Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

I was skeptical about the conditions he mentioned.

The guy lowered his head a bit and joked, "That's private. Only my girlfriend gets to know. If you agree to be my girlfriend for a week, I'll tell you."

He sounded playful but still looked classy, not sleazy at all.

Since I started this, I stayed calm. "Is that really your request?"

"Why? Is it hard for you?" He had a twinkle in his eye.

"Not really." I glanced back; everyone in the booth was watching me, excited and gossiping. Only Ethan, leaning on the sofa, had an unreadable expression under the neon lights.

'What would Ethan look like without his mask?' The thought made me feel a sudden wave of sadness.

"Alright, I agree." As soon as I said that, the guy's hand naturally rested on my shoulder.

He asked, "Where are your friends?"

I stiffened and pointed to the nearby booth.

He smiled slightly. "Well, since you're playing a game, as your boyfriend, I should join in."

He led me inside, my steps stiff, and after a few steps, I couldn't help but ask softly, "So, what color is it?"

He turned and smiled at me, making me uneasy. Just when I thought he wouldn't answer, he said, "Dark gray, boxer briefs, size M."

I thought, 'I just asked about the color; did he really need to be so detailed? Now I have an image of him in dark gray boxer briefs in my mind.'

Everyone in the booth was looking at us.

"What color?" Bella's surprised look probably came from the fact that I managed to bring someone over, which seemed unbelievable.

I lowered my head, avoiding Ethan's gaze, and whispered, "Dark gray."

As soon as I said that, Ethan suddenly stood up, and Oliver and Frank followed.

The guy beside me took his hand off my shoulder.

Sensing the tension, I thought a fight was about to break out, and my heart tightened. But the guy beside me raised his hand and high-fived each of them, and they all ended up laughing and hugging. "You arrived just in time," Ethan said with a smile.

I was stunned.

The guy beside me laughed. "I just got off the plane. As soon as I turned on my phone, I got your message inviting me for a drink, so I rushed over."

Oliver slapped him on the back and joked, "Jason, you finally decided to come back."

'What does this mean? They know each other?' Probably noticing my confusion, Ethan introduced, "My cousin, Jason Foster, is a top student who just returned from Valerion Country."

'So he is the doctor Ethan mentioned who could cook,' I thought.

Jason looked at me, about to say something, but Ethan pulled me over. "This is Emily, my wife."

Ethan's declaration was strong, but knowing the truth, I wouldn't be swayed by his words anymore.

Jason looked surprised, and his elegant smile faded. After a while, he barely managed a smile. "When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?"

Jason's question was directed at Ethan, but his eyes were on me.

"The wedding hasn't happened yet, so I didn't inform you." Ethan pulled me to sit beside him as he sat down.

Jason sat down, placed his suit jacket aside, took out a cigarette and lighter, and smiled faintly. "I thought I was lucky enough to have a romantic encounter as soon as I returned, but it turns out it was a joke." "I thought you'd bring back a foreign woman," Oliver teased, placing a bottle of liquor in front of Jason.

Jason lit his cigarette and smiled. "I still prefer girls from our country."

Sitting not far from Jason, I could faintly smell his cigarette, which was different from the kind Ethan smoked.

"You guys are playing a game, right? I'll join," Jason said.

I took a sip of my drink with one hand and withdrew the other from Ethan's hand. Putting down my glass, I smiled and said, "Yes, the game continues! I don't believe I'll be unlucky every time." Maybe Jason's arrival disrupted Ethan's luck, as this time, Ethan wasn't so lucky, and it was finally his turn.

Bella excitedly asked Ethan, "Truth or dare?"

Ethan took a drag of his cigarette and smiled faintly. "I'll drink."

As he reached for the bottle, I pressed it down. "I set the rules, and in my game, you can't substitute with drinking. Or are you trying to cheat?" Ethan squinted at me and withdrew his hand from the bottle. "Alright, truth."

As I expected, he wouldn't choose dare; he would definitely choose truth.

Everyone was watching me, curious about what I'd ask. I took a deep breath and looked straight at Ethan. "Are you with me to get back at Arthur?" Ethan's face stiffened, and his hand holding the cigarette trembled, causing ash to fall.

The bar was noisy, but our booth went dead silent.

Ethan's face was tense, lips pressed tightly together, and he didn't say a word for a long time. The air felt frozen.

I felt a weight on my chest, almost suffocating me. His silence was an admission, and I understood.

The glass in my hand slipped and shattered. I stood up abruptly, wanting to escape.

Ethan grabbed my wrist. I looked down and saw his Adam's apple move, but he still said nothing. I thought, 'Maybe he has nothing to explain?'

Bella grabbed me and asked, "Emmy, what do you mean by that? Is there some kind of misunderstanding?"

I shook off Ethan and ignored Bella, running away before my tears could fall. Bella called after me, but I ran fast, bumping into people along the way.

I didn't stop even after running out of the noisy bar. Hearing footsteps behind me made me run even faster.

"Wait!" Recognizing Jason's voice, I stopped, wiped my tears, and looked at him with red eyes.

"Why did you follow me?" I asked.

Holding his jacket, Jason ran up to me, breathing heavily, and joked, "My girlfriend is upset; of course, I have to come and comfort her."

I looked behind Jason; Ethan hadn't followed. I didn't want to admit it, but my disappointment was obvious.

"You just reunited with Ethan and the others; you should stay and hang out longer," I said.

Jason shook his head and put one hand in his pocket. "Actually, I don't like such noisy environments. Since I'm back now, we'll have plenty of time to hang out."

I turned around and walked slowly like a zombie.

"Where are you going?" Jason asked.

"I want to take a walk," I said.

Jason said "okay" and continued to follow me.

"Are you hungry?" he asked after a while.

I looked at him, and he smiled awkwardly. "I'm hungry. I came straight here after getting off the plane and haven't had dinner yet. How about you join me for a meal?"

I didn't refuse, knowing I had my own reasons for having this meal with him.

He asked what I wanted to eat, but I had no appetite. Seeing a street food stall across the street, I pointed to it.

Ethan had mentioned that Jason was a medical doctor and a great cook. I thought Jason would be picky about street food, but to my surprise, he agreed readily.

We found a place to sit, and Jason put his suit jacket aside, slowly rolling up his shirt sleeves, and smiled. "I haven't been back for many years. I miss the food from home; everything tastes so good."

Halfway through the meal, it got a bit spicy, and Jason's nose started to sweat. He awkwardly wiped it with a napkin and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. "It's hard to find such spicy food abroad. I haven't had it in a long time and have become a bit sensitive to it. I used to love spicy food."

I noticed his fingers were long and slender, making every movement look elegant.

The street food stall wasn't as quiet as a high-end restaurant, and the diners were of all kinds. The people at the next table were drinking and chatting loudly.

Watching them place beer bottles on the ground, I suddenly said, "I want to drink!"novelbin

Jason was slightly taken aback but nodded. "Sure, my treat."

He called the waiter and ordered a few cans of beer. I opened a can and drank more than half of it in one go.

"Drinking on an empty stomach can get you drunk easily. You should eat something first," Jason said.

I didn't respond; I just wanted to get drunk. If I got drunk, I wouldn't have to think about anything, and I wouldn't feel sad.

"Do you know Fiona?" I asked.

Jason was slightly stunned, put down his utensils, and smiled faintly. "Yes, and we're quite close."

Hearing this, I immediately stared at him, hoping to get more information from him.

He seemed to understand and leaned back in his chair, taking out a cigarette and lighting it slowly.

"Can you tell me about them?" I asked, staring at Jason.

Jason's way of smoking was different from Ethan's. He took shallow, elegant puffs, not looking like someone addicted to smoking.

Ethan, on the other hand, took deep drags, exhaling thick smoke, exuding a manly steadiness.

"What do you want to know?" Jason suddenly asked.

There was so much I wanted to know. Ethan had always been a mystery to me.

"Ethan used to be the lead singer of The Thorn Birds Band, right?" I asked. Jason nodded. "Yes."

"Were they deeply in love?" As I asked this question, my heart was pounding.