Sweetheart, Do You Still Love Me

Later on, she deliberately avoided spending time with Damian. No matter how much he questioned her, Alice would simply say that growing up meant maintaining a polite distance between those of the opposite gender.

However, as time went on, Damian's instances of getting drunk became more frequent.

The memory faded, and as Alice looked at the person in front of her, she just couldn't find the words to say.

"Damian, I'm really fine. I'm begging you not to push me anymore," Alice pleaded, lowering her gaze meekly for the first time.

Damian's words seemed to be stuck in his throat.

The two of them were in a standoff for quite some time until Alice finally broke the silence.

"If there's nothing else, I'll go out now."

"Wait."

Alice's hand, which was about to reach for the door handle, froze.

"About what happened back then, I can explain... I had too much to drink that day, I..."

Alice turned her head away, trying hard to hide the paleness on her face.

"Damian, I was young at the time and I don't remember anything. Let's just leave the past behind. You'll always be like a brother to me."

She didn't really say much, but what she said managed to widen the gap between them.

Damian nodded, no longer speaking.

Alice didn't know how she managed to walk back to the classroom. As she faced the puzzled looks from her classmates, she forced a smile.

Only Lynne noticed that Alice wasn't herself. She walked over, hooked her arm with Alice's, and led her back to her seat.

"What's going on? Why did he ask you to go to his office?" Lynne asked.

These things were too complicated, and Alice didn't want to reveal the truth even though she knew Lynne meant well.

"It's nothing. We haven't seen each other for a long time, so he wanted to have a chat with me."

Their previous relationship was evident to everyone, so Lynne didn't press further and just gave a slight nod, though she wasn't fully convinced.

"Oh, by the way, there's something I need to tell you. Our school's opening ceremony is next weekend, and each class is supposed to put on a performance. Do you want to participate?"

Alice wasn't interested in such matters and shook her head.

"Well, I can tell that you're a bit introverted, so you probably don't like standing in front of a crowd," Lynne said.

Alice managed a faint smile in response.

Their conversation caught the attention of the person nearby, as their voices weren't exactly low.

"Alice, you're the daughter of a celebrity. How could you not know how to perform?" someone commented with a sharp tone, gathering the attention of those around them.

A graceful and slender figure approached Alice with deliberate steps. Alice looked up and found herself facing a stranger. It was someone she didn't recognize.

Why would a stranger mock me like that?

The girl's voice was sweet, but her words were as poisonous as arsenic. "I actually think she just doesn't want to bring honor to our class. Someone without class spirit like her doesn't deserve to be in our class."

Lynne was quick to retort, clearly irritated by the comment. "What nonsense are you talking about? What does not participating in the performance have to do with class spirit? She doesn't have to join this event just because her mother is famous!"

The girl crossed her arms, exuding an air of arrogance. "I didn't mean it that way. I just think that since she has talent, she should use it. This is a great opportunity to bring honor to our class."

Lynne was about to continue arguing when a cold hand suddenly rested on her wrist.

She looked down and locked eyes with Alice.

"It's okay, Lynne. I'm willing to do it."

Alice's voice was just loud enough for the girl to hear.

The other girl had expected at least a bit of resistance from Alice so that she could continue mocking her, but Alice had surprised her by acquiescing like a pushover.

She couldn't understand why Damian had fallen for someone like Alice.

The girl huffed and said, "Then I'll be waiting for your performance."

With that, she returned to her seat.

Lynne wore a worried expression. "Alice, you're usually quite smart. Why aren't you speaking up all of a sudden?"

Alice wasn't weak by any means; after sitting next to her for so long, Lynne understood her temperament to some extent.

However, why wasn't she resisting now?

Lynne couldn't figure it out, and Alice clarified, "I don't really care if I participate in the competition or not, but in that situation just now, if I had refused her, it would have definitely stirred up resentment among all the classmates. I don't want to do that."