Nora seemed to have been pardoned, almost sliding along the wall with a "whoosh," moving as fast as if fleeing for her life.
Marcus witnessed the whole thing. After Nora had run off, he poked Ethan with a strange expression: "Ethan, are you serious? That's your type?"
He lowered his voice, his expression exaggerated: "What's so great about her? Always hanging her head down, like a bullied kid, not good-looking at all!"
Marcus was still puzzled. What on earth was Ethan up to? Why did he like messing with Nora?
Ethan glanced at him sideways, a playful smile curling at the corner of his mouth: "Man, guess what?"
Marcus: "Oh, come on, my... You bastard!"
At that moment, Summer walked over. She had just witnessed the scene where Ethan "blocked" Nora.
She frowned, her tone tinged with reproach: "Ethan, why did you mess with Nora again? She's very insecure, so don't provoke her for no reason."
Ethan laughed and said, "I never provoked her. I'm just building up her confidence! And she's kind of plain, you know what I mean."
Summer's face darkened: "Don't say that. If she hears you, it won't be good. She'll be upset..."
She paused, remembering the main thing she wanted to say, and softened her tone a bit: "By the way, thanks for recommending me to Mr. Hayes for class rep."
Ethan waved his hand and said, "It's nothing. Even without my recommendation, the position was yours. Your abilities speak for themselves — everyone will choose you!"
Hearing Ethan's confident evaluation, her eyes lit up, and her mindset quietly changed.
From the very beginning of enrollment, she felt she could confidently become class president.
Later, when Ethan organized everyone for a barbecue, after showing his strong organizational skills, she felt he was a formidable opponent, but she still had a chance.
Later, she gradually felt she couldn't compete with him at all. After military training ended and the class committee election was held, she realized she really couldn't beat him.
But now, her mindset had clearly changed significantly; she was already hoping for Ethan's recognition of her abilities.
"Really? Can I take this as your recognition of me?" Summer's voice carried a hint of anticipation.
"Of course!" Ethan nodded without hesitation and activated "flattery mode."
To successfully "shift blame" in the future... Oh no, "reasonably delegate"—he deeply understood the importance of building confidence in this highly responsible class rep.
This isn't sucking up—this is called "excellent management"!
Whether he has good days ahead depends on this moment.
He spoke immediately, his tone sincere — at least it sounded like it: "Summer, honestly, in our class, when it comes to attention to detail, thoroughness, and strong execution, you're definitely number one. Even I'm not as good as you..."
"Besides, I think when it comes to responsibility, no one can match you. Even though I'm class president, in terms of dedication, I'd lose to you every time!"
"My one real strength is just that I can keep the class in line. That's about it."
Finally, Ethan added, "So, from now on, class work, especially the stuff that needs attention to detail and patience, is going to rely on you, our rock. As for me, I'll work hard to live up to my campaign promises, build something big, and bring honor to the class! We'll cover each other, inside and out!"
He painted a beautiful blueprint for collaboration.
Summer was stirred by his "high praise" and felt she might have misjudged Ethan's "hands-off" intentions before.
But the top student's intuition quickly caught a hint of something unusual. She stared at Ethan suspiciously: "Wait... Ethan, are you planning to hand over all those tedious daily tasks to me and just be the hands-off boss?"
Ethan's heart skipped a beat, thinking things were bad, but his face instantly changed to "shocked misunderstanding": "How is this possible? Am I that kind of person? Summer, are you questioning my sense of responsibility? I, Ethan, will never shirk my duties as class president!"
He changed the subject: "What I mean is, since you're exceptionally capable, you should step up and help Mr. Hayes and me handle class affairs. We'll discuss and decide on major matters together. Unless you feel you can't handle it, in which case I'll just have to ask Mr. Hayes to pick someone else..."
When Ethan's flattery failed, he immediately switched to provoking her!
In short, he would never admit he was trying to bail.
Summer was struck by this provocation. Stirred by Ethan's words, her stubborn spirit was stirred: "No, no, no, I can handle it. Who says I can't? Let's settle it, happily."
She was afraid Ethan might change his mind or actually go talk to Mr. Hayes about replacing her.
Watching Summer's spirited departing figure, Ethan was overjoyed.
Successfully fooled her!
Good days ahead are beckoning!
After Summer left.
"Ethan," Marcus, who had been watching from the sidelines, leaned in and clicked his tongue, shaking his head, "You really are something. Even Summer got played that easily? You're clearly trying to be a hands-off boss!"
Ethan glanced at him calmly: "What's wrong? Feeling sorry for her? How about you go help her out with the class chores?"
As soon as Marcus heard this, he immediately shook his head like a rattle and waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, no! Forget I said anything! You keep going, you keep playing people... Oh no, I mean, you keep managing it so well!"
He definitely didn't want to get dragged into Ethan's "management art" as unpaid labor.
...
In economics class.
Marcus was quietly discussing Vibe's features with Ethan under the cover of his textbook when his phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.
He glanced at the lit-up screen — Brandon.
"Take the call." Ethan quietly signaled to Marcus, then stood up.
On the podium, the professor, who was explaining the supply and demand curve, glanced over. When he saw it was Ethan, the interrupted displeasure quickly vanished, and he gave a barely noticeable nod, tacit approval.
Ethan walked out of the classroom. The afternoon sunlight streamed through the corridor window, casting long patches of light on the floor.
He walked to a quiet corner, leaned against the cool tiled wall, and answered the call.
Brandon's voice came from the other end of the line, tinged with teasing and barely noticeable urgency: "Ethan, what have you been so busy with lately? You're a ghost, man, hard to catch, and still gotta wait for the bell to ring before I can get you on the phone?"
Ethan smiled and asked, "Cut the pretense. Judging by your energy, is there something important to discuss?"
After spending some time together, he'd come to understand Brandon. When he had nothing to do, he joked around, but once his tone carried this kind of "urgency," he definitely had an idea.
"Haha, the one who truly gets me is Ethan!" Brandon laughed heartily.
Then he lowered his voice, showing seriousness: "Isn't it about that big future you painted for us on the yacht last time?"
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