"Have you seen the forum? There's a post saying that Aaron is back."
"Which Aaron are you talking about?"
"The one that has been making headlines, duh."
"Oh! You mean the hunk from the Business faculty that attempted suicide a few weeks ago?"
"Yeah! That one! There's a sneak photo of him too. Damn, I guess the rumors of him being someone's sugar baby is right. Look at that expensive-looking attire!"
"Eh, if I remember correctly, Aaron never dressed up this way. He's usually very low-key."
"Right? He's pretty well behaved too. Who would've thought."
"Guess the sayings 'the quiet ones are the most dangerous' really fit the bill, huh?"
"Look at this photo! Someone is accompanying him. They seemed pretty close. I don't remember seeing Aaron with anyone this high-profile looking before. The fact that he's wearing a face mask is highly suspicious."
"Sus."
"Sus."
"Do you think it's the, you know, daddy?"
"But the guy here seems a bit young to be a sugar daddy, no?"
"What? Have you guys not heard of a young daddy? If you have enough money, you're qualified to be one. I can list several possible young daddies in the industry right now."
"But didn't the news said the daddy is old and married?"
"Oh. Yeah. Now that you mentioned it, there is something like that written on the news."
"It's a little unfair for Aaron to be the only one having sewer water poured on him. I mean, the news is very biased towards the daddy. They didn't mention a squeak of him."
"This type of relationship is just a transaction. It's all flesh and cash. He shouldn't be emotionally attached in the first place."
"Maybe it's the daddy's way of giving Aaron a lesson."
"Guess that's what you get when you have funny thoughts?"
"Makes sense. I always liked to check him out whenever I see him around. Such a handsome face is my only source of happiness on this campus. Who would think he turns out to be gay."
"And a sugar baby at that."
"Sigh~ If I'm a little richer, do you think he'll let me be his mommy?"
"You have to grow a dick first, I guess?"
Ahem! Ahem!
Ladies, have no one taught you to look at your surroundings before you gossip about someone in public?!
I'm right here. Stop! You're making me blush at the handsome praises and your willingness to be my sponsor.
And what's up with the way you girls talking about this issue? Instead of the expected scorn, you girls are actually discussing this matter seriously. Has the world been this lax before? Aren't the usual response should be like the scorn I received back in the municipal hospital?
And hey, regarding your inquiry, I might not be gay, you know?
Thank god we don't have to walk behind the three ladies for long. By the next junction, we separated. They didn't realize my presence until the end and I could only bear their weird conversation the whole way.
The topic went from my return to the campus to my sugar daddy, then to being my sugar mommy, and suddenly they were discussing my possible affairs on campus. Ranging from the lecturers to the students from the sports department who they thought I was close with.
It felt like an insult but don't at the same time. Because they were enthusiastically discussing the issue and assessing the whole thing seriously. No scorn was detected, but the amount of excitement surpasses my brain capacity to digest the information.
Weird.
Walking up to a building, I turn my head to look at Edgar. "It should be here. Are you coming up?"
Edgar nodded, "You seem pretty well known on the campus."
I agree. "Yeah. I kind of expected this. Even I can't help from falling in love with this face. This face is wasted on Business faculty. Aaron should've done some modeling gig instead. This body fits the job perfectly too."
Can't help it. Aaron really is extremely good-looking. Ethereal is the word for it.
Edgar silently nodded and followed my lead up the stairs. Along the way, we met a few male students who sizes me up and down with a scrutinizing gaze but none of them greeted me. Now, this is the expected reaction.
Finally reaching the third floor, I proceeded to scan for room numbered 306. I fished the bunch of keys out of my coat pocket and unlocked the door quite easily. Upon opening the door, I was greeted by an empty, messy two-bedded room. Study materials and clothes lay around the bed and floors. I think I saw some takeaway box on the table too.
It was the peak time for classes. I purposely picked this time to come so I don't have to deal with unnecessary encounters. It's hard to deal with people when you do not know them. Aaron's background is quite fishy and messy. Who knows what would happen if I OOC too much. Memory loss is a good excuse. But how do you explain the complete change of the personality?
I went to the other side of the room, where the bed is properly made and signs of being left for a long time can be seen from the accumulated dust on the table. Skimming through the books and papers on the table, I confirmed that this is my bed and table.
Edgar proceeded to the wardrobe and rummaged through the piles of clothes. He then pulled out a suitcase from the wardrobe and weighed it before deciding to unzip it. Too bad it was locked. With a password at that.
Seeing him struggling with a suitcase, I can't help but give him a hand. "Let me."
I then swiftly entered the reset mode for the suitcase's lock.
Edgar, "...How did you know to do this?"
"You know I have bad memories right? I always forgot the password to my suitcase, so instead of memorizing the password, I ended up memorizing the way to reset them instead because I did that too frequently."
Edgar, "..." Is that so? But then again, D never takes the normal route in doing things.
Opening the suitcase, I saw a few articles of winter clothes. I rummaged through them a little before noticing the hidden compartment underneath. Woo~ Fancy. Almost like a little game of escape room. I lifted the compartment and saw a bunch of documents inside.
Edgar and I took one each and starts flipping through them. The hands flipping the page flips faster after each page and the pupils focusing on the pages contracted more and more. Even our breathing felt stuck in our throat.
We went from one documents to another. Checking each of the documents one by one, making sure not one of them missed our inspection. I can see Edgar's face gets darker after each document and I bet mine doesn't look so good either.
What the fuck?
What the fuck??!!!
This is a draft of business proposals from various Hill Corps' subsidiaries! Some of them were even dated two years ago and have been approved by the board of directors! What are these documents doing here?!
I can't help but peep at Edgar. Coincidentally, he was also looking at me too. We were mirroring the same expression right now. Both were dumbfounded and shocked.
"Let's pack everything up and talk about it later." Edgar gave an order and I nodded obediently. What the fuck has Aaron got himself into?!
We dumped all the clothes in the wardrobe into the suitcase, as if trying to bury the hot potato of the documents deep into the earth. Not letting them see any lights. I then busied myself collecting all the papers and books on the tables and drawers. Not leaving a speck of dust behind.
After making sure everything was packed, I finally realized something amiss.
"Edgar, do you think I have a laptop?" I asked Edgar.
We then stared at each other for a good few seconds before our gaze simultaneously lands on the suitcase again.
"That should be the case..." Edgar answered in a small voice.
"...Where...do you think it is?"
"..."
"..."
Was the laptop taken by someone? Was Aaron's suicide at the hotel a real suicide? And what is Aaron's relationship with the Hills?
What kind of murder mystery drama has I stumbled into? This is supposed to be a comedic story!