BENEATH PERFECT SKIN

CHAPTER 4

“...”

A low, commanding voice filled with restrained fury rang out behind Scarlett. She froze slightly. How could she ever fail to recognize that voice?

So Julian had already come looking for me.

Scarlett tilted her head slightly, revealing half of her face beneath the crimson glow of the setting sun spilling through the corridor windows. Strands of her hair fell to veil her eyes, creating a look that was both mesmerizing and ruthless. She spoke softly, “Julian, is there something you need from me?”

Julian was momentarily caught off guard by her calm demeanor, but his confusion was instantly swallowed by pure rage. His brows knitted tightly, and his eyes bloodshot with anger. Stepping forward, he gripped the cuff of Scarlett's white shirt and yanked it up.

His pupils narrowed, locking onto a faint dusting of pale yellow powder clinging to the fabric. “You did this, didn’t you? Why?”

Scarlett maintained her innocent, faultless facade, blinking up at him.

“Stop pretending! Sulfur never leaves such an intense yellow stain, nor does it cling to fabric fibers the moment it makes contact like this.”

Julian stared at her, his eyes filled with suspicion, shock, and barely restrained anger, all layered over a raw, unmistakable pain he could not hide. He looked straight into Scarlett’s crystal-clear yet bottomless eyes, searching for a single flicker of hesitation or fear.

But he failed completely. In her eyes, there was only a bone-chilling emptiness.

Scarlett looked down at the hand gripping her wrist, then slowly raised her eyes. Instead of panicking or explaining, she let out a sharp, mocking laugh. She stepped closer, closing the distance until their breaths almost intertwined.

At this range, Julian could smell her faint scent, laced with a dry chemical stench that clung stubbornly to her skin.

“You're... actually quite clever, aren't you?” A half-smile curved Scarlett's lips, her toxic charm bleeding through every feature. She stared directly into his eyes, throwing down a haughty, mocking defiance: “Go ahead, denounce me. Why don't you go tell Ms. Anna and the police exactly what you saw?”

Julian was stunned, his chest heaving with anger. He violently shoved her hand away as if he had just touched something utterly revolting and filthy.

Seeing his stark rejection, the manic excitement inside Scarlett’s chest began to stir back to life. She locked her gaze onto his, every word dripping with pure venom:

“You saved Sienna this time. But Julian, are you confident you can save her for the rest of her life? Or perhaps... you’d like to taste the bitterness of that powder alongside my beloved little sister?”

Julian closed his eyes tightly, fighting to suppress the tremor in his voice. “Scarlett Sterling, I won’t report this... but stay away from her.”

Hearing that, Scarlett burst into laughter—a bitter, maddening, twisted sound. She raised a hand, gently smoothing it over her forehead where her veins were violently throbbing.

“Don’t corner a mad dog, Julian. It will bite.”

With that, Scarlett turned on her heel and strode away without hesitation, the sharp clicks of her heels echoing a cold, lonely rhythm down the corridor.

Julian stood frozen in the shadowed corner of the deserted hallway. The dying light of the sunset fell across his pale, somber face, leaving him looking painfully alone. Deep within his eyes, beneath the fading embers of his rage, flickered a heartbreak even he didn’t fully understand.

Strolling out toward the school gates, Scarlett saw a sleek, jet-black luxury car that had been waiting for a long time. The moment her silhouette emerged, the vehicle slowly rolled forward and came to a complete halt.

A middle-aged man stepped out, giving her a respectful bow before walking around to open the passenger door.

Scarlett maintained her stone-cold, emotionless facade. She stepped inside and leaned back against the rear seat, closing her eyes to ease the pounding in her head.

The man returned to the driver’s seat, casting a subtle glance at the rear-view mirror, and asked cautiously, “Where to, Young Miss?”

Scarlett raised her hand to rub her throbbing temples, her voice soft and slightly raspy, “Back to the Sterling manor.”

Uncle Gu nodded quietly, keeping his eyes on the road as he turned the steering wheel and merged into the heavy traffic of the main avenue.

In the late afternoon, the sunset bathed the city in a brilliant, almost eerie crimson glow. The sweltering air pressed down, and the silence made everything feel strangely unreal. Scarlett tilted her head slightly, her distant gaze fixed on the fiery sun as it slowly sank behind the towering skyscrapers—a fading light gradually swallowed by the coming night.

At the sight, her thoughts drifted far away, and dusty fragments of childhood memories flooded back into her mind.

Years ago, there was a little girl of about five or six, with chubby, snow-white limbs, trembling as she hid behind a young boy. Her tiny hands clutched the hem of his shirt so tightly that the fabric wrinkled, her voice breaking as tears threatened to fall. “Julian, don’t leave me... I’m so scared.”

“Don’t be afraid. I will protect you.” Julian, despite his small frame, spread both arms wide, shielding her from the wrath of a ferocious stray dog.

The beast snarled as it advanced toward them.

“Hurry! Run and find an adult!” the young boy shouted resolutely, stepping forward to draw its attention.

“It’s too dangerous, let’s run together!” The little girl still clung tightly to his shirt, refusing to let go.

Julian let out a soft breath, his tone softening with strange tenderness. “Scarlett, be good and listen to me. It runs very fast. If we both run, it will catch us.”

“I trust you.”

“NOW! GO!”

With those words, Julian dashed in the opposite direction to lure the dog away. Instantly, it switched its focus and lunged after him like a beast released from its chains.

Scarlett clenched her tiny fists, wiped her tears, and ran toward the Vance manor as fast as her legs could carry her.

About five minutes later, when the adults arrived, the sight before them made Scarlett’s face drain of color.

Julian was covered in bite wounds, his hair disheveled and his clothes torn beyond recognition. Most horrific of all was his shoulder, where a deep bite had left a mangled wound. Yet by some miracle, he had managed to climb onto a high branch of the tree, narrowly escaping the beast.

Sensing the approaching adults, the dog flinched, barked in alarm, and then hurriedly retreated.

Lady Vance, tears streaming down her face, hurriedly brought her son down from the tree.

Julian was still conscious. His gaze drifted toward the little girl, who was sobbing so hard her voice had gone hoarse. He was the one gravely injured, yet she looked far more broken than he did. A faint, weak smile formed on his lips as he murmured. “Silly girl... seeing you cry hurts more than these bites.”

Hearing this, Scarlett bit her lip to stop crying, though hiccups still escaped her chest, making her look both fragile and pitiful. “You are so brave... When I grow up, I’m going to marry someone just like Julian.”