chapter 18 Not surprised

The next day, at school.
When Delfina accompanied Hibiscus to their classroom, it caused quite a stir.
Many in the class had heard about the incident at the Grace Residence the previous day. They had initially dismissed the new repeater student, Delfina, as a poor country boy, but today their attitudes had shifted dramatically.
"Delfina!"
Delfina's deskmate waved enthusiastically at him, laughing proudly, "Delfina, Fanix has transferred schools!"
"I bet he's too ashamed to face you, haha. Have you heard he got his leg broken yesterday? They say Fanix's cries were earth-shattering! Tsk, tsk, must have been quite a spectacle! Too bad I missed it."
"Delfina, you're really amazing! Truly badass!"
"I, Madsen, have never admired anyone like I admire you, Delfina!"
Delfina responded with a nonchalant "hmm."
He wasn't surprised by Fanix's "transfer." Yesterday, Daffodil broke his leg and begged him to spare Fanix under his pressure. It was unlikely that Fanix would be allowed to continue causing trouble under Delfina's watch.
At this moment, many gathered around, expressing their astonishment and admiration for Delfina's ability to bring down Fanix. Could it be that Delfina also had a powerful background and wasn't just some poor country boy?
Delfina was the center of attention. However, in another corner of the class, a group of boys and girls, including Frenetos, had gloomy expressions.
Frenetos was frowning, not understanding why Daffodil had protected Delfina so fervently yesterday.
Wasn't Delfina just a poor country boy from the countryside?
"Who exactly is Delfina?" Bernard speculated with a grim face, "Could it be that he's the young master of some major family?"
Frenetos spat dismissively, "Impossible!"
Merlin Dean, however, was secretly intrigued. If Delfina really was a scion of a powerful family, she considered how she might get close to him.
"Delfina!"
At that moment, Nagnoloa approached, looking down at Delfina with a mix of frustration and disappointment, "Delfina, what makes you so smug?"
"I already know. The reason the Miss of the Evans family treats you so well, even protecting you over her own brother, is because you once saved her father."
"But gratitude has its limits. You can't rely on this favor forever and act recklessly."
"After all, they are from a wealthy and powerful family. You should understand, for a lady like Daffodil, she might treat you well out of gratitude, but it's only temporary. If you keep taking advantage of her gratitude, she will eventually grow to despise you!"
Her tone was full of earnest advice, as if she was imparting life wisdom to an ignorant child.
Nagnoloa was indeed dazzled by Delfina's performance at the Grace Residence yesterday, even feeling somewhat attracted to him. However, after learning about the "repayment of gratitude" towards Daffodil, she quickly sobered up from her brief infatuation.
To her, Delfina was still just a poor boy. Today, seeing him bask in the praise of others, Nagnoloa felt it was her duty to bring Delfina back to reality.
The crowd around them, upon hearing Nagnoloa's words, came to a realization.
"So Miss Evans is just repaying a favor..."
"Delfina is just bluffing with borrowed power. I thought he was something special."
"Tsk, tsk..."
Those students who had been flattering Delfina quickly dispersed.
Frenetos and breathed a sigh of relief, Merlin immediately abandoned any thoughts of ingratiating herself with Delfina, and their views of him returned to condescension.
Delfina was just a poor country boy, after all.
Of course, Delfina was unaware of these people's internal shifts in attitude. Even if he knew, he would likely have dismissed them with disdain.
Hibiscus hurried over and tugged at Nagnoloa's sleeve, "Nagnoloa, stop it."
The backstory of "Daffodil repaying a favor" was explained to Hibiscus by Delfina the previous day. Later, when Nagnoloa called to inquire about Delfina, Hibiscus shared this information with her.
Nagnoloa huffed, "Hibiscus, I may sound harsh, but I'm saying this for his own good."
"Delfina, don't think you've climbed high just because you're in favor with Daffodil. She's a proud daughter of the heavens, far above you. You, Delfina, merely helped her once by chance. She's grateful to you and has given you benefits and face, which is already very generous."
"Don't be so arrogant as to think that because you did her a favor, you can boast about it everywhere."
In Nagnoloa's eyes, she was convinced of Delfina's poor background and even felt, after yesterday's incident, that he was deliberately "exploiting his favor" with others.
Just like when Delfina came to her house before, wasn't he just taking advantage of his favor towards her mother to try and stay at her house?
If she hadn't driven him away, Delfina would probably have shamelessly stayed at the Harper house, leeching off them.
"Are you done?" Delfina finally spoke.
"Once you're done, you can leave."
Having listened to Nagnoloa's tirade, Delfina's expression was a mix of amusement and indifference.
For him, Nagnoloa's repeated presumptions were no longer surprising; he even regarded them like a joke, watching her with an amused detachment.