Chapter 26
Lina's POV
Some boys were already getting restless, preparing to get up and approach Cecilia to strike up a conversation.
Just then, Mr. Hoffman pushed open the door and walked in.
His wooden leg accidentally knocked against the threshold, and his brow furrowed along with it.
Mr. Hoffman was an old man in his sixties, hair as white as chalk dust, glasses so thick they magnified his eyes by half.
He slapped his lesson plan on the podium, his gaze sweeping over the entire class, stopping on Cecilia's face for two seconds.
"New student?"
"Yes, sir," Cecilia stood up and gave Mr. Hoffman a proper bow. "My name is Cecilia Moretti. I transferred from Rome."
The entire class's gaze once again fell on her in unison. A buzz of whispers filled the classroom.
"Moretti? Related to that Moretti family?"
"It is that Moretti family. She even has quite a connection with Luca Moretti..."
"Really? Then doesn't that mean she's..."
Several boys visibly straightened up. A football team member from the back row who usually only slept during class even took off his cap.
Another one whistled, only restraining himself after Mr. Hoffman glared at him.
Cecilia seemed completely oblivious to these gazes—or rather, she acted completely oblivious. She sat down with a smile, took out a fountain pen with a feather on its cap, and opened her textbook.
I recognized that pen.
There was a similar one on Luca's desk, except his pen cap didn't have a feather.
But both pens were clearly from the same brand, same series, possibly even purchased at the same time.
I pushed this thought out of my mind and started copying the formula Mr. Hoffman was writing on the blackboard.
Throughout the entire class, Cecilia didn't speak. She listened very attentively, took very neat notes, occasionally using that feathered pen to draw a small five-pointed star in the margin.
I secretly watched her, my mind once again involuntarily starting to analyze.
Which school in Rome did Cecilia attend? What kind of distant relative was she that the elders would specifically send her from Italy to be placed with Luca?
"What are you looking at?" Cecilia suddenly turned her head. I withdrew my gaze a fraction of a second too slowly and was caught red-handed.
She tilted her head, a faint smile on her lips. "Want to see my notes? Here, look. No need to peek."
I pushed the notebook back. "No need. I wasn't peeking."
The dismissal bell rang.
Mr. Hoffman collected his lesson plan and walked out of the classroom, leaving behind a string of gradually fading thumping sounds.
Cecilia closed her notebook. That feathered pen was clipped to the edge of the notebook, the feather trembling gently in the breeze from the vent.
"Lina!" Maggie turned around from the front row. She was about to say something when Cecilia suddenly stood up, picked up the water cup on her desk, and headed for the door.
"I'm going to get water. The water cooler is at the end of the hallway, right?" She waved at me. "Be right back."
Before I could nod, she had already reached the door.
News of Cecilia's transfer had already spread throughout the school. Students in twos and threes in the hallway noticed her coming out and proactively greeted her.
She smiled and responded to each one, her voice sweet and cheerful.
"Hi! You're that boy who was sitting in the third row, right? Your name is Tommy, isn't it?"
Tommy blushed and scratched the back of his head.
Two girls nearby exchanged an unnatural glance.
Cecilia seemed not to notice that glance at all and continued walking forward, her ponytail swinging behind her shoulders, looking very lively.
"Her way of making friends is completely opposite to yours." Maggie's voice sounded beside me.
"What?"
"You're passive—other people come talk to you, then you respond. She's proactive—she goes out to talk to people, then turns everyone into her friends." Maggie lay on the back of her chair, chin resting on her arms. "You two are really different."
"Mm."
Maggie poked the back of my hand with her pen, the motion very light. "So what do you think of her?"
"Too perfect," I said.
"What?"
"She's too perfect." I withdrew my gaze and opened my textbook. "So perfect she doesn't seem real."
Maggie blinked and didn't press further. She probably thought I was talking about Cecilia's appearance or temperament, but what I meant was the completeness of her social skills.
She knew precisely when to smile, when to be quiet, when to proactively start conversations, when to step back.
Not only that, she would adjust her expressions, tone, and body language according to each person.
This kind of social skill didn't seem like innate personality. Combined with that momentary cold expression I observed in Cecilia this morning...
Perhaps she was specifically trained by the family. That's what I thought.
By the time morning classes ended, Cecilia had become the most popular person in class.
In the hallway, people proactively helped her find her way. In the cafeteria, people let her cut in line. Even Blair's former two followers—now like two quails who had lost their leader—timidly approached to greet her.
At lunch in the cafeteria, Cecilia naturally sat down next to us with her tray, her movements so smooth it was as if she'd already eaten a hundred meals at the same table.
She ordered exactly the cafeteria's Wednesday lasagna, exactly the same as what Maggie recommended.
"Wow, this is really good!" She picked up a piece of lasagna with her fork. The cheese stretched into long strings, wrapping around the fork tines like a thin layer of golden gauze. "Maggie, you didn't lie to me! This is even better than what my family butler makes—but don't tell him, he'll be heartbroken."
Maggie laughed until her eyes disappeared, immediately revealing the entire mental journey of why she always ordered lasagna on Wednesdays.
Cecilia ate while listening and responding, perfectly adding a follow-up question after Maggie finished each section, keeping the conversation heated throughout.
I listened quietly on the side, gaining further understanding of Cecilia's social skills.
"Oh right, Lina," just as Maggie was talking about the fourth type of food, Cecilia suddenly turned to me. "I won't be going back with you this afternoon. I have something to take care of."
"Mm, okay." I nodded.
After lunch, Maggie and I went for our usual walk around campus to digest, while Cecilia left with Tommy. The two of them chatted and laughed, looking as if they had known each other for a very long time.
Maggie looked at Cecilia's retreating figure and sighed. "Cecilia is really amazing. She's only been here for one morning and has already built good relationships with everyone."
I still didn't respond. I was even starting to get a bit tired of talking about Cecilia.
"What's wrong, Lina? You look unhappy."
I paused, reached up to touch my face. The corners of my mouth were indeed flat, but that didn't mean I was unhappy.
"I'm not unhappy." So I said this.
Maggie looked at me, her eyes clearly saying "you're lying," but she didn't press further. She just patted my shoulder. "Let's go get ice cream after school. My treat. Sweets can make people feel better."
"Okay."