Nora almost rushed up to Ethan, her voice clearly flustered and urgent: "Ethan... the... the campus gates are really closed! Locked! I can't get in! Do you... do you have any way to let me in?" She looked at him eagerly, like a startled deer.
Ethan took another sip of lemonade, his thoughts drifting.
Go in?
This silly girl surely didn't know that even if she could enter the campus gate, she couldn't enter the dorm building, right? The dorm door would be closed at this hour.
Seeing Ethan silent, Nora's cheeks instantly flushed bright red, and she was so anxious she was about to cry: "Please! Can you help me get into campus? Alone outside at night... I... I'm scared..." Her voice was tinged with tears.
There was no other way. Ethan didn't want to lie to her, so he shook his head and said, "If the campus gate is closed, you won't be able to get in. Even if you enter through the main gate, you'll have to take a long detour. You'll be walking until your legs cramp."
"I'm not afraid to walk! Really! Take me back, okay?" Nora grasped at this last straw and urgently promised.
Ethan still shook his head, exposing reality: "It's useless. Even if you went through all that trouble to get into campus, the dorm building doors would have been locked long ago, and you still couldn't get in. The dorm supervisor won't open the door for you."
"Ah!" Nora was struck as if by lightning, her face instantly turning deathly pale.
Only now did she fully understand what Ethan's earlier warning about the "curfew" meant—not just at the campus gate, but also the dorm building's lock! A wave of helplessness overwhelmed her, her eyes grew hot, and tears quickly gathered and welled up.
Seeing that tears were about to fall, Ethan's heart tightened, and he quickly softened his voice to comfort her: "Don't panic, don't panic! There's always a way; it's not as bad as you think! Let me think of something, okay?" He definitely didn't want her to cry out loud here.
"Okay..." Nora's voice was heavy with congestion. She nodded vigorously, as if clutching the only piece of driftwood, pinning all her hopes on Ethan.
Seeing her holding back tears, Ethan added, "You absolutely can't cry out loud! This place is crowded and full of prying eyes. If anyone sees you crying, they'll think I'm bullying you. Then I really won't be able to clear my name."
"Mm!" Nora sniffed hard, desperately forcing back her tears, silently encouraging herself: "Nora, stay strong! No crying! We can't cause him any trouble!"
Seeing her mood stabilize a bit, Ethan breathed a sigh of relief and casually slipped his half-drunk glass of lemonade into her cold hand: "Here, take this, have a couple of sips, calm your nerves. Sweet enough to help you settle down..."
Then he pointed at the computer screen, "You can see it too. I still have a match that's not finished yet, and I already made plans with my teammate. Wait until I finish this round, then I'll have time to help you solve this, okay?"
Nora knew she was disturbing him now, so she quickly held the cup and nodded like a bobbing chicken: "It's okay, it's fine! You go ahead and focus on your game! I'll wait here, as long as it takes!" As long as the problem could be solved, she was willing to wait no matter how long.
"Alright then, find a seat yourself. There are some empty chairs over there." Just as Ethan finished speaking, the phone screen lying nearby lit up. It was an iMessage bombarded by Robert: Robert: Yo Ethan! What are you doing?! You've been stalling forever! Hurry up and start! Waiting for you to carry!
Ethan quickly replied: Hold on! What's the rush? Right away!
He had just picked up his headphones to start the next round when a guy with dyed blond hair, who had teamed up with them earlier, came over with a grin and handed over a cigarette: "Hey, bro, is this your girlfriend?"
He gestured toward Nora.
Ethan instinctively glanced at Nora beside him—sure enough, the girl's face instantly flushed bright red, even her ears tinged pink.
Why does this girl blush so easily?
This blond guy had just teamed up with Ethan and Robert.
He withdrew his gaze and lazily shook his head at the blond guy: "No, she's my secretary..." His tone was so casual it sounded like he was saying the weather was nice today.
Upon hearing this, Nora suddenly looked up at Ethan, lips slightly parted, her eyes filled with astonishment and a complex emotion that was hard to describe. She seemed to want to explain something, but in this environment and with strangers, she dared not speak. She simply lowered her head in silence, tightening her grip on the cup.
The blond guy beside him was stunned for a moment, then flashed an "I get it, I get it" knowing smile and chuckled suggestively: "Damn! Bro really knows how to have fun! Secretary... hello there, Secretary... hehehe..."
This blond guy thought Ethan's 'secretary' was just role-playing...
His expression and laughter were full of unspoken implications, as if saying, "Work hard, play hard."
Ethan didn't even bother to lift his eyelids or explain a word about such boring teasing.
With a "click," he put on his headphones, quickly adjusted his focus, and refocused his attention on the gunfire of the game world.
Only Nora beside him remained burning hot for a long time amid the noisy background.
The game finally ended. Ethan deftly logged out of his account, shut down the computer, and stood up.
Nora was like a frightened little rabbit, immediately standing up and following closely behind.
He said nothing, and she didn't dare ask, silently watching his tall figure.
Nora knew well that her height made her stand out among girls, but now, following behind Ethan, she felt he was almost a head taller than her—perhaps from looking up at him, but Ethan was indeed more than four inches taller, and the difference was even more pronounced under the dim yellow light.
Walking to the entrance of the gaming café, Ethan stopped, glanced down at his watch by the streetlight outside, and the dial clearly read: 1:25 AM.
The midnight wind carried a chill across the empty streets, and the occasional sound of cars passing by from afar made the surrounding silence even more intense.
Nora couldn't help but yawn, a mix of drowsiness and unease.
She finally mustered up her courage, timidly and with a shred of hope, asked, "Ethan... now... can you take me back to campus now?" The voice sounded especially clear in the silent night.
Hearing this, Ethan felt a deep sense of helplessness rising in his heart.
Why is this silly girl so stubborn? Go back?
After one in the morning, the campus gate was locked tight. The dorm supervisor was probably already in her warm bed—where could she possibly go back to?
Why does she just refuse to face reality?
Seeing her eyes start to glisten with tears again, Ethan swallowed the truth that was about to leave his lips. Forget it, no more explanations. If he made her cry again, in the middle of the night, with her crying echoing through the streets, he really wouldn't be able to explain himself.
Ethan thought for a moment, then took out two hundred dollars from his pocket and handed it to her directly: "Take this."
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