Independence

“I don’t want to “Ingrid shook her head. Immediately after, she stood on her tiptoes, blushing “I want to be with you for a while longer.”

Before she could lean closer, Hansel asserted his dominance and wrapped an arm around her waist. Then, he kissed her fiercely.

The onlookers inhaled sharply, and another uproar followed.

“Holy shit, that’s cool!”

“Oh, dear, he must love her a lot!”

Miranda took in the whole process, and her knuckles turned white from gripping her books too tightly.

It turned out that her heart still ached for him. However, on the surface, she remained as calm as she could ever be, as though she felt nothing.

She thought it would be fine once she got used to it.

One would experience withdrawal symptoms when they tried to stop smoking, so this was to be expected since she was trying to stop loving someone she’d loved for six years.

She didn’t stay there for long. Turning around, she left. She had to study, after all.

In the crowd, Hansel sensed something and turned around. A vaguely familiar figure flitted past his line of view.

But the next moment, Ingrid put her hand in his and intertwined their fingers. She asked, “What are you looking at?”

Hansel withdrew his gaze. “It’s nothing.

escorting her to the entrance of her dorm, he was about to leave when She grabbed his hand. She refused to let go and looked reluctant to part. “It’s still early. Can’t you stay with me for a little longer?”

Hansel stroked her head. “Be good. I’ll pick you up this weekend.”

He stood with his back to the street lamp. As shadows enshrouded his face, his features seemed all the more chiseled.

Ingrid gazed at him flirtatiously. “Hans, may I… go to your house tonight?”

Every adult would understand the meaning behind those words.

Stummed, Hansel felt mixed emotions. “You’re still young. Let’s wait.”

Ingrid was taken aback. However, she secretly felt gleeful. Refusing to be intimate with her only meant he cherished her and wasn’t eager for bodily pleasures. Instead, it meant he treasured their relationship.Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

“Alright, I’ll be taking my leave. I have matters to attend to.” Hansel checked his watch.

Ingrid obediently nodded. “Sure. Remember to go to bed early. I’ll bring you some pumpkin soup tomorrow.”

Hansel didn’t say anything. In a trance, he stared blankly ahead.

Miranda was in her room. Her laptop was on; as she typed on the keyboard, she suddenly slowed down.

The image of Hansel and Ingrid kissing each other resurfaced in her mind. She pursed her lips.

Getting up, she went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. Only then did the fog in her mind slowly clear up.

Hansel was history and should remain in the past. Her top priority now was to prepare for the exams. She didn’t have much time left.

Returning to the laptop, she skimmed through the books Christine had given. her. One was a professional textbook on bioinformatics, while the other contained what looked like notes, which had been written by Christine.

Besides that, there was a USB containing the thesis she’d stopped writing halfway through while she’d still been studying. She’d written it in preparation for her postgraduate studies, yet…

Back then, she’d stay up three whole days in the lab for the sake of completing her thesis. She’d even gone without any food or sleep. It had taken her half a year just to gather data, and step by step, she’d striven for the perfect proof of her theory.

She’d given up on taking the combined Master’s and Doctorate programs to focus wholeheartedly on looking after Hansel. Even so, she hadn’t forgotten. about her thesis.

Throughout the years, she’d only been focused on two things–being Hansel’s housewife free of charge and completing her thesis.

What Christine had passed on to her was the part she’d completed during her undergraduate years. Miranda then opened the latter half of the thesis on her laptop and combined both halves to form a complete one.