Often, when Ethan was with Eva, he felt that she was nothing like a Westerner.
She had the soft features typical of East Asian women, with facial contours so exquisite they were almost perfect. Especially when she smiled faintly, the beautiful curve of her lips was incredibly captivating, and her expressive, water-like eyes were just as enchanting.
But sometimes, she did not seem like an East Asian woman at all.
For example, she was very career-driven and had even given up her relationship with her ex-boyfriend for the sake of her career, despite the fact that they had already reached the stage of discussing marriage. In addition, judging by the way she dealt with the social and political elites around her, it was clear that her immense success was not only due to Ethan's timely advice and her stunning beauty, but also to her own ability.
Tonight, Eva was wearing a blue off-the-shoulder dress that accentuated her figure. Although she was not especially curvaceous, her proportions were perfect, as if the Creator had sculpted her according to the golden ratio, making her a standard of beauty for the female form.
"You look absolutely stunning tonight!" Ethan complimented her with a smile.
"You don't look too bad yourself, Mr. Big Shot from America!" Eva replied, grinning.
If it had only been the first half of her sentence, Ethan would have been happy. But with the second half added, he felt that Eva was mocking him. Clearly, she had learned about his identity from somewhere.
"I'm not sure what to call you now. Should it be 'football buddy' or 'Mr. Yu'?" Eva continued teasing him.
It was clear that she thought Ethan had deliberately deceived her.
"From the beginning, I've only had one identity. I'm a football fan. Any other role I have exists to serve that identity. If you still think I've deliberately hidden things from you or deceived you, then all I can say is sorry!"
Ethan did not like being mocked, so his tone was a little harsh.
Eva thought carefully and realized that Ethan had never explicitly said he was a football coach or anything similar. In fact, she had been the one making assumptions all along. However, Ethan had certainly been misleading her.
But it was obvious that if the conversation continued in this mood, it would only lead to a bigger argument.
"You look so serious when you're angry. Not at all like the gentleman you claim to be. And you always say you're from the East, football buddy!" Eva laughed, trying to lighten the mood.
"I remember Confucius once said, 'Women and petty people are difficult to deal with.' Besides, I've never considered myself a gentleman. Being a gentleman comes with too many constraints. I prefer freedom, and I don't like being tied down!"
"Is that so? Then I really feel sorry for your girlfriend. By the way, where is she?" Eva looked around.
Ethan thought to himself that the gossip hound was probably out gathering inside information. Of course, he could not say that out loud. "I don't know. Maybe she's tired. Let's go sit inside the castle."
"It seems you don't understand your girlfriend at all!" Eva quickly spotted Scarlett in the crowd.
Scarlett was talking to a man who had approached her, and it looked as if she was being pestered.
In settings like this, such interactions were common, and everyone was used to them.
Ethan shrugged, neither wanting to explain nor feeling the need to help Scarlett out of the situation. He thought that with the reporter's skills, it would not be easy for anyone to bother her.
"Do you have many girlfriends?" Eva suddenly asked.
Ethan was taken aback, then laughed. "Why do you say that? Do I look like a playboy?"
To his surprise, Eva nodded seriously. "At the very least, you don't seem to care about your girlfriend at all."
Ethan shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Do you want to hear the truth?"
"Of course, but I don't want to hear any made-up lies you use to charm girls." Eva looked serious.
Ethan pointed toward the castle and walked over, with Eva following closely behind.
The two of them walked to a stone pavilion beside the castle, a resting place prepared for guests. The stone tables and chairs inside were old and weathered, and they felt cool to the touch.
"There's no one here now. Can you talk?" Eva urged impatiently.
Ethan smiled. "Good. I don't like crowded places. Just dealing with all those people is exhausting!"
"So what I like doing most is staying at home, sleeping, and watching TV." Eva thought of her recent hobby, which was chatting on the phone.
That hobby had started last Christmas!
"But you handle those fans like a real star!" Ethan laughed.
Eva pouted cutely. Although Ethan sometimes felt that she was older, in reality, she was the same age as him, just more mature.
Because of that, they got along well.
"These are skills you have to learn if you want to survive in Hollywood, just like how you need to understand certain etiquette when you attend events like this."
"It seems you're becoming more and more Hollywood."
But Eva shook her head. "No, I don't like it. So I've already planned it out. America is only my workplace, but my life is in England."
"So..." Ethan found this a little hard to understand.
"So you might see me more often in the future!" Eva said, beaming.
Ethan was captivated by her smile. Eva was becoming more and more attractive in the way she spoke, moved, and expressed herself. As she rose in Hollywood, she must have received some training, and every move she made unconsciously carried a certain charm.
"Are you close with Victoria?" Ethan asked casually.
"Not very close, but she has always wanted to make it in Hollywood. She is very ambitious and plans everything carefully. Before she married David, they had already planned their lives, such as investing in businesses, since a football career can't last forever."
Ethan nodded, recalling that in his previous life, David Beckham, through constant packaging, had become an unprecedented football star. This transformation brought him tremendous influence and wealth, but it also made people forget his contributions on the pitch.
Anyone who doubted David Beckham should watch his performances for Real Madrid in the 2006-07 La Liga season. That might help them understand that no matter how his appearance changed, he was still the dedicated and responsible captain of the England national team.
"I'm also planning to work with them. What do you think?" Eva suddenly asked, looking at Ethan.
"Ah?" Ethan was caught off guard, still lost in thoughts of Beckham's future. "Oh, you can decide that for yourself. I'm not good at investing!"
"Is that so?" Eva did not seem to believe him.
Ethan shook his head and smiled bitterly. He vaguely remembered that Beckham and his wife had many successful businesses, largely because of the star effect. As Beckham became more famous, his businesses flourished.
"I think clothing, real estate, cosmetics, perfume, fashion products, and more could all be considered."
Although Ethan sounded casual, Eva listened carefully and nodded thoughtfully. "No wonder so many investors in America praise you!"
"That's not right. My business in America has always been handled by my investment adviser. He's the capable one!" Ethan quickly explained. He did not like being overpraised.
Although men often liked to show off their talents in front of women, that only applied when they truly had those talents. If Eva talked about football, Ethan could easily impress her, but investment was not his strength.
"By the way, after all this talking, I almost forgot. You still haven't told me what truth you wanted to share." Eva looked at Ethan, her eyes deep and magnetic.
"Well... it's nothing, really."
"Is it about your girlfriend?" Eva guessed, relying on a woman's intuition.
Ethan was startled, realizing that women seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to doubting men.
"I can tell from your expression that it is. But if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. After all, everyone says you two are a great match!"
For some reason, Ethan detected a hint of jealousy in Eva's words.
But he laughed at himself for having such thoughts, as if he expected every woman to like him. He was past the age of such fantasies.
"Who says that? She's not actually my girlfriend. She's just a neighbor who works at a newspaper. She was assigned to get inside information on this wedding, so she pretended to be my girlfriend to get close to me. You know the rest."
"Ah?" Eva looked surprised, with a hint of joy.
But Ethan did not notice. Just then, he heard the sound of high heels from around the corner of the castle and saw Scarlett, who had finally escaped her admirer, coming to look for her "boyfriend."
"There's your girlfriend, looking for you. She's really beautiful!" Eva teased Ethan, deliberately emphasizing the word "girlfriend," which stung him.
(To be continued.)