Chapter 657 A Subtle Shift

When Yunice opened her eyes, she saw Wyatt still sitting by her bedside.

She reached for her phone and checked the time–she’d been asleep for three hours.

Had Wyatt been sitting there the entire time?

Only then did she realize her hand had been gripping his arm the whole time.

…No wonder he hadn’t left.

As soon as she moved, Wyatt–who had been dozing with his head propped on one hand–opened his eyes.

“I can’t believe I slept that long…” Yunice murmured.

She glanced at the sky outside. “I should head back to the dorm.”

Otherwise, the campus would close its gates soon.

The moment she said that, Wyatt jumped in, “Don’t go back. If you’re feeling better, let’s go out for a bit.”

Yunice noticed the way he avoided her gaze, and suddenly it clicked.

Ohhh-

He was worried she’d find the recorder in the dorm, wasn’t he?

Alright then–since he was trying so hard to pretend, she’d play along for now.

After drinking the ginger tea, she had indeed broken a sweat. She took a shower, freshened up, and only then did she head out with Wyatt.

The night was beautiful. Once their practicals wrapped up, the semester would be over–and the New Year was just around the corner.

They strolled along the stone paths of University Town without rushing to the pottery studio.

Yunice had a sudden urge to visit a luxury boutique.

Naturally, Wyatt agreed.

They headed to the nearby Global Harbor mall and found themselves inside a high–end store.

Yunice was looking at plush toys.

Wyatt found that strange. Yunice was a science student–he remembered she usually had zero interest in girlish things like that.

He’d bought her one once; she hadn’t even looked at it.

So why was she studying them now?

“Doesn’t Laurie have a daughter?” Yunice said, “I’m thinking of getting her a gift."

“You know Laurie has a daughter?”

Yunice nodded. “I also know her daughter likes this brand.”

Wyatt blinked. “She told you that?”

Even he didn’t know that detail.

Laurie rarely mentioned her daughter, let alone her daughter’s preferences.

Yunice had figured it out on her own.

“Her daughter’s name… doesn’t it have ‘Laurie’ in it?” she asked.

Wyatt responded, “You really know quite a bit. She’s always kept her daughter under wraps.”

Even Jordan didn’t know much about the girl–less knowledge meant more safety.

Of course Yunice knew.

Because the plush toy Laurie used to hide the recorder was from this brand.

And embroidered on the toy was a custom name tag–with the word “Laurie.”

Laurie wasn’t the type to carry plush toys for herself. The only reason one would be around her was if it was a gift for her daughter.

But Wyatt didn’t know that the toy had hidden the recorder, so he missed Yunice’s subtle hint.

Seeing her message hadn’t landed, Yunice chose a toy she liked and handed it to Wyatt to pay.

At checkout, Wyatt turned his hand over and revealed a hair clip in his palm. “This would look good on you.”

Yunice suddenly recalled that while she was browsing, Wyatt had been lingering in the accessories section -he’d been picking something out for her.

“Yunice?”

A hesitant voice called out, and she turned around in surprise.

Jennie and Lena stood there with bubble teas in hand, their faces full of shock as they looked at the man beside her.

They hadn’t been sure it was her earlier–thought maybe they were mistaken.

Seeing their curious eyes, Yunice introduced, “This is my husband.”

Wyatt froze, clearly stunned she’d admitted it so casually.

She’d always gone out of her way to keep their relationship discreet.

Maybe these two students held a different place in her heart.

Wyatt noticed Jennie and Lena had also come from the same luxury store, but hadn’t bought anything.

“You two are Yunice’s classmates?” he asked.

The girls stood nervously shoulder–to–shoulder. “We’re her roommates.”

Wyatt turned to the sales assistant. “Put whatever they looked at on my tab.”

That shocked them both.

They quickly waved their hands. “We… that’s not what we meant…”

They weren’t the type to take advantage of others.

But the assistant had already packed up the items they’d browsed.

The two girls didn’t dare accept them.

Wyatt took the shopping bags himself and handed them over. “Thank you for looking after Yunice.”

His hand hung in midair, and the quiet pressure in his voice made them panic and accept the bags before they could think twice.

Yunice smiled. “I won’t be going back to the dorm tonight, so I’ll head the other way.”

Jennie nodded, and Yunice left with Wyatt.

Left in a daze, Jennie and Lena stared down at the expensive gifts in their hands.

“Holy crap,” one of them breathed. “What kind of dumb luck did we just stumble into?”

After the mall, Yunice and Wyatt made it to the pottery studio just before closing time to pick up the handmade ornaments they’d made earlier.