Adam stopped.

The moment John interrupted them, the conversation ended in his mind.

He could not continue from where he had left off. Not here. Not with John standing beside their table with that gentle smile on his face.

Adam did not want John to know that he had some idea about Monica’s background. More than that, he did not want John to feel that Adam knew his real nature.

That was the dangerous part.

Monica’s family background was one thing. John’s real personality was another.

Adam still feared John.

He did not deny that inside his mind. Fear was not the problem. Acting like he had no fear would only make him careless. John was not like the people Adam had moved in the underworld. John did not need a gun in his hand to hurt someone. He watched first and touched the right place later.

That was why Adam did not want even a small leak in his face.

With most people, a wrong expression passed like nothing.

With John, a wrong expression became information.

And information in John’s hand became pressure later.

John pulled a chair and sat near the table like he had only come to join two friends. His smile stayed soft, but his eyes were on Adam.

He was reading every small movement.

Adam understood that much.

John wanted to confirm what Adam knew. Did Adam know that John had helped push him out of college? Or did Adam know something deeper?

That was why Adam had to control even the small things.

The speed of his answer.

The way his hand rested near the plate.

The direction of his eyes when John’s name entered the conversation.

All of it could become a clue.

Adam gave no clear reaction.

He did not stiffen.

He did not look away too quickly.

He did not show anger.

Still, John reached one conclusion.

Adam knew something.

Not everything, perhaps. Maybe not the full face behind the smile. But Adam was not blind anymore.

That surprised John more than he showed.

He had underestimated Adam.

That thought did not make him worried. It only made the game more interesting.

Even if Adam had climbed back into college somehow, John still believed he could beat him. He believed he could break him mentally if he pushed from the right direction. He only needed to understand the new shape of the board first.

At the same table, Monica also felt the silence.

She opened her mouth once, as if she wanted to shift the mood, then stopped.

Normally, Monica was useful in awkward moments. She could say whatever came into her mind and break the silence without thinking too much. Today, even she could not do it.

Her mind was still stuck on Adam’s question.

Are you really from the same world as me?

The words had not left her.

Adam saw that too.

This was not what he wanted.

He had shaken Monica more than he had planned, and now John had arrived before the situation could settle. If Adam stayed stiff, John would read it. If Adam tried too hard to avoid him, that would also say too much.

’If I want to fight him, I cannot keep turning away,’ Adam thought.

He took a slow breath.

Then he smiled at John.

"So," Adam said, "how is your study going without me?"

The line was light.

It sounded like something an old friend would say after returning from a short absence.

John’s smile became warmer at once.

"Terrible," he said. "If you were going to cheat, you should have made me cheat too. At least I would have passed easily."

If someone else had said it, Adam might have paused.

The cheating case was still fresh.

It was still the reason people whispered when he walked through the corridor. It was still the stain John had helped place on him.

But Adam did not let that pause appear.

He reminded himself again.

This man was his enemy.

If he wanted to face him, he had to face him directly.

Adam smiled back.

"Don’t worry," he said. "Next time I cheat, I will cheat with you. If the college catches me again, I will take you with me too."

John laughed.

Adam laughed with him.

For a moment, the table looked normal from the outside. Two friends joking about a sensitive matter. One returning after trouble. One welcoming him back with a smile.

Monica looked at both of them and felt even more confused.

John had kept Adam’s father near him for days. Adam had thanked him before leaving with his father. Now they were joking about the cheating case as if it was only an old problem between friends.

They really looked close.

That was what made it harder for her to understand what she had felt earlier.

John rested one arm on the table.

"We should spend time together again," he said. "Like before."

Adam’s smile stayed in place.

For a second, he did not answer.

Then he picked up his plate.

"Sure," Adam said. "If I get time, we will."

He stood up.

"I have some work."

He gave both of them a small nod and walked away from the table.

Adam had tried not to look like he was escaping.

Still, he knew staying longer was risky. The more time he spent near John, the more chances John would have to pull something out of him.

So he left casually.

That was the safest way.

John watched him go.

He had expected Adam to avoid a longer conversation.

What interested him was how Adam had done it.

There had been no panic on his face. There had been no open hostility either. Adam had laughed before leaving, and the distance he kept was not too obvious.

John’s smile remained on his face for a moment.

’Well done, Adam,’ he thought. ’Nice play.’

He didn’t expect Adam to react this way to this situation, but Adam surprised John with his quick thinking.