fanqie novel
Chapter 204
Chapter 204
Yates pulled out his chair and sat back down, drawing the attention of Merry and Cordelia. He slowly said, "Well, I'm thinking of hitting the town, seeing what's happening."
After he finished speaking, he looked down and began fiddling with his phone. Merry cast a hopeful glance at Floyd. Yates's hint was clear-he wanted to check out the scene but hadn't decided on a club yet. Wasn't it obvious he was waiting for Floyd to invite him?
Yet Floyd kept his head down, saying nothing.
An awkward silence filled the room. Yates's hands slowed on his phone, his eyes glued to the screen but not reading a single word. His peripheral vision never left Floyd.
Finally, Floyd broke the silence, "Are you all done eating?"
Cordelia, sensing the tension, quickly replied, "Yes, I'm full."
Floyd nodded, "Alright, let's get you all home."
At that, Yates stood up abruptly, the screech of his chair cutting through the silence. His eyes bore into Floyd, but Floyd kept looking at Cordelia, "Lia, if you need anything while you're in Ontoky City, just let me know."
Cordelia hesitated, "Oh, sure."
Seeing that Floyd still wasn't going to extend an invitation, Yates suddenly grabbed the beer he had brought, downed it in one go, and smashed the bottle on the floor. The shattering glass echoed as he stormed out.
Outside, Floyd's car was waiting in the parking lot. After a brief discussion, it was decided Floyd would drop Merry at Bland's apartment on his way back to the club. Yates would take Cordelia, and Everard said, "I'll drop you at the academy, then catch a cab."
The sleek Griffin family car pulled up. Floyd seemed like he wanted to say something, but Yates was already bending into the vehicle.
Standing by the car, Cordelia glanced at the dimly lit Little Flame, then at Floyd, before asking, "Little Flame, after you drop me off, where will you go?"Belongs to NôvelDrama.Org - All rights reserved.
Yates, despite his frustration, didn't let it show towards Cordelia. He looked out the window, showing only the back of his head, and muttered, "Home." Cordelia gave a puzzled, "Hmm?"
Yates clarified, "The two drivers will take turns driving back tonight. It won't make a difference to me."
Cordelia nodded, accepting his answer, while Floyd remained silent.
As they split up, Cordelia and Everard got into their designated rides. When Cordelia arrived at the Autumn Gold Academic Bootcamp, she, with luggage in hand, bid farewell to Yates and Everard at the gate, given the camp's policy against parental drop-offs.
Yates looked a bit worse for wear, his face unusually pale.
"Are you okay?" Cordelia asked with concern.
"I'm fine," Yates assured her.
Everard promised to keep an eye on him, easing Cordelia's worry as she ventured into the camp, her luggage trailing behind her.
The dorms at the camp were quite
cozy, resembling college housing with shared rooms for four, complete with a balcony, laundry facilities, and a private bathroom Cordelia found her room, 201, and as she entered, she overheard her roommates gushing over someone named Keen, a familiar name that reminded her of a fellow academic achiever from the National Math League.
Her phone buzzed with a message from Gamer, Floyd's online alias. Stepping onto the balcony to take the call, Floyd informed her that Merry had been safely dropped off.
Their conversation was brief, filled
with awkward pauses, until Floyd suddenly asked if Cordelia was interested in joining his eSports team as a shooter. The proposition left her bewildered, considering her lack of experience in that role.
Floyd remained calm and collected, "Take your time to think about it. Joining an eSports club can actually teach you a lot about the spirit of competitive gaming."
Learn...
Cordelia hesitated for a moment before replying, "Oh, I think I'll pass."
She was off to play a shooter game. What about Little Flame?
Though she was genuinely interested in learning and was curious about the eSports club, there were certain lines she wasn't ready to cross.
After ending the call, she finally opened the balcony door and stepped back into her dorm room.
Her roommates had just finished discussing Keen, and now they were on to another topic:
"Hey, did you guys hear? Cordelia's entering the competition too!" said a girl with a round face.
"Really? No way."
"She wouldn't join, would she? She's already got a scholarship. What's next, aiming for the international Math Olympiad?"
The round-faced girl spoke up again, "Genius really is different from us. But, what does this genius look like?"
They all tried to picture what academic types looked like... and the three of them shuddered:
"Could she be bald?"
"Maybe she's overweight?"
"My worry is, it might be hard to get along with a nerd. What if she's as cold as a block of ice?"
"Whoever shares a dorm with her is doomed. With her studying late into the night, being so academically inclined and even more hardworking than the rest of us, who could possibly get any sleep?" Content
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As the three of them spiraled further off-topic, Cordelia couldn't help but smirk. She walked over slowly and introduced herself, "Hey there, I'm Cordelia."