Chapter 103

After evening self-study ended, Jason walked alongside Ethan, dribbling a basketball in his hand. As they neared the school gate, he slung his arm around Ethan's neck and asked, "Hey, we've finally made it to the break. Where do you want to go tomorrow?" Ethan twisted open a canned cola in his hand, thinking about the movie ticket he had, frowned slightly, and replied, "To the movies." Jason froze for a moment, turned to look at him, and asked, surprised, "You want to go see a movie?" It wasn't surprising that Jason was taken aback; he had never seen Ethan show interest in movies before. Ethan responded lightly, "Any problem with that?" Jason regained his composure and tactfully replied, "No problem. 'Transformers' is pretty hot right now. I was thinking of catching that." After speaking, he noticed the silence from Ethan beside him. "What's up?" Jason asked, feeling scrutinized. Ethan withdrew his gaze and casually hummed, "Is that the extent of your taste, competing with kids?" "Well, then, what do you want to watch?" Jason asked. Having achieved his purpose, Ethan handed his phone to Jason, saying casually, "This one's fine." Jason glanced at the screen showing the ticket booking for Saturday's "South City Joy." So, watching a comedy made Ethan's taste in movies better? On Saturday afternoon, Stella rode alone to the cinema where she had agreed to meet with Kate. Claire was strict in her control over her daughter, especially with her diet. It was a rare opportunity for Kate to sneak out with her brother away, and she bought a small bucket of popcorn before quietly joining Stella to enter the theater. On the other side, Jason approached Ethan with a small portion of popcorn, noticing the slight furrow in his brow. "What are you looking at me for? I actually wanted to buy a large bucket, but they only had one left. Can't exactly compete with kids." Ethan thought of the child who had just been following Stella, and smirked slightly. "You're quite good at being modest." If he remembered correctly, that was Aaron's sister. "What are you watching? It's about to start," Jason asked. Upon hearing this, Ethan withdrew his gaze from scanning around, checked the time, and lowered his cap brim slightly. "Yeah, let's go in." Inside the dimly lit theater, more than half of the seats were already occupied as the screening had begun. Once seated, Stella quickly immersed herself in the plot and didn't notice anything unusual behind her. It wasn't until half an hour into the movie that Ethan realized something wasn't quite as he had expected. The person watching the movie with Stella turned out to be a child. This realization made his actions seem somewhat ridiculous. "South City Joy" was generally a comedy, but it had its moments of tears as well. Glancing at Jason beside him, whose eyes were glistening with tears, Ethan pursed his lips in disdain as Kate curiously turned to look at Jason, prompting Ethan to silently pull down his cap brim. An hour later, the movie finally ended. Stella walked out of the theater with Kate, but before they could leave the cinema, Kate suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Oh, I left my bag in the theater," she exclaimed. "It's okay, let's go back and get it," Stella reassured her. They returned to the theater after informing the staff at the entrance. Just as they turned the corner, Stella accidentally bumped into someone solidly. "Sorry," Stella rubbed her nose and apologized, but when she looked up, her expression froze instantly. "What are you doing here?" Standing before her was none other than the person who had dismissed the movie as "boring" just yesterday—Ethan. Ethan hadn't expected her to return, feeling annoyed internally but quickly recovering. He gestured towards Jason with indifference, "Oh, just accompanying someone to watch a movie." Jason's eyes widened in disbelief, shocked by Ethan's lie. Accompanying someone? Seriously? Ethan glanced at Jason, a fleeting hint of awkwardness crossing his face, his eyes carrying a warning: "What are you looking at? Get out!" Jason looked from Ethan to Stella. In a flash, it seemed he finally understood something. After leaving the cinema, Jason took on the responsibility of sending Kate home, while Stella and Ethan, who was coincidentally heading the same way, got on the just-arrived Bus 28. She followed Ethan onto the bus, and as the doors closed, Ethan stood there for a moment before turning around and pointing to the card reader on the bus. "Didn't you bring your card?" Stella asked Ethan pulled out his wallet and handed it to her directly. Stella glanced discreetly inside and saw a thick stack of hundred-dollar bills. They exchanged a silent glance. Under the watchful eyes of others, Stella swiped the bus card for the young master, who was lowering himself to such a level. The bus route circled through the downtown area, and by the time they reached the university town, there were finally some empty seats after a group of students carrying drawing boards got off the bus. The bus traveled along the streets of the university town, where the bougainvillea flowers on the roadside appeared especially vibrant. Perhaps feeling the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Stella broke the silence after a few seconds. "Just one more year, Ethan. Have you thought about which university you want to attend?" Since agreeing to tutor him, Stella had freed up quite a bit of time to help him study. Over time, she had started to take an interest in Ethan's academic performance. "Johnson Financial University then," Ethan responded casually. When Ethan spoke in his casual tone, Stella's expression subtly shifted, and she responded tactfully, "You seem quite confident." The young man leisurely admired her reaction, eyebrows raising slightly. "What? Do you think I can't make it?" "It's always good to have goals," she replied. Ethan chuckled lightly, then suddenly turned his head, looking at her seriously. "Let's make a bet. If I get accepted in the end, will you promise me something?" He kept his eyes fixed on her, a hint of a smile on his lips, but his tone was not like a casual joke. Stella's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she avoided his gaze. After a moment, she replied softly, "Only if I can fulfill it."