"Cynthia received a text message from Joseph," Cynthia joyfully opened her phone, it was from her sponsor: "How have you been lately? Taking care of yourself while alone abroad is important. Don't forget to enjoy life alongside studying."

"I've been doing well recently, and I've been studying hard," Cynthia replied with a smile. "And I've been here for two years already, so please rest assured, I can take care of myself completely."

After a while, Cynthia received another message: "No, what I meant was to live well, not survive in the wilderness. I've sent you some living expenses, don't be too hard on yourself, and occasionally, enjoy life."

Cynthia chuckled and glanced at the dress she had just received. "Thank you very much for your continuous support. I will."

Whoever sent it, it wasn't Cynthia's mistake, and it fit her well.

Now that the dress was sorted, Cynthia stood in front of the mirror, admiring herself in the dress, murmuring to herself, "Maybe I should... enjoy myself a little."

Cynthia tidied up the trash in her room, opened the apartment door, and prepared to go downstairs. When the elevator door opened, Cynthia was holding a garbage bag in one hand and texting on her phone with the other. Without looking ahead, she bumped into something very hard, and after a dull thud, Cynthia grabbed her head in pain.

Looking up, she saw a pair of light blue eyes looking at her with concern. "Are you okay?" It was her neighbor, Ethan.

It turned out she had bumped into Ethan's chest. Since the last dinner with Ethan, it was the first time Cynthia had been alone with him. She had expected a better meeting, at least not as silly as now.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Cynthia said.

"Haha, maybe you shouldn't look at your phone next time you get on the elevator," Ethan said, gently supporting Cynthia with one hand and rubbing the area where Cynthia had hit with the other.

Cynthia paused for a moment, feeling a little embarrassed. She glanced at where she had bumped into Ethan's chest. It really was too hard, and it hurt. She wanted to mimic Ethan's actions and rub where she had bumped into him, but she felt that such a move might be awkward, so she stopped.

Ethan noticed Cynthia's expression. "Aren't you going to help me rub where you bumped into me? Like I did."

Cynthia chuckled, "I'm sorry, but that would be really strange." At the same time, she distanced herself from Ethan a bit.

Ethan casually withdrew his hand, stuck it in his pocket, and thought to himself, "She's really a reserved girl." This made Ethan a little hesitant to express his next request.

Ethan just cheered himself up in his mind. "She's just a girl, it's not a big deal. How hard can it be to ask for a phone number from you?" Then he naturally proposed, "Shall we go to the dance together?"

"Since we're neighbors, and you said we need to help each other, do you think we should exchange phone numbers for... convenience?" Ethan finished with a long sigh.

"Of course, I'd be happy to," Cynthia told Ethan her number, and Ethan saved it. "So, I'll go downstairs to take out the trash first."

"Wait, there's one more thing," Ethan said.

"Hmm?" Cynthia nodded, looking directly into Ethan's eyes.

"Do you know that there's a masquerade ball at school this Friday? It's my first appearance at this school, and I hope you can be my partner. You know, um... neighbors should help each other, and I really hope to have a beautiful partner like you."

"I'm really sorry, but I have to decline," Ethan's smile froze on his face. "It's definitely not because you lack charm. I've already promised a classmate of mine, also an Asian, about it. It's about when I entered the elevator. I feel like flaking out casually isn't a good thing."

Ethan's smile gradually disappeared, and he showed a very regretful expression. "Well, it's too late. I wonder who that lucky guy is? No worries, we'll keep in touch often?"

Cynthia sighed lightly. She really wasn't good at rejecting others. Whenever she did, she felt guilty afterward. "Of course, we're just not going to be dance partners, but we're still neighbors. Of course, we'll keep in touch. I'm very sorry I had to turn you down. If you ever need anything in the future, feel free to find me, okay?"

Ethan's smile returned to his face. "Sure, but you don't need to apologize. I feel like I often hear you saying sorry, rejecting me isn't your fault."

Cynthia rarely heard someone say that. When she was in the orphanage, learning to apologize was an important skill. It would make the adults taking care of you like you more, and the director would classify you as one of the good children. They couldn't take care of all the children, but each person would get a little care. Learning to apologize and be obedient would make Cynthia receive more care and praise, making her a good child.

Although since adulthood, she had been struggling with her tendency to feel guilty and please others, it still occasionally surfaced. And rarely did someone say they didn't need an apology or anything like that.

"Thank you, really. So... should I go downstairs now?"

"Okay, let me press the button for you." Ethan bent down slightly and pressed the elevator button.

As he lowered his head, Cynthia could observe his profile better, his deep brows and eyes, and his sexy lips, with one button less on his shirt revealing a hint of chest muscles, exactly where she had bumped into him. If Cynthia were to give a very objective assessment, Ethan was more hormonal than Derek and could awaken something deep inside Cynthia's heart.

Cynthia resisted the urge to drool and stepped into the elevator, saying the final goodbye to Ethan.

The day of the ball came very quickly. In fact, since Cynthia received that dress, she had been looking forward to this day. She had even rarely thought about that missing mysterious boyfriend these days.

Cynthia carefully styled her hair, curling each strand with the largest curling iron to make her face look smaller. For lipstick, Cynthia chose bright red; otherwise, it would be too low-key.

Gabriel came to pick up Cynthia in a car. After parking the car, they entered the elevator and went upstairs. Cynthia's apartment door was not closed. Isabella and her date were already in the living room, ready to leave. Isabella wore a pink A-line dress and a light pink shawl. With a slight movement, the pink shawl would flutter as if there was no gravity. It made her look more like a delicate princess.

Isabella noticed Gabriel standing at the door and asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm Cynthia's date. Is she here?" Gabriel didn't see Cynthia in the room and started to worry if he had come to the wrong address.

"Oh, she does live here, but she brings back so many men that I haven't seen you before, so I had to ask," Isabella remarked with a hint of sarcasm.

Gabriel was taken aback by Isabella's words, unsure of how to respond. Isabella's date also noticed the sharpness in her words and gently pulled her arm.

At that moment, Cynthia stepped out of the room and greeted Gabriel, who was standing at the door. "Hi, you're here. Why does it feel a bit... awkward now?"

Gabriel walked up a couple of steps, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Cynthia. "You look stunning today, especially with your curly hair. Although you're always beautiful, you look absolutely breathtaking now."

Cynthia was wearing the fishtail dress, which sparkled like stars while accentuating her curves. The white lace gloves, beautiful pearl earrings, and a simple teardrop pendant made her skin seem to glow like pearls, highlighting her sexy collarbone.

"Thank you, you look very handsome today too. But I think we overlooked something. Shouldn't I have worn a black dress, or you a navy blue suit?" Cynthia suggested.

Glancing at his black suit, Gabriel said, "You didn't tell me about that. My suit was already tailored beforehand, so it's too late to change now. But your blue is quite deep, and we still look coordinated, don't we?"

"It's just a minor mishap," Cynthia thought, although she remembered texting Gabriel about it when she received the dress. However, she didn't want to ruin today's good mood, so she decided not to dwell on the issue.

"Shall we head downstairs then? Bye Isabella and Rick." Isabella didn't respond, but Rick greeted them warmly.

Cynthia asked Gabriel as they were on their way to school, "Why was the atmosphere so strange just now?"

Gabriel chuckled awkwardly, "It's nothing, just some idle gossip about you. I didn't believe any of it, but I'm sure your relationship with your roommate must be really bad."

Cynthia cursed Isabella in her mind and then told Gabriel, "Thank you for trusting me. If she says anything else in the future, please don't believe her either."

"I certainly won't, but I can't speak for others," Gabriel replied.

Cynthia felt something odd about his statement but couldn't quite put her finger on it. "Who do you mean by 'others'?" she asked.

"Haven't you heard? You don't have parents, yet you live in such a nice apartment and can afford tuition and living expenses without taking on many part-time jobs. So some people... talk," Gabriel explained.

"Is there really such a rumor? Are you sure you didn't mishear or..." Cynthia stopped herself from saying "fabricate." "Because I've never heard any of this before."

Sensing Cynthia's displeasure, Gabriel tried to change the subject with a laugh. "It's just some insignificant gossip... Let's not worry about that and enjoy today's party. You look so beautiful today."

Thinking about the party later, Cynthia decided to push aside her discomfort and pretended not to care. After all, it was her first time attending, and she hoped it would be perfect.