Chapter 106: She Said "I Like You" and My Brain Said "Mm"
Chapter 106: She Said "I Like You" and My Brain Said "Mm"
Cardi’s eyes widened.
For a moment, she looked as though she had just uncovered the biggest secret on campus.
Last night, she had personally taken care of all the drunk guests.
The people assigned to guest rooms had gone to guest rooms.
The people too drunk to move had stayed exactly where they passed out.
Lucas had been sleeping on the sofa.
Maya had been sleeping upstairs.
So how had these two somehow ended up sharing the same bed?
When did that happen?
More importantly...
When had they gotten so close?
Wait.
That didn’t make sense.
Just yesterday, Sofia had quietly told her that Maya was already preparing for an engagement.
Cardi’s thoughts spiraled.
Could Maya’s fiancé actually be Lucas?
No.
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
She stared at Lucas, her expression changing so quickly it looked like she was cycling through every emotion imaginable.
Confusion.
Lucas took one look at her face and immediately guessed what was going through her head.
"You’re overthinking this."
He rubbed his temples helplessly.
"Nothing happened."
"We were both drunk and somehow ended up sleeping in the same room by accident."
Cardi nodded repeatedly.
"I know."
"I understand."
"I won’t tell anyone."
Lucas frowned.
"What exactly do you understand?"
Cardi gave him a knowing smile.
The kind of smile that said she understood far more than she actually did.
"I’m serious."
"Everything I said is true."
The more Lucas explained, however, the more suspicious it sounded.
Eventually, he gave up.
Some things only became less believable the more you talked about them.
—
Sofia and Roxxy didn’t wake up until nearly noon.
Both girls stumbled downstairs rubbing their temples before collapsing onto the oversized sofa in the living room.
"My head is killing me..."
Sofia groaned.
"I think I drank too much..."
Roxxy muttered weakly.
Cardi glanced between Sofia and Lucas before making a quick decision.
She grabbed Roxxy by the arm and pulled her to her feet.
"Come on."
"We should head back to campus."
Roxxy blinked sleepily.
"Now?"
"Yes, now."
Cardi forced a smile before turning toward Sofia.
"You stay here and rest."
Then she leaned closer and lowered her voice.
"I’ll leave the two of you alone."
Before Sofia could react, Cardi was already dragging Roxxy toward the door.
After learning that Lucas and Maya had spent the night in the same room even if nothing had happened Cardi couldn’t help worrying about her best friend.
As Sofia’s closest friend, she naturally wanted Sofia to end up with Lucas.
The good news was that Sofia still had a chance.
As far as Cardi could tell, Lucas and Maya hadn’t crossed any lines.
And even if Maya had developed feelings for him...
Well, that only proved how outstanding Lucas was.
Handsome.
Wealthy.
It would have been stranger if girls weren’t interested in him.
The important thing wasn’t whether other women liked him.
It was who Lucas would ultimately choose.
Which was exactly why Cardi needed to create an opportunity for Sofia.
Some conversations could only happen when two people were alone.
As the villa door closed behind Cardi and Roxxy, only Lucas and Sofia remained in the spacious living room.
The atmosphere instantly became different.
The lively noise from last night had completely disappeared.
No music.
No laughter.
No clinking glasses.
Just silence.
For some reason, the silence felt louder than the party had.
Lucas shifted awkwardly on the sofa.
He couldn’t help recalling Sofia’s drunken words from the previous night.
"Don’t lock your door tonight."
At the time, she had been clearly intoxicated.
But now?
Now she was sober.
And they were alone.
Lucas suddenly had no idea how he was supposed to act around her.
Sofia wasn’t much better.
Her fingers nervously twisted the hem of her shirt as she sat across from him.
Originally, she had planned to use her birthday party as an opportunity to get closer to Lucas.
Maybe confess.
Maybe take things a step further.
She had even built up the courage for it.
But then she got drunk.
And before she knew it, the night was over.
Opportunities like that were strange.
When the mood was right and emotions were running high, things happened naturally.
But once that moment passed, it became much harder.
Now that everyone was sober again, the courage she had borrowed from the excitement of last night had almost disappeared.
The living room fell silent again.
So quiet that both of them could hear each other’s breathing.
Finally, Sofia couldn’t take it anymore.
"Um... did Maya already leave?"
Lucas nodded.
"Yeah."
"I saw how much she drank last night."
Sofia forced a small smile.
"I didn’t expect her alcohol tolerance to be so good."
"Mm."
Sofia blinked.
"I drank too much too."
She rubbed her forehead.
"I barely remember how I got to my room."
"Mm."
"Lucas, are you fully sober now?"
"Mm."
Sofia stared at him.
"Can you say something other than ’mm’?"
"Mm."
Sofia took a deep breath.
Then, before she could lose her courage again, she blurted it out.
"I like you."
"Mm."
A second passed.
Then Lucas froze.
His eyes widened.
Sofia’s face instantly turned bright red.
Lucas finally processed what she had said.
"Huh?"
Sofia panicked.
"Ah?"
For the first time in a long while, Lucas’s mind went completely blank.
There was no buildup.
No warning.
No dramatic speech.
Just four simple words.
I like you.
After all these years, this was the first time a girl had ever confessed to him directly.
At that exact moment, the familiar system notification sounded in his mind.
[Sofia Favorability +10]
[Current Favorability: 90]
[Congratulations! Host has received 10 reward points.]
Lucas stared at Sofia in disbelief.
He suddenly remembered all those people online who claimed money couldn’t buy love.
He almost laughed.
Maybe feelings couldn’t be measured with money.
But every step that led someone to fall for you seemed to require it.
Without money, there wasn’t even an opportunity to begin.
Seeing Lucas remain silent, Sofia hurriedly spoke again.
"You don’t have to answer me right now."
"I know feelings can’t be forced."
She lowered her gaze.
"Just because I like you doesn’t mean you have to like me back."
"Who you choose is your decision."
"I just wanted you to know how I feel."
"That’s all."
Lucas listened quietly.
For some reason, her words felt strangely familiar.
Weren’t these the exact kinds of things desperate guys always said online?
The things people laughed at.
The things people called simping.
Lucas suddenly realized something.
When someone cared deeply enough, pride became less important.
Whether you were a man or a woman, loving someone too much could make you willingly lower yourself.
Maybe that was the nature of feelings.
The deeper the affection, the easier it was to become foolish.
Lucas looked at Sofia.
Her hands were clenched tightly in her lap.
Her eyes avoided his.
Despite her nervousness, she had still gathered the courage to tell him the truth.