My Wife Never Knew Who I Really Was

After choosing the clothes, paying the bill, and leaving the store, Ethan let out a long sigh.

He looked like a man who had just finished three days and three nights of hard labor.

Seeing him like this, Vivian could not help teasing him. "I only asked you to change a few outfits. Was it that serious?"

Ethan stopped and turned to her with a very serious expression.

"A few?"

He emphasized the number. "It was forty-eight."

Vivian drifted for a second.

Forty-eight?

Had there really been that many?

She had been too busy enjoying the process of dressing Ethan up to pay attention to the exact number.

Thanks to that, Vivian finally understood why so many people loved dress-up dolls or bought skins for game characters. It really was interesting.

Especially when Ethan had a body like a perfect clothes rack. Every style looked as if it had been tailored for him.

"It wasn't that many. It was only..."

Ethan interrupted her directly. "I haven't changed that many outfits in the past few years combined."

"No choice. Other than work, your girlfriend's biggest hobby is shopping."

Vivian slipped her arm around his and raised her head, her eyes bright with mischief. "As my boyfriend, you have to take responsibility for that."

"Fine."

Ethan looked at her proud little face and sighed with resignation. "Then I can only follow the chicken if I marry a chicken, and follow the dog if I marry a dog."

Vivian froze for a moment before realizing he was insulting her in a roundabout way. She lifted her hand and slapped his arm.

"You're the chicken! You're the dog!"

Ethan laughed and dodged. The two of them continued forward, playing and bickering along the way.

Behind them, the saleswomen looked at the handsome man and beautiful woman walking away with envy written all over their faces.

"They match so well. I feel like the couple I shipped in a novel finally has real faces."

"I'm so jealous. When will I get to meet love like that?"

Not long after leaving the clothing store, Ethan's steps suddenly slowed.

His gaze fell on the window display of a watch store nearby.

Through the glass, rows of watches glittered under the lights.

Ethan lowered his eyes to Vivian's wrist.

It was empty.

Nothing there.

He thought about the way Vivian had swiped her card in the clothing store, as if spending money on him was the most natural thing in the world.

Millions in clothes, bought without blinking.

There was no reason to let her be the only one giving. Otherwise, wouldn't he really become a kept man?

So Ethan decisively took Vivian's hand.

"Come with me."

Vivian was caught off guard. "Huh? What's wrong?"

Ethan did not explain. He simply led her toward the watch store.

Vivian stopped asking and obediently followed him inside.

This man never did things according to normal logic anyway. She was already used to it.

"Welcome. Sir, miss, please feel free to look around. If you see any style you like, you may try it on."

Several sales assistants stood behind the counter and greeted them with professional smiles.

Ethan nodded and led Vivian slowly along the display cases, his gaze moving over one watch after another.

There were women's watches set with diamonds, classic minimalist designs, and more fashionable avant-garde styles.

After looking for a while, Ethan finally stopped.

His gaze settled on one watch.

It was a rose-gold women's watch, elegant but still fashionable.

Ethan raised a hand and pointed to it. "Please take this one out."

The saleswoman opened the case, carefully removed the watch, placed it on a velvet tray, and presented it to him.

Ethan picked it up, turned to Vivian, and raised his other hand.

"Give me your hand."

Only after noticing the women's watch in his hand did Vivian realize why he had entered the store.

She obediently extended her left hand.

Ethan supported her hand, his movements gentle. He lowered his head and carefully wrapped the strap around her wrist, then fastened it.

Vivian watched his lowered brows, and a warmth she could not describe rose quietly inside her.

After fastening the strap, Ethan did not let go. He held her wrist and turned it slightly, admiring the watch from different angles.

Under the light, the watch reflected a soft glow that made her fair skin look even more delicate.

Ethan nodded with satisfaction. "Not bad. We'll take this one."

He took out his bank card and handed it to the saleswoman. "Swipe it."

Seeing such an easy sale, the saleswoman's smile bloomed. "Of course, sir. This is our latest limited-release model. You have excellent taste."

She accepted the card with both hands and quickly began processing the payment.

Ethan was still looking at the watch. "No need to pack it. She'll wear it."

Vivian knew this was Ethan's return gift, so she did not refuse.

She lifted her head, met his eyes, and said softly, "Thank you."

The smile at the corners of her mouth could not be hidden.

The saleswoman soon returned with the card and receipt.

"Sir, your card. Here is the receipt. If you have any issues, please contact us any time."

Ethan reached out to take them.

At that moment, his movement paused.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed a suspicious man entering through the store entrance.

The man wore a dark jacket and a baseball cap pulled low, hiding most of his face. A bulging bag hung on one side of his body.

What caught Ethan's attention most was the man's right hand.

It was inside the half-open bag, held in an unnatural position.

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

His x-ray vision opened silently.

His sight pierced through the fabric, and he saw clearly what was inside the bag.

A hammer.

And a...

Gun.

Ethan's eyes instantly turned cold.

Vivian had not noticed anything unusual. She was about to speak.

Bang!

A sudden crash exploded behind them.

It was the sound of a hammer slamming into the glass counter.

Vivian flinched from the sudden noise and instinctively leaned closer into Ethan's arms.

Ethan raised his hand around her shoulders and lightly patted her back.

"It's fine. I'm here."

"Damn it!"

The man struck the counter a few times and realized the glass was too strong to break.

He cursed, threw the hammer away, and pulled the gun from the bag.

The black muzzle pointed straight at the saleswomen behind the counter.

"Nobody move! Nobody scream!"

He threw the bag onto the counter and shouted fiercely, "Put all the watches in! Now!"

The saleswomen went pale with fear. Trembling, they opened the display cases and began stuffing watches into the bag in a panic.

"Faster!" the man roared again.

As he shouted, he swept his gaze through the store cautiously.

His eyes quickly landed on Ethan and Vivian.

Ethan had one arm around Vivian and stood where he was, watching the man calmly.

That calm made the robber deeply uncomfortable.

He turned the gun and aimed it at Ethan. "You! What are you looking at? Never seen a robbery before? Hands on your head and squat down!"

The dark muzzle pointed at Ethan's head.

Vivian sensed something was wrong and glanced sideways. When she saw the gun, her pupils shrank and her hand tightened around Ethan's sleeve.

"Ethan..."

"Stay here. I'll handle it."

After saying that, Ethan let go of Vivian and walked toward the man.

"Ethan!"

Vivian wanted to grab him, but her hand caught only air.

She could only watch as Ethan walked step by step toward the robber.

"Don't come closer!" The man's face changed. The gun moved forward until it almost touched Ethan's forehead. "If you come closer, I'll shoot!"

His voice carried obvious panic.

Was this guy insane?

Did he not understand fear?

Ethan seemed not to hear him and continued forward.

The man's finger tightened on the trigger. Cold sweat slid down his forehead.

He swallowed and shouted again, "I said don't come closer! I'll really shoot!"

Ethan finally stopped.

He still said nothing, standing less than a yard away from the man.

The muzzle was nearly pressed to his forehead.

The man was just about to breathe in relief.

In the next second, Ethan moved.

His hand was so fast that no one could see it clearly. There was only a blur.

Before the man could react, the gun in his hand was gone.

By the time he understood what had happened, the gun was already in Ethan's hand.

Ethan weighed it in his palm.

Then he could not help laughing.

"What year is it? People still rob stores like this?"

His fingers exerted a little force.

The barrel came off.

Trigger, magazine, spring.

In only a few movements, the entire gun became a pile of scattered parts that fell to the floor with light metallic clinks.

Ethan dusted off his hands and said with open disdain, "And it's fake."

The robber stood frozen, his mouth open wide enough to fit an entire egg.

He could not understand what had just happened.

What kind of person did not follow the rules like this?

Normally, shouldn't someone who saw a gun be scared half to death?

Unfortunately for him, his little tricks had nowhere to hide under Ethan's god-level x-ray vision.

Author's Note:

This story will continue updating here.

If you want to read more, you can unlock it here:

/c/TYMercer

Thank you for reading.