In a secluded alley near the Paris Grand Hotel, the red glow quietly receded. The fatigue from the transformation had not fully dissipated, but Marinette hurriedly stuffed Tikki back into His small satchel, not forgetting to put the last spare cookie into the Kwami's mouth.
"Quick! Tikki! We have to hurry! Maybe we can still make it for lunch!"
She tidied her somewhat messy hair while anxiously whispering to her bag.
"Mmm... Got it..."
Tikki, her mouth full of cookies, responded indistinctly, while also reminding her,
"But Marinette, you just expended too much energy, you need to rest..."
But Marinette wasn't listening. Her mind was filled with Jaden's gentle smile and the potentially awkward dining table due to her sudden departure.
Clutching her satchel, she rushed into the magnificent golden doors of the Paris Grand Hotel like a gust of wind, heading straight for the restaurant she had been told about, relying on her memory.
However, when she breathlessly pushed open the heavy oak door, all she saw were empty, neatly arranged dining tables.
"...Huh?"
Her steps halted, and she froze in the doorway. A wave of disappointment washed over her. She annoyedly patted her forehead, muttering to herself, "It's over... I really am too late... They... they've all finished eating..."
Just as she was about to turn and leave, dejected, a passing waiter saw her and politely stepped forward to ask, "Excuse me, miss, are you a student from François Dupont High School?"
"Yes... yes, I am." Marinette nodded, a little puzzled.
"Oh, then you've come to the wrong restaurant."
The waiter explained with a smile,
"The students' lunch is arranged in the revolving restaurant upstairs. They started eating about ten minutes ago and should still be dining now."
A spark of hope instantly reignited in Marinette's heart!
"Thank you!" She didn't even have time to say another word before turning and running towards the elevator.
When the elevator door dinged open on the top floor, Marinette almost held her breath, cautiously poking her head out.
This was it.
Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows was a magnificent panoramic view of Paris.
Inside the restaurant, the students were indeed all there. However, the atmosphere... seemed a bit subtle.
She saw that the entire class was divided into two distinct tables.
And almost the moment she appeared, the previously somewhat noisy chatter in the restaurant miraculously fell silent.
Everyone's gaze, like iron filings drawn by a magnet, focused uniformly on her, the late, uninvited guest.
Marinette felt her cheeks burn instantly.
She clutched the strap of her satchel, her palms sweating, and she froze at the elevator entrance, caught between advancing and retreating.
She saw the table crowded with girls: Chloé, Alya, Rose, Juleka... They were all there, with not an inch of space left.
The other table, for the boys, did have a few empty seats, but... but for her, a girl, to sit among a group of boys, that would be worse than killing her.
Just as she was so awkwardly at a loss, almost wanting to turn and run away, a gentle, lifesaver-like voice broke the stalemate.
"Marinette, over here."
It was Jaden.
He was sitting at the crowded girls' table, with Chloé and Alya flanking him like guardians.
He saw Marinette's predicament, a reassuring smile appearing on his face, and he gently waved to her.
At that moment, Marinette felt the whole world go quiet, leaving only his gentle, smiling dark eyes.
She felt her legs were filled with lead, yet also like she was walking on clouds, moving uncontrollably, step by step, towards that table.
"I'm... I'm sorry, I..."
She reached the table, her head down, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.
However, Jaden didn't let her finish.
He stood up smoothly, offering his seat, his movements so natural as if he had practiced countless times.
Alya immediately gave her an encouraging look, as if saying, "Hurry up and sit down, don't just stand there," while Chloé, on the other side, gave Marinette a cold glare with her blue eyes, as if saying, "Consider yourself lucky."
Caught between these two gazes, one icy and one fiery, Marinette almost moved with both hands and feet, slowly, sitting down on the chair that still held Jaden's warmth.
"Alright," Jaden looked at the scene before him, a gentle smile on his face.
He gave an elegant, knightly bow to the table full of girls, "Since the ladies are all seated together, then I, too, should sit with the gentlemen."
He paused, slowly sweeping his always gentle and tolerant eyes over every girl present.
"I wish all you ladies an enjoyable meal."
With that, he turned and, without a backward glance, walked towards the other table of boys, settling steadily into the empty seat next to Marc and Nathan.
His departure seemed to suck all the air out of the girls' table.
The previously tense and subtly turbulent atmosphere instantly became dull.
Chloé snorted, having lost her target for showing off, and could only pick up her knife and fork, listlessly poking at the food on her plate.
Rose and Juleka huddled together, beginning to whisper about something.
Alya immediately seized the opportunity to quietly ask Marinette what had just happened.
Alix, seeing the suffocating 'palace drama' so easily diffused, also let out a sigh of relief and began to eat heartily.
Mylène and Sabrina, seeing the crisis averted, finally dared to pick up their food and enjoy their lunch in peace.
At the boys' table, however, the atmosphere instantly became lively with Jaden's arrival.
"Alas, it seems... we all lost." Nino looked at Jaden, being the first to exclaim.
The others, including Kim, Max, Nathan, and Marc, all nodded in agreement, their faces showing that kind of good-humored, smiling resignation of those who accept their loss.
"Oh?"
Jaden became interested, asking curiously, "What is it?"
"What else could it be?"
Nino winked and nudged him with his elbow, "When we saw you surrounded by the girls earlier, we started a small bet on who would come out on top and get your 'first prize' at lunch today."
Jaden smiled at the words, his gaze sweeping over the self-contained girls' table next door, then looking at the enthusiastic group of brothers beside him.
"And the result?" he asked, feigning ignorance.
"The result... as you can see,"
Max pushed up his glasses, stating in a matter-of-fact tone,
"After you used that perfect 'gentleman's exit' plan to resolve all potential conflicts and successfully extricate yourself, this bet... there's no suspense left."
And Kim sighed beside him: "My ten euros... just went down the drain."
"So,"
Jaden picked up his juice, raised his glass to everyone, a hint of slyness and a winner's smile on his face, "That means... I won, right?"
The boys were startled at first, then burst into a knowing, loud laugh.
This lunch, originally filled with various complex emotions, at this moment, finally became vibrant and appetizing... Lunchtime quickly ended.
When Caline announced that the social practice activity was officially over, a relaxed cheer rang out throughout the restaurant.
"Everyone performed exceptionally well today,"
Caline stood in the center of the restaurant, a relieved smile on her face, "The scores for this activity will be assessed based on everyone's performance in their respective roles. However, here, I want to particularly commend one student."
Her gaze fell on Marinette.
"Marinette, Mr. Jagged Stone himself... absolutely loved the two pairs of sunglasses you designed and made for him!
He even said they were the boldest, most creative designs he had ever seen!"
"Wow!"
Marinette's eyes widened instantly. She couldn't believe her ears, and after confirming that the teacher wasn't joking, she jumped up from her chair with an irrepressible, joyful cheer!
"I knew you could do it!" Alya hugged her excitedly, happier than if she had won an award herself.
As for Chloé, after the teacher finished speaking, she immediately stood up and left the restaurant without looking back. She didn't care about these boring scores.
She believed that even if she did nothing all day, Caline wouldn't dare give her a low score that would displease her father.
After all, the Mayor had already 'communicated' with the school before the activity began.
She stood up elegantly, not even greeting anyone, and in the midst of her classmates' awed or complex gazes, she swept out like a queen, returning to her private suite.
Subsequently, the students also began to pack up in twos and threes, preparing to go home.
"Jaden," Rose walked up to Jaden, a sweet smile on her face, and quietly reminded him, "Don't forget, tomorrow... our date."
"Of course I remember." Jaden nodded to her, his voice gentle, "See you tomorrow."
Upon receiving a positive reply, Rose happily ran back to Juleka's side. The two girls huddled together, again whispering about something.
Juleka seemed to be egged on by Rose, and somewhat shyly, secretly turned her head to glance in Jaden's direction.
Coincidentally, at that moment, Jaden's gaze also casually swept over to them.
Their eyes met.
Juleka's body trembled as if electrocuted, then she quickly, almost frantically, turned her head back, grabbed Rose's hand, and quickly walked away as if fleeing.
Jaden didn't notice that the moment she turned her head away, a captivating, vibrant red had spread from her earlobes all the way down to her fair neck.
And this scene was fully observed by Alya, not far away.
"Hey, Marinette,"
She nudged her still-excited friend with her elbow, "Look over there, it seems... Rose and Juleka also have something going on with Jaden."
"Huh?"
Marinette followed her gaze, only seeing the two girls' receding backs.
"Don't worry, Alya,"
She smiled indifferently. At this moment, her heart was only filled with the joy of her design being affirmed, and... a gentle, deep gratitude towards Jaden,
"It's perfectly normal for friends to make plans to hang out, isn't it?"
Alya looked at her innocent and carefree expression, shook her head helplessly, and said no more.
Jaden also greeted each of the boys, and after saying goodbye, he left the hotel alone.
As for Jagged Stone's concert that night, although Nino and Kim and others enthusiastically expressed their desire to join the fun, this clearly didn't pique Jaden's interest in the slightest.
He politely declined the invitation and walked home alone.
For him, today's social practice, full of surprises and twists, finally had a relatively satisfactory ending. That was enough.
On the other side, in the front hall of the Agreste Mansion, the cold marble floor reflected the ornate crystal chandelier on the dome, but it reflected no warmth of humanity.
When Amelie and Felix prepared to leave, Adrien's anger, born of deception, had been completely replaced by the sad "performance" and the sympathy that followed.
He stepped forward again and gave Felix a solid, heartfelt hug.
"Next time you come to Paris," Adrien said sincerely, patting Felix's back, "I'll definitely introduce you to my friends. Jaden, Nino... they are all very good people."
"Okay, thank you, Adrien." Felix replied in his embrace, with a tone of just the right amount of gratitude.
After releasing the embrace, the two shook hands again.
Felix then turned to the host who had stood by like an iceberg throughout. He extended his hand, attempting to shake Gabriel's hand in farewell.
That hand paused in mid-air for a moment.
Gabriel merely looked coldly at the hand extended towards him, his eyes devoid of any ripple.
That hand had just used a clumsy play to fool his son;
That hand belonged to an illegitimate "miracle" born of jealousy.
From the bottom of his heart, he felt a physiological revulsion.
However, when his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of his son's eyes, filled with anticipation and pleading, his resolve still wavered.
Finally, he extended his hand and briefly, lightly, shook Felix's hand a few times.
"Goodbye, Uncle."
Felix's expression remained unchanged, as if he hadn't noticed the bone-deep coldness.
Amelie maintained a perfect, impeccable smile throughout, a smile like a mask painted on her face. She gave Gabriel a slight nod, a farewell, then turned and left with Felix.
"Alright, Adrien,"
Gabriel looked at his son and said in an unquestionable tone, "You can go back to your room."
However, Adrien seemed not to hear his father's words.
He watched Amelie and Felix's retreating figures disappear at the door, and the desire to mend his family relationships ultimately overcame his fear of his father.
He chased after them.
"Felix!" he called out.
Amelie had already gotten into the waiting car outside. Felix was about to get in when he heard Adrien's shout. He stopped and turned his head.
Adrien ran up to him, panting, his face showing a heartfelt, genuine concern: "In the future… if you have anything on your mind, you can always… tell me."
Felix quietly gazed at his cousin, at his clear eyes.
At that moment, the expression on his face seemed to show a hint of genuine, inexpressible softening.
"…I will," he said softly.
After speaking, he got into the car. The black sedan silently glided out of the mansion and soon disappeared into the traffic.
Adrien stood still, watching the car carry his recently "re-acquainted" cousin slowly away, finally disappearing at the end of the street.
Only then did he turn around and return to the empty hall. Seeing that his father was no longer there, he could only return to his room, filled with complex emotions… "Oh, you're such a softie."
In the room, Plagg flew out of Adrien's clothes, shaking her head helplessly, "That guy is clearly not a good person, yet you're still so good to him."
"He just… doesn't know how to interact with others, Plagg."
Adrien sat on the edge of the bed, saying somewhat wearily, "He's like me, just… too lonely."
He thought for a moment, then picked up his phone.
"No," he said to Plagg, "I still think I should explain again to everyone."
He opened the video recording function, a heartfelt, apologetic smile on his face.
"Hey everyone. It's me, Adrien."
His voice was sincere and earnest, "Regarding Felix's actions today, I once again extend my deepest apologies to everyone, especially to Jaden.
My cousin… he's like me, confined to his own world since childhood, and perhaps that's why he tries to seek and crave everyone's attention in such clumsy and wrong ways.
I know this doesn't excuse him hurting his friends. But I also hope that everyone, like me, can give him another chance."
He paused, his gaze becoming incredibly firm.
"At the same time, I also want to tell everyone that having friends like you is the luckiest thing in my life.
Especially you, Jaden."
He smiled gratefully at the camera, "Thank you for always being so tolerant and supportive of me."
After the video was recorded, he sent it to the class group chat.
This time, the atmosphere in the group completely became lively and warm.
Nino was the first to jump out: "This is the Adrien I know! Don't worry, buddy! If that Felix dares to mess around again, I'll be the first to teach him a lesson!"
Max also sent a text: "According to emotional model analysis, the sincerity of your statement is as high as 98.7%. Logically, we should accept your apology and maintain observational understanding towards Mr. Felix."
Kim also chimed in: "Exactly! Next time, introduce him to play games with us! We'll make sure he knows what real 'teamwork' is!"
Marc and Nathan jointly replied with a newly drawn chibi illustration of Adrien and Felix shaking hands and making up, accompanied by a warm line of text: "Friendship always overcomes all misunderstandings."
And Jaden quickly replied with a message in the group. His words, as always, were gentle and full of tolerance: "@Adrien, it's good that the misunderstanding is resolved. We will always be friends."
The boys' friendship, after this small incident, became even stronger.
However, there wasn't much reaction from the girls. They seemed to have silently agreed to move past the incident, each absorbed in her own world… In the cozy room of the "Freedom" boathouse, filled with artistic flair and girlish dreams, a secret meeting about "tomorrow" was quietly underway.
"No, no, this one's too ordinary!" Rose held a black Gothic-style dress against Juleka, then immediately shook her head and tossed it back onto the mountain of clothes piled on the bed.
Juleka stood shyly in front of the mirror, letting her best friend, like a professional stylist, "direct the show" on her.
"Then… what about this one?" she asked softly, pointing to a shirt with purple lace.
"Hmm… interesting, but not stunning enough!"
Rose propped her chin, pacing the room like a little adult.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up as if she had discovered a new continent. From the depths of her wardrobe, she pulled out an exquisite gift box she had never seen before.
She opened the box, and inside lay several sets of expensive, exquisitely designed, and obviously valuable evening gowns.
"Juleka! Look at this!"
She held up a light purple, ethereal gown, adorned with delicate crystals like a starry sky, as if presenting a treasure. "Wear this, and you'll be the most mysterious and beautiful princess in all of Paris!"
Juleka stared at the shimmering dress under the light, her eyes wide, but she still timidly shook her head: "No… no, Rose… this is too precious… and… I…"
She didn't know how to explain.
Rose's wardrobe had, at some point, accumulated many such expensive clothes, only seen in fashion magazines.
Rose herself couldn't explain how they got there, nor did she know how these precious clothes, seemingly flown out of fashion magazines, appeared in her wardrobe.
Although they were beautiful, she subconsciously felt that these things should never be worn out.
Just as the two girls were fretting over tomorrow's "battle attire," a melodious guitar sound, accompanied by a gentle male voice, drifted in from outside the room.
"Violet, the color most suited for Juleka. It represents mystery, and also… eternal beauty."
It was Luka. He was leaning against the boat railing outside the door, gently strumming his guitar, offering his sister the gentlest encouragement with music and poetry. Beside him sat their always rock-spirited mother, Anarka.
"Hmph, those two girls, for one boy, they're practically tearing the whole boat apart,"
Anarka complained with her characteristic loud voice, arms crossed.
"Mom," Luka stopped playing. He turned his head, a hint of helpless amusement in his ice-blue eyes, "This is Juleka's first date, so it's only right for her to prepare a bit more."
"You're always siding with her!"
Anarka snorted, "I think you're just too idle! Instead of playing these love songs here, you should go help me clean the barnacles off the bottom of the boat!"
"This is my sister's date, not mine and another boy's date."
Luka said gently, his voice, like the music he played, always able to soothe the restlessness in people's hearts, "So, shouldn't I be giving her some suggestions?"
...Agreste Mansion, design studio.
Gabriel slowly withdrew his gaze only after the car carrying Amelie and Felix had completely disappeared from the surveillance footage.
"Nathalie," he said to his assistant behind him, "You've worked hard today too, go rest."
"Yes, sir."
After Nathalie withdrew, Gabriel walked alone to the giant holographic design table. He wanted to calm his mind, which had been disturbed by Felix, through work.
He habitually extended his right hand, sketching lines in the air. When he needed to make some fine adjustments, he subconsciously extended his left hand, preparing for auxiliary operations.
However, at that moment, his left hand suddenly froze in mid-air.
He slowly lowered his head.
The ring… his wedding ring… was gone.
A scene from the afternoon in the front hall flashed back in his mind like lightning—the moment he was forced to extend his left hand and briefly clasp Felix's cold hand.
So… that was when!
A surge of anger from being deceived and fooled instantly rose from the bottom of his heart! He never imagined that he would fall victim to an inexperienced brat!
Just then, Nathalie pushed the door open and entered, seemingly to report that Amelie and her son had boarded the train. But she only glanced at Gabriel's left hand and immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"Sir… your ring… should we intercept them?"
Nathalie's voice instantly became incredibly cold; as soon as Gabriel gave the order, she would immediately issue instructions.
"No need."
Gabriel raised his hand, stopping her. The anger on his face quickly faded within a few seconds, replaced by a chilling, cold smile, as if he had discovered new prey…
"I never thought… I truly never thought I would fall into Felix's hands."
He said in a low voice, without a hint of annoyance, but rather… with a hint of eerie excitement, "However… I also have to thank him."
"Sir?"
"He gave me a… brand new plan." Gabriel's eyes gleamed with a crazy and obsessive light… On the speeding train, in the first-class carriage.
Amelie was leaning against the window, enjoying the rapidly receding scenery.
Felix gently looked at his mother, a mysterious smile on his face.
"Mom, look here."
He extended his hand and snapped his fingers in front of his mother.
When he opened his hand again, an elegant ring, shimmering with a warm glow, lay quietly in his palm.
It was Gabriel's wedding ring.
"Oh, my goodness!"
Amelie's face showed an expression of immense surprise, so genuine it was like a child receiving a beloved gift. "That stubborn Gabriel ultimately rejected me.
I never thought, my little magician, you always get what you want."
She picked up the ring, admired it for a moment, and then made a gesture that Felix didn't understand.
She gently and solemnly returned the ring to Felix's hand.
"Mom?" Felix looked at her, puzzled.
"Silly child," Amelie stroked his hair, her voice as soft as a dream, "This is all… for you."
She looked at her son's confused eyes and smiled, "Have you forgotten? When you were little, you loved to pester me, asking me to tell you the family story of these 'twin rings.'
"Since you love that story so much, then…" She closed Felix's hand, letting the ring rest tightly in his palm.
"…it belongs to you."