Chapter 161
Claire turned and ran after Josie, raising her hand impatiently. "Take care of yourself first!” she waved at Sean. “Got it, just take…"
Claire wondered, ‘Sean is the troublemaker who scared her away–no one knows when he started liking Josie. He flatters her all the time and even tries to touch her. Josie doesn’t seem to notice how he feels, so if this goes on, Sean will probably end up taking advantage of her.’
Claire was quite troubled. Although she didn’t want Josie to be pursued by boys from outside, she still felt a twinge of guilt watching Sean gradually win Josie over.
She always felt that they were the ones who bullied Josie. After all, Josie didn’t seem to have figured things out yet. If she were to take the initiative to remind Josie, she would feel guilty toward Sean.
Sean had always been difficult to deal with since childhood. He constantly wore a cold expression toward everyone and had a terrible temper. Claire had never seen him show more than five minutes of patience with anyone. After he finally found a girl he liked, she couldn’t bear not helping him.
After stopping Josie, Claire still hadn’t figured out what to do. “Claire, do you think I’m being ungrateful? Sean cares about me and helps me so much, yet I’m not even willing to let him pinch my face.” Josie looked guilty, feeling that she should not have run away just like that. After all, Sean merely wanted to confirm whether she had gained weight.
“Well,” Claire said, flustered. “There should be proper boundaries between men and women. You were right not to let him pinch you; it was that boy who was out of line.”
Josie shook her head. “Perhaps Sean didn’t think of it that way; he was simply genuinely concerned about me. After all, I look just like a child.”
Few would see her in a traditionally feminine light. She was petite and slender, with a delicate frame and subtle curves. When she wore slightly looser clothing, her figure became less defined, making her appearance more androgynous.
During her last encounter, she felt the first stirrings of affection and quietly kept Aiden in her heart.
When she could no longer hide her feelings, she confided in her diary. Later, for unknown reasons, the diary was lost.
That matter had subsequently become known to other members of the team. She still remembered their expressions when they found out she liked Aiden–there had been contempt, disdain, mockery, and utter disregard.
Gavin asked, “Josie, do you truly believe you are a young lady?”
Kyle said, “Why don’t you look in the mirror and see where you get the courage to like Aiden?”
Jaden further mocked her, “You think that just because I pursued you, you’re a lady now. And you even dare to like Aiden–aren’t you afraid you’ll disgust him?”
Even Vincent said, “You really do not look the least bit like a girl right now. After all these years we’ve spent together, I doubt anyone has ever regarded you as a woman. For you to suddenly say you like Aiden is rather strange.”
Josie was aware that she was not particularly feminine, nor as refined as other young women. To pursue her research, she cut her hair short and has never worn makeup or engaged in any beauty care.
She had thick-rimmed black glasses, persistent dark circles under her eyes, and a frail physique caused by prolonged irregular eating habits and frequent late nights–even her menstrual cycle had never been on time. Yet she was, after all, a young woman, and there was no reason she couldn’t like Aiden.
Having been together as a team for many years, she assisted them diligently, conducting experiments and engaging in research. Yet they were still able to make such malicious remarks with apparent indifference. It was only at that moment that Josie realized Jaden had pursued her not out of affection, but simply to have a legitimate reason to order her around.
Those years of her life had been profoundly tragic. Even if she could live her life over again, Josie had never imagined that anyone would ever like her.