Elena looked at Ethan, lips parting as she was about to respond when a sudden, urgent ring of her phone sliced through the stillness.
She picked up her phone and glanced at the flashing number on the screen. Standing up, she said politely, "Sorry, Ethan, I need to take this call."
Ethan gave a slight nod.
Elena answered and walked toward the balcony.
The apartment was small, and the night unusually quiet. Though Ethan couldn't hear the voice at the other end, Elena's own voice carried clearly.
The moment she uttered the word "Zane," Ethan's tapping fingers paused mid-knock against the table. His eyes lowered slightly to his watch.
8:50 p.m.
Ten minutes to nine.
Zane Chi didn't speak for long.
Once he finished discussing the project, Elena gracefully brought the conversation to a close and ended the call.
As she returned, Ethan's gaze followed her, and he asked with casual calm, "Was it something urgent?"
"Not really," Elena replied. "Just some data issues I need to work on for the research."
"Do you need my help?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No, I can handle it."
Ethan said nothing more. He reached for his coat and moved to leave.
As he passed her, he raised a hand and lightly ruffled her hair, his tone warm and low. "If anything comes up, call me. Or just come to Tiansheng Group directly."
The tension in Elena's chest eased slightly.
She nodded and walked him to the door.
Just as they reached the elevator, Ethan suddenly stopped. Caught off guard, Elena nearly bumped into him. She braced herself against the wall and steadied her footing.
"Ethan?" she asked, puzzled.
He turned, his gaze flicking to the digital panel on her apartment's door. "What's your password?"
"…?" Elena answered instinctively, "0527."
He didn't offer any explanation, simply said, "Get some rest," and stepped into the elevator.
Elena stood at the threshold watching the numbers descend, then turned back inside.
She didn't bother with anything else. Grabbing her laptop, she went straight to her studies to process the data.
Just as Zane had said, the early-stage data was fragmented but not overly complicated.
As she reviewed the files from Zane's USB drive and cross-referenced academic papers, time slipped by. When she finally finished, the clock on the wall read 2:00 a.m.
With her head throbbing and heavy from exhaustion, Elena clicked "save" and shut her laptop without checking her phone.
She trudged into the bedroom and fell asleep.
Sunlight peeked through the edges of the curtains, waking her the next morning.
From the warm-toned bed of the duplex apartment's second floor, Elena rubbed her eyes and reached for the phone by her pillow.
She glanced at the time, preparing to unlock the screen, but before her finger could touch the sensor, a familiar name in the notification bar caught her eye.
Ethan Jiang.
Startled, she blinked the sleep from her eyes.
The phone was unlocked via facial recognition, and the message opened:
[Breakfast is downstairs. Don't forget to eat.]
Elena bolted upright, throwing off the covers and heading out of the room.
As she descended the stairs, she caught sight of a full breakfast spread on the dining table—complete with both Western and Chinese options.
She stood frozen halfway down the stairs, her mind slowly connecting the dots—last night, the password. Ethan asked for it.
...
She didn't have class until 9 a.m., so she arrived on campus a little late.
Annie Gu hadn't arrived yet.
Settling at her desk, Elena pulled up last night's data to check for errors.
Nearly twenty minutes later, Annie burst through the door with two paper bags in hand.
She didn't sit down right away. Instead, she stood beside Elena, scrutinizing her with a look that could only be described as complicated.
Elena glanced up, confused by the stare. "What? Did I mutate overnight?"
Annie let out a dramatic sigh, placing both bags on the desk one after another.
"This one's from Zane," she announced, then pushed the second bag over. "This one's from me."
With both breakfasts laid out before her, Annie crossed her arms and fixed Elena with a knowing look. "Two breakfasts. Both are still warm. Miss Shen, which will you choose?"
Elena's lips twitched in amusement.
She looked at the offerings, then tilted her head at her best friend. "Is it breakfast-giving season now?"
Annie clicked her tongue and finally sat down. "You were buried in your research last night. I figured you'd forget to eat. Knowing you, you'd rather starve than step away from the screen. So I brought you something."
"But—" she drawled meaningfully, resting her chin on her palm, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "What's the story with Zane's breakfast?"
Apparently, she had bumped into Zane on the tree-lined road as soon as she stepped onto campus. He'd handed her the food and asked her to give it to Elena—no questions, no explanations.
Annie gave her friend a teasing smile. "Elena, did you spark a love triangle while I wasn't looking? Just how late did you two talk last night?"