Yancheng is windy in autumn and winter, and every gust is a torment for Ethan Carter. What’s more, it was already night. Just a few steps from the dormitory to the school gate, Ethan Carter’s originally fair ears had been frozen bright red, while his fingertips turned a bloodless pale, aching from the cold.

He wore a mask, but it couldn’t shield him from the chill. An uncontrollable itch spread in his throat, and he started coughing muffledly.

Ethan Carter had suffered enough from coughing. Before his surgery at eighteen, once he started coughing, it was hard to stop. Although things had improved a lot now, every time he caught a chill, he still felt chest tightness and shortness of breath, and the coughing was hard to bear.

By the time he reached the subway station, Ethan Carter’s eyes were already tinged with red. The abundant warm air inside blocked out the cold from outside, but couldn’t dispel the chill within his body. He took off one side of his mask, pressed a fist to his lips and coughed softly twice, then took a long, slow breath.

An auntie queuing up to enter the station with him glanced at him a few times and couldn’t help but ask, “Young man, are you alright?”

Ethan Carter had good looks to begin with, which made him likable. The cold had drained the color from his face, making people want to show concern even more. The auntie kindly reminded him, “There’s hot water at the subway service station, you can go have some to warm up.”

Ethan Carter waved his hand. “I’m fine.”

He smiled at the auntie, his curved eyes and brows especially gentle. “Thank you.”

The auntie didn’t say anything more, but a few girls at the back of the line started whispering to each other, occasionally sneaking glances at Ethan Carter, with the occasional hushed “so handsome” drifting over.

He didn’t have many stops to ride. Before his body could even warm up, Ethan Carter got off the subway, braved the wind for several hundred more meters, and only when he stepped into the warm restaurant did he finally catch his breath a little.

Guided by a waiter to the third floor, Ethan Carter raised his hand and knocked on the door.

A stern female voice came from inside the private room: “Come in.”

He pushed the door open and entered. Inside sat a neatly dressed middle-aged woman, wearing a fitted suit, short hair, and deep nasolabial lines, giving off a very serious impression.

Ethan Carter called out, “Auntie.”

The woman nodded, chin slightly raised, and gestured to him, “Sit.”

Her tone was flat as she spoke, her manner more like a boss facing a subordinate.

Ethan Carter took a seat, glanced around the room, and asked, “Where’s my dad?”

The woman replied, “There was something at the company, he couldn’t make it. I’m treating you to dinner today.”

Ethan Carter lowered his eyes and said softly, “Thank you, Auntie.”

His stepmother and his father had been married for years, but he still hadn’t changed how he addressed her.

She had never insisted he do so, either.

With just the two of them at dinner, the atmosphere was even more stifling, nothing like a family meal. After Ethan Carter said he was fine with anything, his stepmother directly ordered a set meal without even looking at the menu, making it clear she wasn’t here for the food.

The waiter brought two glasses of pre-dinner coffee. After he finished taking their order and left, only the two of them remained in the room.

His stepmother tapped her fingers on the table and spoke.

“I came here specifically this time to talk to you about the marriage with the eldest son of the Lu family.”

Author’s note:

Ethan Carter: I’m still young, not in a hurry to get married.

Nathaniel Grant: I am.

-

Starting a new story, feeling nervous QAQ

Daily updates, as usual, giving out a hundred small red envelopes, thank you for following (bows)

Chapter 2 002

Even though this topic had come up before, it was still hard to face calmly.

Not to mention how surprised Ethan Carter’s classmates would be, or how many admirers’ hearts would be broken by the news. As for Ethan Carter himself, he was only 21 this year, not yet at the age to talk about marriage.

What’s more, his intended spouse was a man.

Although same-sex marriage had been legal for years, deeply rooted public attitudes were still hard to change. Add in issues like family lineage and inheritance, and things got even more complicated. In the current social climate, same-sex couples were still a minority.

So in this situation, any young person would find it hard to sit still when faced with such news.

But Ethan Carter showed no extreme reaction to it.

He simply sat quietly at the table, responding no differently than when his stepmother had just asked what he wanted for dinner.

His stepmother was quite satisfied with Ethan Carter’s tact.

She took out a tablet and opened some information. “You must have heard of the Lu family from Hong Kong.”

The world of capital changes in the blink of an eye, unpredictable as the weather. In China, it’s common for wealth not to last beyond three generations; it’s hard to say there are any true “old aristocratic families.”

But the Lu family was a genuine, long-standing powerhouse.

A couple of generations back, the Lu family controlled the economic lifeblood of half of Hong Kong. Even today, they’re still a force to be reckoned with. Just the tabloid gossip about their family alone has kept countless Hong Kong entertainment rags in business.

But with great families come great feuds, and the Lu family was no exception. The Lu family’s eldest son, the one set to marry Ethan Carter, was the least favored by the old master of the family, and was rumored to have the worst reputation of them all.