Chapter28 Could She Be Getting Stage Fright?
The next day.
Miranda had just finished getting ready when she received a message from Clifton.
Walking quickly to the window, she indeed saw a low key yet luxurious black Bentley parked below.
After going downstairs, the driver opened the car door. Miranda got in and the car smoothly started moving.
She looked at the man beside her resting with his eyes closed, and finally couldn't help asking softly, "Why did you come?"
Clifton slowly opened his eyes. Those deep eyes appeared especially clear in the morning light. He turned his head, his gaze settling on her, his tone flat.
"My wife is giving a lecture. As her husband, I should naturally come to support her."
"..."
Miranda's heart felt like something had gently bumped it.
Support her?
She knew the feelings between them were just an act, but somehow, hearing these words from him, that irritation in her heart from last night caused by Harrison seemed smoothed away by an invisible hand.
She even felt a trace of warmth.
Her eyes curved as her lips spread in a genuine smile. "Thank you, Clifton."
Clifton made a noncommittal sound before turning back and closing his eyes again.
From an angle she couldn't see, his slender fingers rapidly tapped on his phone screen, silently sending a message.
[I'm on my way.]
When the car arrived at C City University's entrance, it drew quite a bit of attention from students.
Miranda prepared to get out. "The auditorium is on the third floor of Teaching Building A. You..."
"I'm not in a hurry to go over," Clifton interrupted her. "I'd like to walk around campus and see the scenery. You go ahead with your business. I know where the auditorium is."
Miranda nodded and said no more.
At the school auditorium backstage.
The moment Professor Stella saw her, she immediately came over warmly and personally poured her a cup of warm water.
"Miranda, come here. Let me familiarize you with the venue first." She pointed at the huge stage, her face full of gratification.
"The school forum still circulates the legend of you being 'top of your entire department' back then! Many younger students really want to see with their own eyes what this legendary senior who excelled at everything actually looks like."
Miranda felt a bit embarrassed by the professor's words and accepted the water cup with a smile. "Professor, rest assured. I'll do my best, absolutely won't embarrass you, and definitely won't disappoint the younger students."
"Ha ha ha, I have complete confidence in your abilities!"
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Stella was called away by staff to handle other matters.
The vast backstage area was temporarily left with only Miranda.
She took out her well memorized speech and leaned against the wall, quietly going through it one last time in a low voice.
Just then, a female student wearing volunteer clothing rushed in, her face full of anxiety.
"Senior! Senior, are you Senior Miranda?"
Miranda looked up. "I am. What's wrong?"
"Something bad happened!" The female student's eyes were red rimmed, her voice tearful as she pointed toward the end of the corridor. "A classmate suddenly fainted in the restroom over there. I can't support her by myself. Could you... could you help me?"
Seeing the girl's expression so anxious she was about to cry, Miranda didn't doubt her at all.
"Okay, I'll go with you."
She set down her speech and quickly followed the girl toward the end of the corridor.
It was indeed a very secluded restroom with not a single person passing by in the area.
The moment Miranda stepped into the restroom, before she could even see the situation inside clearly, a huge pushing force came from behind!
She stumbled forward, shoved hard into a stall.
Immediately after, with a soft click, the door was locked from outside.
Miranda's heart jumped in alarm. She whipped around, but the female student's figure had long disappeared from outside the door.
She'd been set up!
"Open the door! Is anyone out there? Open the door!"
She pounded hard on the door panel, calling loudly for help, but only dead silence answered her.
Her heart sank. She reached for her pocket. Empty.
Her phone had somehow been stolen while she was following that girl over.
There was still one hour until the lecture was supposed to start.
Miranda forced herself to calm down and stopped making useless calls for help.
Whoever was behind this had gone to such lengths to lure her to such a secluded place. They definitely wouldn't let her easily wait for rescue.
She couldn't place her hopes on others.
She looked around. The small window above the restroom for ventilation was so narrow even a child's head couldn't squeeze through.
Finally, her gaze fell on the ventilation duct in the corner of the ceiling.
Without any hesitation, Miranda took off her delicate high heels, stood on the edge of the toilet, and reached up to forcefully push the iron grate covering the ventilation opening.
Fortunately, the grate wasn't welded shut.
With a clang, she pushed the grate open and it fell to the floor.
Miranda breathed a sigh of relief and climbed up using both hands and feet.
Inside the ventilation duct was narrow and dark, covered in dust. She couldn't worry about any of that. She could only rely on instinct, crawling little by little toward where there seemed to be light.
Just as she was about to reach an exit, two male voices deliberately lowered came from below.
"Everything's in place?"
"Don't worry, boss. You still don't trust me to handle things? That bit of explosives is enough to blow the entire backstage sky high. When the time comes, no one will escape."
Explosives?
Miranda, who had been about to call for help, felt her heart jump in alarm.
She tightly covered her mouth, even her breathing stopping.
Not until those two men's footsteps had completely faded did she dare poke her head out from the ventilation duct.
This was a storage room backstage.
She jumped down, not bothering about the dust covering her entire body, and rushed straight toward the corner those two men had just mentioned.
Sure enough, behind an inconspicuous cardboard box, she saw an electronic clock counting down, with several dangerous looking tubular objects bundled beside it.
Miranda's heart jumped to her throat.
She had no time to call the police, much less time to notify anyone.
She ran to the nearby tea room, turned on the faucet, filled several trash cans with water, then carried the water back to the storage room.
Splash.
Icy water poured down, following the fuse connected to the explosives and soaking everything.
Watching the red numbers on the electronic clock flicker twice in the water before completely going out, Miranda's legs finally went weak. She leaned against the wall, gasping for breath in great gulps.
At the same time, backstage at the auditorium.
Stella looked at her watch, her brow furrowing tightly.
"What's going on? Where did Miranda go? Has anyone seen her?"
The surrounding staff and students looked at each other blankly, all shaking their heads.
"I don't know. We just saw Senior Miranda here going over her notes."
Just then, a delicate voice rang out.
Ariana, wearing an exquisitely tailored champagne colored cocktail dress and seven centimeter heels, walked over gracefully.
She appeared to furrow her brow with concern, yet her words carried a hint of subtle insinuation.
"Professor Green, don't worry. Could my cousin have... gotten stage fright at the last minute and not dared to go on stage? How could she just disappear at such an important occasion?"
Harrison followed behind her. Looking at the chaotic backstage, he similarly didn't see Miranda anywhere.
A thought instantly flashed through his mind.
Could his words last night have actually been right? Was she afraid of embarrassing herself and ran away at the last moment?
This realization made an inexplicable irritation and disappointment rise in his heart.
Thinking this, Harrison stepped forward and spoke to Professor Stella, his tone steady.
"Professor Green, since Miranda isn't here and the lecture is about to start, we can't just leave the venue empty."
He turned slightly, looking tenderly at Ariana beside him, and continued, "Ariana has also made thorough preparations for this lecture. Why don't we let Ariana go on stage instead?"