At the same time, he let out a long sigh of relief in his heart, thinking, That idiot from before, this is what you wanted to say, right?

　　Grace Sullivan stood there in a daze.

　　How did it end up like this?

　　How did things turn out this way?

　　Wasn’t it supposed to be Ethan Brooks insisting on getting back together as always, and she would finally vent all the resentment she’d been holding in, scold him thoroughly while she was at it?

　　Why is it completely different from what she imagined?

　　Ethan Brooks had already walked out for quite a while before Grace Sullivan’s slightly trembling voice called out from behind, “Ethan Brooks, you bastard! Make yourself clear—who are you hinting at with all those insinuations? What are you trying to say?”

　　Another male voice said angrily, “I told you, my last name isn’t Yin! Can’t you show a little respect for others?”

　　……

　　Seeing that Grace Sullivan’s eyes were still red, Peter Lane stepped forward, ready to take the opportunity to put his arm around her shoulders. As his hand touched her shoulder, Grace Sullivan instinctively shifted to the side, and Peter Lane’s hand landed on empty air.

　　Peter Lane paused awkwardly with his hand in the air, then withdrew it and rubbed his nose, a little embarrassed, but it didn’t matter. If you don’t have the patience of a fisherman, how can you get this dazzling catch, eyed by so many, to finally bite your hook? And often, this tug-of-war is the most subtle and wonderful part of the relationship between men and women.

　　He looked at Grace Sullivan’s delicate face from the side. Her eyes were misty, beads of water sliding down her cheeks, but she didn’t wipe them away, still holding onto her cold pride. This was also why he was willing to put in so much effort for this woman in front of him: it was always in these unguarded moments that she revealed such a touching vulnerability, making anyone feel pity for her.

　　He said, “Actually, at least Ethan Brooks treats you well. I don’t think he has any bad intentions, but some of his methods are just a bit childish… ha, he hasn’t grown up yet. As a boyfriend, someone like him is at least easy to manage. He’ll never do anything outrageous in his life, just muddle along steadily, and that’s about it. But the thing is, you’ll be held back. Maybe one day, he won’t be able to understand the world you’re in, and he won’t be able to give you any advice or help. Neither of you is wrong, you’re just not on the same wavelength, so in the end, you can’t walk the same path.”

　　“Honestly, if he keeps going like this, it’s not even certain he’ll graduate smoothly. Who knows, he might even become a burden to you in the end. So breaking up now is a good thing for both of you—it’s your chance to break free and move on to better things.”

　　“Luckily, he has enough self-awareness not to keep pestering you. Congratulations, you could say you’re free now.”

　　So she looked in the direction Ethan Brooks had left, somewhere between anger and confusion. Then she turned her head to face Peter Lane and nodded.

　　But she was biting her lip, and biting it hard.

　　What does it mean to act on impulse? Just now, for a moment, she actually wanted to do something she’d never done before—rush over and call him back. That’s what it means to act on impulse.

Chapter Four: The World I Don’t Know

　　Ethan Brooks returned to the dorm, dumped his bag on the table and told everyone to help themselves. His three roommates were like brothers to him, so this was his treat. The three of them immediately started rummaging through the bag.

　　Henry Cooper said, “You hit the jackpot, huh? Bought so many snacks!”

　　Gavin Grant shrieked, “Damn, there’s even a pack of Lixing in here—premium cigarettes! That’s at least 150 a pack. Where’d you get the money?”

　　Jason Ford also tossed aside his instant noodles and came over to take a look, staring at him in surprise.

　　Ethan Brooks said, “Spoils of war.”

　　……

　　Watching them divvy up the contents of the bag, Ethan Brooks grabbed a stool and sat by the window, gazing out at the university campus, lost in thought. Henry Cooper came over and pointed at a tree downstairs.

　　“See that tree? Right now it’s covered in leaves, like they’re free. Before those green leaves appeared, we never would’ve thought that last year, when it was bare and not a single leaf was left, and we all thought it was dead, it would look like this now.”

　　Ethan Brooks looked up, not understanding what he meant.

　　Henry Cooper looked at him and said, “That’s how trees are. Love is the same way.”

　　Inside the room, Gavin Grant immediately chimed in, “Exactly! That woman Grace Sullivan, in the end, just has no taste! And to think our brother Ethan treated her so well!”

　　Then, noticing that Henry Cooper and Jason Ford were both glaring at him, Gavin Grant quickly covered his mouth and raised his hand, “My bad! I’ll punish myself with a bottle. We agreed no one’s allowed to mention Grace Sullivan! …I’ll go buy some beer!”

　　Seeing the three of them acting so nervous, Ethan Brooks couldn’t be bothered to explain. He got up and went to his desk, found the subjects he’d failed and needed to retake—things like “Management Information Systems,” “EUC Technology Design and Application,” “Engineering Project Management,” and some of the textbooks he was currently using. He piled them all onto his desk and spread them out.

　　The other three were shocked by what he was doing and didn’t dare disturb him.

　　Ethan Brooks needed to first understand his current situation, to see if the knowledge he was learning at this university had anything to do with his previous life—after all, he was a soul from two lifetimes.

　　But as he flipped through the textbooks one by one, the more he read, the more hopeless he felt. What the hell was all this? Tiny, dense print, countless formulas, theorems, diagrams, circles—no wonder he couldn’t pass the make-up exams. Even with his current self, there was no way he could learn all this.

　　……

　　He drank beer with his three goofy roommates until midnight.