No Substitutes for the Bigshots' Dream Girl Anymore!-Chapter 1937: Hayes Edwards Extra (94)
He would step up to defend her when she was bullied and never allowed anyone to say a bad word about her.
Even though he made many friends, he would still turn back to see if Grace Winter was keeping up.
He would secretly leave her favorite cookies, share his cake with her, and...
There were so many things...
So many that even when angry about her leaving without saying goodbye, he couldn’t utter a harsh word.
After receiving several small cakes consecutively, Hayes Edwards followed Grace Winter back to her home.
Actually, it was just across the hall, separated by a corridor. He used to come three or four times a week, but after such a long time away, Hayes felt a bit nervous, though he didn’t show it.
The decor in the house had changed, with a few bright yellow small flowers added to the windowsill; the carpet was changed, and the floor lamp in the corner was replaced.
But the slippers in the shoe cabinet were still the same cartoon style as back then.
Grace Winter went into the kitchen to pour water for Hayes Edwards, "No one has lived here for so long, many things couldn’t be used anymore, so I replaced them."
The noise from cleaning was actually quite loud, but since Hayes was not home during the day, he never ran into it.
Hayes thought of this, and also the questions that had been lingering for days. In the end, he couldn’t hold back and asked, "Did you come back alone this time?"
He didn’t ask about the past, only the present.
Grace Winter paused, moving her gaze from the cartoon on the TV and then lowered her eyes with a nod, "Yes."
Hayes’ sensitive intuition caught on to something, and he didn’t pursue the subject further, "How long do you plan to stay?"
Grace Winter replied, "I’ll leave after the New Year."
Winter vacation had just started, and it would still be half a month after the New Year.
Hayes felt a tightness in his heart, though he still displayed a nonchalant demeanor. However, his tone carried a hint of heaviness, "What are you going back for?"
He felt it was a silly question as soon as he asked.
Grace Winter looked at him with confusion, then answered, "Going back... going back to school."
She was eighteen this year, in college.
In the same year as Hayes Edwards, a third-year university student. Because of her excellent grades, she had taken the school’s exams early.
As expected, she excelled wherever she went.
In the evening, Grace Winter went to Hayes’ house to have dinner with him, dinner which Hayes had prepared.
Since he started university, Father Edwards would teach him to cook whenever he came back on holidays, fearing that he might "starve" when living alone in the future.
Grace Winter didn’t know how to cook; she could only bake cakes and desserts, so whenever Hayes cooked, she would lie at the kitchen door watching him.
Washing vegetables, cutting vegetables, cooking rice, and then stir-frying.
All these actions were performed skillfully, but only Hayes knew how uneasy it made him feel.
Uneasy because Grace Winter was watching.
"You go wait outside, don’t stand here," he turned and said to Grace Winter at the door.
Grace Winter didn’t ask further, said "Okay," and obediently ran off to the living room to watch TV.
Hayes finally let out a sigh of relief.
In the days that followed, this was how the two of them interacted.
One time, Hayes returned late from a gathering with friends, only to see Grace Winter holding a bowl of instant noodles. After that day, no matter how busy he was, he would make sure to return on time to buy groceries and cook.
If he really had no time, he would take Grace Winter out for a meal.
It was also because of this that Harry Huston saw Grace Winter again.
After so many years, if it weren’t for Grace Winter’s smile being the same as when she was young, he almost wouldn’t have recognized her.
