"Also—" Just as Juniper was about to leave, Shanley spoke up again.


    “Hmm?” Juniper paused, a bag of snacks in her hand, and stared at him with a puzzled look in her clear eyes.


    “The stomach medicine works great. As for the other... performance-enhancing medication..." Shanley''s deep eyes narrowed slightly as he said tly, "It''s not needed."


    "Huh?"


    Juniper blinked, not quite understanding. She''d given him a pretty strong dose; how could it have no effect? Unless... his condition was truly beyond saving?


    "Juniper..."


    Seeing her mind wander again, Shanley closed the distance between them in two strides. He leaned down slightly, a flicker of frustration in his deep eyes, and said through gritted teeth, "The story about my... condition... is a rumor. A false rumor.”


    "I''m normal. Perfectly normal. I don''t need that kind of medicine," he insisted. "Understand?"


    "Oh."


    Juniper froze for a moment, her expression almost cute in its confusion. She supposed she understood.


    Whoever started that rumor must have really had it out for him. Who was it again? Then she remembered-Lue!


    "Alright," Shanley said, his tone softening as he tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. He gave a helpless little smile. “Go on, get back to ss."


    She was still young. She''d understand these things eventually.


    "Okay," Juniper replied simply. She gave him a little wave and headed back to the ssroom with her snacks.


    Closing her eyes, she nned to rest for a few moments, but Shanley''s image immediately appeared in her dream. He was unbuttoning his shirt, a mischievous look in his eyes as he stared at her. "I told you I''m fine, so why do you insist on medicating me?"


    "If you still have doubts, Juniper, why don''t you test it for yourself?"


    Test it how?


    "Don''t youe near me!"


    Juniper woke with a start, her forehead beaded with sweat and her cheeks flushed.


    "Juniper, are you okay?" Qadir, who was working on problems beside her, jumped at her sudden outburst.


    "I''m fine," she mumbled, grabbing her pen to busy herself with her work, trying to hide her embarrassment.


    Damn it. This was the second time she''d dreamed about Shanley. She''d never dreamed of any man besides her grandfather.


    After a moment''s thought, she pulled out her phone and opened her WhatsApp chat with Lue.


    Juniper: [I have a friend who keeps dreaming about the same man. What does that mean?]


    Lue replied almost instantly: [Two possibilities. Either your friend wants to kill him, or...]


    Juniper: [Or what?]


    Lue: [She likes him, duh. What you think about by day, you dream of by night.]


    The word felt foreign in Juniper''s mind. She didn''t know what it meant to like someone. But besides her grandfather, Shanley was the only man she didn''t feel an aversion to.


    Lue: [Wait a minute, Juniper. You''re always asking for this ''friend'' of yours. Who is she? Do I know her?]


    Lue: [Hold on. You''re not just ''asking for a friend,'' are you? Are you the one who''s fallen for some jerk?]


    As expected of the head of "Binary Oracle," Lue had some serious detective skills.


    Juniper bit her lip and lied without batting an eye: [No.]


    She was absolutely not captivated by Shanley. Even if he was ridiculously handsome, had a great body, and was incredibly wealthy...


    Lue: [Really?]


    Feeling a twinge of guilt, Juniper meekly typed a single word: [Yeah.]


    Lue sent a voice note: [Okay, good. You scared me for a second. Juniper, it''s fine


    if you want a boyfriend, but you have to let us at the base vet him first. You have no


    idea how many scumbags are out there preying on young girls. Good thing you''re not the type to fall for a pretty face, or you''d be in real danger.]


    Juniper popped a candy into her mouth, feeling too guilty to reply.