Revenge of the Hideous Lady (Xyla Quest)
Chapter 428

Zack Cassidy's eyes opened wide, attentive and brimming with curiosity.

He slowly approached the wooden desk before holding onto the edge and looking straight into Stanley's eyes. "Is Xyla behaving oddly around you? What exactly do you mean by attitude changes? Is she being apathetic toward you? I can't believe this is actually happening to you."

Stanley's face darkened instantaneously.

Zack immediately realized that he had gone a bit too far. Clearing his throat, he took in a deep breath. He chose his next words carefully before whispering, "My apologies, Fifth Master. My words were chosen poorly."

This was true, as even Zack was surprised at how he simply blurted out everything that was on his mind.

He felt his scalp go numb.

"Do you crave death, Zack?" Stanley asked, each word more frigid than the last.

"I do not, Fifth Master..." Zack responded apprehensively.

"No, I'm pretty sure you do." Stanley glared at him, his frown almost overbearing.

"

"..." Zack Cassidy dared not to say a single word more. He hung his head and looked toward the floor.

A friend of mine is having that experience, it's not a personal one. Apparently his girlfriend did a one-eighty on him." Stanley coughed awkwardly after saying this, his lie apparent.

Upon hearing that, Zack could hardly stop himself from laughing aloud, but he somehow managed to maintain his serious facade.

Who hadn't heard of the 'this was my friend's experience' lie?

More importantly, the Fifth Master actually knew how to apply the lie too?

Although it was clear that the Fifth Master was lying, Zack pretended that he had not noticed. He asked Stanley solemnly, "So what you're saying is that your friend's girlfriend was originally nice to him... but now she's suddenly being cold to him?"

"Mmm..." Stanley simply grunted, refusing to elaborate any further.

"Generally speaking, there are two possibilities. The obvious first guess would be that your friend must have done something to upset his girl. Since she's not saying anything directly, we can assume she's simply sulking. That would explain why her attitude toward you...r. Your friend changed," Zack explained as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. That was close.

Stanley pondered about this for a few seconds. Try as he might, he could not think of anything he had done which could have upset Xyla.

Had he not been acting nicely these days?

A scowl was on his face but his tone turned inquisitive once more. "What's the other possibility?"

"Well, the other possibility is that your g... Your friend's girl has a thing for someone else. If the love between your friend and his girl isn't mutual, it'll usually cause something... something like this to happen." Zack stuttered with dread as he forced himself to finish his sentence in front of Stanley's face.

Stanley's face went sour again.

Who could Xyla have fallen in love with?

From what he had observed, he felt that the current Xyla was not someone who would fall for anyone so easily. Suddenly, the memory of Noah Smith calling Xyla through WeChat in the ward earlier flashed across his mind. Could it be Noah Smith? His brows furrowed as he thought about it.

"Fifth Master... Are you alright?" Zack asked with concern, his heart beating wildly at the same time out of fear. "Are there no other possibilities?" Stanley raised a brow in a disheartened voice as he glared at Zack.

His gaze pierced through Zack, almost as though it were a sharp thorn.

Zack's mind raced frantically for an answer as his breath grew heavy.

Stanley continued staring at Zack in silence, a glint of anticipation in his eyes.

Though the three seconds felt like an eternity, Zack slowly opened his mouth to speak. "Well, it could be that your friend's love interest is simply in a bad mood because she encountered someone or something that made her unhappy."

Stanley glanced briefly at Zack. "... Yeah, that's possible..."

Zack nodded in agreement.

"You may leave now. Which reminds me, order some nutritious food suitable for post-surgery and deliver it to Xyla's ward for me." Stanley instructed Zack with a sincere tone in his voice.