Ashley curved her lips slightly at Robert, then went over to join Sophia.

John placed Ashley’s things on the windowsill, sensing a burning gaze fixed on him. Turning his head, he saw Robert’s hostile stare.

He grinned, baring his teeth, “Ashley is very beautiful, right?”

Robert’s gaze was full of contempt as he scrutinized him disdainfully.

John was tall and lean, with broad shoulders and a sexy waist.

Even in dusty, cheap sportswear, his excellent physique was evident.

Under his washed-out T-shirt, the outline of his well-defined muscles was faintly visible, complemented by his handsome yet lively face...

He was indeed a good-looking guy. But looking at his worn-out canvas shoes and wrinkled jeans, Robert withdrew his gaze, thinking he was unworthy of being a love rival.

Seeing that Ashley had already been assigned a role, Robert didn’t stay long. He greeted Sophia and asked her to take good care of Ashley, and then, he went back to the adjacent music room.

Sophia nudged Ashley’s shoulder, “How considerate, huh?”

Ashley smiled awkwardly.

Seeing there was nothing for him to do, John picked up the empty bucket he had replaced and walked out.

Passing by the adjacent music room, he glanced inside. Robert was flipping through sheet music, standing in the light, as pure as an untouched prince.

“Huh, he’s so fake,” John muttered under his breath.

...

The rehearsal began in the dance studio.

The seniors were much stronger than the juniors, both in terms of skills and experience.

Ashley, like a thirsty sponge in the ocean, absorbed everything frantically.

Sophia was somewhat surprised to see the sparkle in Ashley’s eyes.

Ashley had solid skills, a good figure, and a pleasant appearance, making her a top performer among the juniors. However, compared to the seniors, she was still a bit lacking.

Sophia agreed to let her join the rehearsal out of respect for Robert, initially planning to let her practice for a while without expecting her to perform on stage. But now, seeing her in action, Sophia realized Ashley was truly impressive.

Even with a minor role, she managed to stand out on stage with her solid foundation.

When Brian and Olivia arrived, they saw Ashley’s graceful and alluring movements.

Olivia’s eyes lit up, and she pulled Brian towards the window, “Brian, look! Ashley is so beautiful!”

She had a radiant smile and didn’t hold back her praise.

Brian glanced briefly, looking back at her, smiling, “Not as beautiful as you.”

Olivia’s face flushed, and she quickly turned back to look inside, “You are really a talker.” Yet she couldn’t help but lean closer to him.

Brian glanced around the room before heading to the adjacent music classroom.

In the neighboring classroom, the deep, melodious sound of a cello filled the air.

A boy in a white shirt and black trousers sat alone, engrossed in his music. Sunlight streamed in from the window, illuminating him, making him look bright, dazzling, and pure.

Brian observed for a moment.

Was this the “Robert next door“?

A 30,000-dollar S brand limited edition poplin shirt, 88,000-dollar T brand custom trousers, and a master-level antique cello.

What a whore.

Yet he pretended to be innocent and unpretentious. Only a fool like Ashley would believe he was just “chatting.”

Brian sneered.

As the dance studio’s training session ended, Olivia, seeing everyone taking a break, came over to pull Brian inside. But Brian didn’t move.

“I’m going to the restroom. You go ahead.”

Olivia had to go in by herself. She found Sophia and looked around, “Where’s Ashley?”

Sophia wiped her sweat, “She might be in the restroom. Do you need her?”

“No, I need to talk to you.” Olivia handed over a business card, “I’d like to invite the dance troupe to perform at my home. Is that available for you?”

...

Before going abroad, Brian also studied at Huai University for his undergraduate degree, so he was very familiar with the university’s buildings.

Seeing the girls rushing downstairs, he thought for a moment and leisurely turned around, heading upstairs.

On the fourth floor, Brian arrived at the restroom door, found a “Under Maintenance“ sign, hung it up, and pushed the door open.

...

Ashley had been exhausted from last night’s activities. When she woke up in the morning, she found that her private area was almost rubbed raw, red, and swollen. As she had to go out during the day, she only did some simple treatment.

She applied some ointment to the wound and covered it with an invisible patch. As long as it didn’t rub while walking, it was fine.

However, after a dance, sweat made the covered area start to hurt. Ashley took a small bag from her purse and headed to the restroom on the upper floor.

The Art Building had only one restroom per floor, with odd-numbered floors (1, 3, 5) being male restrooms and even-numbered floors (2, 4, 6) being female restrooms. Because the fourth-floor restroom frequently had water issues, it was generally considered abandoned, and people seldom went there. Afraid of being discovered, Ashley went to the fourth floor alone, seeing everyone else rushing to the second floor.

Inside a stall, she carefully peeled off the edge of the invisible patch, feeling hot sweat trickle out.

When she completely removed it, she saw a pool of sweat. She hissed in pain, took out a tissue, and gently wiped the red and swollen wound.

That badass Brian, he bit anything when he went crazy. She used the tissue to absorb the sweat, fanning it with her hand to dry it. If everything was fine in a while, she planned to sprinkle some talcum powder and reapply the privacy patch. Although it was only a temporary solution, it was better than nothing.

Just halfway through wiping, she heard the door open.

Ashley frowned. Someone’s here?

She kept quiet, waiting for the person to leave. However, after a while, there was no sound of anyone leaving.

Instead, the footsteps got closer.

No way?

Are they also here to fix their clothes?

Just as she thought this, she heard a bang from the next stall.

Kicking the door?!

After kicking open one door, the person didn’t stop and seemed to be approaching her stall.

Ashley felt a pang of anxiety.

Could it be a maintenance worker? She pursed her lips, quickly fiMegang her clothes.

To cool the wound and handle the privacy patch, Ashley had pulled her top up to her neck and her bra up to her collarbone, leaving her full chest exposed.

She hurriedly tried to fix the patch, but it had stuck together when she tore it off carelessly earlier.

The harder she tried to separate it, the more it stuck.

“Damn it!” Ashley cursed softly, putting the patch aside and trying to fasten her bra. Unexpectedly, the strap and the extender were tangled together. The more she pulled, the more the clasp got caught in her T-shirt.

The more she hurried, the more chaotic it became.

The footsteps outside got closer. Ashley steeled herself, unhooked the strap, and was about to put it back on. At the same time, she covered her chest with her hands and shouted, “Stop kicking it, someone’s in here!”

Just as she finished speaking, the door in front of her banged open.

“Ah!” Ashley stepped back, falling onto the toilet seat.

Brian stood at the door, looking at her through the unsteady door. He raised an eyebrow.

Ashley was wearing a light blue quick-dry outfit, with matching undergarments.

At this moment, her T-shirt was pulled up high, and her bra had one clasp undone, and the remaining strap dangled precariously on her arm. Two trembling red tips were in plain sight.