Maria

After gym class, Carrie hugged her volleyball and, for the first time, did not immediately flee. Instead, she quietly said to Edward, "Thank you, Edward."

"It was nothing." Edward waved a hand. "If anything happens at school in the future, you can come find me."

Carrie nodded vigorously before clutching her things and quickly leaving. Even her retreating figure seemed a little straighter than usual.

Frank leaned closer, looking utterly incredulous. "You're serious? You're going to keep helping her? She... you know, she's a little strange."

Before he could finish speaking, Jennifer and Nidi walked over.

Jennifer's beautiful big eyes curiously roamed over Edward. "Edward, were you just..."

"I just couldn't stand seeing someone bully the weak," Edward answered openly.

Frank sighed beside him and added, "Can't be helped. Andrew, Maria, and Carrie from just now are the three most famous punching bags in our school. Mark and his gang love picking on them."

Jennifer looked at Edward with a little more admiration in her eyes.

She suddenly rose onto her tiptoes and swiftly kissed Edward on the cheek. Then, with a playful look, she silently mouthed, "Wait for you this weekend," before pulling Nidi away as they ran off laughing.

Frank's eyes went wide. He nudged Edward's arm with a suggestive grin. "Not bad, Edward! Even the school beauty is taking the initiative like that. When are you going to teach your brother a few tricks?"

However, Edward merely frowned slightly. Pretending not to see Frank's expression, he ignored him completely and turned to leave, leaving Frank only with a carefree back.

Edward glanced at him, too lazy to respond, and turned to walk away.

Frank shouted a few things after him, but seeing no response, he could only leave disgruntledly.

For some reason, as if possessed, Edward ended up at the school skating rink.

At that moment, two people were skating on the rink. One moved skillfully, gliding lightly across the ice, while the other looked extremely clumsy, clearly a beginner. Every step was cautious, as though she feared falling.

Looking at the scene before him, Edward could not help recalling the times he had skated on the Dark Dragon River.

Those memories flashed through his mind like a film, and a trace of nostalgia appeared in his eyes.

Without dwelling on it, he headed straight for the shoe-changing area, put on a pair of skates, then glided onto the ice and began skating leisurely.

His movements were smooth and natural, as though he had become one with the ice. Naturally, the two people already skating noticed Edward entering the rink.

The moment Maria saw Edward, her face flushed slightly and she instinctively lowered her head. Yet she could not help secretly glancing up at him from time to time, her eyes filled with shyness and admiration.

Lily noticed Maria's reaction. She knew perfectly well that Maria had secretly loved Edward for a long time.

Yet a twisted thought arose in Lily's heart: the more Maria liked something, the more Lily wanted to take it away from her.

With that thought, a determined glint flashed through Lily's eyes, and she skated toward Edward without hesitation.

She deliberately put on a surprised expression and said sweetly, "Hi, Edward. What a coincidence, running into you here."

Hearing her voice, Edward turned to look at Lily with a baffled expression. "Who are you?"

His eyes were full of confusion. Clearly, he had no impression of Lily whatsoever.

Just then, Maria behind them lost her balance and fell onto the ice with a thud.

Hearing the sound, Edward turned toward Maria, then looked at Lily beside him and asked in confusion, "Aren't you going to help her up?"

Lily waved a hand indifferently. "It's fine. She can get up by herself."

Edward was speechless, utterly helpless in the face of Lily's attitude.

He said nothing more and skated toward Maria.

He stopped beside Maria, bent down, and held out his hand. "Are you all right?"

Maria raised her head and looked at Edward's outstretched hand. Under the lights, it seemed to emit a gentle glow Σ＞―(〃°ω°〃)♡→.

Her face instantly turned bright red. She shyly lowered her head again and softly said, "I'm fine."

Edward gently took Maria's hand and pulled her to her feet.

Once Maria was steady, Edward smiled and introduced himself. "My name is Edward. What's yours?"

Maria lowered her head slightly, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz. "Maria."

(Maria—The Mirror Man)

Edward studied Maria closely, and a flash of insight suddenly struck him. Only then did he remember that she was the protagonist of "The Mirror Man."

Maria came from a wealthy family. Her father, Dan, was a fairly well-known plastic surgeon who had earned a modest reputation in the field through his superb medical skills.

However, Dan was strong-willed and stubborn, and he had extremely high expectations for Maria, to the point of being excessively critical.

He expected his daughter to be perfect in every respect and to excel at everything.

On Maria's eighteenth birthday, the gift her father gave her was actually a cosmetic surgery procedure he had arranged for her, simply because he thought Maria was not pretty enough (д) ﾟﾟ

Maria's mother, Amy, had an extremely weak personality and obeyed her husband in everything.

Throughout Maria's childhood, Amy had failed to give her the support and affection she deserved, leaving Maria often feeling lonely and helpless at home.

At school, Maria seemed to exist inside an invisible glass barrier, isolated from the rest of her classmates.

The bullying gang led by Mark was even worse, often humiliating and tormenting her.

Their actions were like heavy boulders, ruthlessly pressing another thick layer of shadow onto Maria's already bleak life.

As for her only "friend," Lily, she did not treat Maria sincerely either.

Lily only remembered Maria when she needed something, treating her as a dispensable tool.

All these experiences filled Maria's life with pain and helplessness.

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