Chapter 99

After moving her belongings from the third floor to the fourth, Stella quickly took a shower. She and Liora left the room to head to the hotel's restaurant for dinner. Just as they were about to descend the stairs, her phone rang. Checking the caller ID, Stella had to let Liora go to the restaurant alone. The hotel had many rooms, but they were all simply decorated. The restaurant wasn't large either, so getting food meant going in batches. "Hey, Ethan, share some of your potato chips with me later. This food is terrible," Jason complained after taking only a few bites. The chef's plain soup left much to be desired—he'd prefer instant noodles, at least they come with seasoning. Ethan glanced at Jason, remembering the spicy potato chips that had upset his stomach all afternoon, but said nothing. Setting down his fork, he casually fiddled with the keychain on the table. His eyes scanned the restaurant briefly but didn't spot the slender figure he was looking for. When Celeste walked up to them, all she saw was Ethan's slightly lowered gaze and silent demeanor. "Jason, I heard you say you didn't bring any snacks. Here, take these," Celeste said, handing them a bag. Jason hesitated for a moment, looking at the bag Celeste offered, then said, "Thanks." "You are welcome. My mom packed a lot because she knows camping can be tough. I can't finish it all myself. If you need more later, just let me know," Celeste replied before glancing at Ethan, who remained silent. With a pause, she bid farewell to Jason and left. "Hey, bro, someone's being nice and bringing us food. Why aren't you reacting at all?" Jason glanced at Ethan, who was tapping away at his phone, and placed the bag in front of him. Ethan furrowed his brow slightly, then chuckled lightly. "She's bringing it for you, why would I need to react?" "Oh come on, she's talking about you both directly and indirectly. I'm just the messenger here," Jason retorted with a hint of self-awareness. Ethan casually lifted his gaze, glanced past the bag in front of him, and looked towards Aaron at the adjacent table. His gaze lingered briefly on Aaron's lunch box, a faint frown crossing his face before he quickly averted his eyes. Checking his phone again, he tightened his lips and suddenly stopped Liora passing by. "Where is she?" he asked abruptly. Liora was taken aback for a moment, then slowly realized what Ethan meant. "Oh, Jimmy lost something on the road this afternoon and went back to look for it without an umbrella. Stella seemed to have gone to give him one." Outside the window, the rain continued to patter steadily for over half an hour. The gentle breeze carried raindrops that trickled down the clear glass, forming streaks of water slowly sliding down. Watching the misty scene outside, Ethan furrowed his brows slightly and his eyes suddenly darkened. "She went alone?" Stella sat under a pavilion roof, absentmindedly watching the rain fall diagonally, sighing softly. Tom just said on the phone that Jimmy fell and scratched his leg on a tree branch. She was worried about delaying, so she only managed to grab an umbrella and had Tom take Jimmy back to the hotel. She stayed here, waiting for Tom to return the umbrella. The rain was gently cool, blowing against her cheeks with a hint of chill. Stella had only worn a thin coat when she came out, and now she was feeling a bit cold, clutching her hands and pulling her coat tighter. It was only about ten minutes' walk from here to the hotel, not too far. She hesitated for a moment while holding her phone but decided not to bother Liora. Sitting there, her slender figure under the rain looked somewhat lonely and desolate. After a while, the area suddenly darkened before her eyes. Stella calmly raised her eyes and was surprised to see not Tom but a familiar and unexpectedly refined face. It was Ethan. His handsome figure stood there, looking at her with furrowed brows, his tone not particularly pleasant. "You gave away the only umbrella. Quite the hero, aren't you? Feeling like a savior?" His words carried a hint of sarcasm. Stella didn't understand what he was upset about, so she hesitated, then replied, "Jimmy is injured and can't afford to wait. Tom will return to the hotel and bring back the umbrella." Jimmy was part of their group. It was just a few steps away, and it happened to be mealtime, so she didn't want to bother anyone again. "Put this on," Ethan said coldly, taking off his windbreaker and handing it to her. Seeing Stella hesitate, he chuckled, "Still trying to be tough at a time like this? Do you want me to watch a girl freeze?" Frowning slightly, Stella gently pursed her lips and reluctantly took the jacket. "Thank you." The windbreaker blocked the wind well, covering most of her body. After zipping it up, only her eyes were exposed. The windbreaker carried a faint smell of soap and a refreshing hint of pine, quite pleasant. Walking shoulder to shoulder towards the hotel, his umbrella was large enough to cover both of them comfortably. Although they didn't walk far, there was still a bit of awkward distance between them, and for a moment, silence hung in the air. After a short quiet walk, Stella broke the silence first, asking quietly, "Why did you come over here?" He still didn't look at her, his head unmoving as he asked back, "Didn't think of calling someone else to help with the delivery?" "It's not far from the hotel," she retorted quietly, sensing his unfriendly tone. She had her phone with her, and the hotel wasn't far away. Tom would be back in about twenty minutes to retrieve the umbrella. They were heading to dinner, knowing everyone was hungry. She just didn't want to cause trouble out of habit. While that was her explanation, facing Ethan's intense gaze, she hesitated for a moment before finally conceding, "I won't do it next time." Ethan's gaze fell on her slightly awkward left foot posture, and he asked, "What's wrong with your foot?" "Nothing," she shook her head. The boy handed her the umbrella, his tall figure slightly bent, his tone still indifferent. "Come up." "No need, I can manage," she replied. Ethan glanced at her, a hint of scorn in his eyes. "Seriously? How long do you think it'll take us to get back?" "Come up," he repeated, looking insistent, as if unwilling to be slowed down by her. Constrained by his firm attitude, Stella hesitated for a moment and reluctantly reached out to lean on his shoulder. The atmosphere was slightly awkward, making their postures tense. Ethan was only wearing a long-sleeved hoodie. Concerned about him getting wet, Stella held the umbrella steadily over their heads. But holding it up for so long, her arm began to ache faintly. Occasionally, her hand brushed against his broad, strong shoulder. The contact stirred up unexpected emotions in him, yet he remained silent. The only sounds were the muted rain and the faint splashes under their feet as he walked steadily forward. Stella stared at the smooth and neat jawline of Ethan as he turned his head, quietly biting her lip. Suddenly, she felt that maybe he wasn't such a bad person after all. He had a bad temper, but he wasn't evil. At least, at moments like this, it was surprising that he came to find her. Perhaps this perception made her feel that she hadn't been forgotten. Celeste also mentioned that although Ethan was arrogant and aloof, avoiding social interactions, he was protective of the people in the class. The journey of over ten minutes passed quickly as Ethan walked briskly, and soon they were back at the hotel. Stella was about to remind Ethan to put her down when she suddenly saw Celeste standing not far away at the hotel entrance with a bag. Their eyes met for a second before Celeste hurriedly turned and ran off. Stella furrowed her brows. "Ethan." "Yeah?" He responded nonchalantly. "Can you put me down now?" Ethan turned his head and chuckled lightly before setting her down. They continued towards the hotel entrance at an unhurried pace. Finally, Stella whispered, "It seems like Celeste misunderstood something." "What's it got to do with me?" he said. Stella pursed her lips, then explained, "She was just trying to be nice and bring you some food." School pushed them to endure hardship, and most classmates couldn't stomach the hotel food, let alone someone as finicky as Ethan. She had just seen clearly that Celeste was holding fast food, probably waiting for Ethan. "Oh, I almost forgot about that," Ethan said casually, looking at her with his arm around her. "Our class is still short on food. You, as the head of the living group, aren't responsible enough, and now you're giving it to another class?" Stella paused for a moment, then remembered the lunch box she had given to Aaron earlier, filled with pastries made by Linda. During the day, Liora's legs were covered in bites, and Aaron's ointment was quite effective. She couldn't owe favors for nothing, so she reciprocated. On the other hand, Ethan had taken several bags of potato chips from her in the car earlier and was now shamelessly defending his actions. "But you—" she tried to retort. Ethan was never short of food since others always gave it to him. Halfway through her sentence, Stella remembered his knack for turning things around and swallowed the rest of her words, deciding not to argue with him. "What about me?" Ethan raised an eyebrow, sounding relaxed. "You're so 'kind', then how about helping me with this practice report?" "You write it for me," he added. Stella was speechless. Alright, she decided to take back the thought she just had: "He doesn't have such bad intentions after all..."