Eve Vaughn explained, "Mia and I always drink like this. Whenever we have hot pot, she has a bottle, and I have one. We’re only drinking beer, not hard liquor. It won’t go to our heads."

Mason Lawson said sternly, "That’s not happening. You can still get drunk from drinking too much beer."

Eve Vaughn could see it now. Mason Lawson preferred well-bred ladies like Joanna Sullivan.

She sighed softly and compromised, asking the owner to bring a bottle of soda.

Mason Lawson didn’t drink unless it was for a business dinner. He smoked occasionally, but he absolutely refused to touch junk food like soda.

Eve Vaughn poured him a glass of Sprite, but Mason Lawson insisted on ice water and advised her to drink less soda as well.

"Mason, how could you..." Eve Vaughn muttered under her breath. "You sound just like my dad. He used to lecture me just like this when he was alive. Is this the generation gap they talk about?"

Mason Lawson reached out and patted her on the head. "Only people who love you will bother with you. If you were just a stranger, do you think I’d pay you any mind?"

Her heart skipped a beat as he finished speaking.

Just then, the hot pot broth and the other ingredients started arriving at the table.

Eve Vaughn was surprised to see that one of the waitresses was her own roommate.

"Nina Steele?" she asked, looking at her in surprise. "Are you working part-time here?"

She remembered that Nina Steele used to work part-time in the school cafeteria.

She never expected to run into her at this hot pot restaurant.

But Nina Steele just gave her a cold glance and continued setting down the dishes, showing no intention of speaking to her.

Feeling a bit awkward, Eve Vaughn asked, "Do you want to sit down and have a bite with us?"

Nina Steele replied coolly, "No, thanks. I have to work."

And with that, she quickly finished setting down the food and left.

Eve Vaughn awkwardly explained to Mason Lawson, "That’s my roommate. And it’s not that I’m unpopular or anything! She’s like that with everyone. She just doesn’t like to socialize much."

Mason Lawson chuckled lightly. "If you know that’s how she is, there’s no point in trying to be friendly. It’s unnecessary."

"But she’s my roommate, and we’ve lived together for three years," Eve Vaughn said as she cooked some vegetables in the pot. "Besides, her family has it rough. She’s been working part-time jobs since our freshman year." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Mason Lawson followed her line of reasoning. "Could she be in a tougher spot than you? You’re the one who applied for student financial aid."

Eve Vaughn immediately shot back, "How did you know that?"

Mason Lawson’s heart skipped a beat. ’I almost let that slip.’

Facing her questioning gaze, he remained perfectly calm. "I know everything about you. If I weren’t even capable of that much, how could I possibly have your back?"

Eve Vaughn figured that made sense, so she nodded. "You’re right... It feels wrong for someone receiving financial aid to be eating hot pot with you here, and living in such a nice house. If my benefactor found out, they’d probably think I was scamming them!"

Her line of thinking left Mason Lawson not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "In that case, why don’t you just withdraw from the financial aid program? I’ll support you from now on."

’It’s simply a matter of moving from helping her secretly to helping her openly,’ he thought.

But Eve Vaughn quickly refused. "No, thank you! I think it’s better if there are no financial dealings between us. Otherwise, I’ll feel like I’m somehow less than you."

Seeing her draw such a clear line between them, Mason Lawson couldn’t help but feel a bit displeased.

After all, every man wants his woman to be able to rely on him without reservation. It’s the only way to satisfy a man’s innate pride and vanity.

Unfortunately, Eve Vaughn always seemed to have her guard up.

She might look naive and goofy, but she wasn’t a fool.

She knew that if she became financially entangled with him, she would lose all agency in their relationship.

Seeing Mason Lawson spacing out, Eve Vaughn prompted him, "Why aren’t you eating? Do you really not like hot pot at all?"

"I’m not really used to it."

Mason Lawson picked up a few leafy greens, swished them in the plain broth, and said, "I’ll just have this. You eat up."

Eve Vaughn felt her spirits sink. ’From now on,’ she thought, ’I should probably just stick to having hot pot and barbecue with Mia Kendall.’

After dinner, it was almost nine o’clock.

Mason Lawson wanted to take her home, but Eve Vaughn asked, "Can I go back to my dorm room? If I keep staying away so often, my roommates will start to talk. I’ve always lived in the dorm, after all. I don’t want people gossiping about me behind my back."

Mason Lawson hadn’t wanted to agree, but when she looked at him with such pleading eyes, he didn’t have the heart to refuse.

"Fine. You can stay in your dorm Monday through Friday, but you have to come to my place on the weekends." Mason Lawson’s intense gaze fell upon her face. The light inside the car was dim, yet her fair complexion still seemed to glow.

Eve Vaughn didn’t push her luck and agreed to Mason Lawson’s terms.

She always felt that being with Mason Lawson was somewhat surreal, and that she was always in the passive role in their relationship.

But after having had her fill of romantic hardships with a childish mama’s boy, she was now faced with a handsome, mature, and composed man—one who was emotionally stable and could offer help when she needed it.

It seemed that any girl would find him impossible to refuse.

Eve Vaughn was no different.

She stopped struggling and chose to go along with Mason Lawson. At least this man had never hurt her.

When he dropped Eve Vaughn off at the university, he stopped her as she was getting out of the car. "Leaving just like that?"

The man’s gaze held a burning intensity that made Eve Vaughn blush. She quickly leaned in and kissed his cheek.

Then she quickly got out of the car and jogged all the way back to her dorm.

The sweetness of being in love that she once knew seemed to have returned, but it was completely different from before.

Being with Mason Lawson felt secure, but at the same time, thrilling.

...

「In the dorm room.」

Aria had already showered, gotten into bed, and was binge-watching a show with her headphones on.

Nina Steele hadn’t come back yet. The thought that she was likely still at the hot pot restaurant, not yet finished with her shift, made Eve Vaughn feel a little uneasy.

Her other roommate, Sharon Lowe, was livestreaming, showing off her luxury sunglasses and clothes while striking all sorts of poses.

Just then, Aria took off her headphones and whispered a complaint to Eve Vaughn, "It’s so annoying. Every single night, she’s in front of her phone, flaunting her wealth. Who even knows if those clothes and bags are real or fake?"

Eve Vaughn just smiled. "Her family’s rich, so let her show it off."

Aria wrinkled her nose. "But she never seemed this rich before. She used to use drugstore skincare products. It’s like she suddenly came into a lot of money recently."

Eve Vaughn thought for a moment. "Didn’t she say her family owns a business? Maybe their business has just gotten bigger lately."

The two chatted idly.

Suddenly, Sharon Lowe ended her livestream and yelled at them, "Are you two doing that on purpose? Deliberately talking right when I’m live. It’s so annoying!"