't as elaborate as breakfast at home, but it tasted good to her.

Elise: It's the only one, but the food is good.

Adrian: Ellie is going to come home from this trip skin and bones. How is anyone supposed to eat that?

Theo: Looks fine to me. It's about what my team eats.

Adrian: Ellie isn't you. You'll eat anything.

As the argument continued, Elise turned off her screen. At the table with her were Nora and Claire Sutton. Another girl passing with a tray stopped and sat down. Nora rolled her eyes. She recognized her as the classmate who had remarked on the bus that Elise wasn't so special for a rich girl after all.

The girl's name was Leah Martin. She liked gossip, though she meant no real harm, and she knew she had benefited from Elise's help on the trip. She gave Elise an apologetic smile.

“Thank you. I talked about you behind your back before, and I wanted to apologize.”

Elise had been too sick on the bus to see who had said what. “It's okay,” she said.

“But that girl Mu Chuan was pursuing, the one who was trending on X, was actually you, wasn't it? The photo was blurry, but the more I looked, the more it looked like you. You can tell me quietly. I won't tell anyone.”

Elise said nothing. Although Julian had taken down the trending topic, some people had recognized her in the photograph and were still gossiping about it.

“What's it to you?” Nora asked sharply.

She wasn't as timid as she used to be. Elise had stood up for her when classmates bullied her, and after meeting Jade, Nora had gradually picked up some of her fearless friend's confidence. Now she had no trouble talking back.

“I was just curious,” Leah said awkwardly. “I didn't mean anything by it.”

She had hoped to get closer to Elise, but she had chosen exactly the wrong subject. Taking Elise's silence for confirmation, she hurried on.

“Everyone says Mu Chuan is such a catch. I've seen people online practically begging to marry him, but honestly, I don't see it. Apart from money, what does he have going for him?”

Leah had seen no sign that Elise was dating anyone, and Mu was never around her. Elise must have turned him down.

Elise stopped with her fork halfway to her mouth. “What?”

Pleased to have her attention, Leah leaned toward the others. “I've heard some bad things about him, too. People in that world have secrets. He does all sorts of shady things behind the scenes.”

“What shady things?” Elise gripped her fork. Her voice rose. “Do you have proof?”

Leah didn't notice the change in her expression. She thought Elise was merely questioning her story.

“Think about it. Money isn't that easy to make. His family was already rich, and now he's at least doubled what they had. Someone like that must have connections on both sides of the law. If he's ruthless enough, who knows what illegal things he's done? You're so innocent. It's lucky you didn't say yes, or he might have dragged you down with him. What would you do if he went to prison?”

Elise's hand trembled around the fork. Prison? How could Leah say that so casually?

Since they had met, Mu had been courteous and careful of her boundaries. He had never forced her to do anything, and he had been kind to Nora and the others. He was the man who had chosen to get hurt rather than let his ill mother injure herself; who had silently endured a beating from Miles; who had accepted Elise's rejection without making things difficult for her. How could anyone leap from that to crimes and prison?

Leah continued talking until she noticed that everyone at the table had fallen silent and was staring at her. Claire had heard about Mu from Elise and Nora; he sounded nothing like the man Leah described. Nora was furious. What had Mu ever done to deserve being slandered behind his back?

Elise's chest hurt with anger. When she spoke, her voice was colder than any of them had heard before. “I asked whether you have evidence. You're spreading accusations without any. People can be held responsible for defamatory rumors online. Aren't you afraid a lawyer might send you a letter?”

“I didn't mean...” Leah faltered. Elise was known for being even-tempered. Leah had always thought she would let things slide. Had she really said something so wrong?

Elise pushed to her feet, her face flushed. “Mu Chuan isn't like that at all! He wouldn't do anything illegal. All those awful rumors about him are lies!”

People in the restaurant turned to look. Elise bit her lip, suddenly aware of them, and lowered her voice. “He's a very, very good person.”

Nora put an arm around her shoulders. “Ellie, don't be angry. She talks nonsense. You don't have to listen.”

Leah finally understood she had put her foot in it. She wished she could take back everything her mouth had produced before her brain caught up. “I'm sorry,” she mumbled.

Not far away, on a sofa separated from the dining area by a screen, Mu ran a finger around the rim of his coffee cup, deep in thought.

The suited man across from him looked up. “Did you hear what I just said?”

Mu sighed. “I heard you.”

Elise had lost her appetite. She pulled Nora out of the restaurant, her cheeks still hot with anger. As they walked, she felt a gaze on her back and turned abruptly.

Mu was rising from the sofa. He shook hands with a middle-aged man, and the two walked off together in the other direction, apparently pleased with their conversation.

Elise stopped. What was he doing here?

Nora followed her gaze. “Is that Mu Chuan?”

He had been sitting so close to their table. The screen was the only reason she hadn't noticed him. Had he heard everything she said?

Heat rushed into her face. That was mortifying.

Mu seemed to notice her looking. He met her eyes and gave her a slight nod, polite and distant, his expression composed. Elise turned away. Something rose in her chest that she couldn't name. Relief, perhaps, or disappointment.

She had rejected him. He was keeping his distance, just as she had wanted.

The weather had grown colder, but the school had organized a mountain hike to give everyone some exercise. After breakfast, the students gathered and started up the trail.

Halfway up, Elise could see the wide beach and, beneath an overcast sky, a gray sea. From there the resort terraces were visible too. On the one where she had glimpsed that familiar figure the day before, a man sat with a laptop open in front of him. Wind swept in from the beach and puffed out his sleeves.

He was always telling her to keep warm and stay out of the cold. Couldn't he take his own advice? If he sat out there in that wind all day, he was bound to catch something.

She grumbled to herself and continued climbing. After a while Nora caught up, breathless, and tapped her shoulder.

“What's wrong? You've been so quiet. Are you still angry?”

Elise shook her head. “No. I just feel strange.”

“How?”

“I don't know how to explain it.”

She had expected to be relieved after turning Mu down. Somehow she wasn't as happy as she'd imagined. An unfamiliar feeling kept stirring inside her, leaving her restless and uncertain.

“Maybe my period's coming,” she said with a frown.