He looked toward Ethan Carter at his side. Because he turned his head to look at the elevator, the young man, completely unguarded, exposed his long, fair neck to him. The smooth lines extended all the way into the neat collar, the rest hidden from view, leaving only a patch of bare, delicate skin at the nape, dazzlingly exposed—so pale it caught the eye.

That visible and invisible whiteness, together with the lingering sound of “gege” that still echoed in his ears, made the usually cold and indifferent Nathaniel Grant linger his attention on Ethan Carter for a long, long time.

He couldn’t let go.

He couldn’t look away.

Author’s note:

Uncle Grant, just what kind of indecent things are you thinking about?

More indecency in the next chapter.

Thanks to the little angels who threw grenades: I Love Probability, Probability Loves Me, Ye Zhi, Ruo, Zong Gong——, 22681100 (1 each);

Thanks to the little angels who threw landmines: ^u^ (6), Ruo (5), Tomato-flavored Chips (4), “Say Nothing, Just Love Ta” (3), Squirrel Can’t Pick a Name, Super Cute Nan Nan, Shen Moyou, I Love Probability, Probability Loves Me (2 each); “Six Hundred Bucks Can’t Buy a Loss,” “No Raw Fish in Sushi,” “Original Stone,” “Enthusiastic Citizen 37195,” “Just Passed by the Bloom,” 21178977, Yan Qi, I’m Mea, Wangshu Is Sleepy Again, Duoyi, Merlin Is Super Cute, Zhai Zhi, sol, Sanqi, chuanh, Strawberry Daifuku, Chong Er, Just So Annoyed and Blue, Spicy Rabbit Head Going Wild, Only Likes 4p Origami’s Xia xx, Iced Peach Tea, Gu Ansheng (1 each);

Chapter 5 005

Ethan Carter was completely unaware of the gaze falling on him. He was naturally slow when it came to matters of emotion, not even sensitive to his own feelings, let alone other people’s thoughts.

He focused on entering the elevator, going downstairs, habitually parting his lips slightly to ease the pain in his eardrums caused by the rapid change in altitude.

Everything went smoothly as usual, nothing out of the ordinary.

It wasn’t until Ethan Carter walked out of the lobby on the first floor, about to part ways with Mr. Grant, that he unexpectedly discovered the man had actually gotten into the same car as him.

Instead, it was Samuel Ford, who had been waiting for them downstairs, who closed the car door for them and then got into the car behind, leaving the two of them to ride together.

Ethan Carter was a bit surprised.

The school and Taiping Group weren’t even in the same district; he’d thought the other man would have the driver take him back, just like before.

Noticing Ethan Carter’s surprise, Nathaniel Grant said calmly, “I’ll take you back.”

He rarely showed much expression, but was surprisingly accurate at reading others.

Ethan Carter hadn’t expected the man to go this far with the act, but since he said so, he had no objections.

He sat quietly beside Nathaniel Grant, watching as the partition between them and the front seat slowly rose.

In the enclosed space, only the two of them remained.

The car started, the warm air blocking out the cold from outside, a thin layer of condensation forming on the windows, blurring the brilliant lights outside into something even softer.

Ethan Carter sat quietly in the back seat, his long legs neatly together, hands resting on his knees. He always stood straight and sat upright; he didn’t think much of it himself, but didn’t realize how well-behaved this posture looked to others.

So well-behaved it made one’s heart itch.

The car drove steadily, and for a while, no one spoke.

Ethan Carter’s phone vibrated softly, the screen lighting up.

[Ivy Harris: How was dinner?]

Ethan Carter glanced at the screen but didn’t reply.

But the phone soon vibrated again and again.

[Ivy Harris: Remember to listen to everything Mr. Grant says]

[Ivy Harris: Whether in front of him or with others, be careful what you say]

[Ivy Harris: It’s best to show Mr. Grant your attitude, let him know you definitely won’t cause him trouble]

The car was very quiet, making the repeated vibrations of the phone sound rather harsh.

Ethan Carter pressed his lips together, reached out, and locked the phone.

The phone seemed likely to keep ringing, and Ethan Carter was hesitating whether to mute it when he suddenly heard Nathaniel Grant ask,

“What’s wrong with your mouth?”

“Hmm?”

Ethan Carter was puzzled, reached up to touch his lips, and then realized.

“Oh, my lips get dry easily, and they’re a bit chapped.”

Ethan Carter’s lips tended to be dry, and autumn and winter in Yancheng were notoriously arid, so his chapped lips had gotten even worse lately. Even though he’d had water at dinner, it didn’t help much; not long after eating, his lips were dry again.

No wonder it hurt a bit when he pressed his lips together just now.

Ethan Carter was used to it and didn’t think much of it. The man, however, frowned when he heard.

“Chapped?”

He reached out, not too quickly, giving plenty of time to react.

So his hand was directly dodged by Ethan Carter, who turned his head away.

Ethan Carter’s movement was a completely instinctive reaction. It wasn’t until the warm, slightly rough fingertips brushed past his cheek that he realized something was off.

He turned his head back, a little embarrassed, and said, “Sorry…”

The lighting in the car was dim, so Ethan Carter couldn’t really see the man’s expression; he could only guess by feel that Mr. Grant seemed to be looking at him again.