As soon as Brian arrived at the Administration Building, the waiting principal immediately came to greet him.

“Mr. Brian, this way, please.”

Entering the office, the secretary dismissed everyone else.

The principal respectfully handed Brian a cup of tea. “Mr. Brian, I have investigated the matter you asked about.”

Brian accepted the tea and looked at him. “The people on the list are behaving normally. I didn’t find anything unusual,” the principal said, looking puzzled.

Last night, Brian had sent an email to his private inbox, asking him to investigate the entry and exit records of all school counselors over the past three years, especially those who traveled alone with students.

Brian frowned, his dark eyes deepening. “Huh, quite cautious.”

The principal was stunned. “What?”

Brian put away the documents and instructed, “Well, for the time being...”

...

Ashley found out that Anna was practicing dance on the fourth floor of the Art Building and went straight there.

Rushing to the door of the dance studio, she reached for the handle but was startled by the ambiguous sounds of a man and a woman inside.

She quickly withdrew her hand as if burned, stepping back.

Could it be what she thought?

Frowning, Ashley hesitated before taking out her phone and calling Anna.

As soon as the call went through, a ringtone sounded from inside the studio.

“Fuck!” a man’s angry voice came from inside. “You little bitch! Anna, why didn’t you turn off your phone? I paid for an hour!”

Ashley hastily ended the call and ran downstairs, her heart pounding.

She ran non-stop until she found an empty classroom on the first floor. Even then, she couldn’t calm down completely.

Ashley knew Anna needed money but didn’t expect her to need it this badly.

While she was lost in thought, she heard the sound of the door opening.

Turning her head, she saw Eva White, the freshman posture teacher, walk in.

Ashley quickly stood up. “Miss White?”

“It really is you,” Eva said with a smile as she walked in. “What are you doing here alone?”

“Well, just think about dance moves,” Ashley replied softly, “I’m about to start practicing.” She then stood up and walked to the barre to stretch her legs.

Eva smiled, her gaze openly appraising Ashley. As she looked, her eyes widened slightly. Was Ashley always this beautiful? The girl she remembered as slender and plain now exuded the allure of a ripe peach.

Ashley’s figure was tall and elegant, her features delicate and clear. Her limbs were long and slender...

Eva couldn’t help but smile, and walked over to pinch Ashley’s butt.

Ashley let out a low gasp, looking at her in surprise. “Miss White?”

“What?” Eva’s gaze lingered on her chest. “Nice body, huh.”

Ashley blushed, instinctively trying to hunch over, but Eva slapped her back. “Stand up straight.”

Ashley straightened her chest.

Eva examined her chest. “Wow, you must be at least a C-cup, right?”

Ashley’s face grew even hotter. “Miss White...”

“Come on, there’s no need to be embarrassed?” Eva said with a teasing look. “We dancers have to pay attention to our bodies. Don’t forget, I’m your posture teacher.”

Ashley bit her lip and whispered, “A full C-cup.”

Almost a D-cup.

Eva looked even more pleased. “Your small frame hides the weight well.”

“Have you had a boyfriend?”

That question crossed a line, and Ashley didn’t want to answer.

“Miss White?”

Hearing the voice, both turned to see John putting down a bucket of water, and he lifted his shirt to wipe the sweat, “What a coincidence, you’re both here?”

The youthful, energetic young man revealed his tight, well-defined abs, easily catching Eva’s attention.

Smiling, she walked over and tapped John’s chest. “John? Whoa, nice body. Why are you studying sports? How about switching majors?”

John scratched his head with a silly grin. “I don’t think so. I’m clumsy.”

Eva laughed, her gaze sliding down to his waist. Seeing the bulge in his pants, she raised an eyebrow. “With that, you definitely can’t dance ballet.”

John pressed his legs together, extremely embarrassed. “Miss White...”

“Alright, alright, you two get back to work. I should get ready for class.”

Eva left it at that, not wanting to embarrass the students further, and left the room.

As soon as she left, Ashley took her leg off the barre. “You—”

“Shh.” John had already put away his silly expression, cautiously looking out the window.

After making sure Eva was gone, he walked to the window and pulled down the blinds.

“What are you doing?” Ashley asked.

John waited a few more seconds before walking up to Ashley and poking her forehead with his finger. “Dummy.”

“Huh?”

John chuckled, not wanting to discuss the troublesome matters. “Nothing.”

“The day before yesterday, you asked me to help deal with Robert in the parking lot, but when I got there, you were all gone. Then you didn’t reply to my messages. What happened?”

Ashley smacked her forehead. “Oh my...I forgot!”

The day before yesterday, Brian had tortured her in the car, leaving her exhausted, and she hadn’t had a chance to rest at home.

Yesterday, she was overwhelmed by the events at Vee Bar and Jack’s troubles, and she had forgotten to inform John.

Thinking about the mess in the parking lot, Ashley uneasily looked at John. “You didn’t see anything that day, did you?”

John grinned, showing his teeth. “What, have you turned traitor?”

Ashley kicked him lightly. “Hey!”

John knocked her on the head. “Dummy!”

John’s playful interruption helped Ashley temporarily forget about Anna, allowing her to practice in the classroom for the rest of the afternoon.

Coming out of the Art Building after six, she found it had started raining without her noticing.

Ashley ran through the rain to catch the bus.

It was just after May Day, and the temperature wasn’t too high, but the bus already had the air conditioning on.

Ashley, sweaty from dancing and now soaked in the cold rain, soon felt herself shivering.

Feeling like she was coming down with a cold, Ashley’s head grew heavy and dizzy.

After getting off the bus, she walked to the Quinn Family’s gate, feeling light-headed. But suddenly, she saw Melissa standing in the rain from a distance.

Ashley ran over. “Mom?” she called, her voice thick with congestion.

Melissa lifted her head. Her messy hair was soaked, strands sticking to her cheeks.

Her eyes were swollen, and a large handprint stood out on her face.

Seeing Ashley, she didn’t speak but began to cry. “Ashley ...”