"Youâre the one who should be afraid! Youâre older than me, you spend all your days with the guard team, never getting a chance to meet other girls. You have such a foul temper, constantly frowning and snapping at people, always bossing around, forbidding this and that. It should be you whoâs afraid I might leave you. If I decide to dump you, I bet no other girl would put up with your stinky attitude and marry you," Jane Sampson declared triumphantly, her teeth bared in a cheerful grin as she looked at him with gleaming, fox-like eyes. "But Iâm different, Iâm young, beautiful, sweet and adorable, and I have so many talents. As time goes by, Iâll meet more and more people who are younger, handsomer, more charming, and have a better temper than you."
She poked his chest with her finger, "So James Black, you better treat me even nicer, keep me happy, and I wonât dislike you anymore."
James Black thought to himself that in this world, you probably couldnât find another Jane Sampson who took the art of taking advantage of a situation to such a masterful peak.
James Black didnât argue with Jane, just waited until she had finished laughing, then chuckled softly and ruffled her head, "Go to sleep."
This time, Jane didnât resist; she hummed in agreement and obediently closed her eyes.
She must have been exhausted, for in no time, her breaths grew steady.
She fell asleep.
Watching Jane sleep, James finally understood where all her insecurities came from.
In her heart, as she clung to him, was the fear that one day, he might not want her anymore.
Was it the thought of this possibility that made her suddenly reach out eagerly and cling to him?
Before, she was always smiling.
Her smile for everyone was constant, softening the temperament of others.
At this moment, James realized that her previous smiles were merely masks hiding her true emotions.
Behind those smiles lay other expressions, other emotionsâshe just played it well, pretending to be unaffected.
As a child, she was a carefree little lass. It was uncertain when she started becoming so painstakingly cautious.
Jamesâs fingertips lightly touched her sleeping face, resting on her eyebrows, which were so beautifully shaped they almost needed no grooming to spark envy.
At this moment, James felt a pang of sympathy for Jane.
Maybe she was right; he should treat her better, much better.
He needed to spoil her enough to let her know that in this world, there are some people who wonât just discard her on a whim.
Jane initially planned to get one sleep and sneak back to her dormitory at midnight, but when she woke up this time, daylight was already streaming in from outdoors.
Glancing at the man beside her, Jane kicked his lower leg from under the quilt and complained in a low voice, "Itâs all your fault! Why didnât you wake me up?"
"Going to keep moving?" Jamesâs hand grasped Janeâs lower leg, his voice husky and slightly sexy from just waking up, laced with a threat, "Got your energy back?"
Jane paused, and after a moment, she got the message.
She quickly withdrew her foot and scrambled down from the bed. As her feet touched the ground, she suddenly felt a chill on her skin. She looked down to see she was underdressed and let out a yelp. She swiftly grabbed the quilt from the bed and wrapped it around herself.