Claire was avoiding him.

Claire shook her head, then nodded, suddenly feeling that something wasn't quite right.

If it were the original owner of this body, she would probably have been frightened.

Ethan's gaze softewed.

He lifted his hand slightly, as if he wanted to touch her, but halfway through the motion he withdrew it.

Claire resisted physical contact with him.

Claire noticed his movement and stared at him blankly for a momcnt.

just then, Ethan's phone rang.

He stepped aside to answer it.

"Tell Justin to go. I have something to deal with so I won't be going."

After saying that, he hung up.

Claire spoke up, “I'm fine now. You should go ahead and take care of your work. Don't worry about me.”

Ethan turned and looked at her for a long moment.

"I've aleady sent someone else." he said.

Claire didn't say anything more.

However, the atmosphere inside their small apartment became a littlebstrange afterward.

Ethan sat at the dining table working on his laptop.

Claire sat on the sofa reading a novel.

But she clearly wasn't very focused on it.

From time to time, her eyes drifted toward Ethan.

The man had his back to her, his gaze fixed on the screen as his fingers moved quickly across the keyboard.

After a while,Claire realized it was almost time to prepare lunch. 

She stood up and went to the kitchen to take out the remaining ingredients from the small refrigerator.

Ethan glanced toward the kitchen and fell into deep thought.

Her slender figure stood by the sink, her back facing him as she washed vegetables.

Justin had once asked him what he liked about Claire.

But even he had no answer.

His mind seemed to act on its own.

Claire had said she liked him and wanted him to be her boyfriend and somehow he had agreed without thinking.

Afterward, he felt strange about it but quickly adapted to the role of a boyfriend.

If his friends said anything bad about Claire, he would feel angry.

When he saw Claire accepting flowers from other men, he even considered marrying her immediately so he could keep her by his side.

From childhood to adulthood, he had always been calm and rational, someone who was indifferent to emotions.

He didn't understand why Claire was so special and why she made him do such irrational things.

Gradually, he came to accept that he liked her.

He thought that all his recent behavior had been caused by jealousy.

But Claire's attitude now felt strange.

She was the one who had pursued him first.

Yet now she seemed to be deliberately avoiding him.

He could clearly sense it.

Claire was avoiding him.

Could it really be as Justin and the others had joked…that Claire never truly liked him and had only been teasing him?

But that didn't make sense either.

If she had only been teasing him, why would she agree to marry him?

He had no money, no house, and couldn't provide Claire with a luxurious life.

So why had she married him?

Just then, Claire turmed around and noticed Ethan frowning at his computer.

She poured a glass of hot water, added a few goji berries, and walked over to place it beside him.

“Drink some goji berry tea," she said. "It's good for the liver and eyes, and it helps relieve eye strain."

Ethan looked up at her, then lowered his gaze to the cup.

He picked it up and took a sip.

“Thank you."

Claire glanced at his computer screen.

It was filled with dense lines of code.

It looked like game developmcnt code.

Ethan's startup company had originally focused on developing games.

In the novel, his company had secured several rounds of funding through a successful game project, and its value skyrocketed afterward.

Even after retumning to his wealthy family,Ethan didn't abandon the company.

The business was later continued by Justin, who expanded it into Al technology and robotics development.

Eventually, the company even went public.

Claire stared at the code for a while before asking."Is this a mobile game?"

Ethan looked at her in surprise.

"You can understand it?"

Claire hesitated before mumbling.

“I only understand a little."

She had majored in computer science and had worked at a large Internet company since graduation.

Although she hadn't been involved in game development specifically, she was still familiar with coding.

Under Ethan's probing gaze, Claire chose to avoid the topic.

"I'll go cook," she said quickly.

Ethan immediately stood up.

“I'lI cook."

Claire pressed him back into his chair. "You keep working. I'll cook."

As she pushed him down, her hand brushed against his arm.

Through the thin fabric of his shirt, she could feel the warmth of his skin and the firmness of his muscles.

Claire immediately withdrew her hand.

“I'm free anyway. I'll cook," she said awkwardly.

Then she hurried back into the kitchen.

Ethan stared at her retreating figure for a moment, deep in thought.

Soon, Claire prepared three dishes and a soup: stir-fried cauliflower with pork, hot-and-sour shredded potatoes,

stir-fried lettuce, and mushroom soup.

The small apartment quickly filled with the rich aroma of food.

Ethan glanced toward the kitchen, a faint dazed look appearing in his eyes.

Claire turned around and called out, “Put away your laptop. Let's eat."

Ethan closed the computer, placed it on the sofa, and went into the kitchen to help carry the dishes.

His tall figure standing beside her made Claire feel a subtle sense of pressure.

This man was simply too tall, and his presence was overwhelming.

Soon the two of them sat down and ate quietly.

Claire had a small appetite and didn't eat much, so Ethan silently finished all the dishes.

Claire smiled faintly, feeling a small sense of accomplishment.

For someone who cooked, the greatest satisfaction was seeing the food she made completely finished.

Ethan volunteered to wash the dishes.

Meanwhile, Claire sat on the sofa scrolling through her phone.

After a while, she suddenly felt like eating fruit.

She put her phone away, put on a long down jacket, and prepared to go out.

Hearing the movement, Ethan turned around.

"Going out?"

“Yes, to buy some fruit."

Ethan wiped his hands, walked over, and grabbed his coat.

“Together."

Claire hesitated for a moment.

"There's no need. You should continue your work. I can go by myself."

But Ethan had already put on his coat and bent down to change his shoes.

Claire pressed her lips together and didn't say anything else.

After putting on her shoes, she left the apartment and took the elevator.

The two walked side by side along the road.

Claire turned her head slightly to glance at the tall man beside her.

His brows were cold and distant, and he rarely smiled.

A typical male protagonist from a novel.

But simply looking at his face was pleasing enough.

Suddenly, a sharp car horn blared nearby.

Before Claire could react, she bumped into a firm chest.

A faint scent of clean smell of laundry detergent drifted into her nose.

Claire paused before stepping back from Ethan’s arms.

A delivery scooter sped past them.

The rider was probably about to be late.

She often encountered situations like this on the road.

Although she knew delivery drivers had their own difficulties, riding like that was still dangerous.

With a small sigh, she could only lament how hard life could be.

Turning to Ethan, she said sincerely, "Thank you for pulling me back."

Ethan didn't respond,maintaining his usual indifferent

expression.

Typical novel male lead.

At the intersection, a large truck was selling fruit.

Claire bought a bag of the cheapest oranges.

While Ethan paid, she couldn't help glancing at the bowls of strawberries displayed on the truck.

Ethan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Boss, one bowl of strawberries. "

The vendor smiled and picked up a bowl to pack.

But Claire quickly stopped him.

“Boss, we don't need those."

The vendor looked at Claire, then at Ethan.

“Miss, my strawberries are very sweet. I picked them up fresh from the farm this morning."

Claire shook her head.

“I already bought oranges today. I’ll try them next time.”

The vendor was about to put the strawbewries back when Ethan spoke again.

“Boss, pack them. How much in total?"

“$42," the vendor replied.