Sometimes, just before class ended, Ethan's figure would appear at the classroom door, or he'd be sitting inside, causing a stir among the students. Ethan always had a confident air about him when he spoke, but he definitely had the charisma to back it up. His allure and style were undeniably attractive, making people want to flirt with him as soon as they saw him.

Of course, his visits to the classroom were simply to wait for Mr. Aaron to finish class and then grab a bite to eat together. During this waiting period, he would stare at Cynthia, making her feel uneasy and causing the surrounding students to speculate about whom he was looking at.

In Ethan's car, Aaron kept shifting his body, adjusting his posture.

Ethan glanced at him oddly. "Are you scratching fleas or something? You keep fidgeting."

Aaron shot him an annoyed look and, after some thought, decided to speak up. "I have a question for you, and I want an honest answer. No lying."

"What's up? Spit it out." Ethan couldn't understand why Aaron was being so serious, as if hinting at some important revelation.

"Ethan, are you gay?"

"What???!" Ethan couldn't fathom why Aaron would ask such a question.

"I'm serious! You're just a new teacher here, and we're not that close, at least not close enough to be eating together every day. Plus, you're not even from the same department as me. But... you... you're there every day, well, not every day, but whenever I have class, you're waiting outside my classroom. It's hard for me not to question your motives. If I were gay, I'd definitely appreciate a handsome guy like you trying to hit on me, but I'm not. I'm straight, as straight as they come, all my attractions revolve around the opposite sex. So... I have to decline your advances. Can you understand that?"

"What the hell, gay, straight... Sure, I'm handsome, I'll give you that. But I feel like you've totally misunderstood me."

Aaron looked at him skeptically. "Really?"

"I did sort of hide something..." Ethan began, but Aaron interrupted him before he could finish. "I knew it!!"

"No no no! Calm down, let me explain, okay?" Aaron reluctantly nodded, indicating that he would listen carefully. "Firstly, I'm new to this school, and I do need to make some new friends, which includes you, but that has absolutely nothing to do with being gay. Also, there's a very cute girl in your class, so..."

When Ethan sat in the classroom or stood at the door, his thoughts often drifted to Cynthia on the other side of the room. Though he tried to hide it and not be so obvious, he clearly wasn't very good at it. Whenever she looked up, his gaze would involuntarily be drawn to her, as if pulled by an invisible force. He noticed how gracefully she flipped through her textbooks, the occasional raise of her eyebrows and smile filling him with admiration and curiosity. He subtly adjusted his posture, trying to find a better angle to observe her, as if everything existed solely to appreciate her more fully.

"A cute, beautiful, charming, and alluring girl, huh?" Aaron smirked knowingly.

"I don't think I used that many adjectives... but yeah, something like that."

"Well, hearing you say that makes me feel better. Couldn't you just be straightforward about wanting to pursue a girl? Why use me as a cover?"

Both Aaron and Ethan chuckled. "I told you, I mainly wanted to make a new friend and maybe catch a glimpse of the cute girl."

"Sure, sure, playing these deceptive games. So, which girl is it? Tell me and see if I remember her."

"A Chinese girl, Cynthia."

Aaron only took a second to respond. "Oh! Cynthia. She's smart. You have good taste. So, how far have you gotten with her? I haven't seen any interaction between you two. Oh! So, every time you stare off into space, you're actually staring at her, right?"

"Currently, we've had dinner together."

"Is that a date?"

"Not a date, just dinner," Ethan replied, shaking his head.

Aaron smirked mockingly. "So, no physical contact? No kisses or hugs? No flirty texts?" Ethan continued shaking his head, and Aaron burst out laughing. "Don't tell me you don't even have her number yet?" After a pause, Ethan reluctantly shook his head.

"Hahaha, you know what? I have her number. Since you've already had dinner together, why not take the initiative and ask for it yourself? Don't waste that handsome face of yours, right? You've been staring at her outside the classroom every day, haven't you?"

Ethan felt a bit indignant at being called out. "But, dude, I live next door to her! I thought there would be plenty of chances to run into her, and then I'd have the perfect opportunity to ask for her number, you know?"

"Oh, come on, be brave, handsome. You're a man, take the initiative. Did you know our school is hosting a masquerade ball next Friday? It's a perfect chance. Ask her to be your dance partner and then get her number."

As Ethan glanced in the rearview mirror, his face still looked charming as he passed by the sidewalk. When he crossed the pedestrian lane, girls would stare at his fleeting face, momentarily captivated.

"I've hit on plenty of girls before, just need to lock eyes with them, give them some suggestive looks. Casual arm touches, a few jokes, and you're good to go. But when it comes to her, I just can't perform at my usual level. You know, Chinese girls are usually more reserved. I'm too scared to even touch her skin, afraid I'll scare her off," Ethan confessed.

Aaron put on a probing expression, adding a touch of exaggeration to his tone. "Wow~ Looks like you've encountered true love. Only true love would make you feel this timid. I've been there before, you know, even though we haven't known each other for long, I still hope you succeed."

Just as Cynthia was about to leave the classroom, she was stopped by someone, an Asian face that looked very familiar.

"Hi, Cynthia," he extended his hand.

Cynthia reciprocated, "Hi, who are you?"

"We've been in the same class for two years now, and we've even worked on assignments together. You don't remember my name?"

Cynthia felt extremely embarrassed. Someone remembered her name, but she could only say 'hi' to others.

"I'm sorry, sometimes my brain just shorts out. I do remember you. You're the overseas Chinese, right? Came here when you were little, grew up in the States. I just couldn't recall your name right away."

He shrugged, indicating it was no big deal. "Beautiful girls usually don't bother remembering other people's names, especially someone like you, with that unique Eastern charm."

"I'm really sorry, what's your name?" Cynthia felt guilty for not remembering his name while he was complimenting her like that.

"Gabriel." Gabriel adjusted the straps of his backpack, his right hand held in front of him, slightly nervous.

"Okay, I'll remember. I promise! I won't forget this time," Cynthia said, showing what she thought was her most sincere expression.

"I hope not."

Cynthia looked at Gabriel, waiting for him to continue. Gabriel hesitated for a moment, seemingly finding it difficult to speak. "Actually, I wanted to invite you to be my dance partner. Would you like to?"

"Dance partner? What dance partner?" Cynthia was completely unaware of the dance.

Gabriel was a little surprised. "Now I believe you might have really forgotten my name. Didn't they announce it a while ago? There's a masquerade ball, next Friday. Dressing up in formal attire, wearing masks, it's cliché but still exciting, right?"

Cynthia took a deep breath, trying hard to recall. "I'm sorry, but I really didn't notice, and I really don't have suitable clothes for the ball. I don't have a gown. And I don't know any social dances. I'm afraid my body will stiffen up like it's just thawed out when the time comes."

"I'd be happy to help you get one if you trust my taste," Gabriel said, noticing Cynthia's hesitation. "How about this, you don't have to give me an answer right away. We have each other's contact information, so why don't you think about it for two days?"

"Okay, I'll think about it and get back to you, alright?"

"Looking forward to your reply. Oh, and I have a small jar of pickled vegetables made by my mom, authentic Chinese flavor, not some weird modified version here. Hope you like it."

Cynthia felt a bit embarrassed to accept, but Gabriel insisted, "Take it. Every Chinese student in our class has one. It's just a little something from my mom."

Now Cynthia couldn't find a reason to refuse, and besides, it had been a long time since she had eaten Chinese pickles. "Thank you so much. Your mom must be really nice. You must have a perfect family."

"Hahaha, you're right about that," Gabriel said happily as Cynthia accepted his little gift, and they walked out of the school together.

On the way back to her apartment, Cynthia glanced at the school's Instagram account and indeed saw the announcement. Cynthia wasn't opposed to the idea; she had always dreamed of attending a ball before she went to college. But she had never attended one before.

The reasons were complex. She didn't want to spend money buying a dress that she might only wear once or twice a year. She was an orphan, and although she had sponsors, she still needed to save money. After she finished her studies, Cynthia couldn't continue to rely on others for money. Although Cynthia's sponsor was generous with her monthly allowance, Cynthia still tried to save a portion of it. The last time she was willing to treat Ethan to dinner was because she had just made a big profit.

Also, she didn't like the idea of socializing in crowded places while living abroad.

Cynthia walked in front of her apartment, searching for her keys in her bag. She couldn't help but glance back at the apartments behind her. The last reason was that she had never found a suitable dance partner.

Two days later, Cynthia received a package containing a navy blue spaghetti strap dress adorned with many rhinestones, with a simple yet elegant design. It was made by a certain clothing store and delivered to her door. It looked quite expensive. Of course, Cynthia later searched for this store and found out that it was indeed pricey.

"Are you sure the recipient is named Cynthia?" The man held the beautifully wrapped package, wearing white gloves. "Yes, miss, I'm very sure. Are you Cynthia?"

"I... I am Cynthia, but are you sure this is for me? Could there be some mistake?"

Cynthia, still in her pajamas, couldn't believe she was seeing such an understated yet beautiful dress, and she couldn't imagine who would send her such a valuable gift.

"If your name is indeed Cynthia, then I believe there's no mistake. The gentleman who ordered this dress specifically said it was for a beautiful Chinese lady."

Cynthia gently touched the dress; its craftsmanship was exquisite. The navy blue fabric was adorned with tiny rhinestones, shimmering under the light. When fully unfolded, it revealed itself as a fishtail dress with smooth lines. Although she hadn't worn it yet, Cynthia could already imagine how stunning it would look on her.

"Um, do you happen to know who ordered this custom-made dress?"

"I'm sorry, miss, the customer didn't disclose their name. Perhaps you can ask around your friends?"

As Cynthia nodded thoughtfully, she signed her name on the receipt.

Isabella heard the commotion and stepped out of her room. She obviously saw the beautiful dress and Cynthia signing her name on the receipt.

Isabella walked slowly towards her, gently shaking one leg and looking at Cynthia with an ambiguous gaze, but she didn't speak. Cynthia turned her head and saw her sarcastic expression, standing there silently.

"Isabella, keep your mouth shut and say nothing. Go back to your room," Cynthia said firmly.

Isabella indeed said nothing, just gave a disdainful hum and turned back to her room.

Cynthia closed the door, took the package back to her room, and tried on the dress. It fit perfectly, so much so that Cynthia was a little scared. It clearly outlined her slender waist and hip curves, and the V-neck made her neck appear longer. Who could know her measurements so well? And who would customize such an expensive dress for her?