Maria

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

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

Carrie nodded vigorously before clutching her belongings and hurrying away. Even her back seemed a little straighter than usual.

Frank leaned closer, looking utterly incredulous. "Are you serious? You're really going to keep helping her? She... you know, she's kind of weird."

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

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

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

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

Jennifer's gaze fell on Edward's face, and her eyes held a little more admiration.

She suddenly rose onto her tiptoes and quickly kissed Edward on the cheek. Then, with a playful look, she silently mouthed, "Wait for you this weekend," before grabbing Nidi and running off with a laugh.

Frank's eyes nearly popped out of his head. 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 buddy a few tricks?"

However, Edward merely frowned slightly. Pretending not to notice Frank's expression, he ignored him completely, turned, and walked away, leaving Frank only a dashing back.

Edward glanced at him, too lazy to bother responding, and turned to leave.

Frank shouted a few more words after him, but when Edward showed no reaction, he could only walk off elsewhere in frustration.

For some reason, as if guided by some unseen force, Edward found himself at the school skating rink.

At that moment, two people were skating on the rink. One moved with practiced ease, gliding lightly across the ice, while the other was extremely clumsy, clearly just beginning to learn. Every glide was cautious, as though afraid of falling.

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

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

Without thinking further, he headed straight to the changing area, put on a pair of skates, then glided onto the rink and began skating leisurely.

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

The instant Maria saw Edward, her face flushed faintly, and she instinctively lowered her head. Yet she could not help occasionally stealing glances at him, her eyes filled with shyness and admiration.

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

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

At that thought, determination flashed through Lily's eyes, and she skated toward Edward without hesitation.

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

Hearing her voice, Edward turned to look at Lily, his face full of confusion. He could not help asking, "Who are you?"

His eyes were filled with doubt. Clearly, he had no impression of Lily at all.

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 doubtfully, "Aren't you going to help her up?"

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

Edward was speechless, feeling utterly helpless about Lily's attitude.

He said nothing more and skated toward Maria.

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

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

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

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

Once Maria had steadied herself, 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 carefully, 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 gained some standing in the field through his superb medical skills.

However, Dan was strong-willed and stubborn, with extremely high expectations for Maria—almost to the point of nitpicking.

He expected his daughter to be perfect in every respect and to achieve the utmost in everything she did.

On Maria's eighteenth birthday, the gift her father gave her was actually a plastic surgery operation 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's every word.

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

At school, Maria seemed trapped inside an invisible glass dome, isolated from the other students.

The bullying gang led by Mark went even further, frequently humiliating and tormenting her.

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

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

Lily only remembered Maria when she needed something, treating her like a disposable tool.

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

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