Chapter 41 – Best Friend Benefits
Evan hummed an old Cantonese love song he barely understood, hands in his pockets, walking toward the school gate with the kind of swagger that suggested he owed nobody an explanation.
He planned to wander around a little, then take a taxi home.
Just as he reached the gate, the window of a black car beside the road slid down.
Someone knocked lightly on the door and waved at him.
Evan glanced over.
Inside sat Rowan, wearing sunglasses.
"Rowan? Why are you here?"
Evan was puzzled.
Hadn't Rowan said his business trip would take a week? Logically, he should not be back for another two or three days.
Rowan did not explain. He flicked cigarette ash and signaled for Evan to get in.
After Evan sat down, he asked casually, "Here to pick Hannah up from work?"
Rowan shook his head and raised the car window.
"No. I came specifically for you."
"For me? What's up?"
Rowan said nothing. He turned, took a beautifully packaged box from the back seat, and handed it over.
"This is for you. Give it to Hannah. Tell her it's her birthday gift."
"Huh?"
Evan froze.
Rowan explained, "In two days, it's Hannah's birthday. She's always wanted a set of imported luxury lingerie. I had someone bring this back."
Evan could not understand.
"If you bought it, give it to her yourself. What does it mean for me to do it?"
Rowan sighed, his gaze deep behind the sunglasses.
"Only this way can your relationship with her take another step."
To be honest, Evan did want Hannah.
But from the bottom of his heart, he still looked down on Rowan.
This bastard, to achieve his goal, could push his own wife toward another man without blinking. In plain words, he was pure trash.
Looking down on him was looking down on him.
Evan did not immediately take the box.
"Then you're not spending Hannah's birthday with her?"
Rowan shook his head.
"No. I have urgent business. I have to fly overseas today."
"Does Hannah know you're back?"
Rowan shook his head again.
"No. Don't leak it. We just fought a few days ago. She blamed me for always being outside and neglecting her."
"I have no choice. Work pressure is too heavy. To guarantee her living quality, I can only work hard to earn money."
"Fine. I understand."
Evan took the lingerie box and casually opened it for one look.
Damn.
Provocative enough.
The bottom was a thong. The top was a front-clasp design. The kind of style that would push and gather everything, making a woman look even fuller and more dangerous.
Evan closed the lid.
Rowan checked his watch.
"I need to rush to the airport. Go home early."
Evan answered, got out with the box, and watched the black car merge into traffic.
The more he thought, the more he felt Rowan was strange.
In truth, Rowan had no serious business at all. He spent family money. The job he used to hold was also inside his own family's company, a casual idle position the old man had arranged to train him.
Where did all this pressure come from?
The allowance the old man gave him every month was enough for him to waste freely.
Evan did not bother thinking further.
He packed some food from a roadside shop and brought it home.
When he arrived, Hannah had not gotten off work yet.
Evan considered it. This lingerie should be saved for her birthday. Only then would the surprise be full.
He entered his bedroom and hid the box deep inside the wardrobe.
Just as he came out, the front door lock sounded.
Hannah pushed the door open, with Chloe behind her.
Today Chloe wore a black tweed-style jacket, a tight hip-hugging skirt beneath it that drew a round, full curve, and high heels. Her chest pushed the jacket high, making her look pure and wicked at once.
Hannah, by contrast, dressed cleanly, in ordinary athletic wear, a baseball cap, and sneakers.
"Chloe, Hannah, you're back?"
Evan greeted them.
"I bought some food. Want to make do with it?"
Hannah threw her bag onto the sofa and collapsed into it.
"I'm exhausted. Fine, let's eat."
Evan opened the bags.
Inside were barbecue and fried rice.
Roadside food, heavy with oil and flavor, was often the most satisfying.
The two women ate and praised Evan's buying skills.
Evan grinned and opened drinks for them.
Chloe bit into a skewer and suddenly remembered something.
"Right, Hannah. Your birthday is the day after tomorrow. What's the plan?"
At the mention of this, Hannah's eyes dimmed noticeably.
She had specially called Rowan today. Rowan had brushed her off, saying he had to go overseas and could not accompany her.
She still had a belly full of frustration.
Seeing Hannah's mood drop, Evan took the initiative.
"It's fine, Hannah. We'll celebrate with you. How do you want to do it?"
Hannah sighed.
"I don't want anything noisy. Let's just do something at home."
Evan slapped his chest.
"Then I'll cook. I won't brag about other things, but I can definitely make some hard dishes."
Chloe joined the fun immediately.
"Done. I'll order the cake. I still have a good bottle at home. I'll bring it and we'll finish it."
The three of them discussed the birthday in a noisy mess, and only then did Hannah's mood improve.
At that moment, Rowan sat in a chair inside another apartment.
He stared tightly at the surveillance feed on his computer, watching everything happening in the living room.
As if he had suddenly imagined some stimulating scene, a strange cold smile curled at his mouth.
After eating, Chloe went into the bathroom for a shower.
When she came out, she had directly put on one of Hannah's nightgowns.
Hannah was slender. Chloe was much fuller.
The smaller nightgown stretched over Chloe's body, forcibly outlining a startling figure.
Chloe dropped onto the sofa and hit her thigh with one hand, complaining.
"Oh, God. I stood all day. My calves are about to cramp."
Hannah cracked sunflower seeds and said casually, "Let Evan massage them for you. A few days ago, I twisted my ankle. He rubbed it a little, and I was alive again the next day."
Evan's eyelid twitched.
He gave Hannah a sidelong look.
Lady, your heart is big enough. You want a hot-blooded man to massage your flirtatious best friend's thighs?
Chloe also gave Hannah a strange look.
Hannah's face reddened, and she quickly corrected herself.
"I'm serious. He's learned some traditional bone-setting. He actually knows what he's doing."
Chloe turned toward Evan with a teasing smile.
"Oh? Hidden talent, handsome boy? Come on then. Give Chloe a rub. My legs are sore enough that walking hurts."
As she spoke, she treated herself completely like family and directly placed one pale, full leg across Evan's lap.
Evan had just bitten into an apple and almost choked.
Seeing his reaction, Chloe laughed brightly.
"Why are you so excited? Never seen such a soft white leg before?"
She had fought through society for years and had a bold personality. She did not take this seriously.
"Don't just stare. Use your hands."
Evan coughed dryly.
"How about another day?"
The moment the words left his mouth, both Hannah and Chloe's eyes changed.
Evan calmly twisted the meaning back.
"Cough. I mean... how about I massage you another day?"
"No. Today. Hurry. I'm sore to death."
Chloe urged him.
With no choice, Evan put his hands on her calf and began pressing upward.
The moment the force sank in, Chloe cried out.
"Lighter, lighter! Damn it, are you trying to kill me? Why does it feel more swollen the more you press?"
Evan lied with a serious face.
"Chloe, you're an outsider to this. This is muscle stiffness and blocked blood flow."
"Once I rub out the stagnation and open the channels, the soreness will naturally go away."
His hands did not stop.
He massaged from her calf up toward the root of her thigh.
At first, Chloe still clamped her legs together a little.
Later, it felt so comfortable that she subconsciously relaxed.
Evan's eyes swept past the hem of the nightgown.
His brain roared.
Pale purple.
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.
