Chapter 53

Before leaving C City, Suzy still owed Adam a meal.

Leonard had clearly remembered that as well, and so tonight’s dinner had already been arranged.

They were meeting at the same familiar hotpot restaurant.

When Suzy received the call, she drove straight over.

She arrived last.

Adam and Leonard were already seated—and there was an unfamiliar young man sitting with them.

He was strikingly handsome.

At first glance, he resembled Adam by about fifty percent, but their temperaments could not have been more different.

If Adam was like a frost-covered pine standing alone on a snowfield—reserved, austere—then this man was like a peach blossom in full bloom. Bright, flamboyant, with a pair of naturally smiling peach-blossom eyes that made every glance seem drenched in affection.

As Suzy approached the table, the young man looked up at her, the corners of his lips curved in an easy smile.

"Suzy, you’re here," Leonard greeted. "Let me introduce you. This is Adam’s cousin, Ronan."

Ronan and Adam had always been close. He often spent time with Leonard as well. They were all old acquaintances.

He had known Leonard had a niece, but this was his first time seeing her in person.

And he couldn’t help studying her.

Just as Leonard had described, she was exceptionally beautiful. But she also looked fragile. There was a faint pallor in her complexion, a hint of illness in her delicate features.

"Hello," Ronan greeted first, his smile open and disarming.

"Hello," Suzy replied politely.

After exchanging greetings, she took her seat. Her gaze instinctively drifted to Adam, who sat directly across from her.

"Adam," she called softly. She noticed he had changed his hairstyle.

It made him look younger—so much so that he didn’t seem nearly thirty. If anything, he resembled a university student.

Adam inclined his head slightly.

"You changed your hair?" Suzy asked with a smile.

"Mm."

"It suits you," she said sincerely.

Leonard clicked his tongue. "It really does knock a few years off you. What haircut is that? I’m getting the same one tomorrow."

Before Adam could respond, the server arrived, effectively ending the topic.

Plates of ingredients were placed on the table one after another.

Leonard handed the tablet menu to Suzy. "Take a look. Add whatever you want."

She didn’t stand on ceremony. After scrolling through the menu and adding several items, she noticed that nearly everything she wanted had already been ordered.

She paused, then set the tablet down.

"What did you add?" Leonard asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing more. You already ordered what I wanted."

Leonard waved it off. "Alright. We’ll add more if it’s not enough."

The moment he finished speaking, a familiar notification sounded in Suzy’s mind.

[Target detected: Ronan Tyler]

[Level: SS]

[Favorability insufficient. Binding unavailable.]

Ronan Tyler??

He qualifies too??

Suzy stared at him in disbelief.

Another eligible target?

And only SS-level—lower than Thomas Kim’s SSS—but still impressive.

But why had the system only triggered now?

Shouldn’t it have notified her the moment she saw him?

She grumbled inwardly. The system, as usual, ignored her.

Objectively speaking, Ronan’s external conditions were excellent. With fifty percent resemblance to Adam, it was impossible for him to be unattractive.

And yet... At that exact moment, Ronan was also studying her.

More precisely, assessing her.

Curiosity flickered in those oval eyes of his, bright and probing.

Their gazes collided unexpectedly.

Ronan smiled at her—wide, confident, almost dazzling.

For a split second, Suzy felt as if she’d been lightly electrocuted. Her thoughts stalled.

She looked away awkwardly, only to find Adam watching her as well.

Suzy blushed, feeling strangely exposed. Was there something on her face? Why were they both staring at her like that?

Adam still wore that same indifferent expression. The shifting restaurant lights reflected faintly in his pale gray eyes, yet revealed nothing of what lay beneath.

"Suzy, don’t be so reserved," Leonard said, attempting to liven the mood. "Ronan’s about your age. He’s still in college, too."

"Okay," Suzy replied obediently.

But she had no intention of striking up a conversation with Ronan.

It wasn’t that she disliked him—she simply didn’t know what to say. And with Leonard and Adam both present, the atmosphere felt subtly restrained.

In fact, Suzy had the strange impression that if her gaze lingered even slightly in Ronan’s direction, Adam’s eyes would follow.

What exactly was going on?

Was Adam really that possessive of his cousin?

The moment that thought surfaced, Suzy didn’t dare glance at Ronan again.

Steam rose from the bubbling hotpot, curling softly between the four of them. The air shimmered with heat and spice.

Suzy lowered her head and ate the slices of fatty beef Leonard had placed into her bowl, though her mind wandered.

The fact that Ronan was also a viable "target" left her distracted.

She blinked and forced herself to refocus.

Almost immediately, she sensed a faint but unmistakable gaze resting on her again.

When she looked up, it was gone.

But she was certain. It had been Adam.

That only made her more uneasy.

Forget it. Just eat.

Before she realized it, the soup in her bowl was nearly gone.

She reached instinctively for the ladle, but a big, well-defined hand had already beaten her to it.

Adam lifted the ladle with unhurried ease, scooped a spoonful of the mushroom broth she liked, and poured it neatly into her bowl.

Suzy froze.

When she looked up, she saw only his calm profile.

After pouring the soup, he withdrew his hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world, his gaze already lowered back to his own bowl.

"Thank you, Adam," she said softly.

He gave a faint acknowledgment without lifting his head.

Suzy lowered her gaze again and continued eating.

Thinking about how she might not be able to enjoy such food much longer, she ate a little too quickly... And choked.

She had barely coughed once when a glass of iced tea appeared beside her hand.

She took a small sip. The coolness slid down her throat, soothing the burn.

"Thank you," she murmured again.

Leonard was busy loudly discussing a recent football match with Ronan and hadn’t noticed the small exchanges at all.

But Ronan had.

Those affectionate peach-blossom eyes shifted between Suzy and his cousin, a trace of amusement flickering within.

Interesting

.

Adam Bennet was famously disciplined and distant. Reserved. Self-controlled. Indifferent to women.

And yet tonight... He was being... remarkably attentive.

Ronan found it intriguing.

"Suzy," he suddenly said, smiling lightly. "The shrimp paste here is excellent. Want to try some?"

Suzy looked up, slightly startled.

She didn’t know why Ronan had suddenly addressed her, but she nodded anyway.

"Oh... sure."

Binding equals reward. It wouldn’t hurt to build goodwill.

Ronan reached for the serving chopsticks with a grin, but Adam’s calm gaze flicked toward him.

It was a mild look. Quiet.

Yet Ronan’s hand paused almost imperceptibly.

"She can’t handle spicy food," Adam said evenly.

Then, without a trace of awkwardness, he reached into the tomato broth and fished out two cooked shrimp paste balls, placing them gently into Suzy’s bowl.

"This is milder. Try this instead."

Suzy blinked.

What... was happening now?

And more importantly... How did Adam know she preferred shrimp paste cooked in the tomato broth?