Overprotected By My Tsundere CEO
Chapter 29: Her Unique Irreplaceability

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Her Unique Irreplaceability

"Professor Duncan just asked me, why did you take a break from school?"

"Hmm?"

Nora Scott paused, then lifted her eyelids and shrugged, saying, "Oh, it was pretty boring, so I left."

Her tone was nonchalant, her attitude indifferent, as if it was merely a trivial decision in her life.

Just a small matter, not worth mentioning.

Pedro Langley frowned slightly, "Really?"

Such a simple, straightforward reason?

"Yeah."

Nora replied.

After a moment, seeing that he hadn’t moved, she glanced sideways at him and added, "Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with you."

Pedro: "..."

Her words sounded like comfort, but inexplicably made him very unhappy.

"If I must say—"

Pedro asked with concern, "What?"

With a flicker in her eyes, an easy and relaxed smile flowed in Nora’s eyes.

"Outside is more fun than school."

Pedro gazed at her with deep eyes and asked, "Have you had enough fun yet?"

Nora raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly, "How could I?"

The joys of the world are endless as long as you want to find them.

Seeing her carefree, smiling demeanor, Pedro was momentarily stunned, then smiled as well, releasing much of the resentment he’d held for years.

She was always this way, free-spirited, unrestrained, untethered, and everything adhered to her whims, unconstrained by worldly conventions.

Anything unconventional seemed fittingly natural when it happened to her.

That’s precisely why her uniqueness is irreplaceable.

*

The exhibition venue was large, and after Professor Duncan led them around, it was almost five o’clock.

Professor Duncan was one of the organizers of the exhibition, and he had a dinner gathering with industry professionals in the evening, so he couldn’t miss it. After leaving Nora and Pedro’s contact information, he quickly left.

Nora and Pedro had no intention of staying either.

As they walked out of the exhibition building, the sky outside had darkened, the temperature dropped significantly, and it was freezing.

The air was dry, and the cold wind cut like a knife. Nora exhaled into the cold air, pulled her scarf up, and put on her sunglasses again to shield from the biting wind and the eyes passing by.

Pedro stood quietly aside, seemingly contemplating something, and said, "Let’s walk over."

"Alright."

Nora nodded without much thought.

The north gate was just a few minutes’ walk from the building, and the hotpot restaurant Pedro wanted to visit was near the north gate, close by, but hidden in an alley, making it difficult for vehicles to get in. At this time, finding a parking spot was challenging, so walking seemed easier.

Seeing her agree so readily, Pedro felt relieved and began walking forward at a leisurely pace.

Nora slowly followed beside him.

On the boulevard, two rows of ginkgo tree leaves had fallen clean, the branches bare with a touch of white snow.

Pedestrians bustled, vehicles parked, and the bluestone pavement was slightly damp. Young students and professionals mingled, novelty, youth, rationality, maturity, and academia collided, making the campus lively and vibrant, driving away the bleakness of winter completely.

"How did the mechanical table get disposed of?" Pedro suddenly spoke up, his voice carrying the chill of the winter wind.

While wandering through the familiar campus, Nora’s thoughts drifted and she didn’t immediately react, casually asking, "Which one?"

"..."

"Oh, the one from six years ago?" Nora came to realization and understood what he was asking about, replying leisurely, "Someone bought it."

About the mechanical table, Nora classified it as: unaffordable for the poor, unappealing to the rich.

Even though it was intricately designed with numerous hidden compartments and appeared novel to most, it had no practical use. At best, it could be used to hide some stash money or small items, truly unnecessary at home.

She hadn’t expected that after the exhibition ended, a few people interested in it came asking if it was for sale. Nora was quite surprised. Since keeping it served no purpose, she picked someone who seemed decent and charged a symbolic material fee, practically giving it away.

"Oh."

Pedro’s brows furrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly.

"Why?"

"Just asking."

Nora had no suspicion, and as she put her hand in her pocket and touched her phone, she suddenly remembered something and asked, "After all this time, is that hotpot restaurant still open?"

"I don’t know."

He hadn’t been here in recent years.

After all, the real intention wasn’t about hotpot. Pedro hadn’t investigated beforehand, just casually using it as a reason to tease her.

"Don’t know?"

Surprised, Nora glanced at him, raised her eyebrows, and took out her phone to search.

As the phone screen lit up, she saw numerous messages and was momentarily stunned, not opening them yet, and just then she heard an excited shout—

"Senior!"

The sound of running came from behind.

Nora put her phone back and stopped, turning around to see Montague running over.

"Leaving already?"

Seeing Nora, Montague’s smile couldn’t be held back, spreading genuinely from the corners of his eyes and his eyebrows.

Since Montague’s mechanical table was advised by Nora, his admiration and adoration for her had grown even deeper.

"Hmm." Nora said lightly, "Going out to eat first."

"Oh, which place?"

"Keen’s Hotpot near the north gate. Is the store still around?"

"It is, it is, that place has always been there." Montague nodded enthusiastically, ecstatic, his eyes brightly shining, "You’re going there too? I just happened to have arranged to meet someone there!"

Nora raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Let’s go together then."

"Alright."

Filled with excitement, Montague agreed elatedly.

The cold glare from someone nearby, he didn’t receive a shred of it.

In moments, Nora and Montague started chatting, leaving Pedro like an outsider. Unfortunately, the person with a gloomy expression didn’t get a single glance of attention.

Pedro: "..."

Regretted suggesting to walk over.

*

Keen’s Hotpot, nestled in a secluded alley. The storefront was average, at a glance indistinguishable from others lining the street, lacking upscale decorations or striking signage. Only Capital Tech students and nearby residents seeking flavorful experiences could discover this place.

There weren’t many customers at this hour, just a few scattered tables.

Having just sent off a table of guests, the owner was tidying up and, hearing the movement of new guests, greeted them with a smile.

When he saw who it was, he froze.

"You two..." Putting down the cloth, the owner joyfully approached, calling out enthusiastically, "Wow, it really is you two, long time no see!"

Nora smiled, "Long time no see."

During her two years at school, every winter Nora frequently visited the restaurant, bringing Pedro along a few times. Gradually, the owner became familiar with them.

Being remembered after a few years was somewhat unexpected but not surprising.

"Haven’t been here in ages." The owner remarked, paused, then asked eagerly, "By the way, did you two get married?"

Nora: "..." Everyone, what’s going on?

Montague: "..." Dumbfounded.

Nearby, Pedro’s gloomy mood was completely lifted.