Chapter 446 Resolute
After discovering the truth, Wrenna realized that she should not have taken so many wild guesses about Damian’s health.
Then again, she was not sure if she should be happy or sad about it.
I guess it’s a piece of good news after all. It means that Damian is in the pink of health as there’s nothing wrong with him. It’s better than being sick.
On the other hand, the information also implied that Damian had no desire for the woman that he had not come to love.
Wrenna smiled wryly at that thought.
That means I still need to work harder, right?
After returning from Zen Highlands, Wrenna went to bed without waiting for Damian for the first time ever, nor did she wait for his goodnight hug.
Though Damian was a little taken aback, he did not give much thought to it.
She’s probably sleepy after a long and tiring day.
The next day, Wrenna had to go to school because she had been skipping too many lectures.
In fact, the dean called her up and was unswerving about this matter. Left with no choice, Wrenna had to show up for classes.
As soon as she stepped foot into campus, she received many strange gazes. She could see that people were talking about her despite not being able to hear their conversations. She was so sure that they were all criticizing her. Feeling rather awful, she quickened her steps and darted toward the office.
Upon entering the small office, Wrenna gazed at that the gray-haired dean. He was the first lecturer who was truly concerned about Wrenna when she entered university.
She had always felt uneasy being a rich student.
Back then, the dean complimented her after seeing the comics she drew.
Facing the same dean who had been so kind to her, tears welled up in her eyes. A strong guilty conscience washed her over, making her feel even more embarrassed about her recent actions.
Alfred remained calm and benign. He gestured for her to take a seat.
Anxiously, Wrenna sat down. Alfred looked at her and sighed. He did not reprimand her. Instead, he apologized, “Sorry, Wrenna.”
“Huh?” She was astounded. Why did he say sorry?
“I apologized for what happened on the school forum. Admittedly, the university didn’t handle the situation well and resulted in you bearing the brunt of the comment. I should make an apology.”
Oh, it’s about this.
His sudden apology made Wrenna feel awkward. She clasped her hands and explained, “Well, Mr. Jones, this is not the school’s fault. You don’t have to say sorry to me. In fact, I should be the one to offer an apology first. I…”
Her voice started to quiver. Biting her lips, she plucked up her courage and admitted, “I’ve skipped too many classes. Punish me however you want, Mr. Jones. I have nothing to say about that.”
Alfred looked at her. Then, he rose to his feet and sat beside her. “Wrenna, don’t you want to learn art anymore? Are you considering quitting it all together? Or that you just don’t like coming to school and face all these rumors?” His tone was serious.
At that moment, all that was brewing inside Wrenna was nothing but negativity.
Whenever she thought about school, she automatically related it to Stella. She hated seeing her around, especially her smug little smile, and how she always looked all high and mighty.
She loathed how everyone in school was gossiping about her behavior and actions.
She also disliked how one of her dorm mates doubted her. The friendship issue exasperated her.
Actually, all of these had nothing to do with her studies. She just did not like the environment she was in.
Even so, Wrenna knew that she lacked a courageous and positive attitude when approaching problems as such. Hence, her first reaction was to run away from it, thinking that she could sleep on it, but the problems were still unresolved. The only solution was for her to face them head-on.
“Mr. Jones, I… I want to keep drawing. Just that, I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed. Besides drawing, I’m not interested in the lectures at all. In addition, they…” she faltered.
Alfred nodded, indicating that he understand where she was coming from.
“Since you want to continue studying here, then I’ll carry on the discussion with you instead of your parents. After all, you’re an adult now. Right?”
“Yes.”
“Great. In that case, you shall attend classes today. I’ll give you a demerit for those you’ve missed. If you don’t get sufficient credit hours by the end of the semester, you’ll have to resit the exams. This is a final warning. Wrenna, if you fail, you’ll be retained. It won’t look good on you when that happens.”
Wrenna nodded. Just as she had expected, Alfred always meant business.
Right after that, he changed his expression swiftly.
He cast a fatherly gaze at her. “Wren, now that we’re done talking about official matters, let’s discuss your personal issues. Most of us have more or less faced similar problems at some point in our lives. We’ve all been hurt by people who don’t matter to us, all thanks to the advancement of technology. Everyone can express their opinions on the Internet, anytime, anywhere, and there’s hardly any price to pay. So, some become unscrupulous in their actions. On the contrary, the other parties who get hurt have no way to defend themselves. Unfortunately, you’re in this quagmire now, but you chose to run away from it. Although it’s not a bad way to deal with such matters, it’s not the best way either. Why do you shun your problems? You haven’t done anything wrong. Even if you did, you’re accountable to yourself and no one else. Regardless of what they say, it won’t change your perception of things, right?”
That’s true. No matter what others say, I know what’s right and what’s wrong. I’m not affected. I’m resolute to stand for what I believe in, what I love and hate.
Alfred added, “You’re still young. That’s why you care a lot about what people say about you. I think I’ve said too much. It may not help, but once you experience it yourself, you’ll realize the idea behind it. My advice to you now is to go all out for what your heart desires, and do whatever you put your mind to it.”
Wrenna was so touched to hear Alfred’s encouraging words. Teary, she looked at him sheepishly.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Jones.”
“Your fault is that you played truant. Other than that, I’ll leave it to your own judgment.”
“Okay, I understand now.”
Alfred smiled. Then, he returned to his desk and put up his usual front as a lecturer.
“Right, now that everything is solved, I have a request. I have a student, who’s actually a few years your senior. He owns a publishing firm and is urgently looking for an artist. I’ve seen your work, so are you interested in giving it a try? Though you major in traditional painting, I see that you lack interest in it. On the contrary, you seem to enjoy drawing comics. I’ll pass you his contact number, and you can call him up.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Jones, I’ll think about it.”
It was a good day after all for Wrenna.
Mr. Jones is the world’s best lecturer!
Shortly after she left the office, Alfred chuckled while shaking his head.
He made a phone call. “I’ve spoken to the girl. Rest assured that everything’s fine now. Haha… With your extensive intervention, I don’t dare to expel her, do I? Haha… Just kidding. This matter is now resolved. Don’t you worry…”
Indeed, Damian was on the other end of the line.
It was impossible for him not to know that Wrenna had been skipping classes. At first, he was not bothered since she had done it before.
When she did it consistently, and her mood turned bad quite frequently, Damian could sense that something was off.
Therefore, he investigated it and found out that Wrenna met Stella in school.
He also discovered that she was the victim of cyberbullying.
He did not know how to console her despite wanting to encourage her to attend classes. Hence, he asked Alfred for a favor to convince Wrenna to go back to campus. Most essentially, he did not want to see her hating school.
As for the job at the publishing firm, it was not arranged by Damian. He had no idea about it. It was recommended by Alfred.
When Wrenna went back to the dorm, Dora was the only one present.
She was on the phone when Wrenna walked into the room.
Feeling shocked and awkward at the same time, Dora quickly hung up. At that instant, the was pin-drop silence in the dorm.
Just when Wrenna wanted to speak, Dora interrupted her, “Sorry, Wren.”
“Um… I should be the one to say sorry.”
Both of them offered each other an overdue apology. Subsequently, they exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
Girls and their shenanigans.
Eventually, they felt more comfortable with each other as they started chatting.
“Wren, I’m sorry for making you upset. In the future, I won’t attend Ms. Lane’s lecture anymore. Actually, she’s not that great. I’ve now fixed my eyes on another goddess. She’s an incredible woman…”
“Dora, I shouldn’t have put the blame on you. Stella’s character and her lectures are two separate things altogether. If you like it, go ahead, and continue attending her classes as long as you don’t get brainwashed by her.”
“Haha… I won’t. You’re my best friend. Ms. Lane is just a brilliant woman. Anyhow, there are many people like her and they are all wonder women. If she’s like what you’ve described, I’ll switch from a die-hard fan to a hater. After all, I trust you.”
“Thank you.”
The two of them gave each other a tight hug. At that moment, Wrenna’s world brightened up again. Apart from the goodness of Damian, the world is wonderful too.
That day, Wrenna was in an extremely good mood. She treated all of her dorm mates to a sumptuous meal.
There was a sparkle in Dora’s eyes. As a foodie, she looked forward to tasting an array of delicious food with Wrenna. She especially loved a treat to the restaurant at the luxurious hotel, which the girls could never afford.
“Wren, I want to marry you. Really… I must marry you,” Dora expressed her adoration while digging in.
Wrenna laughed boisterously. “I’m straight. Okay? Don’t you know that?”
“Oh, it’s fine. I’ll just love you discreetly.”
The group of friends chortled at that remark.
“I think what you love is the mouth-watering food that I’m treating you, right?” Wrenna shot a glance at Dora.
The next moment, she raised her hand to call for a waiter. She wanted to add more dishes so that Dora can stuff herself to her heart’s content.
As she scanned around for the waiter, she saw two familiar figures. It was Stella and Damian.
