Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

When Ethan came out of the bathroom, Sophia was still lying on the couch, crying.

It wasn't really for any other reason—she was just in pain, and a little bit angry too.

She had her hands covering her face, feeling utterly frustrated and upset.

Ethan shook his damp hands lightly. After all, he had just touched Sophia's feet, which had been wrapped in socks all day. Even though they didn't smell particularly bad, he still felt a bit uncomfortable about it. So, after giving her a small "punishment," he quickly ran off to wash his hands.

He walked over to Sophia, glanced down at her, and said, "So, do you realize how stupid you were now? Aren't you going to thank me for helping you see the truth—and for being such a nice guy?"

"Get lost…"

Sophia wasn't the type to back down easily. Even though her tears hadn't dried yet, she still stubbornly snapped back at Ethan.

"Sophia, are you sure this attitude is okay? I mean, I don't mind, but if you act like this with other people, what if someone hits you? There are plenty of people in this world who'll throw hands at the slightest provocation," Ethan sighed, sounding like he was disappointed in her.

Then, deciding she needed a more memorable lesson, he bent down. Before Sophia could react, he flipped her over from lying on her back to her stomach in one swift motion.

Before she could even process what was happening, Ethan sat down on her, pinning her down firmly.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

Sophia was in complete disbelief. She had never been this close to a guy before, and now, here she was, with him sitting on her. The whole situation was humiliating, and the shame shot straight from her heels to the top of her head. Her face flushed red in an instant.

But she couldn't fight back. She was trapped on the couch, unable to move, and could only flail her arms and legs in frustration.

"I'm helping you realize your place," Ethan said, making a 'tsk tsk tsk' sound with his tongue.

Sophia picked up on the condescending tone in that sound, which only made her angrier.

But what good was anger? In this situation, her fury was nothing more than helpless rage.

"Get off me!" Sophia shouted.

"I already told you, Miss Sophia, you should really watch your tone. Is this how you ask someone for a favor?"

Sophia took a deep breath, trying to calm the fire inside her. After a moment, she finally managed to suppress her anger and said, "Please… please get off me."

"Wait a second. If I get off, you're not going to jump up and try to fight me, are you?" Ethan asked cautiously.

"…"

Sophia fell into an awkward silence. It was pretty clear that's exactly what she had been planning.

But, as the saying goes, "you have to bow your head when you're under someone else's roof." She reluctantly slapped the couch in frustration.

"Get off me now, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened."

Ethan didn't want to push her too far, so he decided to let it go. He got up and moved back to the couch across from her.

Sophia sat up, glaring daggers at Ethan. If looks could kill, he'd be dead a thousand times over by now.

"I seriously don't get why Vanessa would ever be interested in someone like you!"

Ethan just shrugged helplessly. "I've told you, we're just friends. What does it matter to you who Nessa hangs out with?"

"Of course it matters!" Sophia nearly jumped up at his words.

Ethan sighed. "It's exactly that self-righteous attitude of yours that makes Nessa not want to talk to you."

"I don't need you to tell me how to act!"

Sophia straightened up, not even bothering to put her socks back on, and continued, "Go on!"

"Now tell me, what exactly made Vanessa leave us? Don't give me some half-baked answer!"

"Wait, wasn't this supposed to be just one round?" Ethan looked at her, surprised.

"Who told you that?!" Sophia's breathing suddenly became heavy, as if she was ready to drag Ethan down with her if he didn't continue the conversation.

But Ethan was completely immune to her intense aura. He sighed helplessly and said, "But I don't really have anything else I want to ask you."

Then, after another sigh, he continued, "Alright, fine. I'll tell you."

"From what I know, the reason Nessa left VibraMyst is because of some family issues. Her family suddenly went bankrupt. Her dad's been at home drinking all day, and poor Nessa has to work just to get by. Yesterday, her dad even took all the money she'd saved from her job. So, tell me, where's she supposed to find the energy to keep playing in a band with you?"

"This kind of thing…"

Sophia was completely stunned. She hadn't expected this at all, but she knew Ethan's explanation made sense.

"But why didn't Vanessa tell us? If she had told me, I would've found a way to help her…"

Ethan gave Sophia a surprised look.

"Are you really Nessa's friend?"

That question made Sophia furious. How could she not be Vanessa's friend?!

Then Ethan continued, "Nessa's a very proud person. She doesn't want anyone's pity, especially not from you guys."

Sophia fell silent at those words. She tried to put herself in Vanessa's shoes, but she couldn't fully understand what Nessa was going through. Instead, she felt that Vanessa needed her help even more.

She could help Vanessa. If she could just help her out of this mess, Vanessa would definitely come back to her.

Before, without a clear goal, Sophia had been running around like a headless chicken, chasing after what she thought was right. But now that she had a clear target, she knew exactly what she needed to do.

"Alright, now it's your turn to ask," Sophia said, keeping her word.

Ethan didn't ask a question. Instead, he made a new proposal.

"How about this: I won't ask anything, but you do something for me. In return, I'll tell you more about Nessa—things that could be really useful to you."

"What do you want?"

Sophia instinctively crossed her arms over her chest, taking a defensive stance.

Ethan rolled his eyes. What on earth was going on in this girl's head?

He said bluntly, "I've been feeling a bit tired lately. If Miss Sophia would be so kind, how about giving me a massage? That's all I want."

Surprisingly, Sophia didn't immediately refuse. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and stared at Ethan.

"Are you sure?"

It seemed like she was planning to use this opportunity to get back at him for the humiliation he'd just put her through.