At nine o'clock in the evening, Vivian Frost and Ethan Reed were the last two people to leave Northstar Games.
This had become their unspoken routine.
After work hours, most employees would linger in the company—playing games, chatting, or relaxing—before heading home. During that time, Vivian and Ethan would stay behind in the office, sharing a quiet dinner of takeout. They talked while eating, sometimes about work, sometimes about nothing at all. Only after the entire office had emptied would they finally leave.
Lately, Vivian had been driving Ethan home every night.
After all, he was a hardworking, thoughtful employee.
And she was the boss.
But tonight… something felt different.
The usual relaxed, casual atmosphere was gone. Instead, the air inside the car felt stiff and awkward, as if even breathing too loudly would disturb it.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Ethan awkwardly rubbed his front teeth, his gaze drifting nervously toward the road. Beside him, Vivian stared straight ahead, her eyes slightly red, her lips pressed tightly together.
Her white shoes pressed harder against the accelerator.
The car sped up.
Lumen City was quiet at night. As a third-tier city, it didn't have the traffic of megacities like Shanghai or Shenzhen. After dark, the roads were mostly empty, making nighttime driving dangerously smooth.
That only made Ethan more anxious.
The speedometer had already crossed 60 km/h.
"B-Boss," Ethan said cautiously, turning his head toward her, "speeding gets you fined… and points deducted."
Vivian liked money.
That should have worked.
But for once, Ethan wasn't confident.
Because right now, what he feared wasn't fines—it was losing her.
His life had finally started moving in a good direction. If Vivian cut ties with him now, he honestly didn't know how he'd take it. It would feel like being heartbroken even while drinking Meng Po's soup.
But… this really wasn't entirely his fault, was it?
Boss, you tripped me too!
Instead of slowing down, the engine responded with a sharp roar.
The car accelerated again.
Tears welled up in Vivian's eyes.
They had been red ever since earlier.
Vivian already had large, almond-shaped eyes—soft, bright, and expressive, like those of a startled deer. Now, filled with tears, they looked even more pitiful, enough to make anyone feel guilty just looking at her.
"Boss… I really didn't mean it," Ethan said softly, his voice low and careful, like he was soothing a wounded animal.
Vivian stayed silent.
"But it really was an accident," he continued. "And… you're hurt, but I'm hurt too, right?"
Vivian pouted slightly, looking aggrieved.
But inside, her thoughts were sharp and bitter.
You're hurt?
Do you know how much I've cried?
I've been crying for half an hour!
Ethan forced a dry smile. "I know it hurts. I really do. But… don't look like that. Anyone who sees you will think I actually did something terrible to you."
Then he added hastily, "I didn't touch your… dignity."
Vivian finally spoke, her voice hoarse from crying.
"Then what else do you want?"
Her throat hurt. Talking felt uncomfortable.
"We didn't go that far," Ethan said carefully. "If we had crossed a line, if I really touched something I shouldn't have, I'd take responsibility no matter how upset you were. But this—this was really just—"
"Do you want to go lower?" Vivian interrupted coldly.
She slowed the car and pulled over to the side of the road.
Turning her head, she brushed aside the loose hair on her forehead, revealing smooth, pale skin—
And two clear red marks.
They looked like… teeth marks.
Ethan froze.
The moment he saw them, he covered his mouth, turned his head away, and his shoulders shook slightly.
Earlier in the office, his front teeth had slammed straight into Vivian's forehead.
The force of the fall, combined with the hardness of teeth—anyone could imagine the result.
Teeth were the hardest structure in the human body.
Even the skull couldn't win.
After the accident, Ethan had clutched his front teeth in agony, checking repeatedly if they were loose. Vivian, on the other hand, had held her head and burst into tears.
Before applying medicine, her forehead had actually bled, the blood sliding down the bridge of her nose to her lips. In a daze, she had even licked it once.
Thankfully, Ethan had hit her with the flat of his teeth. Otherwise, the outcome could have been much worse—a broken tooth on one side, and a dented forehead on the other.
So Ethan didn't think Vivian was overreacting.
He himself had nearly cried from the pain.
The fact that Vivian hadn't exploded in anger—and only cried—was already remarkable restraint.
"Boss… I was wrong," Ethan said sincerely, turning toward her. "I should've been more careful."
Vivian exhaled slowly and leaned back against the seat, her eyes drifting to the rearview mirror. She studied the mark on her forehead in silence.
"No," she said finally. "It wasn't just your fault. I pulled my leg back and tripped you too."
Ethan blinked.
"So… you're not angry anymore?"
She sighed softly. "I'm not. What else can I do? Bite you back? I'm not doing that."
"…Really?"
"If you ask again," Vivian said quietly, "I'll get angry again."
Ethan shut up immediately.
Vivian restarted the car and drove him home.
Before getting out, Ethan apologized again—carefully, seriously.
He didn't know whether the mark would fade completely.
If it didn't…
That would be bad.
Two teeth marks on a pretty girl's forehead weren't exactly disfiguring—but just imagining it was embarrassing enough.
Vivian was vain. Confident. Proud of her looks.
If a scar really stayed—
Ethan swallowed.
Before closing the car door, he said earnestly, "Boss, don't worry. If the mark doesn't disappear… I'll take responsibility."
"Just come find me."
"Get out," Vivian snapped.
"Okay, okay," Ethan replied instantly, retreating at lightning speed.
No matter how you looked at it, Vivian had suffered more than he had tonight. That was why Ethan hurried upstairs the moment he entered the building.
Vivian's car stayed parked downstairs for a long while before finally driving away.
Standing in the stairwell like a thief, Ethan peeked down and let out a long breath.
He didn't go straight home.
Instead, he waited.
He planned to call Vivian once she reached home safely.
How did he know when she'd arrive?
Idiot.
It had become a habit. Every night, after dropping him off, Vivian would message him once she got home. Twenty minutes, almost on the dot.
After returning home, Vivian Frost picked up her phone out of habit, ready to send that usual message.
But before she could type anything, the screen lit up.
A voice message.
From Ethan.
"Boss… are you home yet?"
Vivian paused, then typed back a single word.
"Mm."
She put the phone down and walked into the bathroom.
Looking into the mirror, she stared at the mark on her forehead.
And suddenly—
Her anger surged again.
"Just a few centimeters lower and what—were you planning to bite my nose? My lips?!"
"You think you're so great, taking responsibility? Who wants that kind of responsibility?! I'm rich, pretty, long-legged, charming—someone would want me even with teeth marks on my head!"
"You dead-straight man. Stupid nerd. Who do you think you are?"
She stopped.
Her voice faded.
With her fingertips resting lightly on the mark, Vivian looked at herself in the mirror.
Her oval face.
Her flushed cheeks.
Her slightly reddened almond eyes.
The faint teeth marks on her fair forehead.
The woman in the mirror slowly blushed.
Her eyes softened, unfocused, filled with a warmth she couldn't explain.
Wait…
I don't feel offended.
By him.
"Smack!"
A sharp slap echoed in the bathroom.
"Vivian Frost, what the hell are you thinking?!"
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