Chapter 122: Chapter 122: Hoping It Is, Yet Hoping It Isn’t
Ian Preston usually has a stable routine, no matter how late he sleeps the night before, he will get up on time the next morning.
Since he grew up living in the compound, Ian’s schedule has always been strictly aligned with the compound’s.
Logically, he should be able to see the message at this time...
The doorbell rang again and again, until it automatically disconnected and no one came out to open the door.
Ian also lives here by himself without a maid. The maid only comes at a fixed time to clean.
Thea Lynch leaned against the door trying to listen inside, but there was no sound of footsteps. She knocked vigorously on the door and called anxiously, "Third Brother?"
"Third Brother!" Since no one else lived on this floor, Thea wasn’t afraid of disturbing others, so she continued to shout loudly.
Patience was gradually running out, "Ian!"
Thea looked down at the password lock in front of her.
Since Ian moved in, she had never been inside. As for the password, she had no clue.
Her index finger hovered over the lock for a few seconds, and then she inexplicably entered her usual password.
When she input the final digit, her fingertip paused slightly, and suddenly she didn’t have the courage to press it.
She couldn’t say why, but her heart wavered back and forth at this moment.
She hoped and yet didn’t hope that it was the case.
Thea furrowed her brow, "Pretentious."
With that, her phone pressed on the last digit.
The password lock responded quickly and unlocked immediately. Thea’s eyelashes fluttered lightly, and she pulled the door open to enter.
"Third Brother?"
The layout and style here really bore Ian’s touch.
Simplistic, monotonous colors, cold and clear. At first glance, it bore some resemblance to her side next door.
Thea was unfamiliar with his place and didn’t know which room was his master bedroom.
But upon entering, she discovered that the room layout here was virtually copied and pasted from her side, without any changes.
In front of the master bedroom door, Thea knocked on the door and tentatively called his name, "Ian?"
Upon confirming no response, Thea placed her hand on the doorknob and was about to push the door when the sound of a password lock unlocking came from the entrance.
"..."
Thea was stunned for a moment, walked to the living room, and happened to bump into the figure that just entered.
The two locked eyes and were both somewhat surprised to see each other there.
Ian placed the things in his hand at the hallway and straightened up: "Came to see me?"
Thea’s gaze drifted from him to the cabinet on one side, glancing at the items he put down.
It was breakfast from Fletcher’s, her usual place.
She tugged the corner of her mouth and asked, "Did you just go out to buy this?"
"Yeah." Seeing her expression was a bit strange, Ian explained, "I handled an urgent file temporarily, and brought it back on the way."
"At this time, are there a lot of people lined up?"
"Not too bad."
She was all dressed, so she must have been up for a while, Ian asked if she was leaving now.
Ten minutes later, Thea hadn’t touched the breakfast in her hand.
"Not eating?" Ian glanced at her lightly, "If you don’t eat it soon, it’ll get cold."
"Oh."
Thea was worried about leaving a smell in the car, but since he said so, she naturally didn’t worry anymore.
After finishing breakfast, Thea thought he would ask about the password or something, but Ian never mentioned it even after they’d arrived at the compound; he seemed more concerned about whether she ate well.
"It’s okay, tastes the same as before." This place was opposite her previous high school and junior high, sometimes she didn’t like having breakfast at home, so after getting to school, she would grab something to eat at Fletcher’s.
After returning home from abroad, she also visited Fletcher’s. Surprisingly, after seven years, this ordinary breakfast stall at the school gate turned into a trendy spot.
The store had been renovated and didn’t look like a place selling breakfast anymore. Even arriving at 10 a.m., which avoided the morning rush, the line stretched out into the street and around the corner.
She’s someone who isn’t particularly patient sometimes, like with queuing.
In her view, it was a bit of a waste of time.
So, since returning home, she hadn’t had a chance to eat there.
At this moment, chatting about everyday trivialities didn’t seem so strange for the two of them anymore.
——
At noon, they accompanied the old man for a meal at The Cheney Family, and the aunt came back specifically to prepare after finding out the second brother was back, inviting everyone to the Lynch Family for the evening.
With nothing to do in the afternoon, everyone kept the aunt company for a game of mahjong.
Thea didn’t know how to play before, but after watching for a while, she was urged to the table by the aunt. "Thea, take over for me, I’m going to check on the dishes in the kitchen."
"..." Thea sat down, still somewhat bewildered.
Julian Zimmerman asked, "I thought Thea doesn’t know how to play?"
Thea was quite young before going abroad, and her mind was never on these things, so she never learned.
"I’ve understood the basic rules." She learns quickly, and after a few rounds, she got the hang of the rules. As for how she’d play... that was uncertain.
"It’s fine, just play." It was merely for entertainment, passing time as a family, no need to be too serious.
"Honestly, I’m not too skilled either. I can be the easy one to beat." The second brother laughed and said.
Among them, Silas Cheney and Sean Bell were the best, definitely at a champion’s level.
In comparison, Thea was like a newbie, just to make up the numbers. Julian could barely be considered a silver level, an amateur as the old saying goes.
After a round, Thea could distinctly feel the gap.
It wasn’t about who won or lost, but the speed of drawing and discarding tiles. Silas and Sean acted swiftly, seemingly without hesitation, glancing and discarding immediately, then it was Thea’s turn.
This speed wasn’t very friendly to newcomers.
Thea faced it with utmost seriousness, as if conducting an experiment.
Luckily, she remained calm, not influenced by Silas and Sean’s style. She did her best to shorten her discarding time, striving to keep up with their pace.
A game of mahjong quickly revealed the personalities of the four.
Julian was the type who didn’t care much about winning or losing, always taking care of others. In his view, this sort of family entertainment was to please the elders and amuse the children, as long as everyone enjoyed themselves.
In stark contrast, Thea was very outcome-driven. So even if she didn’t particularly like mahjong, she played with great focus.
Silas, on the other hand, wasn’t too serious, his mind wasn’t in it, just playing casually. Sean was purely there to stir things up; for him, there were things more important than mahjong.
Soon, Ian returned from outside.
Silas glanced over and quickly waved him over, apparently having waited for Ian for a few rounds.
"Third Brother, want to join?" Silas aimed to switch Ian in.
Upon hearing this, the second brother willingly vacated his spot, "I’ll sit out and help Thea watch the cards, you take my spot."
Seeing Ian unmoved, the second brother was a bit helpless, "You all know how I play. Come on, switch in."
Ian didn’t intend to join, but Julian had already risen and switched places.
Thea glanced at him and also asked, "Third Brother, aren’t you coming?" Seeing this, Ian had no choice but to sit down, right where Thea’s predecessor had been.
