Looking at the small face downstairs filled with a series of expressions from shock to stupor to shock again before turning into a bitter face, James Black moved his busy lips

There was the lip shape but no sound of two words.

Jane Sampson managed to understand.

"Come up."

So, how long had this guy been silently watching her from upstairs?

It was not until Jane Sampson started climbing the steps that James Black moved his body slightly, but he didn’t go inside; instead, he just leaned against the gate entrance, waiting for his young wife to come up.

Jane Sampson’s approach was sluggish; the same path she took last time, one minute to the door to fumble for the keys, this time, it took five minutes to drag herself to the door.

James Black’s patience was quite good. After Jane Sampson came to a halt at the end of the corridor, he still maintained his posture leaning against the wall by the door, but then he spoke up, "Come here."

Jane Sampson stood still, observing James Black’s expression from a distance first.

Huh?

It wasn’t the cold face or the foul face she had expected.

It wasn’t even the black face before the storm.

Safety rating plus one.

Only then did Jane Sampson take tiny, measured steps over, continuing to watch for any changes in James Black’s expression, worried he might be pretending just for her.

When she was almost in front of James Black, Jane Sampson stopped again, staring at his face.

"Planning on staring until when?" James Black reached out and directly pulled the person a few steps away into his arms, then with his arm around Jane Sampson’s waist, closed the door and entered the dormitory.

"Dragging your feet, could you be afraid I’d eat you?" James Black set the slippers down in front of Jane Sampson, then changed his shoes and walked inside first.

Jane Sampson accompanied her hesitant steps with a sheepish smile.

Eat her?

No, no, no, eating her would be the least of it; she was afraid he might kill her.

After all, if anyone dared to say in front of so many people that Jane Sampson was the world’s ugliest, she would certainly give that person a knife, without any hesitation at all.

Putting herself in his shoes, Jane Sampson thought that James Black must have called her over with that kind of mindset.

As she was wearing sport shoes and needed to loosen the laces, it took Jane Sampson a bit longer to change into her slippers. By the time she walked inside, James Black had already poured a glass of water for her from inside the kitchen.

Although not very thirsty, Jane Sampson still took the glass and sipped a little before putting it back on the table, then asked in a soft voice, tentatively, "Peter Gingery said you prepared a late-night snack for me?"

After speaking, Jane Sampson smiled at James Black, exceptionally radiant, "Is it peanut soup?"

"Hmm," James Black glanced at the water cup on the table, which had not diminished by much, hummed in affirmation, then stood up and said to Jane Sampson in a low voice, "Into the bedroom."

Without preamble, he suddenly dropped those three words, leaving Jane Sampson utterly confused.

What was James Black’s game this time?

Seeing Jane Sampson motionless, James Black let out a sigh, "Never mind, if you prefer the living room sofa, that’s fine too."

???

!!!

Jane Sampson swallowed, struggling to speak, "Wouldn’t the sofa be a bit too small?"

Two people, couldn’t possibly roll around, right?

No! No! No!

That wasn’t the point!

Jane Sampson shook her head, trying to focus on the real issue: could it be that James Black specifically called her over to devour her?

What late-night peanut soup? All just a bluff? Was his true purpose to consume her?

To eat her, was he even willing to forgo being mad at her, to not fuss over her behavior from the morning?

"If you know it’s small, why don’t you move when asked to go to the bedroom?" James Black snorted, bent down, picked her up straight from the sofa, "Spoiling you," he said.

And so, he carried the bewildered Jane Sampson all the way into the bedroom and placed her on the bed.