Nurse Ella rushed back to the staff room, visibly flustered. The head nurse noticed her unusual demeanor and asked curiously, "Ella, what's got you so worked up?"
"It's him!" Ella blurted out excitedly, her face turning red as she quickly added, "I saw Ethan steal a kiss from Miss Scarlett!"
"Miss Scarlett? Isn't that Ethan's aunt?" The head nurse was impressed by Scarlett, a striking beauty hard to forget.
Her curiosity piqued, she put down her work and came over, "Tell me what happened?"
"I was just doing my rounds..." Ella recounted everything she had seen.
While they were talking, another experienced nurse finished her rounds and joined in the gossip.
Ella finished her story.
The head nurse's eyes sparkled as she turned to the experienced nurse, "What do you think?"
The experienced nurse's eyes twinkled, and she licked her lips, "We need to take some photos, then we can tease him."
"Tease?" Ella was taken aback, her eyes wide.
"We need a good plan," the head nurse exchanged looks with the others, reaching an agreement.
...
The morning sun rushed into the hospital room.
Ethan opened his eyes to see his aunt already dressed and cleaning.
Her fitted women's suit outlined her perfect S-curve.
"Good morning, Ethan." Scarlett greeted him with a cheerful smile, glanced over his hospital bed, finished cleaning the room, and opened the window to breathe in the fresh air.
She sat down by the bed, "Sorry, I think I drank too much last night. I didn't do anything strange, did I?"
Hearing about strange things, Ethan immediately thought of the kissing scene, his gaze shifting. Blair hadn't said anything to his aunt, had he?
"It wasn't real, was it?" Scarlett noticed his odd reaction, covering her mouth, "My friends say I get aggressive when I'm drunk and might hit people. I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"No... no!" Relieved it wasn't about the kiss, Ethan quickly changed the subject, "Aunt, why did you drink so much last night? Was it work, or... personal issues?"
He stole glances at his aunt, testing the waters, meeting her smiling eyes.
Scarlett flicked his forehead with her finger, "That's an adult's secret."
Ethan pouted, "I'm not a kindergarten kid anymore, I'm eighteen, I'm an adult now."
"Oh~ really." Scarlett tilted her head, looking at him with a teasing smile, "You have grown up indeed."
Ethan awkwardly touched his head, his aunt always had this kind of playful, slightly mischievous demeanor.
Seeing his embarrassment, Scarlett laughed, taking his hand, "Ethan, you need to get well soon, then you can enjoy your youth with the girl you like, that Emily girl, she seems quite fond of you~"
"She's not my type." Hearing Emily's name, Ethan's expression darkened, that crazy woman, he wanted nothing to do with her.
"Oh?" Scarlett drew out her words, "What type is Ethan into?"
"This..." Ethan's gaze drifted, finally landing on Scarlett, "I like someone mature, with a good figure, preferably with red wavy hair."
Scarlett gave him a sidelong glance, her expression playful, "You sure have a lot of requirements. My requirements are much simpler."
"Ah? What requirements?" Ethan's attention snapped back, and he turned to look at her.
Scarlett spread her hands, "Just for Ethan to say 'I love you' to me."
Ethan's face turned red instantly, his mind grinding to a halt.
Scarlett covered her mouth with one hand, almost bursting into laughter, her eyes crinkling into crescents.
Ethan covered his head with one hand, his expression awkward, "Don't joke about that, Aunt. You've never really seen me as a man."
Scarlett took his hand, looking into his eyes, "Ethan, feelings like 'liking' someone are easy to come by. Maybe it's because that person is good-looking, has a nice body, or danced a cool dance. Even just wearing nice clothes today can spark such feelings."
"Or simply, when you reach a certain age, and there happens to be a suitable woman around."
"I'm not..." Ethan started to object.
Scarlett placed a finger on his lips, smiling, "But confessing your feelings isn't easy. Because from then on, there will be someone in the world whom you need to trust completely. You'll spend a whole lifetime together. All the reasons you like her now might fade over time. Then, will you still be able to say 'I love you'?"
"I..." Ethan was momentarily confused.
"So, focus on getting better first." Scarlett smiled again, tucking his hand under the blanket, "I like healthy, obedient kids."
After saying this, Scarlett stood up, waved at him, and left for work with her handbag.
Ethan lay in bed, watching her graceful figure leave, his face suddenly flushing with embarrassment, wishing he could crawl into a hole.
He was sure of one thing.
Scarlett had long known about his feelings for her.
But in her eyes, he was just a child, and all this was just a young boy's infatuation with a mature woman.
"What should I do, I'm completely clueless." Ethan lay in the hospital bed, in his current state, unable to make his aunt see him as a man, let alone complete any 'task'.
He had tried to probe why she drank last night. He didn't get a clear answer.
If it was just drinking with friends, there was no need to avoid the question.
Could it really be about a man?
But with Aunt Scarlett's looks, it would be abnormal if no one pursued her.
He spent the entire day lying in bed, his mind a mess, barely noticing the nurses who came by.
Until the afternoon, when Blair came in.
"Emily has a club activity and can't come, she asked me to apologize to you." Blair sat down on the adjacent bed, pulling out his phone and starting to tap on it.
"Oh." Ethan, relieved to hear Emily wouldn't be coming, currently wanted to avoid her the most, considering her bizarre behavior.
Blair, looking at his phone, suddenly asked, "What were you thinking last night to end up kissing my mom?"