Chapter 12

In the SnapChat group, Layla was enthusiastically sharing today's gossip with Natalie. Layla: Hahaha, sorry, I never bother listening lectures! Ethan really knows how to handle things. Avery was so pale, didn't you see it, Natalie? It's like a bitch encountering a savage. Avery totally can't reason with him. But why did Ethan pick on Avery? Seems a bit off. Layla: Probably didn't like what he saw, and Avery's gossip was overheard. Ethan used to get mad at Stella for being too soft-spoken, now he's listening to Avery? Natalie: Agreed. Avery is quite eloquent with Aaron, but this time she's met her match. According to reliable sources, Director Sheffield is indeed preparing to recast. Just as Stella came out of the shower, she saw Natalie's message. The fashion circle and the entertainment industry have always had intricate relationships, and Natalie naturally had her own connections. If she said so, it was definitely not groundless. Although somewhat gloating, Stella couldn't help but feel that Ethan's character wasn't as bad as she thought. Layla: Deserved it. She relied on her connections to snatch so many roles from others, so she got what she deserved! It's just a pity that when I returned, I crashed Stella's car, otherwise I could have been even happier. Seeing the despondent expression sent by Layla, Stella couldn't help but laugh. Layla had just gotten her driver's license but was always too afraid to touch the car. Stella couldn't bear to see this, so when they came back, she insisted that Layla drive. She drove very cautiously and steadily, almost on par with an electric scooter, but unfortunately, she got rear-ended by a car behind her. In the end, the other party compensated, and the car was towed away for repairs. Stella: It was due for maintenance anyway, plus it's not your fault. Anyway, you should practice driving. If you get good at it, you won't have to squeeze onto the subway every day. Just as she finished typing the message, a drop of water dripped down from her damp hair onto the screen. Stella put down her phone and prepared to blow-dry her hair. But as she stood up, she stopped suddenly. She remembered that she had forgotten to buy a hairdryer. On the day of the move, her hairdryer had been placed at the bottom of a box and accidentally got damaged. Ethan had seen it and casually mentioned that there was a hairdryer in his room that she could use temporarily, so she hadn't rushed to buy one. But with Avery and Ethan appearing one after the other, disrupting today's shopping rhythm, she completely forgot about it. Stella suffered from migraines, and if she didn't blow-dry her hair after washing it, she would get a headache the next day. So she sighed and resigned herself to heading to Ethan's room. Ethan's bedroom was just next door, and Stella was about to knock on the door when she realized that the door was wide open, completely unfastened. She tentatively called out, "Ethan, are you there?" No response. With her hair still dripping wet, she felt quite uncomfortable. She lightly tapped on the open door a few times, hesitated for a moment, then took two steps forward. However, the bedroom was empty, and there was no sign of anyone. Could he have gone out again? Well, it was understandable. He had just returned from a business trip, so it was normal for him to go back to the company to handle things temporarily. She breathed a sigh of relief, didn't think much more about it, and went straight to the bathroom to get the hairdryer, familiar with the way. But as she turned around, the bathroom door suddenly opened. A person strode out from inside, and Stella couldn't stop her feet, bumping into the solid chest of the other person. Rubbing her nose, she looked up dazedly, and she froze in place. The man's short, wet hair was only partially dried, with a misty aura lingering behind him. He was shirtless, with a lean and muscular torso, his abdominal muscles sexy and tight. Glistening water droplets slowly cascaded down along his handsome contours, his nice lips tightly pressed together. Further down, his enticing mermaid lines curved gracefully, with only a loose towel draped around his waist. The scene before Stella was too captivating, causing her brain to completely short-circuit. Her delicate hands was still resting on the man's solid arm. It wasn't until Ethan's low voice came into her ears, "Stella, what are you doing here?" Stella suddenly snapped back to reality, waves of embarrassment rising in her heart. Her fingers involuntarily curled up, and she swallowed hard. In such moments, it was evident that anyone displaying timidity would feel embarrassed. Therefore, she pushed herself to restrain her emotions, shifted her gaze away from his chest where it had been staring blankly, and casually met the man's eyes, calmly remarking, "Your... shape is not bad." Ethan offered no reply. Half an hour later, the two sat facing each other in the living room. The atmosphere was tense with silence. An indescribable awkwardness pervaded the air. Stella looked at the man's rather unsightly complexion and spoke up, "Maybe you should go first." "What?" Ethan casually raised an eyebrow, crossed his arms, and looked at her, "I, a single man, was exposed by you like that." Stella sensed a hint of resentment in his last few words, hesitated for a moment, and couldn't help but defend herself, "Strictly speaking, you weren't completely exposed." After all, there was still a towel between them. "How come your words sound like you're disappointed you didn't get a full view of me?" The man smirked, leaning back with a relaxed posture. "Blame my poor eyesight, I didn't realize earlier that you harbored... questionable intentions towards me." Stella choked up slightly, took a deep breath, and then denied, "No, I didn't." Ethan raised his chin slightly, then chuckled lightly as he questioned, "Really? Then why did you suddenly barge into my room?" "I wanted to borrow the hairdryer," Stella remembered the original reason, her eyebrows slightly furrowing as she countered, "But why didn't you close the bathroom door when you were showering?" If he hadn't left the bathroom door open, she wouldn't have stumbled upon that scene just now. Ethan still maintained an unapologetic stance, lowering his arms and leaning back casually, as he retorted, "I used to live alone, why would I need to close the door? And even if I didn't close the door, that's not a reason for you to barge in and expose me." Stella was speechless for moment. Seeing his unyielding attitude, she couldn't help but retort, "But I did call out to you before entering, and I even knocked on the door a few times. Why didn't you respond?" "Oh, I didn't hear," the man's voice was casual. Then he caught a glimpse of Stella's slightly absurd expression and added, "What? Is there a problem with the soundproofing in the master bedroom bathroom?" Stella was annoyed by him, but also had to admit that he did suffer a loss. She sighed in frustration, "No. Okay, I admit I was wrong, I apologize to you." "Oh? Just an apology?" Ethan questioned. Stella pursed her lips, her delicate eyebrows furrowing lightly. "Or? I just took a glance without any subjective intention." "Stella, you did more than just look," Ethan lazily responded, his gaze meeting hers as he continued in a drawn-out tone. "Your hands... also touched me." Touched him? Besides that unexpected collision, she only supported his arm. Could that also be considered as touching him? Stella suddenly felt a headache coming on, not sure if it was from being annoyed by him or from having her hair dry for too long just now. But she knew that if they continued to argue, it would inevitably lead to the same conclusion: he, being completely innocent, ended up being touched by her inexplicably. So, with a mindset of calming things down, she asked again, "Then what do you want?" Ethan smiled and calmly stood up. His voice was light as he left his request behind, "The sandwich from last time was good. Let's consider it as a week's worth of breakfast." With his purpose achieved, he left after speaking. Left in the living room, Stella couldn't help but want to rudely raise her middle finger at his departing figure. "Can you imagine his attitude?" Stella was really annoyed. After returning to her bedroom, she couldn't help but open a call with her friends. Recalling Ethan's brazen attitude just now, she couldn't express emotions through her face while wearing a face mask, but still furrowed her brows. "I thought he had improved a lot, but I was wrong. Ethan's attitude just now was exactly like in high school." Although Natalie didn't know much about Ethan in high school, she knew Stella was usually gentle and calm. She was curious about what could have angered her like this, so she asked, "Oh, what was he like in high school?" Layla's voice came through clearly, "Hahaha, I can imagine it now. Stella once described him as what? Yes, an especially arrogant fighting cock!" The three of them burst into laughter simultaneously on the voice call. Thinking back to their past discussions with Layla, Stella's mood finally improved somewhat. After chatting briefly, Stella hung up the phone with Natalie and Layla, then fell into a deep sleep. In her dream, the arrogant fighting cock lowered its head and ran up to her, acting all cute. The next day, Stella got up early as usual. Although she was irritated by Ethan's self-righteous attitude yesterday, his request wasn't unreasonable. She was used to making breakfast herself anyway, it was just a matter of making an extra portion. Back when she was at college, Stella couldn't get used to the food at the restaurant. At that time, not only did she make breakfast, but she also cooked food on weekends. Her roommate, a Japanese, exaggeratedly praised Stella's cooking skills, saying they were just like a mother's, which amused her. The spacious villa had no servants, and when Stella moved in, the kitchen seemed like it had never been used before. The utensils were neatly arranged, brand new, and clean. She guessed that Ethan probably spent most of his time at the company before, otherwise the facilities at Horizon Group's top floor wouldn't be so well-equipped. Stella chopped some green onions, made some sunny-side-up eggs, heated some oil and soy sauce as a base, and cooked two plates of noodles. When she returned to the dining room, Ethan was already seated at the table in his usual suit and tie, looking relaxed. Stella walked over with the noodles and placed one plate in front of him, thinking of it as a small act of kindness. But she didn't expect Ethan to be so difficult to please. Upon seeing the noodles in front of him, his straight eyebrows furrowed, and he said critically, "Hmm, why did you make noodles? Can they be taken away as a takeout?" Stella had just sat down and froze with her fork in hand. Glancing at his puzzled expression, she smirked and said, "Sure, as long as you're not afraid that the noodles will become clumps by the time you get to the office." Love it or leave it, she had already made it. Upon hearing her words, Ethan seemed to ponder for a moment, glanced at her, and ultimately started to eat the noodles. The noodles were refreshing and flavorful, with the aroma of the broth wafting through the air, and even the sunny-side-up eggs were runny and golden. In no time, the man finished every single noodle. Seeing him enjoy the meal, Stella felt somewhat relieved. She didn't dwell on his earlier difficulties and couldn't help but smile. Then, she suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, my car has been towed for repairs. Could you ask the driver to give me a ride on the way?" She wouldn't delay his work; the drive could drop him off first. She didn't think this request was unreasonable. But Ethan leaned back, resting his arm on the chair, and stared at her with a hint of mockery in his eyes. "Do you really think an especially arrogant fighting cock would kindly give you a ride to work?" Upon hearing his words, Stella's hand holding the plate froze, and she looked up in surprise. The man's voice was lazy as he continued, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. The soundproofing in the master bedroom is indeed good, but the soundproofing in the guest bedroom...is not so great."