Chapter 3 A Dangerous Encounter

• Noelle was yanked into the equipment room so suddenly that she instinctively wanted to scream. But then, a hand clamped over her mouth.
• At the same time, she caught the scent of blood.
• Suddenly, a raspy voice spoke behind her. "Don't scream, or I'll kill you."
• Noelle, terrified and still reeling from her recent brush with death, nodded frantically to show she wouldn't make a sound.
• The next moment, something cold was shoved into her hand. She looked down and saw a bloodstained dagger. Noelle's whole body trembled, on the verge of tears.
• "Now the dagger has your prints on it. Keep quiet, or I'll claim you stabbed me, and you'll find yourself behind bars."
• The raspy voice continued, and then the hand over her mouth was removed.
• Despite realizing it was just an attempt to scare her, the smell of blood and the sight of the bloody dagger in her hand left Noelle too frightened to move.
• The voice behind her spoke again, "Turn around."
• "I won't!"
• Noelle's teeth clattered together. "I won't look at you. I know if I see your face, you'll kill me to silence me. I won't look."
• There was a brief pause from the person behind, almost as if they were taken aback by her response.
• Noelle heard a soft laugh followed by a cold command. "I order you to turn around."
• Noelle felt tears welling up, but she managed to slowly turn around, dagger in hand, to finally glimpse the other person's face.
• The young guy dressed in black leather had defined features and a cold, fierce expression. His face and chest were smeared with blood. He wasn't leaning against the wall but was sitting directly on the floor, looking pale.
• "This is the key to the school infirmary. Get me a change of clothes from the cabinet, and grab a white coat from the rack. You have five minutes. If you don't make it, I'll kill you."
• The school infirmary!
• Noelle was surprised to see the blood-covered young man, Spencer, who was suspected to be the illegitimate son of the original character's father and one of the main characters in the original storyline.
• In the original plot, Spencer had worked as a school doctor at the infirmary for a while. But then, the original character falsely accused him of harassment, causing a massive scandal, and he left Jadeville High School.
• Noelle couldn't believe she had encountered two significant characters from the book within just an hour.
• Spencer's expression was cold. "You have four minutes and thirty seconds. Fail to bring them, or betray me once you're out ... I'll kill you!. Got it?"
• "Y-Yes …"
• Noelle forced herself to stay calm. She trembled as she picked up the key from the floor, carefully put down the dagger, and ran out of the room.
• Thinking about the bloodstained, menacing young man, Noelle couldn't believe the original character had dared to provoke him.
• She was terrified, her legs still trembling.
• Noelle thought about running away, but remembering Spencer's threat and the original character's tragic end in the story, she dismissed the idea.
• The only solace was that the original character hadn't started targeting Spencer yet. If she helped him this time and didn't provoke him in the future, he might not come after her.
• Clinging to this hope, Noelle mustered her courage and ran to the infirmary, grabbed a set of clothes from the wardrobe and a white coat, stuffed them into a bag, and rushed back.
• Before leaving, she also grabbed some bandages from a nearby shelf.
• Luckily, the sports building wasn't far from the infirmary, or she'd be done for!
• Spencer sat on the floor in the sports building equipment room, his mind cold and heavy. This place could be discovered at any moment.
• He must have been crazy to let that girl go.
• Remembering the girl's trembling, tearful face as she turned around, Spencer clicked his tongue.
• She must have run away. Spencer thought, cursing himself for being so gullible to believe she'd come back.
• Knowing his pursuers would soon find him, he let out a self-deprecating laugh and tried to stand up. Just then, the equipment room door burst open.
• The girl rushed in, slammed the door shut, and stood there panting. Her eyes, wide like a frightened deer, were filled with fear and anxiety. She clutched a bag tightly to her chest and stammered, "I-I didn't take too long, did I?"
• Spencer looked at the girl, who seemed on the verge of tears and found the situation oddly amusing.
• "You're not late," he said, grabbing the clothes from her.
• Then he noticed the bandages in the bag. As he looked up, he saw the girl, pale and trembling, trying to mop up the bloodstains on the floor. He couldn't help but chuckle.
• He had never seen someone so scared yet meticulous and eager to help.
• A moment later, Noelle nervously followed Spencer, who was wearing a white coat, out of the equipment room. With the bloodstains gone and dressed as a school doctor, he looked completely different, exuding a calm, gentle demeanour.
• Just as they stepped out, two men appeared in the hallway. They were clearly not from the school and were peering into each room as if searching for someone.
• Noelle felt sure they were looking for Spencer and kept her head down while Spencer kept his cool.
• "You probably just have a bit of heatstroke and feel dizzy. Make sure you drink more water when you get back," he said softly.
• Sensing the men's occasional glances, Noelle nodded and whispered a timid 'mm-hmm.'
• As the men passed, she heard one of them mutter, "He definitely came in here. We almost got his mask off."
• Downstairs, just as Noelle was about to ask if she could leave, Spencer said, "Call security and report two suspicious individuals in the sports building."
• "Huh?" Noelle looked up.
• Spencer smiled, "I said, make the call."
• Obediently, Noelle pulled out her phone and called security, reporting the suspicious men. After the call, she mustered the courage to ask, "Can I go now?"
• Spencer looked at her with a smile, "About today …"
• Before he could finish saying 'thank you,' the girl, holding back tears, pleaded softly, "I won't tell anyone, I swear. Please, just let me go."
• Suppressing a laugh, Spencer patted her curly hair gently, "Okay, don't worry. I keep my promises."
• Relieved, Noelle quickly turned and fled, not daring to stay a moment longer. As she hurried away, Spencer raised an eyebrow, thinking she looked like a scared rabbit.
• He finally relaxed at the infirmary, slumping into a chair to change clothes.
• After stitching up his wounds with a stoic expression, he dressed again and took a long breath.
• Today had been a close call ... he had to be more cautious in the future.
• Just then, his phone buzzed. He checked it and found an email with a photo. The moment he saw the picture, he froze and then let out a chuckle.
• No wonder that curly-haired girl looked so striking. It turns out she has Norman's family blood in her veins. She even thought Spencer was the illegitimate son of her father, Lewis Norman. That's why she threw a fit and returned home, vowing not to let him off the hook.
• Spencer chuckled to himself.
• With her timid demeanour, she wanted to confront me?
• But this could work to his advantage. His foolish older brother wanted to ally with Lewis. How reliable would their alliance be if he could control Lewis's daughter?
• A lazy smile curled on Spencer's lips, his eyes cold and calculating.