Ethan shrugged and said, "That's fine. I know you're a thrifty person, and I'm not one to waste money either!"
He had different ways of interacting with different people. Girls like Sophie, Vanessa, and Jessica would never be approached this way, or else he wouldn't even get close to them.
For those who valued material things, material things must be used to pave the way; but when it came to someone as sensitive and highly self-respecting as Nora, what was needed was genuine emotion!
Seeing Nora still standing guarded and tense at the doorway, Ethan sighed, walked into the room first, then turned back, lazily leaning against the doorframe and said, "Don't worry, miss. Although it's the same room, there are two single beds inside. We'll each sleep separately and keep to ourselves."
"Unless—"
He deliberately dragged out the tone, with a hint of teasing: "You sleepwalk in the middle of the night and crawl onto my bed. I'll go in and settle first. You... whether you want to come in or not, do as you please."
After saying that, he really turned and went inside, deliberately leaving the door slightly ajar.
"You... you're talking nonsense! I absolutely won't!"
Nora was so embarrassed by his last tease, her face flushed bright red, both embarrassed and anxious. In the end, she was afraid of being left outside.
She stomped her foot, like a little rabbit pushed to the edge, but in the end, she mustered up her courage and quickly darted into the room.
Ethan saw Nora enter and closed the door.
He turned around and looked at Nora standing nervously at the entrance, his face serious and solemn, continuing to tease her: "Who knows? You're an ugly girl, late at night, alone in a room with a guy. Facing a handsome guy like me, it's only natural that you might lose control of your wandering thoughts, right?"
Listening to his extremely narcissistic yet somewhat twisted words, Nora was momentarily at a loss for words.
Ethan was indeed handsome... but the way he spoke... didn't it deserve a punch and make it impossible to argue back?
She couldn't help but sneak a glance at him, muttering to herself: This guy really has thick skin!
Ethan said no more and walked straight toward the bathroom.
Soon, the sound of rushing water echoed, making the silence especially clear in the room.
He finished and came out after ten minutes.
He didn't even glance at Nora wrapped like a cocoon on the bed, walked straight to his bedside, and collapsed headfirst, almost touching the pillow.
Within just two minutes, steady yet slightly heavy breathing began to fill the room.
He was truly exhausted today.
As for Nora.
She was like a frightened hermit crab, wrapped tightly in the blanket, showing only half her face and a few messy strands of hair.
From the moment she stepped into this room, she completely lost her sense of security.
When Ethan went to take a shower, the sound of the door closing made her heart race. Only by wrapping herself in a thick blanket like this could she feel safe.
She didn't dare to take a shower, let alone make a sound.
This situation was a bit like when someone wakes up alone in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, afraid of the dark, rushes back to bed to hug the blanket, and wraps themselves up tightly—only then feeling safe!
At this moment, hearing Ethan's breathing in deep sleep, she slowly let her guard down...
She didn't even know exactly when she fell asleep; she only knew that when she woke up, it was already morning.
Warm light gently fell on her eyelids.
Nora groggily opened her eyes, and the bright sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, casting rays on her face and bringing a warm and comfortable feeling.
Physical needs quickly overcame lingering drowsiness. She was about to throw off the covers and get up to go to the bathroom, but instinctively turned her head to glance toward Ethan's bed.
That one glance scared her out of her wits!
Ethan was walking out of the bathroom shirtless, still covered with undried water droplets glimmering faintly in the morning light. Broad shoulders and narrow waist with sharp contours exuded an unrefined masculine strength.
"Ah!"
Nora silently screamed in her heart, her mind instantly blank, and her body reacted faster than her thoughts.
She suddenly pulled her head back under the covers, buried herself tightly like a startled ostrich, as if this could erase everything she'd just seen.
Nevertheless, that striking image was deeply imprinted in her mind like a brand. This was the first time she'd seen a guy like this...
Her cheeks felt like they were on fire, her heart pounding wildly in her chest, and the "thump thump thump" sound made her eardrums ring, unable to calm down for a long time.
But Ethan acted as if nothing had happened. He glanced at the heavily heaving blanket on the bed, said nothing, and walked over to the bedside to slowly get dressed, moving calmly and unhurriedly, completely unconcerned about the wardrobe malfunction.
Half an hour later, the two left the hotel in silence.
Standing on the cool street in the early morning, Ethan broke the silence: "Hungry, right? Should I treat you to breakfast?"
This sentence seemed to trigger a switch, causing Nora to jolt violently, shaking her head like a rattle: "No... no need! Thank you!"
Before she finished speaking, she didn't even dare to look at Ethan's reaction. As if a monster was chasing her, she took off running, her slender figure quickly disappearing into the sparse morning crowd.
Ethan watched her departing figure and muttered to himself, "Tsk, the saying is absolutely right. The prettier the girl, the more heartless she is. She didn't even say a proper thank you... sigh, and I even exposed myself to her—what a huge loss."
Meanwhile,
Nora jogged all the way, panting as she slipped back to the dorm.
Fortunately, the other three in the dorm were still lost in dreams, their faint breathing rising and falling.
She breathed a sigh of relief, carefully climbed onto her bed, closed her eyes, and inexplicably her mind filled with images of Ethan's mischievous face and the scene when he wasn't dressed... and how he made her cry several times...
The scenes were chaotic, intertwined with shame, shock, and a kind of fluttering that even she couldn't quite describe—a strange and unfamiliar emotion.
But... she forced herself to calm down and recall carefully... he really seemed to have... done nothing wrong?
Aside from his sharp tongue, it seemed like he'd always been helping her? Arranging a place for her to stay, giving her money, even though the methods were infuriating...
Just as her mind was in turmoil, about to pull the blanket over her head and force herself to sleep, Summer's sleepy and unclear voice came from the bed opposite: "Nora...? Last night... where did you go? I saw your bed was empty all night... I was starting to worry about you..."
The voice was soft, clearly afraid of waking others.
Nora's heart leapt into her throat again, her body stiffened, and she quickly mumbled a soft answer: "No... nowhere I went..."
She tried hard to make her voice sound calm and natural.
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