Arthur’s smile deepened. Ashley was always so pure and adorable. Then, with a mischievous glint in his eye, he added, "Besides, we stayed in your dorm all afternoon. Even if we don’t say anything, people are going to guess what we were doing there." Ashley’s barely recovered composure shattered instantly. Her face burned bright red. "T-That’s not possible! They didn't know what we were doing!" She had tried so hard to stay quiet. The entire time, she bit her lip, held her breath, and did everything to suppress her voice. Only when she truly couldn’t hold it in anymore had she let out the faintest of sounds. It was a school dorm. Even though she had a private room, it was still part of campus. Just thinking about what they had done inside made her want to curl up in embarrassment. Arthur couldn’t hold it in anymore—he burst into laughter. Ashley was just too fun to tease. She was too cute. He especially loved seeing her face turn red, watching her get flustered. The moment Ashley heard his laughter, she immediately realized—she had been tricked! Annoyed and embarrassed, she swung her fist at his chest. "You! You’re awful!" Her voice was both furious and shy, carrying a hint of sulky sweetness. Arthur barely felt the hit. But in the next second, he suddenly clutched his chest in an exaggerated manner. "Ah! That hurt!" Ashley panicked. All her frustration vanished in an instant. Her voice turned anxious. "Did I hit you too hard? Let me see!" She reached out, genuinely worried.She had been upset when she hit him, but she hadn’t really used that much strength… right? Arthur had always been strong—why would a simple punch make him react like this? Doubt flickered through her mind, but she was too concerned to think too much about it. Before she could touch him, Arthur grabbed her soft little hand and held it in his. Then, he looked around as if feeling embarrassed and said, "There are people walking by. If you start touching me in public, they might misunderstand." Ashley froze. Her face turned red again. What did he mean, touching him in public? But even as her thoughts spiraled, she was still worried about him. "Then what should we do? Does it still hurt?" Arthur furrowed his brows, his face full of suffering. "I got injured a while ago, and it hasn’t fully healed yet…" His voice was filled with grievance, and he looked as if he was enduring pain in silence. Ashley’s heart clenched. She immediately regretted everything. How could she have been so careless? She had actually hit his injury. And worst of all, for a moment, she had doubted him. Ashley felt ashamed of herself. She had no time to dwell on her embarrassment. "Then let’s hurry to the hotel. I’ll check your wound." Saying that, she quickly looped her arm around his for support. Arthur was a little surprised by how fast she agreed. For a brief moment, guilt flashed in his heart. Ashley was so pure, yet he had tricked her like this.Seeing her genuinely worried expression, Arthur almost couldn’t go through with it. But it was too late now. He had already told the lie. Well, at least he would properly make it up to her later. In truth, his injury from the kidnapping had already mostly healed. Once they got to the hotel and Ashley saw his wound, she would definitely realize he had been lying. She was going to be furious. Would she beat him up? Arthur wasn’t sure, but he mentally prepared himself. … Arriving at the hotel, Ashley immediately closed the door behind them. She pushed Arthur onto the couch, looking serious. Arthur obediently sat down, his entire body tense. Ashley reached out, ready to lift his shirt. Arthur panicked and quickly grabbed her wrist. "No! You don’t have to look!" Ashley narrowed her eyes. "Why not?" Arthur averted his gaze. "It doesn’t hurt anymore. There’s nothing to see." Ashley wasn’t buying it. She crossed her arms, her expression firm. "No. I want to check your injury." Without waiting for his reaction, she suddenly reached out—And yanked his shirt up. A faint pink scar was all that remained.