Ferris was Jayden's friend. We first met through Jayden, who introduced us. At the time, Ferris was sitting on the sofa in a bar, holding a cup of tea. When Jayden introduced me, Ferris finished his tea in one gulp and said casually, “It won’t last long anyway, no need to hurt anyone.”

Although he was speaking to Jayden, his gaze remained fixed on me. Through his silver-rimmed glasses, his eyes seemed to pierce through me, a darkness that felt almost suffocating. I avoided his gaze, finding his words unpleasant.

Initially, Jayden and I both thought Ferris didn’t like me, perhaps because he looked down on my background and saw...