Chapter 458 - 454: You’re Pretty, Let’s Be Friends

A flicker of surprise crossed Seraphina’s face. She was clearly taken aback that the boy in front of her knew her name.

"How did you know my name is Seraphina?"

she asked softly, looking at Ethan, her beautiful eyes full of confusion.

Ethan snapped back to reality, his heart suddenly starting to race. He had pictured greeting Seraphina countless times, but the real moment had come so unexpectedly.

He was completely unprepared.

"I..." Ethan was at a loss for words. After a moment’s hesitation, he answered truthfully, "I heard someone call your name... in the school cafeteria."

He lowered his head as he spoke, feeling a little self-conscious.

’After all, knowing the name of a girl you’ve never met probably sounds a little weird.’

But as Seraphina stared at Ethan’s face, a flicker of familiarity came to mind. She ignored his explanation and instead asked, "Have we met somewhere before?"

"You remember?" Ethan was stunned, a joyful glint appearing in his eyes.

"We really have?" Seraphina looked just as surprised, but then she smiled apologetically. "I don’t really remember where, though. You just look a little familiar."

Ethan quickly reminded her, "It was during the winter, at Mama’s Fiery Skewers. Our two tables were pushed together. You were with your friends and asked me to pass you a napkin."

Ethan remembered the scene of their first meeting and every single detail as if it were yesterday.

His words jogged Seraphina’s memory.

"Oh, I remember now! So it was you! No wonder... when I saw you sitting on the bench at the athletic field the other day, I thought I’d seen you before." As she recalled, everything clicked into place. She looked at Ethan and smiled. "You recognized me back then, didn’t you? I can’t believe we ran into each other again here at Lorcain U."

Ethan wasn’t as nervous anymore. He nodded and made sure to introduce himself. "I’m Ethan Sterling, from the Computer Science department’s Team Inferno."

"You’re in Team Inferno?"

"Yeah. What department are you in?" Ethan seized the opportunity to ask.

Seraphina said, "I’m in the Architecture department."

’She’s in the same department as Renee!’

"Are you feeling better now? Did you get a side stitch earlier?" Seraphina offered her water bottle to Ethan again. "Here, drink some water."

"Thanks." Ethan took it, twisted the cap open, and took a couple of sips. The discomfort had already faded. "How come you’re not in formation?"

"I’m not feeling well today, so I got excused ahead of time."

Ethan immediately understood what she meant. Seeing his platoon complete a lap and head back their way, he looked at Seraphina and thanked her again. "I should get back. Thanks for the water."

Seraphina simply smiled in response. After Ethan jogged back to his platoon, she moved to the shade of a tree at the edge of the field.

However, their entire exchange had been witnessed by Owen Griffin.

At lunch in the cafeteria, the once-energetic freshmen were now half-dead from the military training. They shuffled through the line on trembling legs, got their food, and silently found seats, too exhausted to even speak.

Among the "iron triangle," the one in the best shape was, surprisingly, Renee Reid.

"I can tell you don’t get enough exercise," Renee couldn’t help but tease Ethan, seeing his pale face. At the same time, she picked out half the beef from her own bowl and gave it to him. "Eat up. You need to get your strength back."

Ethan was exhausted, but he was in high spirits because he’d finally spoken to Seraphina.

"Hey, Renee." He looked at her, remembering that Seraphina was also in the Architecture department. He asked tentatively, "Do you know a girl named Seraphina? She’s in your department, too."

"Seraphina?" Renee paused for a second, then nodded. "I wouldn’t say I know her, but I know *of* her. Wasn’t she in that promotional video for the university? She’s a really beautiful girl."

At her words, Jameson Stone, who had been too tired to speak and was just focused on his food, couldn’t help but look up at Ethan.

As a girl, Renee’s intuition immediately kicked in. She gave Ethan a scrutinizing look and finally asked, "Ethan, you don’t..."

Ethan just gave a sheepish grin, but his expression said it all.

Renee and Jameson exchanged a look, each wearing a different expression.

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the cafeteria, Owen Griffin was already making his move on Seraphina.

"Excuse me. Can I buy you a drink? I’d like to get to know you."

Sitting at her table, Seraphina looked at the drink offered by the tall, lean guy in front of her, momentarily at a loss for how to react.

With one hand in his pocket, Owen Griffin placed the cup in front of Seraphina. "It’s hot ginger tea. You’re probably not feeling too well today, right?"

His thoughtful observation and gesture clearly impressed the two girls sitting with her.

"How did you know?" Seraphina asked, also a little surprised.

Owen Griffin’s lips curled into a handsome, roguish smile. "I noticed you this morning, resting on the sidelines. My name’s Owen Griffin. No ulterior motives, I just think you’re really pretty and wanted to get to know you."

His directness elicited another flurry of micro-expressions from her friends, who glanced at Seraphina to see her reaction.

A light blush crept onto Seraphina’s face, though Owen Griffin wasn’t the first guy who had tried to get her number since she started university.

"We can get to know each other, but I’ll pass on the drink, thanks." Seraphina politely refused Owen’s ginger tea.

Owen looked down at her. From this angle, she looked incredibly charming and full of life. ’That Ethan kid really has good taste,’ he thought.

"I already bought it, and what’s a guy like me going to do with ginger tea?" Owen said in a soft, coaxing tone. "How about we make this a one-time exception?"

He knew how to push and pull. In front of Seraphina, Owen acted like a perfect gentleman, yet he couldn’t completely hide the roguish streak in his nature. This clash of auras created a uniquely captivating impression.

’A refined bad boy?’

’Yeah, that’s probably the vibe.’

Hearing him put it that way, Seraphina felt she couldn’t refuse any longer and simply nodded. "Well... thank you. I’ll treat you next time."

The smile on Owen’s face widened as he casually pulled out his phone. "Let’s add each other on WhatsApp? If that’s okay?"

Seraphina felt a little awkward, especially with her friends watching. But since she’d accepted his drink, she couldn’t just leave him hanging. After a brief hesitation, she took out her phone.

After they added each other on WhatsApp, Owen left, looking pleased.

Her friend at the table immediately whispered excitedly, "Seraphina, he’s a good one!"

Seraphina looked at her and shook her head lightly. "Don’t be ridiculous. We just became friends, that’s all."

"He definitely wants to ask you out! It’s so obvious!"

The other girl nodded in agreement. "He’s way better than the last two guys. He could even tell you were on your period and went out of his way to buy you ginger tea. This guy gets my vote."

"Stop hyping it up, you guys. We just added each other on WhatsApp. Given the situation, I was too embarrassed to say no."

"What? You actually wanted to refuse? He’s great! He’s not shy at all—he came right up, said you were pretty, and asked for your number. Way better than those phony guys who beat around the bush."

Seraphina glanced at the name Owen had sent over, then locked her screen without replying. "He’s not my type," she said.