-When you come back, I’m definitely going to beat you up.

The contact saved as “大壮” replied with a long string of ellipses.

Jack Reed: …………

Jack Reed: What are you two fighting about again?

Jack Reed: Seriously, if you want to curse at him, at least don’t take it out on me.

Ryan Bennett replied: I’m just afraid I can’t beat him.

Jack Reed: Noted.

There were many people of the same age in the neighborhood, and Jack Reed was one of the group who had grown up together since childhood. Jack Reed’s real name was Ethan Cooper. He was a bit chubby as a kid, so people gave him the nickname “Jack Reed.”

After Ethan Cooper asked about what happened, he comforted her: Be content. When I message him, he doesn’t even reply. If he does, it’s just a couple of words, and it’s always “read.” Look at you, you got—let me count—six whole characters. Compared to that, the reply you got from our Yao-ge is so enthusiastic, I can’t help but feel jealous. You should be secretly happy.

This time, it was Ryan Bennett’s turn to fall silent.

-Thank you so much.

Ryan Bennett put down her phone, did a few more problems, and when the clock passed eleven, just as she was about to rest, she suddenly remembered the big pile of snacks she’d left at Brian Carter’s house.

“I was going to leave them for you, as a thank you for letting me use your projector,” Ryan Bennett lightly poked the page with her pen, muttering to herself, “but I didn’t expect you to be so heartless.”

Thinking of this, Ryan Bennett made up her mind.

She tossed down her pen, determined to get her snacks back.

When she hurried out, she didn’t notice that in the building across from hers, a window that had been completely dark suddenly lit up.

It was past eleven.

The neighborhood was pitch black, with only the streetlights still on.

Ryan Bennett grabbed her keys and, like she’d done a hundred times, ran into the building across the way.

The reason she had a key to Brian Carter’s house was mainly because she’d always gone over there since she was little. She went so often that Brian Carter got annoyed and just gave her the spare key so she could let herself in.

That set of keys had been in her hands for many years.

Brian Carter’s parents were very busy with work, always out on business, so most of the time, it was just Brian Carter at home.

So when Ryan Bennett put the key in the lock, she didn’t even think to check if there was anyone inside.

She opened the door and found the lights on inside.

Then she glanced around the living room and saw a black suitcase.

Last time she was here, that suitcase wasn’t there.

She didn’t even have time to wonder who had come back.

The next second—

The bathroom door opened.

The person who came out was wearing a black T-shirt, hair still damp, slightly long bangs falling over his forehead.

He was very tall, still in his teenage years, his bones not fully grown, so the first impression he gave was a slim waist and long legs. The black clothes made his skin look almost unnaturally pale, even a bit sickly.

The boy’s features were sharp, his brows and eyes seemed to be outlined with extra emphasis, unruly and laid-back.

Right now, his eyes were lowered, the corners long and narrow, with a deep double eyelid. Unlike his dark, striking brows and eyes, his pupils were surprisingly light in color, with a hint of sharpness.

Brian Carter glanced at Ryan Bennett who had just come in, and after a moment, said in a cool, indifferent tone, “Surprised to see me?”

“?”

As if he didn’t see Ryan Bennett’s confused expression.

He tossed out another line.

“Your dad’s back.”

Chapter 2

Ryan Bennett knew he wasn’t good at being a decent person, but she didn’t expect him to be this bad at it.

For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.

She could only force out a polite question: “When did you get back?”

Having just showered, Brian Carter spoke with a hint of laziness.

But it couldn’t hide the youthful tone in his voice:

“Half an hour ago.”

“So, after all this time apart, you come back and talk to me like this—do you think that’s appropriate?”

“What’s not appropriate?”

Ryan Bennett accused, “Is that how a person talks?”

“I don’t talk like a person,” Brian Carter lifted his eyelids, feigning a bit of surprise, “and yet you still understand me.”

“……”

“Looks like you’re pretty talented with languages. Next time that golden retriever downstairs starts barking, come help me figure out what it’s trying to say.”

“…………”

At this point, the conversation couldn’t go on.

If it continued, it would just mean she wasn’t a person either.

Luckily, Ryan Bennett was highly adaptable—after all, she’d known this guy for ages.

She said slowly, “Let me ask you something, and you have to answer honestly.”

As she spoke, Brian Carter had already walked past her, opened the fridge, and pulled out a can of soda.

The soda hissed with cold air.

He held the can in one hand, three long, defined fingers gripping the tab, then curled his index finger and hooked it into the ring. Almost at the same moment as the “pop” of the can opening, he spat out a single word: “Ask.”

“If I tried to hit you right now, what are my chances of winning?”

“Ten percent.”

“Let’s hear it,” Ryan Bennett perked up, “Explain.”