Arthur’s warm breath tickled Ashley’s neck, sending a shiver down her spine. Before she could respond, he suddenly scooped her up in his arms. Ashley let out a startled gasp and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck to keep herself from falling. Arthur’s lips curled into a playful smirk. "Ashley, you missed me." It wasn’t a question—it was a statement. Ashley’s face turned even redder, almost as if it were about to drip blood. She pouted, raising her hand to push him away. "Stop saying nonsense!" Arthur burst into laughter. His clear, joyful voice echoed through the dorm. Outside, passing students heard it and, understanding what was going on, silently decided to steer clear of Ashley’s dorm for the rest of the evening. They had seen enough. … Late at night, the silver moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting scattered shadows on the ground. The door to Ashley’s dorm finally opened. It was well past dinnertime, and the two of them were starving. The moment Ashley stepped outside, she suddenly winced. Arthur immediately tensed. "What’s wrong?" Ashley’s posture was a little stiff. After adjusting herself, she glared at Arthur and gave him a firm punch on the shoulder. Then, leaning in close, she whispered in his ear, voice filled with grievance, "You made it raw." Arthur froze for a moment before realization dawned on him.His head shot up, his expression filled with surprise. "You mean…" Before he could finish, Ashley slapped a hand over his mouth. Arthur quickly glanced around. It was late, and most people had already gone back to their dorms, but there were still a few students walking in the distance. If he had finished that sentence out loud, Ashley would have died of embarrassment right then and there. Arthur immediately straightened his expression, returning to a more serious demeanor. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Are you okay? Does it hurt?" Ashley pouted and nodded. "Yes, it hurts!" Arthur frowned, feeling a bit guilty. He hadn’t controlled himself well enough. But really, could anyone blame him? Ashley was too tempting. It was impossible for him to hold back. Arthur spoke carefully, "Then… Do you want me to carry you?" The moment he said it, Ashley rejected him without hesitation. "Absolutely not!" Was he crazy? If he carried her out of campus, she couldn’t even imagine what kind of rumors would spread tomorrow. Arthur might not fully grasp how relentless these girls were with their gossip, but as a fellow woman, Ashley knew exactly what would happen. She didn’t even want to think about what kind of nonsense was already being whispered about after today. The two of them walked out of campus together, attracting plenty of curious glances. As they walked, they overheard conversations around them. "Lily actually got expelled from school! Where is she even going to study now?" "And those girls who were always with her? They got expelled too! Apparently, they ganged up on another student and bullied her in public.""What’s even worse is that there were so many other students in the classroom who just stood there and watched!" "Good thing they all got punished. Otherwise, Skyward Academy would just keep letting this kind of thing happen." "Lily and her friends were always harassing people. They deserved to get expelled!" "Yeah! She used to threaten me too. She even said she’d beat me up!" "No way! What happened after that?" Ashley listened to the murmurs around her, then turned to Arthur, eyes wide with surprise. "Arthur… was this your doing?" Arthur had been with her the entire afternoon and evening, except for the brief moments when she went to the restroom. Had he really handled all of this in that short amount of time? Arthur’s gaze was deep. Without hesitation, he nodded. "Yeah." They had dared to bully Ashley. There was no way he would just let that go. Getting expelled from Skyward Academy was only the beginning. And then there was Lindsay and the Lund family. Sooner or later, he would deal with them too. Ashley suddenly thought of something. "Wait… why did you come here today?" They had been so busy that she hadn’t even had the chance to ask. Arthur smiled. "I missed you. So I came to see you." Hand in hand, they walked out of the gates together and headed out for a late-night meal.