Vanessa Sterling glanced at her with mild annoyance, shifted sideways in her chair, and explained, "Didn’t you go to the studio to see? I finished that painting last night, stayed up until midnight, of course I’ve got dark circles."

The assistant girl looked disappointed, "So you were painting, huh? I thought you’d finally figured it out."

Vanessa Sterling picked up her chopsticks, muttering, "Just hurry up and eat your food."

The assistant girl chuckled, "I’ve been watching where that handsome guy’s car is parked all morning, thinking he probably hasn’t gotten up yet, and assumed you two went on a date last night."

"He hasn’t gone out all morning?" Vanessa Sterling asked subconsciously.

The assistant girl smirked, "See? You’re concerned about him."

Vanessa Sterling was stunned, then denied, "I’m just casually asking, stop coming up with nonsense all the time."

"Oh come on, Teacher Sterling, you’re not a kid anymore, it’s normal to talk about love. If you like someone, just say it, there’s no need to be shy."

Vanessa Sterling looked as if she couldn’t deny it, her denial sounding feeble, "I really don’t like him."

The assistant girl clearly didn’t believe her, "You’re just stubborn, blushing when you talk about him, yet claiming not to like him."

"Teacher Sterling, just don’t hide it from me, I tell you all my little secrets, it wouldn’t be fair if you kept this from me."

Vanessa Sterling: "I really don’t have anything."

"Teacher Sterling, you’re so thin-skinned, just look in the mirror and see how red your face is. Stop denying, I understand, girls naturally admire heroes, especially one who has saved her, a handsome hero saving the damsel, it’s totally normal to have feelings, we won’t laugh at you."

Vanessa Sterling opened her mouth to speak, but found herself unable to argue.

Then, she just curiously asked the assistant girl, "Where did you get the idea that I liked him? I sometimes blush when talking to strangers, and feel embarrassed when you tease me, it’s got nothing to do with him."

The assistant girl raised her index finger and waved it side to side, "Oh no, it’s not just about blushing. But if you ask me for specifics, I’m not sure I can pinpoint an exact reason. I can just see it on your face, like when I used to crush on my childhood friend."

"Didn’t I tell you before? He and I grew up together, childhood friends, so it’s hard to distinguish between friendship and love."

"At first I didn’t know I liked him, even found him a bit annoying, but as I grew older and saw him receiving love letters from other girls, I’d get unhappy. Watching him talk to other girls made me uncomfortable, it’s what we call jealousy."

"And the most important thing, during that time, I’d unconsciously pay attention to him, after class I’d run to the corridor to look at the playground, to see if he was playing basketball."

"Just like Teacher Sterling standing by the window watching that parking spot these days. If I saw him there, I’d be happy, but if he wasn’t, I’d worry, thinking about what he’s doing, maybe hanging out with other female classmates."

"Your reaction while watching the parking spot is exactly the same."

"So yeah, when someone unknowingly cares about another person’s affairs, it indicates there may be feelings involved, it’s just sometimes they aren’t aware of it yet."

"Teacher Sterling, think about it, isn’t this how you feel?"