It only took one look.
Lucas felt himself pulled straight into her eyes.
Such beauty.
Even with a mask covering half her face, Riley's presence was impossible to ignore. Her poise, her aura—everything about her stood out.
He couldn't even begin to imagine how stunning she must be beneath that mask.
"R-Rye?"
He rubbed his eyes, still in disbelief.
Riley lifted a brow slightly. "What do you think, 1005?"
I really want to hit someone right now.
Of all the people in the world—
The random case I picked turned out to be Adrian.
The random online friend I met turned out to be his cousin.
Did I blow up the galaxy in my past life or something?
Luckily, she had the foresight to put on makeup before coming out. Otherwise, she would've been exposed on the spot.
Lucas's heart pounded wildly in his chest.
He didn't even dare hold her gaze for too long.
He had imagined her countless times before—
But every version shattered the moment he saw her in person.
Because no matter how many words he knew, none of them were enough to describe her.
"Why are you wearing a mask?"
Out of everything he could've asked, that was what came out.
I should've asked her name!
What is wrong with me?!
Behind the mask, Riley's expression remained calm. "Old habit. Let's go."
"Oh… okay."
He followed after her in a daze. A few steps later, he snapped back to his senses.
"Wait! Where are we heading to?"
Riley didn't even turn around. "Tell me about Adrian's condition."
As long as I understood my opponent, I wouldn't lose.
Adrian was far too sharp. One slip, and she'd be exposed.
At the mention of his cousin, Lucas pouted slightly.
What is this?
We finally meet, and she wants to talk about another man?
Still, he hurried to catch up.
"Rye, I don't even know your name yet. What's your full name? Oh, right—mine's Lucas. Pretty great name, huh?"
"Mm." Riley responded lazily. "I don't have one. Call me whatever you want."
"What?"
Lucas frowned.
No name? And I can just call her anything? Then how am I supposed to find her again later?
"Rye, are you from Imperial University? Do you live here?"
"No." She shook her head. "I just study here."
His mouth dropped open.
She really is a student here.
That's insane.
How are other people supposed to compete with this?
"Don't you have class today? Won't you get in trouble for leaving?"
He glanced around the quiet campus. Aside from a few passersby, it was nearly empty.
Riley looked up briefly. "It's entrance exams today. I turned mine in early."
"Oh…" He nodded, trailing after her.
Just then, her phone rang.
She calmly pulled it out of her bag. "Sorry, I need to take this."
Lucas nodded again, still a little dazed.
Riley answered the call. The longer she listened, the more her brows knit together.
"Got it. I'm on my way."
She hung up and turned slightly. "Something came up and I need to handle it. Catch you later."
That was it?
Our first meet-up—over just like that?
Lucas opened his mouth, wanting to say something—
But she was already gone.
He stood there, regret sinking in as he paced around the lake.
Seriously…
Still unwilling to give up, he decided to wait on campus.
***
Meanwhile, Felicia exited the exam hall with a group of students.
Although things had been awkward the day before, she had already smoothed everything over with her quick tongue.
At least on the surface, the "misunderstanding" was gone.