Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

Holding the USB drive, I was torn about stashing it. If it vanished, Ethan would totally know I swiped it.

As I hesitated, someone bumped into me, and the drive went flying into the sink.

Before I could grab it, a redhead started puking into the sink, and the drive slid down the drain with the vomit. I was floored!

The redhead kept puking, and I felt both desperate and crushed.

It wasn't until she had nothing left to puke and was gasping for air over the sink that I finally stood there, dumbfounded, holding the unwashed suit.

After standing there forever, I finally moved to another sink to wash the suit clean.

When I walked out of the restroom, Ethan was waiting for me outside the door. Seeing he was alone, I asked, "Where's Oliver?"

He replied, "I had a waiter help him downstairs. He's probably passed out by now."

As he spoke, he reached out to take the washed suit from me, but I held onto it tightly.

He looked at me, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

I stammered for a bit and then said softly, "The USB drive in your pocket, I accidentally dropped it into the sink."

I expected him to blow up, but he didn't. He just paused for a moment. A look I couldn't read flashed in his eyes, and he said indifferently, "What's gone is gone. Let's go."

I figured the USB drive had to be important, but he just brushed it off with a simple "what's gone is gone."

He didn't try to take the suit from me again and walked ahead. I quickly followed. We didn't go much further before we stopped.

Nearby, a greasy-faced guy with a voluptuous woman in his arms was walking towards us. It was Mark from the court.

He saw us too, first looking surprised, then smiling.

"What a coincidence."

His gaze swept over me, and he said with a sarcastic smile, "Seems Ethan is quite the sentimental man."

I got the hint in Mark's words.

The last time we had dinner, Ethan brought me along, and this time, I was still the one by his side. Mark was a player, thinking everyone was like him.

Ethan quietly took my hand and smiled faintly at Mark.

Ethan said, "Mark, tonight's expenses are on me. Enjoy yourself. We have things to do, so we won't be staying."

"You're generous."

"

Mark beamed, showing a mouthful of white teeth. The hand he had on the woman's shoulder squeezed her face, and she playfully pushed him away, making him laugh heartily. Seeing him so pleased, it seemed Lacey's scheme against him last time hadn't been discovered by Mark.

We didn't linger and quickly left the bar with Ethan holding my hand.

We first took the suit to the dry cleaners before driving home.

On the way, I noticed he was very quiet and wondered if he was upset about the USB drive.

After a long time of fidgeting, I lowered my head, fiddling with the hem of my clothes, and said softly, "Actually, if we had someone dismantle the sink and pulled out the drain pipe in time, we might still find the USB drive." I suddenly looked up at him. "Why don't we go back now and dismantle the sink? Maybe we can still find it?"

The car was filled with a suffocating silence.

Ethan stared ahead, the neon lights outside the window reflecting in his eyes. I didn't know what he was thinking or if he was blaming me.

After a long while, he finally said indifferently, "No need."

I didn't believe he didn't care at all about losing the USB drive. But in the following days, he indeed didn't seem angry or upset about it. Life returned to its usual calm and warmth.

A few days later, one morning, I suddenly got a call from Aurora.

An hour later, Aurora's assistant, the woman I had seen with her at the hospital, drove up to the villa.

I had already prepared within that hour and got into her car with my bag.

The assistant looked to be in her thirties. She was very elegant, probably influenced by being around someone like Aurora.

She was also very friendly, chatting with me the whole way, maybe to keep me from getting bored. So it didn't feel like a long drive before the car stopped at the entrance of an estate. The estate was large, with a European-style villa inside.

After getting out of the car, I followed her into the estate.

The entire estate was covered in snow, but the cobblestone paths were swept clean.

The assistant led me into the villa.

The interior of the villa was exquisitely designed, with a touch of elegance amidst the luxury.

Aurora was sitting on a European-style leather sofa, flipping through a magazine, with a thick stack of them on the coffee table in front of her.

"Ma'am, she's here," the assistant said as she walked over to Aurora.

Aurora looked up and smiled at me, gesturing to the sofa beside her.

"Please, have a seat."

I nodded politely, walked over, and sat down cautiously.

Aurora put down the magazine and looked at me with a gentle smile. "I've been meaning to invite you over to thank you, but I've been swamped. Sorry it took so long."

I quickly waved my hand. "You're too kind. Saving you was just a small effort on my part."

We chatted for a while about common topics related to medicine and wellness.

Later, Aurora said she wanted to cook a meal for me herself to show her sincerity.

I was surprised that someone of her status would cook personally.

Aurora had servants at home, but they didn't seem to enter the kitchen. I felt awkward just sitting there waiting for the food, so I followed her into the kitchen to see if I could help.

A pot on the stove was steaming, and a pleasant aroma wafted out with the steam.

I asked what she was cooking, and Aurora said it was a healthy soup.

I noticed she was very skilled at chopping and stir-frying, so I couldn't help but ask, "Do you usually cook for yourself?"

She answered while chopping vegetables. "I cook whenever I have time. The process of cooking is actually quite enjoyable."

Aurora didn't make any extravagant dishes, just a few light but nutritious ones and a pot of soup.

She said that true healthy eating should be light, which was good for both the body and the skin.

I really admired and aspired to live like Aurora, not just because of her youthful beauty and elegance that belied her age, but because she lived her life so exquisitely.

After the meal, Aurora and I chatted in the living room for a while.

I accidentally saw a poster on the coffee table and picked it up out of curiosity.

Aurora was accepting apprentices?

Aurora was very influential in the makeup and beauty industry, and many people would probably do anything to become her apprentice.

"Are you interested?" A gentle voice sounded in my ear. I looked up to see Aurora gazing at me warmly.

I think she must have seen the excitement and desire in my eyes, which was why she asked.

I was thrilled but worried that I might not meet her standards. After some hesitation, I shared my long-held idea of combining medicine with beauty. To my surprise, she was very supportive.

"That's a great idea. I can see that you're a very ambitious young woman. If you can integrate beauty and makeup with medicine, it would be a very promising career. I'm willing to teach you. Would you like to learn from me?" Aurora looked at me expectantly, and I nodded excitedly.

"Of course, I'd be honored."

Aurora smiled elegantly. "I'm honored too. Every industry needs to be passed down. When I take on an apprentice, I look not only at their talent in the field but also at their character. Emily, I really admire you." Becoming Aurora's apprentice was the biggest gain of this visit. Before I left, she gave me many books and materials on the subject, asking me to read them first, and she would teach me gradually.

When I was about to leave, the assistant had something to do, and Aurora offered to drive me herself. I didn't dare trouble her and said I would take a cab.

Seeing my insistence, she finally agreed.

Maybe because of the remote location and the snow, I walked for a while without finding a cab.

After about ten minutes, I saw a taxi approaching. Just as I was about to wave it down, I heard engines roaring behind me. I turned to see several motorcycles speeding towards me.

I moved to the side, but one motorcycle came straight at me, forcing me back to the center. The motorcycles quickly circled around me.

The taxi engines roared as it drove past, the driver glancing at me but not stopping. I looked around at the men on the motorcycles, all in combat boots, leather jackets, and thick rings. They didn't look friendly. Trying to stay calm, I asked, "What do you want?"

My question was met with laughter, but no one answered.

I scanned the group and quickly focused on a man wearing sunglasses.

He had one foot on the ground, arms crossed, head tilted, looking at me through his sunglasses with a faint smile.

He looked familiar, but the sunglasses covered most of his face so that I couldn't recognize him.

I quietly reached into my pocket, and just as I pulled out my phone, a snowball hit me, causing me to drop it.

As I reached down to pick it up, another hand grabbed it first. I tried to snatch it back, but he held it high out of my reach.

I looked at the man holding my phone.

He looked so familiar!

"Who are you?" I asked, staring at him intently.

He chuckled softly and took off his sunglasses.

I was stunned!