Chapter - 5365

Charlie was taken aback when Claudia called him. He never expected her call to be about treating Maria's headache.

As he recalled the last time he saw Maria, when he dropped subtle psychological hints, he realized he had intensified the transmission of reiki, which seemed to have caused some lasting effects. He had been a bit heavy-handed and now that Claudia called him, it was difficult for him to avoid the situation. "So, you wait for me for a while. I'll drive over to you," he told Claudia.

Claudia's voice was filled with joy as she replied, "Okay, Brother. Call me when you arrive!"

"Alright," Charlie agreed before turning to Claire. "Honey, I have something to attend to and need to go out. I'll be back soon."

Curious, Claire asked, "It's past 8 o'clock. Who's looking for you at this late hour?"

Charlie didn't hide anything and answered frankly, "It's Claudia. Her classmate is facing a little trouble and wants me to help."

Perplexed, Claire inquired, "What kind of trouble? Is it serious?"

Charlie smiled and responded, "She's feeling a little unwell. I have a feeling she's been bewitched. I'll go and check if there's something wrong with the Feng Shui in their bedroom."

Claire nodded and said, "Alright, go ahead, Just make sure you don't come back too late."

"Okay," Charlie replied with a slight smile. He grabbed the car keys and left the house.

On his way to the university, Charlie couldn't help but wonder if Maria still remembered him. Although he had confirmed it once, something in his heart felt off. However, he didn't dwell on it too much. For Charlie, the best way to uncover lies was through psychological hints. If Maria truly remembered him, he had no reliable way to prove it. Regardless, he didn't let himself get entangled in this matter because he firmly believed that he and Maria were not enemies. Setting aside the fact that he had saved her, the deep rooted animosity between the Warriors Den and himself placed them on the same side. With this understanding, whether Maria lied or not wasn't that important to Charlie.

Meanwhile, in the girl's dormitory, Claudia was changing her outfit. She caught sight of Maria and couldn't help but smile.

"Claudia, why are you putting on lipstick so late?" Maria asked, amused.

Claudia blushed slightly and replied, "I'm going out to pick up Charlie. If I don't go, he won't be able to make it."

Maria gave her a quick once over and teasingly remarked, "They say women dress up for themselves. Are you dressed so formally and wearing lipstick because Charlie is the man of your dreams?"

Shaking her head vigorously, Claudia adjusted her hair, feeling a twinge of guilt. She said with slight unease, "That's not it... I treat Charlie like my own brother and he has helped me a lot. I'm truly grateful to him."

Maria spoke earnestly, "Sometimes love grows from gratitude, step by step. If love were a fruit, gratitude would be the best fertilizer."

Nervously, Claudia replied, "Please don't say such things, Cathy. Charlie is already married. If such rumors spread, it would harm the happiness of his family. Besides, I really don't see him as the man of my dreams..."

Maria smiled subtly and spoke calmly, "You don't need to convince me. As long as you can convince yourself."

Panicking, Claudia assured her, "I won't say anything silly. I'll go downstairs and wait for Charlie and I'll bring him up when he arrives."

Maria asked, "Has he arrived yet?"

"Not yet," Claudia answered without hesitation. "I'll wait for him downstairs for a while so I don't waste time going down when he arrives."

Maria stopped teasing and nodded lightly. She said, "Thank you, Claudia. I won't come down. I have a terrible headache. Please tell him, so he doesn't think I'm impolite."

"Okay," Claudia nodded and said. "Just wait here. I'll inform the housekeeper and then I'll bring him up. Charlie is very capable. Once he arrives, your migraine will definitely be cured!"

With that, she hurriedly left the dormitory, descended the stairs and waited outside.

Maria forced a smile all the while, despite her excruciating headache.

After Claudia left, her complexion grew weak and the pain intensified. Still, she subconsciously approached the mirror to examine herself and adjust her appearance. She rubbed her cheeks, trying to ease the tension in her facial muscles. In her subconscious, she worried that Charlie would see her looking terribly ill.

More than ten minutes later, Charlie arrived at the university. He drove directly to the foreign student's dormitory building.

About to call Claudia, he spotted her standing by the roadside. Claudia also recognized Charlie's license plate and dashed towards him with delight.

When Charlie parked the car and opened the door, Claudia reached him and said somewhat shyly, "Charlie, you're here..."

Charlie nodded slightly and asked, "What about your roommate? How is she?"

Claudia replied, "Her headache hasn't subsided yet. She's waiting in the dormitory. She asked me to inform you that her migraine is severe, so she didn't come down to greet you, please don't take it as a sign of rudeness."

Charlie nodded and smiled, "No problem. I'll go up and see her."

A thought suddenly struck him and he asked Claudia, "Can I enter the girl's dormitory? Back in my school days, boys weren't allowed inside."

Claudia smiled and answered, "I've heard that ordinary female dormitories don't allow boys, but the rules are more relaxed for foreign student’s dormitories. As long as the girls help with registration, opposite sex visitors can enter. However, there's an 11 o'clock curfew and you can't stay overnight."

Charlie nodded, saying, "If it's just a minor headache, it should resolve quickly. It won't take too long."

Claudia was overjoyed and quickly registered downstairs in the dormitory before hurrying back to the room. As they reached the dormitory door, before Claudia could open it, the ring in Charlie's pocket began to vibrate once more.

Charlie had grown accustomed to this peculiar ring's behavior. In his eyes, there were only two known purposes for this mystical item. One purpose was to siphon his reiki without any ethical boundaries, giving nothing in return. The other purpose was to act as a sensor specifically attuned to Maria. Whenever Maria was nearby, the ring would react intensely, indicating something significant.