Cherry Miller tried her best to calm her heart, but it still pounded uncontrollably.
How could anyone not fall for a man like this?
"Y-you... why are you here?" Cherry blurted out as she saw Ethan Yin soaked and disheveled from the rain. "It's so dangerous out there!"
Ethan Yin felt Cherry's concern and smiled happily. "It's precisely because it's dangerous that I had to come myself."
"Come in, quickly." Cherry stepped aside, letting Ethan into the work shed.
The work shed was fairly spacious, set up as a temporary resting spot for the workers. There were two sets of chairs and a water boiler for making tea.
There was also a cabinet for storing tools and work clothes.
To reinforce the shed, Cherry had moved the tables and cabinets to block the wind and rain, making the place feel much emptier.
Shelly Zhou hadn't expected Ethan Yin to show up. Her cheeks flushed red as she couldn't help but imagine—did Ethan come because he'd heard she was missing? Did he come to find her himself?
However, Ethan didn't even glance at Shelly Zhou.
If it weren't for her, Cherry wouldn't be stuck here and unable to go home.
"You must be hungry." Ethan took off his backpack, pulled out several steaming lunch boxes, and set them on the table. "Eat something and recharge your energy."
Cherry gratefully accepted Ethan's kindness and handed one of the lunch boxes to Shelly Zhou.
Only then did Ethan spare Shelly Zhou a glance and ask, "What happened?"
Cherry sighed and explained, "Shelly Zhou lost her footing and fell from above. Her phone got lost somewhere, but luckily she's okay."
"What about your phone? Why couldn't I reach you?" Ethan asked.
"I lost mine too, by accident," Cherry said, not mentioning that it was because of Shelly. At this point, blaming anyone was pointless.
Ethan nodded without another word. He picked up the chopsticks and carefully handed them to Cherry. "It's probably not safe to leave tonight. Let's wait until morning when the rain stops before moving. It's safer that way."
"Mm." Cherry was truly hungry. As she ate the steaming food, it tasted especially delicious.
After a few bites, she suddenly remembered something and looked up. "Did you eat yet?"
Everyone knew Cherry Miller and Shelly Zhou were safe and sound, so they could finally relax.
Jiang You heard about this and got even more jealous.
If she’d known earlier, she would’ve fallen too, and then maybe she could’ve spent the night alone with Ethan Yin.
And Cherry Miller?
Oh, she automatically became the background character.
"Looks like we’re all spending the night here," Ethan Yin said to Cherry Miller with a smile.
As for Shelly Zhou? Ethan Yin turned her into a background character too.
If you’re the background character, best to keep quiet.
Otherwise, the background character can get thrown out at any time.
Cherry Miller nodded, "Too bad there’s really nowhere to rest here. We’ll have to squeeze together for the night. At least it’s dry, we can make it through."
Ethan Yin chuckled and got up, gathering the remaining chairs and piecing them together.
He knocked down the wardrobe where the clothes were kept, laid it flat on the ground, and made a makeshift bed.
Ethan Yin pulled a thin quilt from his bag, spread it over the makeshift bed, and said, "You’ll sleep here tonight."
"What about you?" Cherry Miller asked, a little concerned.
"I’ll sleep on the chairs," Ethan Yin said, pointing. "Back when I was at the base with Hans, I slept in all sorts of conditions. Chairs are fine. Girls shouldn’t catch a chill. Be good, listen to me."
A wave of warmth surged in Cherry Miller’s heart.
The proud young master, always thinking of her. Saying she wasn’t moved would be a lie.
[Irrelevant meta-text skipped]
Cherry Miller turned to Shelly Zhou and said, "Let’s sleep here together. After tonight, someone will come looking for us."
Shelly Zhou, who’d always been the background character, was almost moved to tears.
Finally, Shelly Zhou had a chance to say something.
Ethan Yin glanced at Shelly Zhou, belatedly realizing she was there.
Oh, right.
He really had forgotten about Shelly Zhou.
But Shelly Zhou was a girl and a guest, so he couldn’t say much. He nodded and said, "You two sleep together. Squeezing in is no problem."
Cherry Miller helped Shelly Zhou, who was injured, lie down. She lay on one side, pulled the quilt over, half covering both of them. The two girls curled up like a pair of caterpillars.
Ethan Yin really did lie down on the chairs, using his arm as a pillow. He listened to the wind and rain outside, lost in thought.
Shelly Zhou thought to herself: If only Cherry Miller wasn’t here, and it was just her and Ethan Yin alone—wouldn’t that be nice?
Too bad, there’s no 'if'.
If Cherry Miller weren’t here, Ethan Yin probably wouldn’t have come looking for her, right?
Shelly Zhou wasn’t stupid.
Even though she didn’t understand Cherry Miller and Ethan Yin’s relationship at first, after a night together, she saw a lot more clearly.
Shelly Zhou felt a wave of gloom in her heart.
Compared herself to Cherry Miller and realized she didn’t have any advantage at all.
How could an outsider compare to Cherry Miller, who grew up with Ethan Yin as childhood friends?
Shelly Zhou felt utterly dejected.
The three of them didn’t say anything, and the cabin was silent for a moment.
At some point, Cherry Miller and Shelly Zhou both fell asleep.
But Ethan Yin lay there with his eyes open, unable to sleep.
He wasn’t worried about anything, just kept thinking: Cherry Miller never changed her feelings for him, so what happened that forced her to give up?
Ethan Yin frowned, wondering if he should get someone to investigate what happened to Cherry Miller these past few years.
But he worried that doing so would hurt Cherry Miller’s pride.
Cherry Miller isn’t just some random cat or dog you can poke around in.
Should he wait for Cherry Miller to open up to him?
Or should he try to find out quietly?
Caught in this dilemma, Ethan Yin didn’t know when he finally fell asleep.
Outside, the wild wind stopped at some point.
Ethan Yin opened his eyes immediately.
He looked out the window. It was still gloomy outside, but much quieter.
Ethan Yin got up lightly, opened the window, and the damp air rushed in, waking him up.
"The rain stopped?" Cherry Miller woke up too, struggling to sit up from the quilt.
The wardrobe was way too hard, and Cherry Miller’s waist ached from sleeping on it.
She didn’t sleep well last night either.
"Yeah," Ethan Yin replied, turning around. In the soft morning light, his eyes sparkled.
Cherry Miller reached out and touched Shelly Zhou’s forehead, then gasped, "Oh no, Shelly Zhou has a fever."
Ethan Yin said, "Don’t worry, there’s a doctor at the villa. Don’t be scared."
"I never thought a perfectly good banquet would end up like this," Cherry Miller said with a hint of frustration. "I’ve let Madam down again."
Ethan Yin chuckled, "It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself."
Cherry Miller shook her head, disagreeing.
It really was her responsibility, wasn’t it?
Suddenly, there were footsteps outside, along with the Security Captain’s voice: "Young Master Yin? Are you awake? We brought the stretcher!"
Ethan Yin felt a little unhappy.
He wanted to spend a little more time with Cherry Miller.
Before he could say anything, Cherry Miller had already shouted, "We’re all here! Shelly Zhou has a fever, please take her back quickly!"
"Yes!" The Security Captain immediately called people into the cabin. "The rain’s lighter, I’ll bring everyone over now."
Ethan Yin turned away coldly, not wanting to see that clueless idiot.
Cherry Miller held back a smile as the Security Captain’s people put Shelly Zhou on the stretcher, and she followed them back.
At the door, Cherry Miller turned and gave Ethan Yin a smile, "Thank you for staying with me last night."
Only then did Ethan Yin show a satisfied smile, stood up, and said, "At least you have a little conscience."