Chapter 113

The man looked at her without answering right away, as if weighing her intentions.

"You’re willing to help us?" he finally asked.

Wendy nodded. "Where are you headed? I have a boat—I can give you a ride."

"What’s your angle?" The man narrowed his eyes, suspicion flickering across his face as he subtly scanned their surroundings.

In a situation like this, a lone woman showing up in a speedboat and offering help out of nowhere...

No matter how you looked at it, something felt off.

For all he knew, she might have accomplices nearby, luring him into a trap.

"I don’t have any ulterior motive," Wendy said quickly.

The moment the words left her mouth, she realized she’d answered poorly. The man’s gaze grew even more guarded, and he instinctively pulled his younger brother a step back.

"...Fine. I’ll be honest," Wendy added. "I like the gold pendant around your neck. If you’re willing to give it to me, I’ll take you wherever you want to go."

The man’s expression darkened slightly. He touched the pendant at his throat before tucking it inside his shirt.

"I won’t give you the pendant," he said. "But I can offer food in exchange. You take us out of here—how about that?"

He fell silent after speaking, waiting patiently for her answer.

Wendy considered it briefly.

That could work... Just because he wouldn’t give it now didn’t mean he never would.

For now, building a connection was what mattered most.

Besides... she quite liked his looks.

What if he turned out to be one of her destined male leads?

Come to think of it, as the story’s heroine, she hadn’t even encountered a single male lead yet.

The thought made her strangely annoyed.

"Deal." Wendy agreed almost without hesitation. "Where are you going?"

"Starlight Towers." As he spoke, he pulled a few cans from his backpack. "Will these do?"

Wendy didn’t particularly care about the supplies—she had plenty of her own. A few cans like these didn’t impress her.

But the fact that he was willing to part with them in this situation showed sincerity.

"Fine," she said. "I’m heading to Starlight Towers too. It’s on the way."

A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. "You’re going there as well?"

Wendy nodded. "I live there. What about you?"

"...Yeah," he replied.

In truth, he owned an apartment there.

This area was almost completely flooded by now. Starlight Towers remained one of the few safe places—of course he had to move quickly.

"Then let’s go," Wendy said. "Get on. It’s going to rain again soon."

"Thank you." The man lifted his younger brother onto the speedboat, then climbed aboard himself.

"Everyone settled? If you’re ready, we’re heading out."

"We’re ready."

Wendy started the engine, and the boat cut through the water toward Starlight Towers.

Her gaze drifted to the man again and again, admiration shining in her eyes.

Wow... he’s ridiculously handsome.

Before being pulled into this world, Wendy had been nothing more than an ordinary college student. The only place she ever saw attractive men was online—she’d never encountered someone like this in real life.

Now that she could observe him up close, the more she looked, the harder it was to look away.

He had a refined, almost ethereal kind of beauty—fair skin, a high, elegant nose, perfectly shaped lips, and eyes that carried a natural hint of melancholy, giving him a uniquely captivating aura.

His slightly long hair was loosely tied back with a simple black band, a few stray strands falling across his forehead, adding to his distant, restrained charm.

His profile was clean and sharp, his jawline perfectly defined—there wasn’t a single flaw to pick at.

And it wasn’t just him.

The little boy beside him was just as striking—delicate features like a doll, big round eyes framed by long lashes. He looked like he could easily be a top-tier child model.

The resemblance between them was unmistakable. About seventy percent alike.

Just how good-looking must their parents have been to produce brothers like this?

Wendy stared a little too long. When he noticed, she flushed and quickly looked away, pretending to focus intently on steering the boat.

A moment later, she couldn’t help sneaking another glance.

She cleared her throat and broke the silence. "I don’t think I’ve gotten your name yet."

The man did not reply right away. For a long moment, he measured her with a stare, then threw a quick glance at the boy next to him.

"My name is Liam," he said at last. "This is my younger brother Noah."

Wendy nodded. "I’m Wendy. Nice to meet you."

After introducing herself, she repeated his name silently to herself.

Liam...

It clicked almost immediately. Wasn’t he one of her harem leads?

She remembered now—one of the male leads in the original story was named Liam Austen.

But his role hadn’t been particularly prominent, and he hadn’t been her favorite. Liam was too pure, too innocent—even in intimate scenes—which didn’t align with her tastes. She’d skipped most of his parts back then.

But now, seeing him in person...

Wendy felt like she’d been a complete fool.

With a face like that, that kind of "pure" persona was an absolute treasure.

That face. That body.

If she could get him into bed, it would be a win no matter what.

And he was a restricted-content male lead—meaning he came with top-tier physical advantages.

The more she thought about it, the more tempted she became.

Her gaze on Liam grew increasingly bold. Whatever fantasies were running through her mind, a strange, almost lecherous smile crept onto her lips.

A male lead.

Her man.

One of her harem members.

How was her luck this good?

Wendy grew so excited she nearly lost control of the boat.

In her mind, she had already claimed him.

Meanwhile, Liam’s younger brother noticed her expression and instinctively shrank closer to him.

Liam caught the movement. "What’s wrong?"

"Big brother... that woman... she’s kind of weird," the boy whispered.

The roar of the engine and the rushing wind swallowed their voices, leaving Wendy unaware of their conversation—though she did notice their occasional glances.

"How is she weird?" Liam asked.

Noah replied bluntly, "The way she looks at you is... kind of gross. Do you think she’s into you?"

Liam frowned.

He then turned toward Wendy—just in time to meet her gaze.

She winked at him, a hint of smugness in her eyes.

Seeing him look at her like that... could it be he was already attracted to her?

The thought made her want to laugh.

She subtly adjusted her posture, trying to look cooler and more effortless as she piloted the boat.

Liam quietly rubbed his arms, goosebumps rising.

Something about this woman was... off.

Thinking about it carefully, her behavior was undeniably strange.

She had approached them out of nowhere, acted overly eager to help, and now she was staring at them like that...

Something was definitely wrong.

The brothers exchanged a silent understanding, their guard rising once more.