Both Ariana and the girl were stunned for a moment.

Just as Ariana prepared to greet the girl, Marlowe bowed her head and quickly left.

Ariana was puzzled as she had no prior acquaintance with Marlowe, prompting her to ponder if Marlowe was a friend or a student of Mitchel.

Nonetheless, Ariana chose not to delve deeper into the matter and proceeded to enter the ward with a smile, ready to greet Mitchel.

Following a brief exchange with Mitchel, Ariana asked, “I encountered a girl at the ward entrance whom I don't recognize just now. Is she one of your students?"

Hearing this, Mitchel glanced toward the door and explained, "No, she's not my student. She saved my life on the island. I stayed at her place before. She noticed I'd left my phone there, so she brought it back to me."

He held the phone he had just retrieved, examining the fixed screen, and said, "She called me last night before I went to bed. Her uncle found my phone by the seashore. It had been in the water, but it's been repaired, and she brought it to me today."

"Oh, I see. You should thank her." Ariana nodded. Had she known the girl had saved Mitchel's life, she would have expressed her gratitude to the girl.

"Right," Mitchel replied, looking at his repaired phone and recalling the earlier meeting with the girl.

When he had seen Marlowe's efforts to return his phone, he had wanted to give her some money to thank her. But Marlowe had gotten upset and said, "Do you think I brought your phone back for money?"

Then, she had stormed off.

Mitchel was puzzled, wondering if his offer had been inappropriate.

Unaware of Mitchel's thoughts, Ariana turned to help him pack and complete the discharge procedures.

They chatted animatedly as they made their way to the underground garage. Then, they got into the car and drove off.

After Ariana and Mitchel started the car, a black car appeared from a blind spot. Inside sat two men. One had long hair and a round hat, his face hidden under its brim, radiating a chilling aura. The other one was a stout man wearing a baseball cap. He snapped several photos of Ariana's departing car and checked them.

The camera already held some sneaky photos of Ariana.

The stout man, holding the camera, asked his companion, "When do we make our move?"

The long-haired man, playing with a silver spear, looked toward the direction Ariana and Mitchel had taken and said slowly, "We'll see how things unfold."

After dropping Mitchel off at the Chadwick residence, Ariana went to her company.

Just as she left the Chadwick residence, she got a notification about the next day's offline game competition she and the others had joined.