Immortal Race

Part 5

"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."