Chapter 108 Lighting a Cigarette

The private room was noisy, and there were always some random people coming over to toast and light cigarettes, which was quite annoying.

Manuel didn't want to deal with those people, so he simply stayed here to find some peace.

An hour and a half later, Catherine sent a message: [The banquet is almost over, and everyone will be leaving soon. When are you coming back?]

Manuel typed on the screen: [I'm coming now.]

He walked to the door and opened the private room door. As Catherine said, the banquet was already at its end, with only some leftovers on the table.

Manuel sat down next to Catherine. Catherine glanced at him. "Why did you go out for so long just now?"

"Just making a phone call." Manuel responded, not mentioning encountering Michael on the balcony or that he had been waiting at the door for an hour and a half.

Catherine stood up, and Manuel naturally took the backpack from her hand. "Shall we go?"

"Okay, I'll say goodbye to a few classmates first." Catherine smiled.

Reunions after graduation were always very short. Everyone came from all over the country and would soon return to their respective places.

Each reunion, not everyone could make it, and in the future, it would only become less complete.

As time went by, everyone would have their own lives, and no one knew when the next reunion would be.

Thinking of this, Catherine felt a bit of faint reluctance.

After saying goodbye to a few people and adding some contacts that she might never contact again in her life, Catherine and Manuel left the private room.

As they walked, Catherine suddenly felt a soft, warm touch.

Turning around, she found it was Manuel's outstretched hand.

Catherine was stunned for a moment. "What are you doing?"

Manuel was speechless. "What else? Holding hands."

Before Catherine could refuse, he directly grasped her small hand in his large palm.

Manuel's hand was very large, making Catherine's hand appear particularly delicate and small in comparison, completely enveloped by his palm.

In such a cold winter, being held like this was quite warm, so Catherine didn't struggle and let Manuel hold her hand.

As they walked, they happened to run into Lily, who had taken the wrong path.

Lily glanced at them, hurriedly lowered her head in embarrassment, and turned to run away.

Her posture could be described as fleeing in panic, quite the opposite of her arrogant demeanor yesterday.

Catherine couldn't help but laugh. "You really shouldn't offend people casually."

"Who knows what cards or confidence they have? If you accidentally offend the wrong person, the price to pay is too high." Catherine curled her lips, feeling a bit smug.

Manuel slightly curled his lips. "Yeah, that's quite reasonable. But some people shouldn't forget where their confidence comes from."

Catherine immediately deflated.

Indeed, the reason Lily was so polite to her was not because she was afraid of Catherine, but because she was afraid of Manuel—afraid that offending him would cause trouble for herself.

Catherine was just an ordinary college counselor, with no money or power. Without Manuel as her backing, if Lily wanted to offend her, it wouldn't matter much.

However, Catherine quickly realized and glanced at Manuel beside her. "Someone shouldn't forget that this trouble wasn't brought on by me."

Manuel raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"

Catherine curled her lips. "Stop pretending. Can't you see why Lily is targeting me? It's because she's interested in you."

Manuel thought of what Michael said on the balcony earlier and what Lily said when she greeted him, and couldn't help but say, "That's not necessarily true. Maybe it's you who brought it on."

"Me?" Catherine was stunned, "Why?"

"Didn't you notice that man pursuing you before?" Manuel recalled.

"You mean Michael? What about him?" Catherine asked.

"Lily also pursued Michael in college but didn't succeed."

"A jealous woman can be quite scary, so yesterday, she kept provoking you. This trouble was brought on by you, don't blame it on me."

Catherine thought for a moment. "I see, no wonder she looked at me strangely."

"I also saw her chatting with Michael earlier, looking a bit eager."

"But it's quite normal for a guy like Michael to be popular."

"After all, Michael is good-looking, with a stable job and a well-off family. I heard his wife, who comes from a wealthy family and is beautiful, pursued him actively."

"Their married life is sweet and enviable."

Manuel silently listened to Catherine without commenting.

In his view, someone like Michael was just an ordinary person—average looks, average family background, mediocre personality, nothing outstanding.

He couldn't understand why such a person received such high praise from Catherine.

After talking for a while, Catherine noticed Manuel's silence and stopped chatting.

The two of them tacitly started browsing their phones.

After this reunion, they returned to their place.

Catherine chose not to stay in her hometown with her parents but instead returned to work at her original school.

Although her previous blind date suggested she find a job in her hometown, now that the blind date was over and she had Manuel's contract as a treatment guarantee, she didn't have to worry about staying at home all the time and could work elsewhere.

Due to the distance, Manuel wouldn't frequently come to her.

After the New Year, Alison stopped living at home and often came to visit Catherine.

Since Catherine was a college counselor, there were many students around.

When Alison visited her, she inevitably attracted a few naive young boys, making them spin around her.

Alison had great qualities, being beautiful, having a good figure, and coming from a wealthy family.

She had dated many boyfriends before and was very skilled at chatting with boys.

These young college students, who hadn't yet entered society, were no match for her and were easily captivated.

After receiving the second late-night breakup call from her student, Catherine was speechless.

She had to call Alison and ask, "Whose heart did you break this time?"