Vaelthanya nearly fell backward when something fast and light suddenly landed on her shoulder. Her heart stopped. She didn't know what was stuck there, only the feeling of small, wiggling feet, making her skin crawl. Her instincts immediately made her lose her balance. But before she could actually touch the dark warehouse floor, a warm, strong hand caught her from behind. The figure held her back and shoulders, ensuring she wouldn't fall.
When Vaelthanya opened her eyes, she saw a very familiar face—the principal. The man's face was only inches from hers. His neat brown hair and sleek suit reflected the slight light from the gap in the warehouse door. Meanwhile, the thing that had startled her earlier had fled who knows where.
"Luckily I managed to catch you," the principal said, breathing slightly irregularly but with his characteristic confidence. "Otherwise, you would have fallen and gotten hurt."
Vaelthanya took a deep breath, trying to recover from the multiple shocks—the shock of a small insect, and the shock of suddenly being carried by a strange man.
"Thank you…" Vaelthanya replied quietly as she stood back up.
She picked up the wooden stool she had been waiting for and prepared to leave the storeroom. The room was too dark, damp, and dusty—unsuitable for someone like her, who was experiencing a modern school for the first time.
But just as she was about to reach the exit, the principal moved again. He stood directly in front of Vaelthanya and held the door with his hand, stopping her.
"Don't be so hasty…" he said in a low voice.
Vaelthanya straightened up, confused and uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, sir, but I need to get back to class before I get punished for being out too long."
"Don't worry," the principal replied with a smile—a smile that somehow made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. "No teacher would dare punish you. I'm here to defend you."
His tone sounded like someone making a big promise without being asked. He stepped a little closer, closing the distance between them.
"Oh yes," he continued quietly. "Actually, there's something I want to tell you."
Vaelthanya swallowed hard. For the first time since arriving in this modern human world, she felt an uneasy sensation that was hard to describe.
The principal then raised his right hand and, with a slow but deliberate movement, touched his index finger to Vaelthanya's chin.
The touch lingered like a thin line, adding to the tension in the warehouse. His index finger slowly stroked her chin, as if studying her facial features. Vaelthanya didn't move, but her eyes were tense with vigilance.
'Damn! T-this girl's body... is very tempting to my lust,' the principal thought to himself—a thought clearly visible in his eyes, though he didn't say it aloud.
"Don't be so afraid of me," he said with a small smile. "Don't worry. I don't have a wife yet."
"Why is this person saying something like that? Could it be..." Vaelthanya thought, beginning to have a bad feeling.
She wanted to back away, but the principal propped one hand on the side wall, trapping Vaelthanya in an unsuspecting trap. It wasn't violence—just an uncomfortable position.
"Will you…" The principal stared deeply into her eyes. "Be my wife?"
"W-what?!" Vaelthanya nearly choked on air.
The principal continued without hesitation. "You don't need to worry. I can give you everything. Jewelry, a house, a car, money. Anything you want. I can fulfill all your needs."
"Sorry, sir… I don't want any of that," Vaelthanya replied in a firm but polite tone.
"Why?" the principal asked, not understanding.
"Because I don't even know what any of that is for." Vaelthanya's voice was honest. "I come from another place. I'm not used to things like this."
The principal leaned back slightly. "Another place? What do you mean?"
"I was found by Yuan Jin. He took care of me and allowed me to stay at his residence."
Those words made the principal finally loosen his grip that was blocking the exit.
"Really…?" he murmured.
But before he could even process those words, Vaelthanya had already dashed past him and out of the warehouse.
"Hey! I'm not finished talking!" the principal shouted.
But the door had already closed, leaving the man with a look of disappointment and surprise.
-
Just as it was almost break time, Vaelthanya appeared at the classroom door. She was dragging a chair with both hands, her breath ragged. Sweat beaded on her forehead. All the students turned, some of them covering their mouths to hold back laughter.
Yuan Jin immediately stood up. "Here, let me help you!"
He pulled the stool from Vaelthanya's hands and said, "Sit down, I'll lift you with the stool."
Vaelthanya sat down, and without the slightest effort, Yuan Jin lifted the stool—complete with Vaelthanya sitting on it—as if it weighed nothing at all. All the students were stunned.
Even the teacher standing at the front of the class looked shocked. Their eyes widened as if they had just seen a scene from a television show.
Yuan Jin lowered the stool right onto the empty table next to him.
"Wow… I didn't expect you to be so strong," Vaelthanya said, her eyes sparkling with sincerity.
Yuan Jin's cheeks flushed. "Ah—this… isn't much."
The recess bell rang.
-
In the school garden, Yuan Jin chatted with Shi Yanghao and Wang Xiaoming. He was so engrossed in their conversation that he didn't notice that Vaelthanya wasn't nearby.
"How can you lift a stool with someone on it?" Shi Yanghao asked. "You're amazing!"
Yuan Jin motioned for them to come closer. "Actually… that girl's weight is barely noticeable."
His friends immediately burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! No wonder! I thought you'd suddenly become a hero," Shi Yanghao joked.
"That's right! You couldn't even lift the blackboard in class back then," Wang Xiaoming added.
But their laughter stopped abruptly when a voice appeared behind them.
"What are you talking about? It looks like so much fun," Vaelthanya said, eating a large ice cream cone. She still had several snack packages in her hands.
"Eh? Nothing, nothing!" they replied in unison.
"By the way, where did you get so much food?" Yuan Jin asked.
"I picked it up somewhere. There was a lot of food there. As I was picking it up, someone reached out, probably because I'm that pretty," Vaelthanya replied innocently.
Yuan Jin immediately paled.
"Did you ALREADY pay for the food?" Yuan Jin asked quickly.
"Pay? What's that?" Vaelthanya replied, tilting her head.
"Oh my gosh!!"
"What's wrong?" Vaelthanya asked, confused.
"The person who reached out to you must be the cafeteria janitor! He thought you were paying! You could be considered stealing!"
Yuan Jin immediately dragged Vaelthanya by the hand toward the cafeteria.
There, the cafeteria janitor explained that a man had paid for all of Vaelthanya's food and asked that his identity be kept secret.
Yuan Jin could only breathe a sigh of relief.
"You're so lucky to have a kind person help you," he said.
"But… how will I get money to buy food?" Vaelthanya asked innocently.
Yuan Jin smiled. "Come with me to work tomorrow. It's a holiday."
Vaelthanya nodded.
Soon, the bell rang.
The next class was about to begin.