Alex didn't know what Lisa Walters and the others were thinking. He and Debbie Stonehill were still living a sweet life together.
After a week of intense classes, Debbie finally caught up with her learning and had some free time to spend with Alex.
Their schedules were both open after the first-morning class, so Alex asked Debbie to meet him. They went for a walk down the commercial street outside the university campus.
"I gave your mother another week of rest at the Azalea Guest House. She rarely comes to New York, so why not let her visit the city more?" Alex said as he held Debbie's hand as they walked along the street. His heart filled with happiness as he looked at her beautiful face while she licked her ice cream cone.
"I haven't seen her for a few days. Why is she wandering around the city alone?" Debbie asked, with a trace of worry on her face. It wasn't that she didn't want to spend time with her mother, it was that her mother had told her to study hard. Carla Stonehill didn't want her daughter to slack off with her studies because of her visit.
"It's all right. I've already asked Sam Woodsworth to send someone to accompany her for a stroll. You can rest easy," reassured Alex.
"You still have a way of doing things," Debbie said. She felt comforted knowing that Alex had taken care of things and had sent someone to help.
"It's so hot!" Alex exclaimed as he looked at her and her two long braids. He couldn't get tired of looking at her. He playfully said, "Can I have a bite of your ice cream?"
"I'll give you some," she said as Alex stared at her. She felt embarrassed as he looked at her so intently, but she also really enjoyed it. She held the cone up to him.
"Yum," Alex said with a smile while slowly opening his mouth. As she held the cone, she saw that he started to eat all of it. Debbie became surprised and angry. He only left the bottom of the cone in her hand.
He looked at her with a naughty smile as he chewed happily.
"Alex!" she exclaimed as she grabbed his arm and said, "You should have left some for me! You're so annoying!"
"Ouch! Debbie, let go!" Alex said in a flustered manner. She let go of him after some playful struggle.
"It was just a mouthful. You said it was okay." Alex rubbed his arm and continued talking with her.
"You!" Debbie looked at him, feeling playfully annoyed.
He quickly admitted his wrongdoing, softly hugged her, and said, "I was wrong. I was just messing around with you. Please don't be angry, all right? I'll buy you two ice cream cones next time… three cones… four… will that do?"
Debbie was so amused by him that she couldn't help but laugh. Alex finally let out a sigh of relief and took the opportunity to hold her in his arms and give her a big hug.
Although she was small, he could still feel her weight in his arms, taking notice of her body.
"All right, let go of me," Debbie said softly. He looked at her and noticed that her gaze was directed behind him.
Alex let go of her and turned to look. He saw a well-proportioned, short-haired beauty staring at the two of them. However, when Alex looked at the girl with short hair, she was also startled and quickly turned her gaze elsewhere.
He turned his head in bewilderment as he met Debbie's gaze, which was full of suspicion.
The beautiful woman once again directed her gaze toward Alex and Debbie and carefully observed them.
"Who is she?" Debbie asked in a jealous tone.
"Um… I don't know," Alex said and shrugged. It was the first time he saw this woman, but he was happy to see that Debbie was jealous of her.
"Then why did she keep looking at you?" Debbie pouted and said, "She's still watching."
Alex turned his head and surprised the woman again. She turned back around. When Alex turned back to Debbie, the woman turned again and looked at him with a serious expression.
"Maybe it's because I'm so handsome?" Alex said to Debbie with a wry smile.
Debbie rolled her eyes at him and said, "What do you think of her?"
"Ahh," Alex was stunned for a moment before he smiled. Debbie felt a sense of looming crisis. He slowly made an evil smile, leaned closer toward Debbie, and said, "Do you care a lot about me?"
"Who cares about you? Do you like her or not?" Debbie said shyly and anxiously. "If you think she's better than me, then go with her. I'm leaving!"
With that, Debbie started to get ready to go away. Alex was shocked and did not dare to play around with her anymore as it might create a problem.
"How can she compare to you?" Alex grabbed Debbie's small hand and said in a serious tone, "In my heart, you are more important than anyone else."
"Really?" Debbie lowered her head and asked in a soft, low voice. She felt a bit of warmth in her heart.
"Of course, it's true. Didn't you ask me what I thought of her? In my eyes, you're a hundred times more beautiful than she is… even when you crinkle up your nose."
"Damn it, when do I crinkle my nose?" Debbie playfully punched Alex and giggled. She looked at him with her bright eyes and said, "Your words sound so good, but who knows what you're really thinking?"
"Hey, so you still won't believe me, right? I'll prove it to you right now," Alex said, turning around and walking toward the short-haired woman.
"Alex, come back," Debbie called him anxiously. How could she not believe him? It was just a joke. But that short-haired woman looked like she was secretly in love with him.
Alex didn't turn around when he heard Debbie calling him. He kept walking toward the woman.
Seeing Alex walk toward her, the woman panicked. She looked left and right, but she was at a loss for what to do.
After Alex walked up to her side, she had no choice but to quickly turn around to avoid an awkward situation.
Seeing her flustered expression, Alex felt quite helpless.
I didn't expect that after just a single glance, she would be so sensitive. She won't even dare look at me. She must have been secretly observing me for a long time, right? he thought, sighing. It's all because we met at the wrong time. If Debbie and I weren't together, we might have had a chance. But now that I'm with Debbie, I won't even sneak a peek at a supermodel.
Nearby, a group of boys saw the scene and started to talk among themselves.
"Damn, this beauty can't be that bad, right? But she's fallen for that damn loser?" said one boy.
"I'm also stronger than him. How come I don't have that kind of luck?" said another boy.
"Beautiful girl, your family must be pretty good too. How come you're so blind?" said another.
When the surrounding boys saw Alex standing in front of the beautiful woman, they felt agitated that they didn't receive her attention.
He had to explain this to the girl as soon as possible before things got more complicated. "Um… I don't know your name right now… uh, I'm sorry, but I have to tell you about this. I already have a girlfriend, so I can't date other girls anymore. Um… I hope you can stop at that."
When Alex finished getting the words out, he felt that what he had said was reasonable, but the short-haired woman didn't move at all.
It can't be that she still doesn't want to let go after I've explained it so clearly, right? he thought.
"Young lady—" Alex started to say as he reached out his hand, wanting to turn the woman to face toward him. She unexpectedly exploded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"Let go! What are you doing?" The woman pushed Alex's hand away and glared at him in disgust.
"Uh, I wanted to tell you that it's impossible between us," he said with shock, as she was very beautiful. She had a small face with big, dark eyes, and she wore nice clothes.
"What are you talking about? Are you crazy? Why are you saying so many weird things to me? Who are you? Who likes you?" she said, looking at Alex.
"You were looking at me just now," he said, feeling very awkward and stunned. His face turned red.
"I was looking at you? Hmph—you sure are interesting," she laughed at him and shook her head. She pushed him away and walked toward Debbie.
Wasn't she looking at me? he asked himself.
Alex was lost in his thoughts and felt extremely embarrassed. His face was also hot. He scratched his head as he followed behind the woman.
The short-haired woman walked up to Debbie and gave her a slight smile. She looked at Debbie's face carefully and nodded. Then she took a business card out from her pocket, handed it to Debbie, and said, "Hello, my name is Janice Campbell. This is my card."
Alex thought about what he had said to this woman earlier and felt weak and embarrassed. He scratched his head.
Debbie was slightly taken aback. She had never expected her to come over to talk with her. Debbie politely took the business card and read it. It said, "Janice Campbell, professional manager of the Sunshine Music Company."
"I was attracted to you when I first saw you. You look great. We're putting together a girl group like Rocket Girl. I hope you can join our company," Janice said with a smile.
"Me?" Debbie pointed at herself. Janice was inviting her to become a celebrity. It all felt unreal to her. She didn't know what to say.
"Is that card of yours for real?" Alex pulled Debbie behind him. He was afraid that she was being tricked.
Janice glared at him.
Looking at Janice's eyes, Alex felt a little guilty. After all, he had been a bit selfish when he had said those words to her earlier.
"If you don't believe me, you can search online," Janice said. Since she had charged over so abruptly, it was normal for him to be so suspicious. She could also tell that Alex was Debbie's boyfriend.
Alex and Debbie searched online, and they did find some information about the Sunshine Music Company. Janice was indeed a manager.
"I'm sorry I offended you earlier," Debbie apologized to Janice on behalf of Alex, "But, I don't know anything. I might not be able to join your group."
Debbie yearned to accept, but she was just a small-town kid who didn't know anything about talent.
"Don't worry, you're totally up to standard. You know about Rocket Girl, right? I think you'll have the potential to become like their most popular singer. You can rest assured that we will train you," Janice said with a smile. "Are you ready to try? This is a rare opportunity. If you miss it, you might regret it for the rest of your life," she added.
The more that she looked at Debbie, the more that she wanted her to join the company.
Debbie felt conflicted. She didn't know what she was afraid of, so she just tugged at the corner of her shirt and hesitated over what decision to make.
"Let's give it a go," Alex said. He had decided on Debbie's behalf. Seeing her expression, he knew that she wanted to try it out. She trembled slightly and looked at him.
"Do you want to go? I need you to tell me in person," Janice asked Debbie.
Debbie looked into Janice's eyes and finally nodded.