Chubby Mommy: Scheming Daddy, Surrender Now!-Chapter 277: Addicted to Youth

An hour later, Ethan Sterling stood in front of the fitting mirror, squinting his eyes a bit.

The man in the mirror was wearing a loose floral t-shirt, light blue ripped jeans, and a pair of dark blue and white canvas shoes.

Even in his twenties, he never dressed so flamboyantly, and he felt a bit unfamiliar with the person in the mirror. Meanwhile, another face in the mirror already had "fan girl" written all over it, with her big eyes almost shooting laser beams.

Ethan Sterling glanced at the other face in the mirror and his brows twitched uncomfortably, "Look good?" He then saw the fan girl’s neck nodding up and down like it was wound with a spring. He let out a breath, turned, and took her hand, "Let’s go."

He couldn’t let her keep staring at him like that. Having lived for more than thirty years, he never thought he’d feel embarrassed being stared at, hmm, it was a rather fascinating feeling.

As the two passed by a milk tea shop, they grabbed two more cups, looking just like a young couple in love.

Ruby Sullivan couldn’t help but glance at Ethan Sterling every couple of steps, feeling like it was somewhat dreamlike.

Ethan Sterling, on the other hand, had to tighten his grip on her arm every time, worried she’d trip while lifting one leg to glance at him.

The Red Hall at Ariston University is a well-known open-style cafeteria. Those without a school meal card could simply scan a code to pay, making it particularly convenient.

By the time they arrived at the school, it was already past meal time, and with exams around the corner, many students would come for lunch around eleven, so The Red Hall was practically empty, with only a few people who didn’t seem to be students scattered around a few tables.

Ruby Sullivan dragged Ethan to a stall called "Flavors of Life," and before Ethan could finish looking at the menu, she ordered four dishes and two egg fried pancakes, totaling only ninety-eight bucks—absolutely a bargain.

Ethan Sterling took out his phone and paid, and they took their order slip to find seats.

Ruby Sullivan seemed especially familiar with the place, and after pointing out the seats, she motioned for Ethan to sit and wait while she turned to pick up the food, only to be grabbed by him.

"Why aren’t you sitting down?"

"I’m going to pick up the food."

Ethan Sterling got up and took the order slip from her hand, "You wait here, I’ll go." He said as he walked toward the stall from earlier.

Ruby Sullivan turned her head to watch his back, momentarily dazed, feeling as if time had turned back ten years—they were still youthful, stepping curiously into the world of first loves, most of which was carefree sweetness.

She chuckled, acknowledging her daze, since back then when she came here, once she sat down, there was no more space on this bench for two.

Ethan Sterling ran back and forth three times, finally bringing over the food and fried pancakes.

This time, Ruby didn’t move but instead moved her lips, "There’s a disinfection cabinet over there with chopsticks and napkins."

Ethan cast a glance in the direction she pointed and stood up to fetch the items, albeit he was skeptical about the so-called disinfection cabinet setup. However, recalling they’ve both eaten stinky tofu, he felt there was no need to fuss over such small matters, hesitated a bit at the low-quality napkins, but ultimately took a few sheets over.

Ruby Sullivan looked at the food in front of her with a full smile, as if nothing but a feast from the Qing Dynasty could make her so happy. Yet, before she dug in, she felt a bit hesitant, worried that after so many years, the taste would be different. Even though that seemed inevitable, she couldn’t help but muster some mental preparation.

She took a deep breath, grabbed a bite of the fried pancake, and then took a spoonful of the braised eggplant.

Haha, indeed, the taste was quite bold, like the old days. Although she could tell right away it was due to the subpar oil used, the mouthful she took in brought her an inexplicable sense of nostalgia.

Back then, intrigued by what Ethan’s world was like, she would spend over an hour bus ride to come here for a meal during her free time. Although most of the stalls in The Red Hall had changed, her favorite one still existed, proving she had some level of taste all along.

Ethan Sterling noticed her indulged demeanor and tried a bite himself. Hmm, the taste was indeed quite ordinary, but he found if he accompanied her expressions with it, eating more was no issue. Perhaps this was the charm of a food show.

"You seem quite familiar with this place?" He recalled his earlier question, noting Ruby Sullivan’s behavior was not of someone coming here for the first time.

Ruby Sullivan raised an eyebrow, "The campus cafeterias are more or less the same, and the dishes generally come down to a few common choices. However...your school’s cafeteria seems just a tad more upscale than ours."

Ethan Sterling thought for a moment, "Ariston has so many schools; we could try a few more and compare." He just felt Ruby really enjoyed dressing like a student and coming to campus. Since they were all set up now, he didn’t mind accompanying her to stroll through more schools.

"Hey, now that’s a decent idea. Once we’ve tasted them all, I’ll make a campus food guide." Ruby contemplated for a bit, "If there’s a chance in the future, we could also visit schools in other places. Ah, suddenly I find this travel route quite cultured."

Ethan Sterling couldn’t help but be swept up by her excitement, "There will be opportunities."

At The Sterling Family, Gwen Yates casually asked at lunchtime when Ethan Sterling and Ruby Sullivan would return. Mama Bennett kindly replied with a smile that Mr. and Mrs. Sterling usually come back late from their dates, both having been busy lately, and they were grateful Mr. Yates could help with the kids today; otherwise, they wouldn’t have had time for their couple’s world.

Gwen maintained a smile throughout, but her meal was hard to swallow.

After their meal, the siblings strolled about a bit and played for a while before taking a nap, with Mama Bennett intentionally locking the main bedroom door to prevent Gwen from sneaking in.

However, Honey was worried Mr. Yates wouldn’t have a place to rest at noon and pleaded for her to accompany her for a nap. Gwen was more than willing; compared to the sofa, Honey’s bed was much more comfortable.

Honey lay on the bed with a serene smile, "Mr. Yates, I’m especially happy with you at home. I think I might’ve eaten a bit too much at lunch, can you rub my tummy?" She asked, closing her eyes with a silly grin.

"Of course." Gwen warmed her palms and gently rubbed Honey’s tummy, feeling the soft chubby flesh through the thin cotton cloth.

Both Honey and Seth were adorably lovable kids, though sometimes Seth could leave her speechless, his resemblance to Ethan Sterling was uncanny, making it impossible for her not to adore him.

She let out a sigh, unable to resist asking, "Do your dad and mom go on dates often?"

Honey yawned while pondering, "It seems they only started dating recently. My brother says that dad is chasing mom, so we both need to behave and cheer for dad."

"Your dad is chasing your mom?" Gwen asked, confused, "They’re already married; what’s there to chase?" She pinched the chubby flesh on Honey’s tummy, teasing her, "Honey really is a little muddle-headed."

Saying that, she deliberately planted a kiss on her neck, making Honey giggle, before saying, "Yes, they’re married but later got divorced, so dad has to court mom all over again."

Gwen froze, questioning her hearing, had Mr. Sterling and Wenny really divorced?