Chapter 31 How to Comfort Lily
Michael sighed deeply on the other end of the phone.
"It's not that simple. Lily's genuinely heartbroken."
He'd tried everything to comfort Lily, but nothing worked.
Today, she left the restaurant and hadn't come home or replied to any messages.
Before, he might've sent someone to find her or even threatened to call the cops.
But now, Michael was scared of making her even angrier. All he could do was wait for her to respond.
And he was especially cautious about that mysterious school nurse, Dennis.
No wonder he couldn't find any trace of Lily before.
Austin wasn't buying it. "Michael, Lily's always been close to us since she was a kid. She loves us. I'm sure if I clear up the misunderstandings and comfort her, things will be okay."
Michael frowned. "Don't go near her before her exams."
"I got this."
Austin hung up. He knew how to calm Lily down.
He just hadn't wanted to do it before.
It was no big deal, really.
Austin pulled out his phone, opened his chat with Lily, and sent a message.
After logging off her game, Lily went to her room to wash up and get ready for bed. She noticed an unread message.
She thought it was from Michael.
But it was from Austin: [Lily, let's meet at the coffee shop across the street after school tomorrow. I need to talk to you.]
Lily glanced at it and remembered the slap she'd received.
She deleted Austin's contact info and went to sleep.
The next day, Dennis didn't have work, so Lily took a cab to school by herself.
She saw a crowd outside the school and a flashy sports car parked at the curb, drawing a lot of attention.
The students around the car weren't from her school.
As soon as Lily got out of the cab, someone shouted, "Lily's here!"
The crowd around the sports car quickly parted, and a handsome guy in a school uniform stepped out.
His intense gaze made Lily uncomfortable.
She recognized him.
Ethan from the neighboring private school, also Sophie's crush.
She hadn't expected him to show up.
Ethan, with a cocky grin, said, "You're Lily? Not bad looking."
Lily raised her eyelids, her eyes clear and beautiful.
Ethan smiled, satisfied. "I'm Ethan Murphy. I'd like to be friends with you."
The girls around them squealed.
"Mr. Murphy is so direct and so handsome!"
"But his girlfriends only last a month. He's had so many, yet girls still fall for him."
"Well, his family is rich and generous. Many ordinary girls can't resist."
"Lily's family is wealthy, but not as much as the families from Empire City."
Hearing this, Lily's lips twitched.
Because in her past life, Ethan had said the same thing.
But he'd said it to Sophie.
Ridiculous!
At that moment, Sophie got out of the car.
When she saw Ethan standing in front of Lily, her face twisted slightly.
So, Lily had this kind of intention!
Sophie walked over. "Lily, you didn't come home last night. Michael was really worried. Your relationship with that school nurse is unclear. How could you spend the night outside with him?"
Hearing this, Ethan frowned, seemingly unable to believe that Lily, who looked so pure, had such an open private life.
Lily looked at Sophie with a half-smile, making Sophie uneasy.
"Lily, are you mad? I'm just worried you'll be deceived by that man, so I wanted to remind you."
Lily withdrew her gaze, her tone cold. "Save your fake concern."
She knew Sophie was trying to ruin her reputation, but she didn't care about Ethan anyway.
Without another word, Lily walked straight towards the school.
With her backpack slung over her shoulder, she showed no expression, but her presence was commanding.
Seeing this, the crowd parted for her.
After all, Lily had made a name for herself with twelve consecutive wins in the gaming world.
She was the new darling of the esports scene, with many teams eager to recruit her.
But since Lily was from the Roberts family, those teams didn't dare approach her because of Austin.
Lily's grades had improved significantly, and she was a gaming prodigy, becoming an idol for many.
After Lily left, the students continued to discuss how amazing she was.
Sophie bit her lip and looked at Ethan, her voice soft. "You're Ethan, right? Lily is just like that. Don't be mad."
"Lily often stays out all night?" He asked.
"Not often, since our family is strict. But recently, she's been close to a school nurse, causing a fallout with us, which is why she's been staying out."
Sophie seemed regretful. "Ethan, please don't spread this around. It wouldn't be good for Lily's reputation."
Ethan glanced at Lily's retreating figure, his expression shifting.
Sophie lowered her eyes, hiding the fleeting darkness.
When Lily got to her classroom, many boys crowded around, peeking in.
She sat down and found a bunch of love letters in her desk, even more than last time.
She glanced at them and threw them all into the trash.
Cries of disappointment came from outside the classroom. "She threw away your love letter without even looking at it."
"It's not just mine. Yours got thrown away, too."
Lily found it noisy. She wasn't in the mood for this right now.
When Sophie entered the classroom and saw the love letters, she felt uncomfortable.
She used to be the most popular girl in class.
Now, Lily was more popular than her.
After class, Lily felt a bit unwell and went to the restroom.
She calculated the days and figured it was her period, causing her discomfort.
When Lily came out of the restroom, Sophie walked beside her. "Lily, what do you think of Ethan?"
Lily's tone was icy. "Don't know him, don't care."
"But I think he's nice, Lily..."
"Are you done? If you like Ethan, go for it. Stop talking to me about it!"
Sophie's eyes reddened instantly. "That's not what I meant."
Calista chimed in. "Lily, don't think Mr. Murphy is really interested in you. The Murphy family isn't someone you can reach."
Lily sneered. "If not me, then who? You?"
The surrounding students nodded. "Makes sense. Lily is the real daughter of the Roberts family. Sophie has just adopted. It's not the same."
"Shh, be careful what you say."
Lily didn't care and walked away.
Sophie lowered her eyes, filled with hatred.
She had worked so hard to replace Lily and wouldn't give up on what she wanted.
Near the end of the school day, Lily walked to the school gate and saw an even larger crowd than in the morning.
She frowned, feeling uneasy.
She walked out and saw Ethan leaning against his sports car, holding a large bouquet of roses and waiting for her.
"Lily, Lily, Lily!"
"Say yes, say yes, say yes!"
Lily turned and grabbed a fire extinguisher from the guard's room, carrying it with one hand as she walked over.
She aimed the fire extinguisher at the crowd and sprayed with all her might!