Ethan's gaze drifted down Emily's slender body, settling on her long legs clad in black stockings.

Slender, elongated, youthful—her toes peeking through the fabric, a stark contrast to the mature allure of an aunt.

She's really pretty, just a bit off her rocker.

"Not interested."

He turned his head away,he wasn't exactly a saint.

If there was a chance to mingle with the stunning school beauty, he wouldn't mind engaging a bit.

But Emily was just in it for the laughs, never really letting anyone get close.

"Ah, that's not fair!" Emily pouted, leaning closer and sprawling on the hospital bed, barely three inches from him, and exclaimed loudly:

"I'm wearing the same brand of stockings as Aunt Scarlett today, the exact ones Blair wore that night. They feel great and work wonders, you know."

"Holy crap!" Ethan jumped.

That night's memories still haunted him, and her sudden mention made him quickly scan the surroundings. No one was outside the hospital room, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

Turning back to her crescent-moon smile, he said in exasperation, "Let me repeat, I'm not into stockings! And cut it out, whatever you told me, I'll take it to the grave. So, let's pretend nothing happened and go our separate ways."

The school beauty was tempting, but he had enough on his plate and didn't want to play games with someone who enjoyed making fun of others.

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Emily's smile vanish, her gaze turning icy.

"Uh." Ethan instinctively shivered, "I didn't mean we should be strangers, just... let's just be normal friends."

It was the first time he saw Emily's terrifying expression, and he instinctively chickened out.

Adrenaline and cortisol flooded his system, his brain's amygdala sounding alarms, telling him this woman was dangerous.

Like a sane person seeing a lunatic, as if she might pull out a knife at any second.

Emily's face brightened up again, patting her chest as if relieved, and pouted, "You know, saying things like that can really hurt a girl's feelings."

Watching her switch expressions so quickly, Ethan felt uneasy, "You're really not normal. Do you actually see me as your boyfriend?"

"Of course." Emily's eyes twinkled, "Want me to prove it?"

"Huh? How can you prove that?" Ethan was taken aback.

Emily stood up, pinching her school uniform skirt slightly upwards, revealing more of her slender legs wrapped in black stockings:

"Ethan, a person only has one heart. Just promise to keep it with me, love me 24/7, whether you're in bed or with others, and sincerely tell me, 'I love you,' and take good care of me, and I'll agree to any request you have. Anything at all."

"Gulp." Ethan swallowed hard as the pretty school beauty in front of him lifted her skirt, about to reveal more.

Just say he liked her, and she'd agree to anything.

Ethan was really tempted.

He watched as Emily slowly lifted her skirt, inch by inch.

The allure of a young girl's curves was boundless.

"I'm sorry!" Ethan abruptly turned away, each word squeezed out between clenched teeth: "The one I like is Aunt Scarlett, she's the only one in my heart."

His heart was bleeding.

Or rather, it was gushing blood.

Emily was the school beauty, a person who enjoyed watching others for fun, but she was really pretty and had a great figure, her delicate body evoking sympathy.

If it weren't for the system.

He would have really agreed.

"Also, I'm not into stockings, so stop testing me with that."

Emily burst into laughter behind him.

"Hmph." Ethan turned around with a look of indignation, only to see Emily covering her mouth, giggling uncontrollably.

"I don't dislike you, you know~" Emily turned to face him, her eyes playful. "Ethan, you just looked really charming."

"Yeah, right. So you were just joking earlier?" Ethan pouted.

"No." Emily shook her head. "I was serious."

Ethan didn't know what to do,he couldn't figure out what Emily was thinking.

She was toying with him, her eyes joking one moment and dead serious the next.

It was all so contradictory.

If it doesn't make sense, don't think about it.

He picked up his phone to check the information Emily had sent him.

True to her reputation as a top student, she had organized everything into an easy-to-read chart.

"Name: Henry Harrison. Age: 34. Height: 5 feet 11 inches."

Below was a photo of him in a white casual suit, gold-rimmed glasses, and blonde, slightly curled hair tied back in a braid.

No doubt about it, he was a handsome guy, and a stylish one at that.

"Hmph, just looks like a playboy, totally unreliable!" Ethan grimaced.

"He works for a listed company in fashion design," Emily said, crossing her legs and looking amused. "According to my research, he's scandal-free and an exceptionally outstanding man, widely recognized as an ideal partner."

"Yeah, right. Dressed like that and still no public girlfriend? Who knows what he's up to behind the scenes." Ethan grimaced, finding Henry more repulsive the more he looked.

"Hehe~" Emily's eyes twinkled with mischief. "Now that you've got his info, your next step is to break him up with Aunt Scarlett, right? Need my help?"

"Hey, don't think about tarnishing someone's reputation!" Ethan snapped.

I'm just worried about Aunt being deceived by a bad guy. If he's trustworthy, I'd only wish them well.

Emily's gaze was playful as she slipped her foot out of her black shoe, dangling it in mid-air: "Hehe~ Ethan, is this the little shoe you wanted? Just took it off~"

"Ah?" Ethan leaned back. He'd heard of some weirdos having a special fondness for pretty girls' shoes, but he was a perfectly sane man. At most, he appreciated beautiful legs in black stockings, but this shoe thing was beyond him.

Then he glanced down at Emily's raised foot.

As he looked, Emily deliberately wiggled her foot.

This school beauty sure knew a lot of weird stuff, even about little shoes.

"No... no thanks!" Ethan struggled to refuse: "I'm not that kind of guy."

"Aw, that's too bad." Emily put her shoe back on, flicked her finger against his thigh, and shivered.

"Boyfriend~ See you tomorrow, and you better dream about me tonight. Otherwise, I'll be mad." Emily stood up, waved at him, and left with a spring in her step, visibly in a good mood.

"Ah." Ethan sighed, his mind filled with the image of her small feet in black stockings.

Though not as mature and alluring as Aunt's.

But a young girl's feet had their own charm.

After Emily left, Blair came in from outside.

"Blair." Ethan quickly lowered his voice. "I need your help."

Blair paused, his gaze landing on him, then fell silent.