Chapter 5

Samuel Girard looked at Julian Hamp’s annoyed expression and couldn’t help but smile helplessly. He reached out and rubbed her hair. “You really don’t know my cousin well. She’s always been fond of playing pranks since she was little. Last time, I tried to expose her, but you pulled me away without saying a word. That’s how things turned out like this.”

Julian Hamp pushed his hand away. His cheeks were still reddened from embarrassment, and his tone remained resentful. “Then why didn’t you tell me the truth from the start? You made me waste all this time getting angry for nothing, and… and I even did something stupid.” Her voice grew softer, and a hint of panic flashed in her eyes, as she feared Samuel Girard might ask what stupid thing she had done.

Standing nearby, Elenice Walker stepped forward with a smile. She took Julian Hamp’s hand and said playfully, “Don’t blame Samuel. I told him not to say anything.”

Julian Hamp paused for a moment, then turned to Elise Walkerman with a puzzled expression. “Why? You clearly know about my relationship with Samuel. Why would you deliberately hide it from me and watch me get embarrassed?”

Elenice Walker smiled, her eyes crinkling. She shook Julian Hamp’s hand. “Why else? You’ve seen my cousin’s face. If people find out he doesn’t have a girlfriend, all those girls will swarm around him like flies. I hate those silly girls who act like that. It’s better if he pretends to have a partner, to save us all the trouble.”

Julian Hamp’s cheeks were slightly warm as she muttered to herself, “But I’m Samuel’s girlfriend…” She had wanted to say “fiancee”, but decided against it. After all, they were still high school students, and saying such things would be too awkward.

“I know,” said Elenice Walkerman, blinking her eyes with a sly gleam in them. “I haven’t seen my cousin in years. I heard he has a fiancée now. So I wanted to take a closer look at her and see what kind of girl could win over my picky cousin.”

Samuel Girard shook his head helplessly, then touched Elise Walkerman’s forehead with his finger. “You little troublemaker, you’ve been mischievous since you were a child. You still haven’t grown up at all.”

“Of course! After all, you’re my only cousin.” Elenice Walkerman raised her chin proudly, then turned to Julian Hamp, deliberately drawing out her words. “But then again, after observing you these past few days, Julian…”

Julian Hamp’s heart rose to his throat. Nervously, he stared at Elenore Walkerman, his hands unconsciously clenching the hem of his clothes. He was terrified that Elenore Walkerman would say he wasn’t qualified, that not even Samuel Girard’s cousin would approve of him.

Seeing how nervous she was, Elenice Walker couldn’t help but laugh. She patted her shoulder and said, “You passed! A perfect score! It’s my cousin’s good fortune to have found a girl who’s truly devoted to him.”

Julian Hamp immediately felt relieved. A bright smile appeared on his face. Overjoyed, he reached out to pick up Elenore Walkerman. But she was too weak. As soon as he tried to lift her, he stumbled. He quickly put her down again.

“Oh no! My foot!” Elise Walker suddenly cried out in pain. Her body went weak, and she collapsed to the ground. Her brows were tightly furrowed, and her face turned pale.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Julian Hamp was so frightened that his face turned pale. He quickly knelt down and anxiously looked at Elenore Walkerman’s feet. He wanted to touch them, but didn’t dare. “Did I hurt you just now?”

Samuel Girard also walked over quickly, knelt down to examine Elenice Walkerman’s foot, his voice filled with concern: “Has the wound opened up again?”

Elenice Walker rubbed her ankle and sighed helplessly. “It’s all because of that play competition. I have no idea who could be so cruel as to put two nails in my glass slipper. It caused two painful wounds on my foot. They still haven’t healed completely. Just now, when I put pressure on it, it hurt again.”

Julian Hamp’s cheeks turned red instantly. She didn’t dare raise her head, her heart pounding like a little rabbit inside her chest. She couldn’t tell Samuel Girard and Elise Walker that it was she who had asked Ezra Brandon to do it. If they found out, they would definitely hate her.

It was only now that she realized, too late, that Ezra Brandon never really meant to help her. He wanted to use her to get revenge on Samuel Girard. And she, foolishly, fell for his scheme, almost causing harm to the innocent Elise Walkerman. At the thought of this, Julian Hamp felt a wave of fear and guilt.

Elenore Walker noticed something was wrong with Julian Hamp. Seeing his flushed cheeks and evasive gaze, she asked doubtfully, “Julian, what’s wrong? You look terrible. Are you not feeling well?”

Julian Hamp quickly shook his head and forced a smile to hide his inner panic. “No, no. I just saw your wound and felt really sad for you. Such a deep wound… How can you possibly endure the pain?”

“Hey, what’s there to be unable to tolerate?” Elenice Walker smiled, waving her hand nonchalantly. “I’ve been practicing taekwondo since I was a child. I’m now a black belt. This little injury is nothing at all. I’m used to it by now.”

“Taekwondo black belt?” Julian Hamp was completely surprised. His gaze toward Elenice Walker was filled with admiration. “That’s amazing! I’d cry for days if I even got a minor cut like that.”

Samuel Girard added with a smile, “Don’t underestimate her. As a child, she was even more mischievous than boys. She was never beaten in fights. If anyone ever bullies you in the future, just let her protect you.”

Elenice Walker patted her chest proudly and said, “Don’t worry, Julian. With me around, no one will dare to bully you!”

Julian Hamp looked at Elenice Walker’s cheerful demeanor and felt even more guilty. He resolved in his heart that he would never trust Ezra Brandon’s words again, and certainly would never do such a foolish thing again.

Days passed by one after another. Before they knew it, half a month had gone by. It was finally time for Elenore Walkerman and Samuel Girard to go on a performance tour on behalf of their school. Before they left, Julian Hamp came to the Du family’s house early, looking worried. “Elenore, is your foot really healed? Will it affect your performance?” he asked.

Elenice Walker moved her ankle around and said with a smile, “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine soon, it doesn’t affect anything at all. Just stay at home and wait for our good news. I’m sure my cousin and I will bring you a surprise.”

Julian Hamp nodded, a hopeful smile on her face. Yet, deep down, she felt a hint of envy. She couldn’t help but think how wonderful it would be to stand on stage with Samuel Girard and perform together. She was sure she’d do a better job than Elise Walker.

On the day of the performance, Julian Hamp went to the venue specially. The moment Samuel Girard and Elise Walkerman stepped onto the stage, the entire audience fell silent. Samuel Girard was dressed in a handsome prince’s attire, while Elise Walkerman wore a gorgeous princess dress. Together, they looked perfect—a handsome man and a beautiful woman.

Although it was still the same fairy tale of Cinderella, their superb acting skills brought the story to life in a way that was even more impressive than the previous performance at school. The audience watched intently, bursting into applause and cheers from time to time.

After the performance, Samuel Girard and Elise Walkerman lived up to expectations by winning first place in the province, bringing honor to their school. Soon, the two became celebrities in the province’s elite high schools. Everywhere they went, they were admired by everyone. The title of “golden boy and beautiful girl” became increasingly well-known.

The weather is getting colder by the day. This winter has arrived earlier than usual, as if signaling something special to come. But the students in school are overjoyed, because with winter’s arrival, the winter break is just around the corner.

The relationship between Samuel Girard and Julian Hamp didn’t become closer after the misunderstanding was resolved. They remained indifferent to each other. In fact, Samuel Girard himself was confused. Watching the couples around school, he felt envious and wished he could have a passionate romance of his own.

He knew that Julian Hamp was his fiancée, someone who had been chosen for him by his elders. He could see how Julian Hamp felt about him. But toward Julian Hamp, he felt only a brotherly affection and concern. He never felt any romantic feelings for her—no racing heart, no joyous excitement. He had never experienced those feelings with Julian Hamp at all.

Samuel Girard often wondered if his true love might not have arrived yet. His kindness toward Julian Hamp was merely a result of years of companionship and a sense of duty, not love. He had no idea that this naive doubt would be completely shattered by a chance encounter this winter.