"Had enough pinching?" Miranda frowned, her voice chilly.


    What on earth was his problem? Why would he suddenly pinch her cheek like that?


    Elian reluctantly withdrew his hand, his eyes lingering on Miranda, a hint of mischief flickering in his gaze.


    "If I say I haven''t had enough, do you think I could apply for an extension?"


    Miranda furrowed her eyebrows, giving Elian a peculiar look. "Do you have some kind of skin hunger or something?"


    Elian was rendered speechless.


    Just then, an untimely voice interrupted them.


    "Miranda? Is that really you? I thought you went abroad!"


    "Abroad? More like to the countryside to tend to pigs. Did you guys actually buy that story?"


    A male and a female voice chimed in.


    Miranda and Elian both turned to look at the speakers.


    The voices belonged to a group of college students, five or six in total, who seemed to be out for a get- together.


    Coincidentally, they were all former ssmates of Miranda.


    These people had varying degrees of family wealth - if not heirs to fortunes, then nouveaux riches. After Miranda was acknowledged by the Hawke family, she was sent to study at the same school as Arabe. Yet, she was forbidden from revealing her true identity, for the sake of Arabe.


    The old Miranda, influenced by the Zade family, was timid and kind-hearted, so she agreed and never revealed her or Arabe''s true backgrounds.


    Arabe manipted this to make everyone think that if Miranda ever mentioned the Hawke family, she was merely trying to cling to Arabe''s status and was bragging.


    To prevent anyone who knew Miranda from exposing the truth, she encouraged everyone to ostracize her, leaving her friendless.


    In their eyes, Miranda was just a poor, wannabe social climber. Especially after her pursuit of Theo became a campus-wide joke, she became aughingstock.


    "Miranda, I heard you''ve been back in the countryside feeding pigs these past couple of years?" One of the guys approached, giving Elian a nce, mockingly adding, "What, have you set your sights on someone new? Weren''t you Mr. ckwell''s littlepdog?"


    Elian''s eyes turned cold. His secretary, standing behind him, also shot the guy a chilly look. Interrupting Mr. Ashcroft during a meal? Not a smart move.


    Miranda, on the other hand, seemed unfazed. She swallowed her food, took a sip of soda, and then calmly set down her cutlery.


    "Keith, are you stupid or what? Feeding pigs doesn''t pay as well as snagging a rich guy," another girlughed from a distance. "For someone like her,nding a man is her only shot at a better life."


    The girl''sment made herpanionsugh.


    "Hey, handsome, just a heads-up. This girl here used to love getting involved in other people''s rtionships back in school," one of the girls deliberately added.


    Elian lifted his gaze to look at Miranda, who elegantly dabbed her mouth with a napkin.


    His lips curled into a frosty arc, his eyes teasing as he looked at Miranda. "Is that so? Perfect, I happen to like people who get involved in other people''s rtionships."


    Miranda nced at Elian.


    "Are you crazy?" the girl from earlier looked incredulous.


    Elian leaned back slightly, his expression casually amused. "What a coincidence, I''m crazy, and she''s the doctor."


    The group exchanged bewildered looks.


    "This broke little country bumpkin is just after your money!"


    Elian''s lips arched again as he gazed at Miranda. "Well, I happen to have plenty of money to go around."


    By now, Elian''s patience was visibly wearing thin.


    His reaction left everyone a bit sour-faced. Who, in this day and age, willingly yed the fool?


    And Miranda''s look at Elian said it all, "Had enough fun yet?"