Chapter 349: Declaring Sovereignty

Chapter 349: Chapter 348: Declaring Sovereignty

“Damn, isn’t that the unattainable prize from the Literature Department?! No wonder he never talks to girls. So it turns out he already has a girlfriend!”

“What do you mean he doesn’t talk to girls? He doesn’t talk to guys either. He gives everyone the cold shoulder equally, you know.”

“Uh, I wouldn’t say he isolates himself. We’re in the same department, and I asked him about an assignment in a lecture once. He was very polite. A little cold-faced, maybe, but not as bad as you’re all making him out to be.”

With someone speaking from personal experience, the secret haters didn’t dare to be passive-aggressive anymore. The topic quickly shifted, with someone sighing emotionally:

“Whoa, you can tell she’s gorgeous just from her silhouette. It’s always the handsome guys who get the gorgeous girls. The whole Prince Charming and Cinderella thing only exists in fairy tales…”

“Sob, the height difference is so cute! And his gaze is so gentle. I’m so jealous, so, so jealous.”

People these days have vivid imaginations, capable of concocting an entire epic romance from a few sentences, let alone a photo so full of atmosphere. Of course, some people just didn’t get it and posted their own comments.

“Hold on, how can you guys tell she’s beautiful? You can’t even see her face. You’re all jumping to conclusions.”

“Yeah, seriously! For all we know, she’d scare you to death if she turned around. ‘Big data’ shows that gorgeous women always date Kappas, and handsome guys always date plain girls.”

“Hahahaha, judging by her back, she’s probably not a plain girl, but that doesn’t automatically mean she’s a beauty, either.”

As the teasing comments piled up, someone couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Seriously, what does it matter to you guys whether she’s beautiful or not? It’s not like she’s your girlfriend.”

As soon as that comment appeared, a reply came instantly.

“Dude, we’re just talking here. Calm down.”

“Yeah, what’s there to get so worked up about? Don’t tell me you’re the girl in the picture?”

The original commenter was roasted into silence, fuming as the replies piled up. Luckily, just then, another comment appeared.

“Just popping in to say, I saw her from the front. She was wearing a mask, but her eyes are gorgeous. Definitely not a plain girl.”

Everyone on the forum was just guessing wildly, so when someone who’d supposedly seen her in person suddenly appeared, most people were still skeptical.

“You got a picture? Talk is cheap. If we’re just making claims, then I’m a world-class beauty!”

“Hahaha, if you’re a world-class beauty, then I am too…”

“+1, me too!”

The “+1” chain quickly grew to dozens of comments. Just then, the thread starter actually posted a picture. Under a phoenix tree, a girl wearing a mask, the top half of her face in clear view.

It was unclear who she was waving at, but her beautiful, almond-shaped eyes were brimming with a smile, sparkling like a sun-drenched lake.

………

Damn… She really is gorgeous. If just the top half of her face is this captivating, what kind of otherworldly beauty must she be with the mask off!

The partially hidden face was the most tantalizing, making everyone itch with curiosity. Some people even downloaded the photo and zoomed in, trying to study the lower half of her face. And as they looked closer, they actually discovered something.

Those eyebrows, those almond-shaped eyes, that figure, that familiar wave, that silly-looking smile…

The students on the forum: “………”

“…Not sure if I should say this, but…”

“Spit it out. I’m one of Joanna’s Fans, I know what you’re getting at. The girl looks a lot like Joanna Kennedy. As in, the celebrity.”

“No way. Isn’t Joanna Kennedy’s boyfriend the young master of the Sinclair Family? That guy from the Literature Department… his last name is Lockwood, isn’t it?”

Joanna Kennedy’s love life was no secret. The recent trending-topic scandal, followed by her direct official announcement, had crashed the servers twice. It was a big enough deal that even people who weren’t her fans knew about it.

She had officially announced she was dating the young master of the Sinclair Family, yet here she was, hugging a student with the last name Lockwood. Now everyone was confused.

One camp argued it wasn’t Joanna Kennedy. A larger group concluded that she must have been dumped and was now on the rebound. All this speculation collapsed a little over ten minutes later, because Joanna Kennedy herself made a social media post.

The post itself was super cringey, the kind of thing you’d type in a questionable state of mind: [This maiden is truly blessed, to find true love on her very first try~]

The accompanying picture showed two clasped hands. A man’s large hand with well-defined knuckles easily enveloped the girl’s fair, flushed hand. In the background was Jornheim University’s iconic Ten Thousand Volume Stone.

The forum fell into a stunned silence.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with Joanna Kennedy’s mental state. She wasn’t the type to show off her relationship on a whim. The real reason was that while strolling across campus, she had run into some of Joanna’s Fans who had come looking for her after hearing the news.

The fans tactfully relayed the contents of the forum discussion to her, and only then did Joanna Kennedy realize she’d been exposed—and had caused a massive misunderstanding.

To stop the misunderstanding from escalating, and also due to a certain unspoken, petty desire to “stake her claim,” Joanna Kennedy had published that post.

She had agonized over that caption, and had even shown it to a certain “Lockwood student from the Literature Department” for approval. Said literature student had nodded with a taut face, the tips of his ears turning slightly red.

Unsurprisingly, the post shot to the top of the trending topics again. The surprise was that the comments underneath weren’t about her relationship, but about the caption!

“HOLY SHIT, AHAHAHA, HAS JOANNA KENNEDY LOST HER MIND? AHAHAHA, I’M DYING, AHAHAHA.”

“Oh my god, did I read that right? Are we sure Jojo hasn’t been body-snatched by an alien who’s really into historical dramas?!”

“‘This maiden is truly blessed,’ hahaha. ‘I ought to be roaming the rivers and lakes,’ hahaha. ‘How delightful, how delightful…'”

“As one of Joanna’s Fans, I am unstanning for one second. This is too embarrassing…”

“I’m not even one of Joanna’s Fans and I’m feeling second-hand embarrassment for you all. Is Joanna Kennedy okay? Did all the online hate finally break her? We must protect this comedic beauty!”

………

The internet was having a field day, but Joanna Kennedy herself was clueless. She had boarded a plane to her film set, and it wasn’t until she landed that she discovered she had suddenly gained two million followers. Puzzled, Joanna Kennedy opened her comments section.

Joanna Kennedy: “………”

Joanna Kennedy’s face flushed red with a speed best described by a ridiculously long, nonsensical internet idiom. She shut down from pure mortification.

But if she was going to be embarrassed, she wasn’t going to be embarrassed alone. Joanna Kennedy quickly found the perfect “culprit” and furiously dialed his number. The moment he picked up, she launched her preemptive strike: “Simon Lockwood, it’s all your fault for saying I should post that caption! Now everyone’s making fun of me!”

“And you’re a literature major! Couldn’t you have helped me think of something more poetic and profound?!”

“Hm?” Simon Lockwood was confused by the verbal assault. After a minute of listening, he understood what had happened and earnestly consoled her, “Anyone who’s laughing at you just has bad taste. Your caption was great.”

Perhaps it was because Simon Lockwood’s tone was so sincere, but Joanna Kennedy started to waver. “…Really?”

“Really,” Simon Lockwood said. “I thought it was great.”

Joanna Kennedy was mesmerized for three seconds before the sound of her assistant, who was standing in front of her trying to stifle a laugh, snapped her back to her senses. Flushed with anger and embarrassment, she hung up the phone.

But just as Simon Lockwood knew her, she knew him too. Joanna Kennedy had a strong suspicion that the only reason he thought the caption was good was because he only saw the words he wanted to see—”first time” and “true love.”