Seeing I'm not saying anything, Nina lets out a cold snort. "Hmph." Then she walks out the door.
By now, everyone's about done shopping, so one by one, they start calling their drivers from outside the shop, asking them to come pick them up at the school gate. After a while, all their drivers arrive, so we wave goodbye to them.
In the end, only Ivy and Jenny are left. The two of them are standing there, one of them still waiting a bit longer for her family to arrive, and the other one just isn't in a hurry to leave.
So Ivy asks the two of us, "How are you two getting home? My family's coming to pick me up soon anyway. Want to ride part of the way?"
"No need. We'll just grab an electric scooter and head back."
Jenny feels a bit uneasy about that. "Oh, you riding an electric scooter is fine, but does Ethan really have to ride one too?"
Nina looks at Jenny, utterly baffled, and says, "Yeah, what else would he do? Could you actually stand watching Ethan take a taxi home while I ride pitifully along behind him on a scooter? Could you really stand that?"
"Of course I could stand that. Haha."
Nina huffs slightly, rolling her eyes at her. Seeing that the two girls are heading home too, I finally pull Nina over toward the electric scooter, then unlock one through the app and ride off.
The two of us ride ahead. As we pass by Jenny and Ivy, Nina waves goodbye to them. Then, watching the two of us ride off, Jenny mutters quietly, "Ethan is so handsome, but how does he manage to have absolutely no attitude about it? I really like him so much."
Ivy nods. "Yeah, Ethan really does treat girls with a lot of respect. He's such a polite guy."
At this point, something seems to occur to Ivy, and she links her arm through Jenny's, saying, "I already asked Nina about it. The two of them aren't a couple. If you like him, you should go after him. With Nina around, our chances are actually pretty good, right?"
"Really? They're really not a couple? That's such great news. I've liked Ethan for a while now. The day I saw him eating with Nina, I actually thought the two of them were dating. I thought I'd completely lost my chance, but turns out they're not together after all. That's wonderful. This is such great news."
Right as Jenny is savoring this joyful moment, Ivy tosses out a casual remark from beside her. "Jenny, don't get too excited just yet. Sure, they're not a couple right now, but that doesn't mean they won't become one down the road."
Hearing this, Jenny deflates all over again. "Don't do this to me. I really do like him so much."
Meanwhile, nearby, Vera, just about to get in her car, watches me riding off into the distance. She thinks to herself thoughtfully, Ethan seems to only really care about Nina. Besides Nina, no one else seems able to catch his attention, and that playful, indulgent side of him only ever seems to come out around Nina. Does he really like Nina that much?
Thinking this, a strange, indescribable bitterness rises inside her, but she can't quite figure out why she'd even feel that way in the first place. So she just pushes the thought aside and tries not to dwell on it.
Meanwhile, I have absolutely no idea any of this is happening.
Finally, close to eight in the evening, we arrive downstairs at home. The two of us part ways at the elevator.
The moment I push open the door, a black-and-white cat leaps right into my arms. I hold the cat close, taking a few deep, happy sniffs of it. And then a little girl with pigtails toddles unsteadily over toward me. Seeing the cat in my arms, she stomps her tiny foot in frustration.
The housekeeper comes out from the kitchen, and seeing me back home, she smiles and says, "Ethan's home. I was wondering why Emma got so excited all of a sudden. Sit down and rest for a bit. Dinner will be ready soon."
"Auntie Lynn, please don't worry about me. Just go ahead with what you're doing."
Auntie Lynn nods and heads back to the kitchen.
I crouch down and set the cat on the ground, then pick up the little girl who's been sulking on the floor. She happily wraps her arms around my neck. I gently pat her head and ask softly, "Did you miss me, Emma?"
"Yes. Emma missed Uncle Ethan." Her sweet little voice rings out. After saying this, she snuggles into me a bit shyly.
The little girl's name is Emma. She's the daughter my sister Sophia and Jordan had two years ago. Sophia currently works at an investment fund company, mainly managing wealth and investments for clients. Jordan is a talent agent currently working at Shengyao Entertainment, representing a couple of minor, lesser-known celebrities.
Hearing her answer, I smile and carry Emma along with me to the couch in the living room. The moment I sit down, the cat comes trotting back over, practically insisting on squeezing in beside my leg like it's competing for attention. I have no choice but to pat the cat's head to appease it.
Then I ask Emma, still in my arms, "Have you been good these past few days? Have you been eating properly?"
"Yes. Emma ate lots and lots of food. Emma has been very good."
Hearing her answer, I praise her. "Our Emma is so great. Is Emma the most well-behaved kid ever? Good girl. So great."
"Uncle Ethan. Mommy scary." She seizes the chance to tattle to me. "Mommy scary. Daddy helps Mommy."
I look at her, amused, and ask, "Emma, why was Mommy being scary at you?"
She hesitates for a moment, then finally speaks up. "Because Emma won't eat the veggies. Emma doesn't like veggies. Mommy got scary at me."
"Okay. Okay. If you don't want to eat it, then don't."
Not long after, Auntie Lynn gets the dinner table set, then calls the two of us over to eat. Halfway through the meal, we hear the sound of the door opening. I look up and see a tall, fair-skinned woman standing at the entrance. She smiles as she looks at me.
I jump up excitedly and run over to her. "Haha, Sophia, you're back. I missed you so much."
Seeing me, Sophia pats me on the shoulder. She smiles and says, "Ethan, I missed you too. Go wash your hands first. You're back just in time."
Sophia nods, washes her hands, then takes a seat at the table. She takes the small bowl from my hands and starts feeding Emma, asking me questions in between bites. "Ethan, are you settling in okay at the new school?"
I take a bite of a chicken wing and reply, "I'm settling in fine. Nothing particularly notable going on."
Sophia teases with a smile. "Oh, really? So there's absolutely nothing like some campus heartthrob squad drama going on?"
I glance at her, asking helplessly, "Sophia, what nonsense plotline did Jordan feed you again?"