Megan Brooks saw that Ethan Cooper had been silent for quite a while and thought he was listening to Little Brooks speak. But on closer inspection, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes—this guy had actually turned the receiver the wrong way around, about to shout into it again with his mouth open. But then she remembered that his bouts of madness and lucidity were all her fault, and her heart softened. She gently reached out to correct him, saying, “Not like that, you have to turn the phone around and hold the receiver to your ear!”

“Hello, can you hear me clearly?” This time, Ethan Cooper finally heard a man’s voice distinctly, as if it was right next to his ear. It startled him so much that he instinctively took a step back and looked around, only to find there was really no one there. He then looked at the little gadget in his hand with confusion.

Megan Brooks stared at Ethan Cooper for a long moment, then sighed and took the phone back. “Forget it, I’ll just talk to you as we walk!”

“Okay!” Ethan Cooper wasn’t used to that little gadget either; it was as if a ghost was whispering in his ear.

Chapter 11: Tragedy or Washbasin

Walking on foot, Ethan Cooper was tough as nails and naturally had no problem, but Megan Brooks was delicate and frail. Although she had lived independently for nearly ten years, she had never truly walked any significant distance, especially not a six-kilometer trek like this. What’s more, she was wearing high heels as long as a finger!

After only a third of the way, Miss Su was already drenched in fragrant sweat and gasping for breath. Yet this clueless newbie, who knew nothing about modern society, kept chattering away as if he had a hundred thousand questions, asking about everything and anything, making her utterly miserable. “Stop, stop, I can’t go on, I—huff—I can’t walk anymore!”

How far had they even gone? And she was already done for—truly pampered. Thoughts like this, Ethan Cooper only dared to keep to himself. Seeing her flushed face and breathless state, his heart softened. He walked over, squatted down in front of her, and said, “Get on!”

“You—you want to carry me?” Megan Brooks looked at that broad, sturdy back and couldn’t help but swallow a few times. With her toes nearly cramping from walking, it was really hard to refuse such a tempting offer.

“Mm!” Ethan Cooper nodded. All that talk about men and women keeping their distance, he thought, was pure nonsense. When faced with a beauty, how could you not get close?

Megan Brooks looked around—no one was there, and she wasn’t wearing a short skirt today, so there was no fear of exposure. The scenery around was so beautiful; it was truly the right time, place, and people. She couldn’t help but indulge herself, so after pretending to hesitate for a bit, she gently lay down on Ethan Cooper’s back.

The mature, soft body of a woman pressed tightly against his back, and a heady fragrance of hair and body filled his nose. Ethan Cooper felt the blood in his body heat up rapidly.

Taking a deep breath, he finally managed to calm his racing heart a little, then supported her legs with his hands and started walking forward.

Although Megan Brooks was tall, she felt weightless on Ethan Cooper’s back. He strode briskly along the eastern main road, becoming a spectacle that drew honks from passing cars.

It was the first time in her life that Megan Brooks had been carried on a man’s back. The feeling was strange, nervous, shy, warm, happy, safe… so complicated, but she really liked it.

Six kilometers—neither long nor short—but to Megan Brooks, it felt far too short. She wished someone could carry her like this forever.

This moment was brief, but the impression it left on her was deep. In the years to come, even decades later, whenever she recalled it, her heart would be filled with sweetness and warmth.

However, happiness is always short, and pain always long. Time moves on, life goes on, and the next exit arrived…

When they reached the busy main road, Megan Brooks was naturally too embarrassed to let Ethan Cooper keep carrying her. Romance was nice, but being so mushy in front of a crowd was just too much.

Just then, a bus arrived. Megan Brooks tugged Ethan Cooper along and led him onto the bus.

Buses on weekends were always more crowded than usual. No one was getting off, and it wasn’t just Ethan Cooper and Megan Brooks getting on. Squeezed by the crowd, the two ended up standing face to face, separated by less than three centimeters. If they were a couple, they wouldn’t mind, but clearly they weren’t, so standing face to face like that, both blushed and felt an indescribable awkwardness.

With a screech, the bus braked—not too abruptly, but enough to make Ethan Cooper lurch forward. He could have used some martial arts trick to keep from leaning forward, but that would have been too unnatural. Sometimes you just have to play innocent, so Ethan Cooper “innocently” bumped into Megan Brooks, and his big mouth pecked her cheek like a woodpecker!

He’d wanted to kiss that fair, rosy face for a long time, and such a golden opportunity couldn’t be missed.

Megan Brooks was numbed by the light bump from Ethan Cooper, and before she could react, she felt a cool sensation on her face. When she realized what had happened, she shot Ethan Cooper a reproachful look, her face so red it seemed about to drip blood.