CHAPTER 254: SHE IS SORE

Sensing the change in the atmosphere, Riri and Lala were stirred awake in the front passenger seat.

’Woof woof’

’Meow’

Ji Yan gulped and raised the partition, completely isolating the couple.

There was a lingering moment of silence between them as Ella looked at Adrian with genuine confusion.

"Tell me." He yanked her close to him.

Due to the abrupt movement, Ella lost balance and plastered into his chest.

"What’s wrong with me going there?" As she spoke, she gently pulled back from him, keeping a few inches distance between them.

Adrian’s face did not seem to look any better after hearing her question.

If anything, he seemed displeased.

"Don’t go there in the future," His grip on her wrist tightened.

Ella’s lips parted, a hint of disbelief crossing her features, "You have taken me to the main mansion before to meet grandma. Today also, I didn’t know that your grandfather wanted me there..."

But even if she knew, she did not think she would have refused to go there.

In her heart, she had always felt this guilt towards Adrian’s grandparents.

In her previous life, she had let down their good intentions repeatedly because she was unhappy with her own life.

After both of them passed away, she had felt the discomfort of not treating them well when they were around. Yet, she had ignored that feeling.

But when she met Adrian’s grandma again, Ella had decided.

In this life, she would not make the same mistake again. She would repay kindness with kindness and hatred with revenge.

In this life, she would never allow herself to take her anger out on the people who have not wronged her.

That was her initial motivation but over time... things have changed. Before she even realized.

"Don’t," Adrian’s voice cut through her , his eyes narrowed, "go there in the future."

"I am sorry," Ella mumbled softly, "I cannot give you my word on that. If your grandparents do not want me around, then that’s fine. If they do look for me, then I will surely go."

As she spoke, she started moving away from him, gently twisting her wrist out of his grip.

Adrian released her wrist, a hint of confusion swirling in his dark eyes as he looked at her. As if he could not understand her suddenly.

And growing inside him was the urge... to unravel every thought that passed her mind.

Just as Ella managed to move away from the man, a strong arm wrapped around her waist.

In one swift move, she was dragged onto Adrian’s lap.

Ella gasped and turned around, pointing at the partition of the car as she mouthed, ’’What are you doing?! These are not soundproofed, are they?"

Adrian pinched her chin and lifted her face, angling it in a way that she was looking straight into his eyes.

"Why?" Adrian lowered his eyes, his brows tugging together, "You never wanted to meet them before. Why now?"

"Because they are your grandparents. Your family," Ella smiled, "The past... I can’t change it. But in the future, I would like to be a part of your family."

Adrian froze.

The glacier in his eyes melted gradually as he looked at the girl on his lap.

Be a part... of his family?

She wanted to be a part of his family.

"Alright," Adrian pulled her into a tight hug.

He held her tightly and buried his face in the crook of his neck.

Ella struggled to breathe at first but then gradually, the man’s grip around her loosened, still remaining firm.

...

The next day, in Imperial University.

’Bam’

Ella slumped on the desk the moment she took a seat.

"Hey, can you stop being so loud!" Kade, who was sleeping on the desk, looked up.

He glared at her, one palm clutching his forehead, "Can’t you see I am suffering here?"

Ella massaged her stiff shoulders, "I am suffering too..."

"What happened to you both?" Ruby looked at them, confused.

"Hangover!"

"Soreness!"

Both Ruby and Kade turned to Ella at once, "Soreness?" Kade’s eyes twinkled, visibly eager for some gossip.

Ella blinked, confused, "Hmm... What about it?"

Kade’s eyes sparkled even more. It seems like his brother had finally discovered the joy of immortal springs.

So in the future, his brother was going to be at the peak of happiness. And at that rate, the plebs like him will also be happy.

"Good good. Keep working hard. You are doing God’s job on Earth!" Kade patted Ella’s shoulder, inwardly wiping his happy tears like a mommy hen.

Ruby on the other hand had a cold look on her face as she looked at Ella, "Are you fine?"

"Hmm? The workout was intense but... I feel okay. Except for the soreness!"

"Intense?" A few girls looked their way when Kade almost squealed

Kade could barely control his expressions that were a mix of happiness and shock at this point. His ascetic, monk-like brother was actually like this!

A feeling of deep pride coiled in his chest.

Ruby shot him a scathing glance before turning to Ella, "Workout?"

Ella looked around. Seeing that nobody was too close, she leaned in and whispered, "A few weeks ago, I asked Adrian to help me with my morning workout but..."

Since Kade already knew that Ruby was aware of his and Adrian’s identity, Ella could talk rather freely about it.

As for the workout session...

She felt depressed just thinking about it.

In all the romance books she read, the boyfriends and husbands would give their women leeway everywhere.

Like... the female lead is having a hard time jogging? The male lead would pick her up in his arms and be like—Don’t run, princess. My heart hurts to see you in pain!

But Adrian...

Just thinking about how he had hovered above her like a rotten gym instructor and had her do 6 sets of planks early in the morning made Ella wince.

Kade’s lips twitched in displeasure. So, from workout, she really meant workout.

"The cast has been officially finalized?"

Somebody spoke at a few desks away, catching Ella’s attention.

"Yes, didn’t you see the notice on their page?"

"I only know that the Imperial Goddess secured the role of the female lead, on the spot."

"Other than the female lead, did anybody else get any significant roles from our university?"

Ella’s ears perked up when she heard it.

She wondered if Violet made it in any role.

"A junior is chosen for the role of the antagonist. Her name... Yes, I remember now. Violet."

"I heard she beat Little Miss Yu in the audition and managed to bag that role."

At the mention of Esther, several gazes shot at Ella.

But Ella turned around and pretended not to see.

Inwardly, she felt relieved and happy for Violet.

It seemed to her like, in this life, Esther cannot steal Violet’s limelight.

At this moment, a male student rushed towards Ella, "M-Miss Yu, that... that, outside..."

Ella’s brows furrowed, "What happened?"

"Somebody wants to meet y-you outside."

Ella narrowed her eyes. Who could incur such fear in a place like Imperial University?

When Ella did not budge from her spot, the male student panicked, "P-Please. I was told to pass the message. Please go out to meet the person."

Ella paused for a moment before she nodded with a smile, "Sure."

The male student was relieved.

The moment Ella stood up, both Ruby and Kade rose at the same time as well.

"You don’t need to come along," Ella waved at them, "I doubt anybody would have the audacity to harm me here in the university premises.’’

...

On the other side, in the girls’ dormitories.

"Yes, daddy... I have reached the dorms... No... no... What difficulties? Although I was not living in the dorms for some time, Violet was here... I won’t have any problems.." Esther hung up on the call.

As she crossed the corridor, some of the girls she was familiar with gauged her from head to toe.

"Oh my god, why does she look so ugly today?"

"She must have forgotten to wear makeup..."

"So, this is what she looks like without makeup. In comparison, her elder sister is better."

"I saw Ella today and I am not joking when I tell you that she looked pretty."

"Eh, that’s an exaggeration."

"She seems thinner but her features were so striking, it reminded of her modelling days. A few guys were ogling at her too even though she was dressed in plain clothes and barely had any makeup on her face."

"In comparison, Esther is nothing!"

"Or maybe Esther is crying about her broken engagement. Don’t you see the heavy bags under her eyes?"

"Or maybe she is crying after losing the role to her best friend during the auditions?"

Esther walked past all of the girls, her steps growing heavy.

With each step she took, she felt a rock crushing her heart. They were mocking her... The girls who could not hide the envy in their eyes when they looked at her before, were all mocking her!

Esther laughed coldly in her heart but she kept her chin up and walked to her room.

The moment she pushed open the door to her dorm room, Esther froze.