The two of them shopped until dark before returning to school, their hands full of large and small shopping bags.

  Just as they reached the dormitory building, a black figure suddenly darted out from a shadowy area to the side, blocking their path.

  "Ah—"

  Scarlett screamed in surprise, and Grace was also startled. But when she clearly saw the person in front of her, her expression instantly darkened, her eyes filling with impatience.

  Eric's face was gloomy, his gaze icy cold as he stared fixedly at Grace.

  "Eric?" Recognizing him, Scarlett said angrily, "Are you crazy! Blocking the entrance to the girls' dorm at night? Who are you trying to scare to death?"

  But Eric completely ignored Scarlett's scolding. Instead, he looked at Grace and questioned her in an angry tone: "Why did you move dorms? Avoiding me?"

  Grace couldn't help but let out a subconscious cold laugh, which made Eric's eyes turn three degrees colder.

  "Gifting a 'Carnival' to another guy? And to someone in the same dorm as me? Are you doing this on purpose?"

  The aura around him was clearly fraught with irritability and gloom. One could feel he was trying hard to restrain himself, but judging by his tone, he was clearly on the verge of losing control.

  Grace lifted her eyes slightly, her gaze full of unconcealed disgust as she met his eyes: "Eric, we are over. Anything I do has nothing to do with you, and it's not your place to question me here!"

  "I don't agree!" Eric roared, his eyes bloodshot. Then, his eyes moistened, and he looked at Grace with a face full of unwillingness, shaking his head: "I don't know what I did wrong, or if my mom said something to you! I only know that I like you, and I don't agree to break up."

  As he spoke, he seemed to suddenly think of something. He sharply reached out and gripped Grace's slender shoulders, saying: "You have someone else, don't you? Otherwise, how could you bear to gift a 'Carnival' to someone else?"

  "Why did you refuse the money I transferred to you, but were willing to take money from someone else? Is their money better than mine? Easier to spend?"

  "Just tell me how much you want, I can give it to you, any amount!"

  "But don't break up with me. Explain it clearly to that person. I don't mind, I really don't mind!"

  At this point, Eric shed all his anger, his voice trembling with sobs. The whole person was humbled to the dust. Even Scarlett, who had wanted to intervene and dissuade him, was moved. She looked at Grace, hesitating as if she wanted to speak up for Eric.

  Only Grace remained completely unmoved by Eric's display of deep affection. She just looked at him quietly, because she had never seen Eric show this side of himself before.

  He seemed fragile and vulnerable. Anyone who wasn't heartless would feel distressed and touched upon seeing him like this.

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  But Grace only found the current Eric exceptionally disjointed.

  Because the face that surfaced in her mind was the cold, hard one sitting in the back seat of a luxury car. She had cried and shouted, clinging to the window frame, demanding an explanation, but hadn't even received an apologetic glance from him.

  Until the car window slowly rolled up, trapping her fingers in the gap, then dragging her several meters before she finally fell in a mess on the roadside.

  She could still remember the pungent smell of exhaust fumes hitting her face as that car sped away.

  And now, looking at Eric's face full of deep affection, Grace only wanted to tear apart his hypocritical mask.

  She pushed hard against Eric's arms, which were gripping her shoulders, and still spoke calmly: "I've said it, we are over."

  The light that had been burning in Eric's eyes visibly went out completely after Grace coldly said these words.

  His face turned ashen, looking at Grace with utter despair: "Why? Why are you treating me like this?"

  He thought that if he lowered his stance and compromised, Grace would change her mind.

  But he had already humbled himself to the dust. In all his life, he had never been so submissive to anyone. Why was she completely unmoved?

  Scarlett, standing to the side, was so anxious her pretty face was scrunched up.

  But Grace obviously didn't want to waste any more words. She sidestepped Eric and quickly entered the dormitory building.

  Seeing Eric so heartbroken, Scarlett couldn't help but find him pitiful.

  Even if he really had some... shortcomings in that area, he could seek treatment. After all, men's health medicine is quite advanced now; it's not some incurable terminal illness.

  He really didn't deserve this.

  "Eric, calm down first," Scarlett spoke softly to comfort him. "Although I don't know the details between you and Grace, I don't think Grace is the type to make unreasonable demands. You just said she has someone else – do you have any evidence? If not, that's slander and defamation! Is this the way to ask someone to get back together?"

  Eric turned his head to look at Scarlett. His previously chaotic heart actually regained a bit of rationality because of her words.

  "I said the wrong thing, didn't I?" he murmured.

  Scarlett sighed. "Don't just say things without factual basis. Even if you have doubts in your heart, you should clarify things before drawing conclusions."

  Thinking about how Grace had been mocked and sneered at by her former roommates in the small restaurant today, their words basically attacking her with the idea that Eric had discarded her, Scarlett felt she should help clarify things for Grace: "She didn't move dorms to avoid you. It's because her previous roommates ganged up to bully her."

  Hearing this, Eric was stunned. He didn't know about this.

  "She... she never told me about these things."

  Scarlett shook her head helplessly. "If she had a good relationship with her roommates, how could she never mention anything about them?"

  Eric was drawn in by Scarlett's words, lowering his head with a pained and self-blaming expression.

  He hadn't cared for Grace enough. He didn't even know she was being bullied.

  "You should go back now. Calm down and sort things out yourself. Don't be so impulsive next time."

  Having said this, Scarlett walked around him and entered the dormitory building.

  Back in the dorm, Grace was tidying up. The room had already been cleaned spotlessly by the junior students.

  "Wow, it's so clean!"

  Scarlett deliberately exaggerated her reaction, walking over to Grace with a happy smile. "Grace, good thing I have you. If I had moved in alone first, I wouldn't have known what to do."

  Grace smiled, seemingly completely unaffected by the earlier encounter with Eric. "Hurry up and make your bed, put your things away, then quickly take a shower and get into bed, otherwise the lights will be out soon."

  Seeing she was in a decent state, Scarlett felt slightly relieved.

  But she didn't say much more. Although, having witnessed the whole process, she really wanted to say a few words on Eric's behalf – because she could feel that Eric truly liked Grace – she still held back.

  She had known Eric since childhood. Although they weren't particularly close friends, having known each other for so long, she could offer some well-intentioned advice.

  But Grace was different. Although they felt like old friends from the first meeting, they had just met. She needed to maintain a sense of boundaries and not interfere too much in people’s private matters.