Chapter 305
Henry Lorenz paced in place, his brow furrowed.
"You always laughed it off when people called you chubby before. Why the sudden decision to lose weight? Is someone bullying you?"
Hannah Morse had been doted on since childhood, growing up confident and sunny, never insecure about her figure.
Even in elementary school when she was isolated for being overweight, she remained cheerful all day. Now she suddenly wanted to diet?
His daughter was simple-minded and carefree. For her to make such a resolution... how much pain must she have endured?
Henry's heart tightened.
Afraid he would spiral into worse assumptions, Hannah quickly explained, "An educational video said moderate weight loss is good for health. I can't stay overweight forever, so I just wanted to try..."
Henry's frown deepened.
An educational video?
Something was definitely wrong!
His daughter loved eating and drinking most, followed by tinkering with bottles and jars in the lab.
Short video platforms and live streams had been booming for years, yet she never cared for them.
She would never decide to diet because of one video.
Suddenly, inspiration struck him. "Are you dating someone?"
Hannah's face instantly flushed. Thankfully it was just a phone call. "N-no! I'm here to study! Oh, Dad, class is about to start. Bye!"
She hung up immediately.
Henry: "?"
Such a big reaction, and she says there's nothing?!
Hmph! His daughter was still young. Any man daring to make a move on her would have his legs broken!
Hannah bought breakfast and rushed into the classroom.
It was Alexander Laurent's class today.
Sophia Sullivan and Marcus Lawrence were already seated. Class started in ten minutes.
"Eating so little again?" Sophia looked at her breakfast, concerned.
Marcus frowned deeply, enough to crush a mosquito.
He had been like this for two days. No one knew who had upset him.
In that short time, Hannah finished a corn cob and stared longingly at a siu mai.
If she ate it, it would be gone.
Marcus said coldly, "Is it worth it?"
"Of course it's worth it! I've lost five pounds. Five pounds!"
Converted to pork, that was enough for ten plates of shredded pork stir-fry!
Marcus: "You brought this on yourself."
He ignored her after that, flipping his textbook pages loudly.
Hannah: "?" She was the one dieting. Why was he so worked up?
"Huh? What's this? Hannah, did you drop this?" Sophia picked up a business card from under the seat.
Hannah looked at it and was about to speak when Sophia exclaimed, "Huh? Why is Dr. Simon Lowell's business card here?"
"Sophia, you know him?"
"Yes. He's a member of Professor Laurent's team. Works at MIT. I think he's a counselor."
Hannah's eyes lit up. "What's he like?"
"Good personality, polite, strong academically. He got here entirely on his own merit."
"Is he married?" Hannah felt she needed to clarify.
She had wanted to ask around but never got the chance or found a reliable source.
Sophia shook her head. "Not that I know of."
Hannah just started to relax—
"But he has a girlfriend."
He has a girlfriend...
Hannah fell silent for a moment.
"Why do you ask?" Sophia already had a guess.
"...I accidentally bumped into him at the mixer last time. He wasn't angry and even helped me get a plate. I thought he was nice, so I wanted to know more!"
The class bell rang.
Alexander Laurent entered the classroom. "Today we'll cover molecular evolution and phylogenetics..."
During the ten-minute break, Hannah listlessly slumped over the desk.
Marcus couldn't take it anymore. "You've been acting very strange these past few days!"
Hannah: "?" Was he talking to her?
"You!"
Unexpectedly, Hannah wasn't angry. She nodded in agreement. "I think so too!"
Marcus was stunned.
"Look how hungry I've gotten. I've never suffered like this since I was little... Dieting is too hard. So I've decided—"
"?"
"I'm not doing it anymore! I refuse to diet, even if you kill me!"
Marcus: "..." That wasn't what you said a moment ago.
"How about I treat you and Sophia to a meal after class?"
Before Marcus or Sophia could respond.
Hannah made the decision on the spot. "Okay, it's settled!"
Marcus: "?"
Sophia: "..."
"Steak or hot pot? Sichuan or Cantonese? Seafood buffet? Burgers, fries, fried chicken, and Coke? How about we get some of everything? That sounds perfect!"
Hannah waited hungrily until the bell finally rang: Ready, set—
Alexander Laurent stood at the podium. "That's all for today. Class dismissed."
The moment he finished speaking, Hannah grabbed Sophia and Marcus and bolted out of the classroom, moving so fast they were a blur.
Alexander's words, "Sophia, stay for a moment," caught in his throat before he could say them. They were already gone.
"..."
After her hearty meal, Hannah leaned back in her chair, every pore content.
She had an epiphany—
What diet? Did she, the young lady, need to bother with that herself?
Whoever wanted to diet could do it. She wasn't going to suffer anymore!
Even if she met a guy she liked in the future, she wouldn't starve herself.
As for Dr. Simon Lowell...
The moment she learned he had a girlfriend, Hannah stopped thinking about him.
What decent girl would set her sights on someone else's boyfriend?
There were no classes in the afternoon. After eating, they each went home.
As Sophia reached the alley entrance, she saw Alexander walking ahead.
She smiled and ran to catch up, reaching out to poke his shoulder.
Alexander turned around but didn't see anyone. Sophia deliberately hid on the other side.
He turned the other way but still saw no one.
Sophia had already switched sides and stood next to him, grinning like a child who had successfully pulled a prank.
Alexander chuckled. "Lucky it's me. Anyone else would have been scared."
"I wouldn't dare tease anyone else," Sophia blurted out.
"Why do you dare tease me?" The man's gaze deepened.
Uh!
She paused for a moment, then said seriously, "First, we're familiar, so I'm not afraid to tease you.