Ethan Wraith was awakened by the knocking on the door.
He put on a blue-striped beach shorts, stretched his waist, and shook off the numbness in his right hand. Then, he began to tidy up the room quickly. He picked up the discarded toilet paper on the floor, gathered the scattered CDs, and muttered to himself, "Fleeting beauty, fleeting life." He casually tossed the Japanese actress's poster under the bed - an art that could only be fully appreciated in the dark.
"Knock, knock." The knocking on the door continued, gentle and unhurried, just like the person knocking. Ethan's lips curled up, thinking of the lovely Sophia Mercer.
"Come in," Ethan said, opening the door.
"Ah—" Sophia's high-pitched scream came from outside the door.
Ethan rubbed his ears, complaining, "What's with you every time, Sophia? You always scream like that."
Sophia glanced at Ethan's half-naked body, her face flushing with annoyance. "You're one to talk. Why do you always open the door without wearing clothes?"
Ethan's physique was well-proportioned, neither too thin nor too muscular. His skin was smooth, without a single blemish. Even the mosquito bites were hard to find. Under the warm yellow light, his skin looked slightly pale, but it only added to his charm. When he dressed, many people mistook him for a girl. The elderly women downstairs would often point at his back and sigh, "What a pity, such a beautiful girl, but with a bad fate."
Thinking of this, Sophia couldn't help but sigh inwardly, feeling a surge of tender emotions.
"I'm not afraid of you, okay? You've been waiting for so long, it's about time I got dressed." Ethan thought of saying, "I've been waiting for you, let me show you," but he didn't dare. He went back inside, took the dried jeans from the balcony, and put them on in front of Sophia.
"Yeah, I just got out of school. I came to help you," Sophia said, her face flushing as she turned away. This guy was always so careless, never treating her like a girl.
...
Ethan was an orphan, taken in by Grandma Aaliyah , a widow who lived alone. After taking in Ethan, their life became even more difficult, and they had to scavenge for a living.
When Ethan was 15, Grandma Aaliyah led him to the door of the Ahmad family, carrying a blue gift box. "You should learn a skill, even if you can't attend school." From then on, Ethan had a master. He learned to roast meat skewers from Ahmad .
Ahmad was an Arabian person, and his skill in roasting meat skewers was not exceptional. His business was mediocre, but he taught Ethan all his skills without reservation.
...
Ethan pushed the roasting cart, while Sophia helped push the ice box. Looking at her slightly raised buttocks, Ethan suddenly thought of the Japanese actress he had hidden under his bed - all beauties.
Ethan glanced at Sophia's slightly protruding chest, laughing and teasing, "Sophia, you've gained weight again."
Sophia's face instantly flushed, her delicate features resembling a water droplet about to fall. She covered her eyes with her hair, saying, "Ethan, you're a bad guy."
...
As the night fell, customers started to arrive. Ethan didn't have time to flirt with Sophia anymore, his hands busy with the roasting. His handsome face was illuminated by the burning fire, making him look like a demon.
A group of thugs, with their shirts off, walked out of the KTV bar, heading towards Ethan's roasting cart. Ethan signaled to Sophia to be careful, worried that the thugs might harass her.
Sophia smiled sweetly, waving her hand to indicate that she could handle it.
"How can I help you, gentlemen?" Sophia asked, her voice sweet and gentle.
"We want ten chicken legs, twenty chicken wings, two fish... and some other things," a fat thug said, looking like the leader. "Good, please wait."
Sophia took down their order, then posted it on the side of the cart. She opened the ice box and took out a crate of beer.
"Here's your beer, gentlemen. Enjoy," Sophia said, smiling as she opened the bottles and handed them out.
A thug with purple hair made a suggestive gesture, and Sophia's face turned pale. She forced a smile, saying, "I'm sorry, gentlemen. I won't be able to keep you company. My brother is busy, and I need to help him."
The thugs started to get rowdy, and Ethan's face turned cold. He walked over, smiling, and said, "Gentlemen, my sister is still young and doesn't know how to drink. I'll take her place and toast you three cups. From now on, if you gentlemen come to my cart, I'll give you an 8% discount. Please, gentlemen, spare my sister."
The thugs started to get aggressive, and Ethan's face turned red with anger. Sophia stood up for him, her eyes blazing with fury.
The situation escalated, and the thugs started to vandalize the cart, smashing everything in sight. A middle-aged woman tried to intervene, but was kicked to the ground by one of the thugs.
Ethan's face turned dark, his eyes cold and menacing. The woman lay on the ground, her body motionless, a pool of blood spreading from under her.