It was already dark when Aaron Channing ca out.
Zane Thorne’s eyes were bloodshot, and he sat in the car smoking nearly half a pack of cigarettes before he started the car. He first went back to his apartnt to pick up so things and then returned to Natalie Vaughn’s place.
When the doorbell rang, Natalie Vaughn was eating takeout, and she ca over to open the door with a spoon in her mouth.
Seeing Zane Thorne with a bag, Natalie Vaughn raised an eyebrow.
It was unclear if she was surprised or if it was expected.
She blocked the doorway.
"What do you want?"
Zane Thorne noticed the red oil at the corner of Natalie Vaughn’s mouth and frowned. Last night’s hotpot, and tonight’s oily dish—Natalie Vaughn’s taste was a bit too heavy.
Even injured, she wouldn’t keep still.
Zane Thorne tossed the bag through the gap between the door and Natalie Vaughn.
"Crashing for another night."
Natalie Vaughn glanced at the bag and then looked up with a playful smile at Zane Thorne.
"Do you want to experience being kicked out of bed again?"
Hearing this, the man’s eyes narrowed as he sized up Natalie Vaughn.
He still rembered how arrogant she was in the morning and how scared she beca later.
Is she not afraid now?
Thinking about it, Zane Thorne chuckled softly, suddenly bending down to look directly into Natalie Vaughn’s eyes, capturing her gaze.
"You can try."
Natalie Vaughn: ...
What was she supposed to try?
Their faces were only a few centiters apart, and Natalie Vaughn frowned, overwheld by the strong sll of smoke from the man.
How many cigarettes has he smoked?
Only now did Natalie Vaughn notice the red veins and bloodshot eyes of Zane Thorne; he hadn’t looked this bad even when he had a fever in the morning.
What had happened in just one afternoon?
In the brief mont she was lost in thought, Zane Thorne had already entered the room.
Natalie Vaughn watched his unapologetic back, and couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
"Are you treating my place like your ho?"
Upon hearing that, the man didn’t even pause and went straight to sit by the dining table.
Natalie Vaughn had ordered spicy hotpot, with two large portions, one at and one vegetarian, enough for three to four people. When Zane Thorne arrived, Natalie Vaughn had almost finished eating.
Putting the spoon back in the al box, Natalie Vaughn had no qualms about letting out a satisfied burp, then grabbed a carton of milk from the refrigerator to drink in sips.
Returning to the dining table, Zane Thorne was now eating with her utensils.
Natalie Vaughn raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"How did a big boss like you get so hungry? There are utensils in the kitchen."
Zane Thorne continued to eat heartily, without any intention of changing the utensils. However, he ate so quickly and took several peppercorns that he frowned.
"What do you eat every day?"
Natalie Vaughn loved spicy food, occasionally numbing her tongue, but she hated peppercorns, so she was particularly careful when eating. Seeing Zane Thorne eat like that, she knew he’d fall for it.
She was a bit gloating.
"You hate peppercorns too?"
The man chewed a few tis and swallowed forcefully, his entire cheek going numb.
He looked up to see Natalie Vaughn leaning against the wall, drinking milk.
Natalie Vaughn smiled again.
"Again with your eyes on my milk? Do you just love eating what I’ve already eaten?"
She paused after saying that and clicked her tongue.
"Not a bit concerned, are you?"
Upon hearing this, Zane Thorne pressed his tongue against his cheek, easing the numbness.
"You’ve tasted my saliva too."
Natalie Vaughn: ...
Fuming, Natalie Vaughn quickly gulped down the remaining milk and tossed the carton into the trash right in front of Zane Thorne.
A precise shot from several ters away.
Zane Thorne watched her gesture, his brows moving slightly.
"You play basketball?"
Natalie Vaughn snorted.
"I can do a lot of things."
Zane Thorne nodded without further questioning, getting up to fetch so milk from the fridge himself.
He rarely drank the stuff, but since Natalie Vaughn occasionally had a carton, he decided to see what it was like.
But when he touched the chilled carton, the man frowned.
Heavy oil and spice followed by a carton of cold milk...
Zane Thorne looked at Natalie Vaughn, who was now cross-legged on the sofa eating fruit, and frowned even more.
"Your stomach’s good?"
Eating like that without getting an upset stomach seed impossible.
Natalie Vaughn didn’t quite get what he ant.
"It’s okay. Just average, right?"
Zane Thorne took a big sip of cold milk, fully suppressing the numb feeling in his mouth.
No wonder she liked eating like that—it was indeed satisfying.
Only...
Zane Thorne glanced at Natalie Vaughn, dressed lightly, and extended his words aningfully.
"Take it easy."
Natalie Vaughn: ...
This person eats her food and drinks her milk, yet has so much to say?
"Please clean up after eating, thank you."
With that, Natalie Vaughn started her ga.
Half an hour later, her stomach started to rumble, and she finally understood Zane Thorne’s earlier comnt.
But she’d just started the ga; she couldn’t just leave it idle for the whole match...
Natalie Vaughn turned her attention to Zane Thorne.
She plopped the phone onto Zane Thorne’s lap.
"I’m going to the bathroom, you play for ."
Whether Zane Thorne could play or not, she was being quite an, asking while threatening.
"You’d better play well, or I’ll beat you up if we lose."
With that, she dashed towards the bathroom.
Zane Thorne: ...
He chuckled at her hurried figure, knowing she was bound to have trouble with her eating habits.
Looking down at the flashing screen, he lazily tapped a few tis.
He hadn’t intended to help Natalie Vaughn play; he hadn’t played this ga before. But two minutes later, a string of curses rang out from the phone.
It took Zane Thorne a few seconds to realize it was her teammates cursing Natalie Vaughn.
The words were so harsh that even Zane Thorne frowned.
He intended to mute the voice chat until he heard a particularly insulting word, prompting him to open the mic.
"What’s that dog barking about?"
Just after finishing his cigarette, Zane Thorne’s voice was hoarse and carried his deep timbre. Even in a calm tone, it held an intimidating force.
The cursing guy hesitated upon hearing a male voice, clearly losing so of his bravado.
"Can’t you play properly, damn it?"
"If I play, shut your damn mouth."
Zane Thorne’s eyes drooped languidly. His mood had not been great today, and now he seed to be venting so of that anger on the guy.
Perhaps it was Zane Thorne’s authoritative tone that made the guy obediently mute himself.
Only then did Zane Thorne pick up the phone properly.
The system had already started issuing idle warnings.
Glancing towards the bathroom, Zane Thorne thought that if he really lost, the little girl would definitely seize the opportunity to mock him.
Zane Thorne hadn’t played mobile gas, but he used to play several PC gas, making this type of MOBA ga incredibly easy to pick up.
Especially since Natalie Vaughn had chosen an easy-to-snipe hero, Hawke.
In shooter gas, Zane Thorne was a god.
So, within minutes, Zane Thorne had taken control of the ga.
Halfway through, even a female teammate complinted him through her mic.
"Wow, you’re amazing, brother!"
Zane Thorne frowned in disdain.
Her voice was annoyingly similar to Natalie Vaughn’s exaggerated tone, but far less pleasant.
Natalie Vaughn calling him "brother" sounded much better.
When Natalie ca out, she saw Zane Thorne’s displeased expression.
"What’s up?"
Natalie stepped forward just as the female teammate awkwardly praised him again.
"Brother, carry in the next round~"
The voice was so shrill that even mosquitoes couldn’t survive.
Zane Thorne imdiately tossed the phone back to Natalie Vaughn.
Reviews
All reviews (0)