Evelyn took Alexander's hand and let him lead her toward the main house.
"After dinner, can you take me back to school?" she asked softly.
He didn't answer.
She thought he hadn't heard her, so she raised her voice a little and asked again.
Still nothing.
Frustrated, Evelyn turned her head to look up at him.
Her gaze met his.
"How did you get into university?" Alexander stared down at her, his face blank. "Did you buy your way in?"
"What? Of course not!" Evelyn stared back at him, stunned.
She had studied for twelve years to get into this university!
"If your IQ isn't the problem, then why do you keep talking nonsense?" Alexander asked calmly.
Evelyn's temper flared.
She glared at him.
How dare he insult her like that?
But because of her nearsightedness, her glare lacked any real force.
"Don't stare like that," Alexander said, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "Your glasses might fall off."
"..." Evelyn was so choked up she couldn't even form a retort.
Finally, she lowered her head and muttered, "You're so annoying."
"What?" Alexander asked.
"Nothing!" Evelyn quickly lifted her head and forced a smile.
"You look stupid when you smile," Alexander commented.
"..." The smile on Evelyn's face froze instantly.
The next second, she was glaring at him again.
Alexander's smile widened.
He reached out and touched her smooth forehead.
"Such a little girl," he said.
"You old man!" Evelyn blurted out.
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized what she had said.
She quickly covered her mouth, looking at him with a mix of embarrassment and caution.
Alexander didn't seem to care.
"I suppose I am a bit old for you," he said calmly. "Why did I agree to this marriage?"
"For the money," Evelyn admitted, lowering her head.
It was an open secret anyway.
There was no point in hiding it.
Besides, who would marry a complete stranger—especially one rumored to be gay—if not for money?
Alexander laughed when he heard her answer.
Evelyn looked up at him, pouting.
"What's so funny? Everyone has their struggles."
"You're stingy, but your heart isn't small," Alexander said, ruffling her hair.
The next second, he realized how childish his action was.
He stared at his own hand on her head, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Evelyn was even more upset.
She had just fixed her hair, and now he had messed it up.
She let go of his hand, smiled sweetly at him, and asked politely, "Can you bend down a little?"
Alexander squinted at her but didn't move.
"I have something to tell you. Can you please bend down? You're too tall!"
Alexander finally leaned down to her level.
Evelyn saw her chance.
She quickly rubbed his short hair into a messy nest, then ran off laughing.
It was all done in one smooth motion.
Alexander didn't even have time to react.
By the time he stood up straight and looked at her, she was already far ahead.
"Fair is fair!" Evelyn shouted from the other end of the hallway, grinning at him.
She didn't dare to be too cocky.
To be honest, Alexander's messy hair actually looked stylish.
Some of those young celebrity idols even wore their hair like that on purpose.
Alexander's face was expressionless as he walked toward her.
Evelyn tensed up, ready to run at any moment.
But they were already at the entrance of the main house.
Where could she go?
"Don't bully me!" she said, pulling out her trump card. "If you bully me, I'll go tell Grandma!"
"Tattle?" Alexander raised an eyebrow.
"Yes! You bully me and abuse me!" Evelyn nodded.
"Are you sure that will work?"
"Won't it?" Evelyn asked hesitantly.
"You won't know until you try."
"Oh." Evelyn paused.
She watched Alexander approach.
Then it hit her.
Did he mean that if she wanted to complain, she would have to wait until he actually bullied and abused her first?
Evelyn decided it was safer to run.
But just as she turned to flee, Alexander stepped forward and grabbed her arm.
Evelyn screamed in fright.
"Shut up!" Alexander hissed.
She immediately fell silent, staring at him nervously.
"Don't make a sound. Come inside," Alexander said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and lowering his voice to a gentle, coaxing tone.
Evelyn blinked at him, confused.
One second he looked like he wanted to eat her alive.
The next second, he was acting like a perfect gentleman.
His face-changing skills were almost as fast as a stage performer's!
"Gray, Evelyn, I was just about to call you two. We've been waiting for you to start dinner."
Evelyn turned her head and squinted.
She barely recognized the woman standing at the door.
It was Audrey, Alexander's second sister.
"Second sister," Evelyn called out respectfully.
"Oh, come in. Mom has been waiting for a while," Audrey said with a smile before heading inside.
Evelyn looked up at Alexander, her eyes pleading for mercy.
Then she realized he wouldn't dare bully her in front of his mother and the whole family.
She immediately relaxed.
"What's wrong? Let's eat," Alexander said, leading her inside.
Evelyn felt a jolt.
It was like the time she shook hands with him at Charlotte's cousin's house.
But before she could react, Alexander had already guided her through the living room and into the dining room.
A large group of people were already seated around the table, waiting for them.
Alexander and Evelyn took their usual seats.
Evelyn greeted everyone respectfully, a little nervous but still trying to keep a sweet smile on her face.
"Gray and Evelyn are so close! Mom, you should have seen them at the door just now, still flirting!" Audrey said to her mother with a laugh.
"Really? It seems newlyweds are different!" Scarlett, the third sister, chimed in with a smile.
Evelyn's face turned bright red.
Where did they get the idea that she and Alexander were in love?
She glanced at Alexander, hoping he would explain.
But he remained indifferent, showing no intention of clearing things up.
Eleanor, the old lady, was clearly pleased with her youngest son and daughter-in-law's interaction.
She had been worried it would take them a while to get along.
After all, their marriage had been rather rushed.
But seeing her son lead Evelyn in so naturally, and Evelyn blushing shyly behind him, she was pleasantly surprised.
It seemed the couple really did get along well.
She hadn't made a mistake in choosing Evelyn for her son.
"The whole family is here. Let's eat!" Eleanor said happily, picking up her chopsticks.
Everyone followed suit.
"Evelyn, eat more," Eleanor said gently.
"Thank you, Mom," Evelyn replied awkwardly.
She picked up her chopsticks and stared at the dishes in front of her.
She had no idea what they were.
Her eyesight was too bad to make them out.
What if she picked something she didn't like?
Just as she hesitated, Alexander placed a piece of food in her bowl.
"Eat more spinach," he said softly.
"Thank you," Evelyn whispered.
She lowered her head and started eating.
She did like spinach.
But then she wondered if he meant something else by saying "eat more spinach."
Maybe she was overthinking it.
Yes, she must be overthinking it.
Alexander couldn't possibly be implying that she was weak and needed spinach to gain strength.
Besides, there was a generation gap between them.
He wouldn't understand that kind of joke.
So Evelyn continued eating calmly.
But the food in her bowl kept piling up.
She finally looked up from the mountain of food and said quietly, "That's too much. I can't finish it."
"Eat slowly. You need to eat more. You're still growing," Alexander said gently.
Evelyn almost choked.
She was twenty years old.
When would she stop growing?
This "growing stage" was lasting way too long!
She turned to look at him.
Was he making fun of her for being short?
"Do you like fish or ribs?" Alexander turned to meet her gaze, his face full of affection.
"Uh... cough..." Evelyn choked on her own saliva.
This was terrifying!
Had Alexander gone crazy?
Why was he acting so weird during the whole dinner?
"Eat slowly," Alexander said, patting her back.
Evelyn coughed and wanted to die.
He was definitely doing this on purpose.
He was abusing her, retaliating, and bullying her in the most subtle way.
And she had no way to complain to Eleanor!
This guy was too cunning!
Who said he was a man of deep affection and strong responsibility who would surely make her happy?
After she stopped coughing, Evelyn apologized awkwardly.
Eleanor didn't mind. She calmed her down and told her to eat slowly.
Evelyn nodded in embarrassment.
In her heart, she was cursing Alexander.
This person was too mean!
"Evelyn, when is your winter break?" Eleanor asked.
"It's still more than a month until finals. Winter break won't start until mid-January," Evelyn said.
"Will your homework be very stressful?" Eleanor asked again.
"Not really. I'm a senior, so I'll start my internship next semester. Most of this semester is just professional courses, so it's not too heavy," Evelyn explained.
"It might be better for you to move home. What do you think?" Eleanor looked at Evelyn kindly.