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Chapter 9 Mechanical Enthusiast

The place was dead quiet.

"Happy with that apology?" Henry casually adjusted his cuffs, his voice eerily calm, not a hint of sharpness. But Vivienne shivered, her throat feeling like it was stuffed with cotton. She couldn't say a word.

"Guess you are." Henry turned to Zoey, saw she hadn't moved, and impatiently grabbed her wrist.

It wasn't until the two left that the school gate, like a paused movie, came back to life and filled with noise.

"Wow, that was epic!"

"Oh my god, hero saves the day! It's like a real-life Prince Charming rescuing the princess!"

"So handsome, I wish I were Zoey."

"Get real, in that situation, you would've wet your pants."

"I think Zoey's pretty tough too, with all those people around her, she wasn't scared. I admire her courage."

"A perfect match."

"I declare, I'm in love with Mr. Phillips! He's my new idol from now on!"

In the corner, Vivienne and her crew helped the groaning Robert away, looking embarrassed.

As soon as Henry and Zoey got in the car, they instantly let go of each other's hands like they were toxic.

Henry looked down, wiping his fingertips.

Zoey glanced at him, "Need me to buy you some rubbing alcohol?"

Henry ignored her. After wiping for a while, the soft, boneless touch still seemed to linger on his hand, unable to be wiped away. He irritably threw away the cloth, thinking, 'What's with this woman? Her skin was smoother than anything, kinda like that woman from that night. No way, Zoey can't compare to her.'

"Let me give you a piece of advice, try to stay out of trouble," Henry said.

"I don't cause trouble, but I can't stop others from bothering me." Zoey was helpless but didn't regret helping Emma. Not saving someone in need wasn't what her mentor taught her.

"That's just an excuse." Henry clenched his left hand into a fist at his side, irritably tugging at his tie with his right hand, "If you didn't cause trouble, would others come to bother you? Luckily, I was there today, otherwise, who knows what would have happened."

Henry frowned deeply, looking disgusted. "Can't you just stay out of trouble?"

Zoey propped her chin with one hand, looking at the scenery outside, somewhat speechless. "Even if you hadn't shown up, I could've taken care of it myself."

Those weaklings, even if Zoey gave them one hand, she wouldn't lose.

"Keep pretending." Henry glanced at her thin arms and legs. When he grabbed her, he didn't dare use force, afraid he might accidentally break her.

Zoey moved her lips, too lazy to explain.

The car stopped in front of the villa. Zoey got out first. Henry watched her slender figure about to disappear and quickly caught up. "I helped you, and you can't even say thanks?"

"I didn't ask for your help," Zoey replied.

He raised an eyebrow and sneered coldly, "Fine, I was meddling." After saying that, he strode away, his back exuding a bit of cold dissatisfaction.

Inside the villa, there was constant laughter. Jesse was being entertained by a young man, smiling broadly.

Seeing Zoey, Jesse immediately stood up to greet her, "Zoey, you're here. I had your favorite dishes made tonight. Don't leave, stay the night. I want to play chess with you."

A smile flashed in Zoey's eyes, "Okay."

Jesse loved chess, but he wasn't exactly a grandmaster.

Playing with him was more about keeping the old man happy than anything else.

Benjamin wasn't thrilled when Jesse ditched him to greet Zoey, especially seeing Terry fussing over her with fruit and tea like she was royalty.

He lounged on the sofa, crossing his legs, "So, which family's princess is this?"

"Definitely not yours," Zoey shot back, munching on some fruit.

Benjamin laughed, clearly annoyed, "Even if a princess like her showed up at my place, I wouldn't go for it. Way too high maintenance."

Zoey just frowned slightly, gave him a quick glance, and didn't bother to respond.

Terry handed a plate of fruit to Benjamin, "Mr. White, have some."

Benjamin almost rolled his eyes. Seriously? Zoey got her fruit peeled and neatly cut, while his was just dumped on a plate? Talk about favoritism.

Before dinner, Zoey played a game of chess with Jesse, making him super happy, and then they headed to the dining room.

At the table, it was just Henry and Benjamin.

Jesse sighed, "Is Ethan still not coming down?"

Terry chimed in, "Ethan's still messing with that robot upstairs. He said he won't eat until it's fixed."

"How can he not eat? Should I go check on him?" Benjamin, being close to Henry, was patient with Ethan Phillips, but Jesse stopped him. "Leave him be, let's eat first, we'll talk after."

Despite his words, Jesse was clearly worried about his grandson, making the meal tasteless for him.

Just as they finished, a loud noise came from upstairs, and everyone rushed up. Zoey followed at her own pace.

The bedroom door was closed, with sounds coming from inside, making everyone nervous. No matter how much Terry knocked, no one opened the door.

Henry grabbed the doorknob, ready to force his way in, but a slightly panicked teenage voice came from inside, "Don't come in!"

Henry frowned, "He's getting more and more willful."

Terry tried to calm things down, "Ethan loves that robot and now that it's broken, he's really upset."

"If it's broken, just fix it," Benjamin said, not understanding the robot's appeal, that it could make a teenager skip meals and wreck the house.

"If it could be fixed, it wouldn't be a problem. But it can't," Jesse said, knocking again with no response. He suddenly remembered something, "Zoey, I recall you have some expertise in this area. Could you see if you can fix it?"

Before Zoey could answer, Benjamin sneered, "Her? Forget it. Does she even know what a robot is? Ethan values that robot so much. If she breaks it, he might tear the house down."

"Who says I can't fix it?" Zoey shot him a look and stepped forward to knock.

Benjamin blocked her, "I'm warning you, don't show off. That thing is very complex. Even I don't understand it. Ethan is a mechanical enthusiast. That robot is his lifeline. If you break it, he might lose it!"

"Let go," Zoey demanded, looking at his broad hand on her wrist.

Henry pulled Benjamin's hand away, glancing at Zoey, "Don't say I didn't warn you. If something goes wrong, you're on your own."

"Of course, who else would I rely on?" Zoey opened the door. Before she could see inside, something suddenly lunged at her, throwing a punch!

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