"Oh, I’m fine with anything." Mia Ginger hurriedly replied.
On the phone, Koa Jackson suddenly fell silent for a moment, hesitantly asking, "Are you outside?"
"Yeah." Mia just nodded when the waiter beside her handed over the menu, smiling and saying, "Please take a look at the menu."
"Let me do it." Mason Sutton took it for her.
The clear, gentle voice accurately reached Koa Jackson’s ears.
He furrowed his brows tightly and stopped speaking.
Mia, holding her phone, suddenly felt a bit nervous. She turned her head and explained, "I’m with Brother Sutton; Dad asked him to check on me."
"Brother Sutton?" Koa Jackson’s tone lifted slightly.
He just felt that the name sounded quite jarring and extremely uncomfortable.
He could hardly imagine Mia sharing a table with a young man and having to politely call him ’brother’?
"Yes, the one you’ve met." Mia’s voice was small, "That time at the cemetery."
Koa Jackson furrowed his brows, thinking back.
He had a bit of an impression of the man who drove Mia home.
About the same age as him, with a good appearance and demeanor, looking gentle and refined.
In officialdom, there aren’t many people with simple thoughts.
Especially since this person was already Aiden Jiang’s right-hand man at such a young age, his capabilities and connections were evident.
He became even more silent.
"Brother Jackson?" Mia called him softly, feeling conflicted in her heart, when Koa Jackson suddenly spoke, "I’m fine, just called to check in. Go ahead and eat, see you tonight."
"Okay." Mia inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.
She hung up the phone.
Mason Sutton had already ordered the meal.
His slender fingers rubbed the simple, stylish ceramic cup beside him, looked up, and smiled, "Koa... Third Young Master?"
"Yes." Mia was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
"Together with him?" Mason Sutton asked with another smile.
"How did you know?" Mia’s cheeks flushed slightly, a bit surprised, and somewhat embarrassed.
"This," Mason lifted the teacup by his side for a small sip, then put it down again, still smiling gently, "is all written on your face, anyone could see it."
There are generally two types of expressions in the world that can’t be disguised.
One belongs to hungry children, and the other belongs to girls in love.
When she looked at Koa Jackson, those dark eyes were always gentle and affectionate, mixed with deep longing and expectation.
Even if she tried to suppress it, it couldn’t help but show traces.
And now, the blush that surfaced on her cheeks the moment she spoke, was the most powerful, direct evidence.
Was the silly girl not even aware?
"Ah." Mia instinctively touched her face, which felt hot.
After a moment, coming back to her senses, she looked at him and appeared forthright, curving her lips to speak, "That’s right, I’m in love. Brother Sutton, please don’t tell my dad yet, okay?"
"Back to Brother Sutton now?" Mason Sutton couldn’t help but laugh again, teasingly.
"Um." Mia’s slender fingers scratched the table surface, slowly saying, "Okay, I was wrong earlier, shouldn’t have taken my mood out on you. Be nice, don’t tell my dad yet, okay?"
"This," Mason raised his eyebrows at her, speaking earnestly, "is of course... possible."
Mia suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
Mason lifted the small cup of tea beside him, smiling, "Come, let’s toast with tea instead of wine, to celebrate your dream coming true."
"Thank you." Mia raised her teacup and clinked it with his.
This joy couldn’t be contained, leading to—
All the way back to campus, she couldn’t help but smile dreamily, feeling a bit elated.
The midday sun was bright and hot, shining through the lush tree shade, spreading over the tree-lined path by the dormitory building.
The cement ground’s light and shadows were mottled, with intersecting lines looking like an abstract painting.
As Mia walked, she became a bit lost in herself, unable to resist hopping forward along the spaces formed by the lines, enjoying herself immensely.
Dallas Taylor and his group returned to campus after lunch.
As they turned onto the tree-lined path, they saw this scene from a distance.
The girl wore a camo short-sleeved shirt, her figure slender, under the hot sun, hopping forward one step at a time on the empty tree-lined path, her short hair flying, her movements light, um, from a distance, she looked like a little rabbit.
The several instructors were all taken aback, "Hey, Captain, isn’t that your Little Ginger?"
"Ah?" The other instructors were hearing this nickname for the first time, all startled.
When they realized it, they glanced at the grim-faced Dallas, suddenly bursting into laughter.
The sound naturally startled Mia.
She instinctively stopped, turning her head sideways.
Many years later, Dallas Taylor always remembered the moment she turned around.
Sunlight filtered through the branches onto her face, his Little Ginger, wearing his favorite camo outfit, her short hair soft and fluttering, her eyes dark and bright, visibly startled by their sudden outburst, and her fair little face blushing, the shy, embarrassed smile clearly visible even from afar.
At this moment, to Dallas Taylor, the scene didn’t seem precious at all. He glanced at his teammates who were laughing heartily at his side and called out solemnly, "Mia Ginger."
Mia reached up to scratch her hair, standing still to wait for him.
Dallas took long strides toward her.
He quickly reached her side.
"Hello, Instructor." Mia smiled at him.
"Hm." Dallas didn’t stop, speaking as he walked, "Have you eaten?"
Dallas scrutinized her with his gaze for a moment, then asked, "Are you... in love?"
"Huh?" Mia was embarrassed and confused, after a moment, she came to her senses, lowered her head, and chuckled, "Is it really that obvious? Everyone can tell?"
Dallas let out a derisive laugh, "Besides love, I can’t think of anything else that could make a girl so..."
He seemed to think for a moment, then said solemnly, "Agitated."
Mia found herself a bit speechless.