Chapter 1170 - 1197: A Little Performance (5)

Chapter 1170: Chapter 1197: A Little Performance (5)

Camden River naturally knew she had just zoned out, but he chose not to point it out. With a calm expression, he withdrew his gaze and asked softly, "Shall I repeat it?"

"Sure." Zara exhaled and quickly nodded.

As Camden River continued speaking, roughly twenty minutes passed before he lowered the hand that had been resting on the table, placing it on his abdomen, gently pressing it twice.

His wound had mostly healed.

The punches from Ali Harris earlier in the afternoon weren’t enough to reopen the wound, but it still felt uncomfortable, causing pain when seated for a while.

With Zara’s exam registration imminent, his time to tutor her was limited, naturally wanting to make the most of it. Without uttering a complaint, he kept speaking, though the black brows knitted slightly in discomfort.

"Are you uncomfortable?" Zara suddenly asked.

Camden River was taken aback and instinctively looked up at her, "No."

"The wound’s a bit itchy, I’m just rubbing it a little," Camden explained with a gentle smile as he noticed her biting her lip.

But Zara closed her book and sighed, "Let’s call it a day then. You’ve been speaking for quite a while, and I’m so slow that it’ll take me some time to digest. Going on would just waste your time."

Every subtle movement and expression of Camden River she could detect, how could she not notice his discomfort?

But if he didn’t want to admit it, so be it.

Boys generally don’t like to show weakness in front of girls. Camden River is actually quite prideful, much like his father Troy River. Zara had already met Troy River and had a certain judgment, so she didn’t want to press him.

Her tone carried a hint of frustration, and Camden River was taken aback, a mixture of amusement and exasperation, asking, "Who would belittle themselves like that?"

Zara nervously tugged at her hair, "Compared to you, I’m indeed slow. If it weren’t for the lower cultural course requirements in our major, I wouldn’t have been able to attend the same university as you..."

As she spoke, her face suddenly stiffened, and she nervously glanced at Camden River.

She had gotten into Cloud Capital University because of him, so why did she mention it suddenly?

Zara deeply regretted it.

Camden River had been helping her review every day recently, and the two had grown more familiar than before. Being originally from Riverside, their parents frequently visited, leading to plenty of topics to discuss.

She had somewhat lost herself in the moment, wondering how she could burden him now.

Camden River already had quite a lot of pressure; she hoped her presence brought him relaxation and comfort, not stress.

Zara’s mind swirled as she softly explained, "Cloud Capital University is the best humanities university in the country, everyone wants to go. When my cultural courses didn’t suffice, I sought another way, and luckily, got in."

In front of him, she seemed anxious, speaking foolishly, making the more she explained, the worse it became.

Camden River felt somewhat complicated and said calmly, "Lower cultural requirements perhaps, but aren’t you overlooking the extra professional exam courses? Getting accepted is a matter of capability, don’t belittle yourself."

Zara responded softly, "Okay."

Camden River relaxed and asked with a smile, "Have you had dinner?"

"I ate before you came in." Zara also relaxed and asked him, "What about you?"

"I had lunch late, so I’ll skip dinner."

Camden River felt a bit uneasy mainly due to a pent-up frustration. Often, angry people feel full and lose their appetite, losing interest in anything.

That’s exactly how he felt right now.

Zara looked at him and softly said, "Shall I perform something for you?"

"Hmm?"

"Let me show you how to peel an apple." Zara noticing his puzzled expression, chuckled, "I never break the peel when slicing an apple. You’ll see."

Before Camden River could respond, she grabbed the fruit plate, apple, and fruit knife from the table.

She set the fruit plate by the bed, turned sideways, and began. One hand held the knife, the other held the apple. She pressed her lips together, appearing serious, as if about to perform an act.

Camden River quietly watched her.

Zara then started peeling the apple with determination.

As she claimed, her apple peeling skill was quite high, maintaining uniform thickness and width from the start. The peeled skin was thin, nearly transparent, not wasting a bit of apple flesh.

For the first time, Camden River was in the mood to watch someone peel an apple.

He remained silent.

He said nothing, leading Zara to glance at him as she finished. Raising her head, there was a small snap as the peel broke off from the knife.

Zara: "..."

She had just one last circle to complete.

She looked at Camden River, her face clearly showing embarrassment.

Camden River lowered his gaze to the cluster of peels in the fruit plate and couldn’t help but chuckle softly, "Hmm, your skill is quite high, much better than mine."

He was clearly comforting her.

Zara still felt embarrassed, but after the embarrassment came a bit of happiness.

Camden River’s smile was the lightest one that afternoon. Earlier smiles felt distant and formal, his suppressed emotions seemingly palpable to her.

It’s good that he smiled.

The apple peeling was originally meant to distract him and cheer him up.

If he felt a bit happier, then she felt much happier.

This feeling was indeed strange.

In her relationship with Daniel Davis, she was always the one being cared for, but she never felt happy, instead felt quite pressured, at times suffocating.

With Camden River, she became the one giving attention.

Yet she was very happy.

She was easily satisfied with Camden River.

Even if he doesn’t do anything, doesn’t speak, just quietly sitting next to her, she feels content.

Not to mention—

He’s patient in teaching her, comforting her, even watching her do such a mundane task as peeling an apple, and every cell in her body feels tense.

Watching his playful, comforting gaze, she pressed her lips together and gave a small, shallow smile, handing over the peeled apple, "You should eat something in the evening, have the apple."

Camden River paused, "You have it."

"I already had two this afternoon." Zara explained.

Was it peeled for him?

Camden River reached out to take the apple she handed over, saying calmly, "Thank you."

Zara smiled.

He turned his head and took a bite, tasting sweet and crunchy.