But Summer's next sentence nearly scared Nora to death.
Summer seemed half-awake, or perhaps with some kind of intuition, and in a playful, lazy tone, she whispered, "I thought... you and that Ethan... went out messing around..."
Unexpectedly, Summer hit the mark. Nora swallowed hard, feeling like her heart was about to leap out of her chest.
Summer continued, "Let me tell you, don't be fooled by his perfect SAT score—he looks decent... Ethan is a deep person, full of layers, definitely not the kind of bookworm who just studies... don't be fooled by his handsome face..."
She paused, lowering her voice even more, carrying a hint of mystery: "Really... especially at night, never go out alone with him, and definitely don't go anywhere like... a hotel... People like him are very calculating—he'll devour you until not even a bone is left... I'm just afraid you'll get hurt..."
"How... how could that be..."
Almost instinctively, Nora squeezed out a faint, almost inaudible sound from her throat in response.
When Summer heard the faint rebuttal from Nora, she perked up, as if she'd found an excellent audience to share her wisdom with.
She turned to the side, lowered her voice, and spoke with the certainty of someone who knew better: "How could it not be? Let me tell you, men are all the same, especially young guys our age—there's nothing good in their heads! When their testosterone runs high, their thinking becomes entirely dependent on their lower bodies! You get what I mean?"
The more she spoke, the more excited she became, as if revealing a shocking secret: "In front of us girls, they're born hunters! And what about us? We're their prey! No matter if you look beautiful or ugly, in their eyes, as long as the lights are off, everyone looks the same! That's their truth! You understand?"
Summer spoke at great length.
Nora was wrapped in her blanket, listening in silence.
Summer's voice echoed in her ears, but deep down, a small voice strongly refuted: No, that's not right! This is completely wrong!
Because she had just personally experienced the whole night, staying in the same hotel room as Ethan!
And not only was she completely unharmed, the Ethan whom Summer described as "thinking only with his lower body" and "hunting" had basically treated her like air!
As soon as he hit the bed, he fell asleep so fast it was instant, his breathing louder than anything, and he wasn't even interested in looking at her the whole time!
Could it be... Nora couldn't help but feel uneasy... was it really that her disguise was too successful?
So successful that he couldn't even muster the slightest interest in her as 'prey'?
This thought made her feel inexplicably complicated.
In her ear, Summer's wisdom continued: "Not to brag, but I know guys too well! Back in high school, boys who wanted to chase me could walk around the track twice in line! Even the upperclassmen eagerly came over..."
"But well, every one of them was too weak. I didn't even think about them! Want to hit on me? Not even a chance! It has to be the one I set my sights on first!"
Then she added, "And also, don't you think guys are always filled with those messy things in their heads? Childish! Utterly childish!"
"Childish..."
Hearing this word, Nora's thoughts involuntarily drifted back to Ethan.
She carefully recalled every detail from last night to this morning: Ethan's calmness, his sharp tongue, his problem-solving methods though infuriating, even his narcissistic behavior... which of these was considered childish?
On the contrary, in front of him, her helplessness and being easily made to cry and panic made her look more like the childish one, right?
Thinking about it this way, Ethan really was a good person.
Mm~ a very good person.
At this moment, Ethan was happily slurping a bowl of ramen in the campus dining hall. The rich broth and noodles were delicious, their savory aroma filling the air.
He would never have imagined that the girl he'd shared a room with last night had just given him a 'good guy' card.
"Ah—achoo—!"
A loud sneeze suddenly burst out without warning, nearly shaking the bowl in front of him.
Ethan rubbed his itchy nose and muttered in dissatisfaction, "Tsk, which bastard is talking about me behind my back again? It's probably Robert, that kid. I beat him so badly in the game last night that he woke up still holding a grudge..."
He shook his head, quickly finished off the remaining noodles until there was no broth left, and only then got up satisfied to return to the dorm.
Pushing open the door, a stale air mixed with sweat, alcohol, and the scent of sleep hit him.
The three guys were still sleeping, snoring like a chorus of chainsaws.
Unexpectedly, Tyler was there too. He sat on a chair near the balcony, bathed in the morning light, holding a thick book with a slightly worn cover, reading it intently.
Seeing Ethan return looking energetic and neatly dressed, Tyler was surprised. He took off his glasses, wiped them, then put them back on to make sure he wasn't mistaken: "Bro? You're back? Last night... were you okay?"
His eyes were filled with confusion, clearly unable to understand how Ethan could look like he'd just returned from a morning jog while the others seemed completely drained.
Ethan smiled and glanced at the three useless teammates: "Yeah, I'm back. Were you here... taking care of those three all night?"
He felt a bit guilty.
Last night, he'd only asked Tyler to help get them back, but unexpectedly, this straightforward guy actually stayed all night.
Ethan had always had a good impression of Tyler. He knew him well as a classmate from his previous life: a typical straight-laced science guy, with a pure mind like a straight line, without any twisted or scheming thoughts, loyal and reliable, a trustworthy friend.
"What are you reading?" Ethan asked casually, then walked over to his bedside to start tidying up.
Tyler didn't respond, put down the book, and then said mysteriously, "Bro! Let me ask you something, be honest with me! Did you stay with that ugly girl all night?"
Ethan almost burst out laughing when he heard this.
He patted Tyler on the shoulder, helplessly and amusedly correcting him: "Tyler, how many times have I told you? You can't judge people by appearances. Nora's not ugly, alright?"
He knew Tyler was a straightforward guy, a bit dense and never able to read between the lines, so he didn't bother explaining further.
"Not ugly?"
Tyler looked as if he'd heard some shocking nonsense, his eyes wide as saucers, his face as if to say, "Bro, are you blind?"
"Bro! You're great in every way I see, but your taste... I really can't agree with you!"
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