Chapter 525 - 521: What a Love-Addled Brain

That one sentence completely baffled Ethan Sterling.

Huh?

"Oh, right." He scratched his head, muttering with a bewildered look, "And here I thought it was the thought that counts."

Cecilia Sterling laughed and said bluntly, "People only say ’it’s the thought that counts’ to console the gift-giver when they know the person is short on cash."

Realizing that might not be entirely precise, she added, "It’s not an absolute rule, but that’s the situation in most cases."

For the person receiving the gift, what mattered most was, of course, whether they actually liked it!

Ethan Sterling mulled over his sister’s words. She seemed to have a point.

Seeing her son’s clueless expression, Jasmine Sterling couldn’t resist asking, "Well, do you even know what she likes?"

Once again, a single question left Ethan Sterling stumped.

’What *does* Seraphina like?’

He had no idea.

Seraphina seemed to be passionate about everything around her. She was even fascinated by the ugliest fish at the aquarium and had immediately pulled out her phone to look up information about it.

’It seemed like she liked everything.’

"Let it go, Mom. Let’s not grill him anymore," Cecilia Sterling said to her mother. "This is Ethan’s first time falling for someone. We should let him figure things out on his own. The clueless uncertainty of a first love is what makes it so precious."

"No, Sis, I haven’t even won her over yet!" Ethan’s expression immediately turned pleading. "At least give me some ideas!"

But his mother agreed with his sister. "Dating is very subjective. It doesn’t matter what advice or opinions others give you. The most important thing is whether the two of you connect. That’s something you have to figure out on your own. Your sister and I can’t really help."

Cecilia Sterling gave her mother a thumbs-up for that speech. "Leave it to Mom to be so insightful."

Jasmine Sterling shot her daughter a playful, chiding glance and urged her to go upstairs, shower, and get to bed early.

Ethan Sterling, however, just sat there with his bowl, lost in thought.

The next day, he arranged to meet up with Renee Reid and Jameson Stone early in the morning.

An upscale outdoor cafe at Pinnacle at Midpoint.

"Ugh, what part of this stuff is supposed to be good?" Jameson Stone took a sip of his Americano, and the bitterness instantly made his face scrunch up. He put the cup down with a look of disgust.

"Here, have mine." Seeing this, Ethan Sterling pushed his latte in front of Jameson Stone and took Jameson’s Americano. "Lattes aren’t as bitter."

Jameson Stone watched, wide-eyed, as Ethan casually took a drink from the Americano that he had just sipped from. He opened his mouth to say something, but ultimately swallowed his words.

’It’s not like the latte tastes any better.’

Sitting to the side, Renee Reid glanced from Ethan Sterling to Jameson Stone and blinked inexplicably.

"Alright, spit it out. What is it this time?" Renee Reid leaned back on the sofa, looking at Ethan Sterling with an expression that said she already knew what was coming. "Stuck again?"

Ethan Sterling gave a pained, embarrassed smile. "I’m not stuck. There hasn’t been any progress to get stuck *on*."

Cradling the cup, Jameson Stone looked at Ethan Sterling. He pursed his lips at Ethan’s words but didn’t say anything.

Renee Reid was noticeably silent for a few seconds before speaking. "You haven’t asked her out again?"

"I have, but the timing was always bad. She wasn’t free," Ethan Sterling answered honestly.

Renee Reid blurted out, "Then you’ve been cut!"

"Huh?" Ethan Sterling was taken aback. "That can’t be right. Strictly speaking, I was never in the running to begin with."

"True..." Renee Reid nodded and said softly, "I have been keeping an eye on Seraphina for you. She hasn’t gotten particularly close to anyone, and she’s not dating. Maybe she really is just busy."

Just then, Jameson Stone couldn’t hold back any longer. "She wasn’t free for the entire seven-day National Day holiday? How busy can she be? We’re freshmen, not seniors. Freshman year is the easiest year we’ll ever have. I don’t buy that she’s *that* busy."

He looked at Ethan Sterling and said, "Ethan, she’s probably just not into you. If she liked you even a little, she wouldn’t keep turning you down."

"She hasn’t been constantly rejecting me," Ethan Sterling quickly explained. "I’ve only asked her out twice since the aquarium. Once she had a club activity, and the other time her grandpa was having a milestone birthday. I think those are both perfectly reasonable explanations."

"But you were on campus for the whole holiday, weren’t you? Did you ask her out then? Did you see her at all?" Jameson Stone pressed.

Ethan Sterling shook his head.

"Well, there you have it!" Jameson Stone’s eyes widened as he stated with conviction, "She just doesn’t like you!"

"But..." Ethan Sterling thought back to their day at the aquarium. They had both been so happy the entire time. He was sure Seraphina felt *something* for him.

Renee Reid gave Jameson Stone a light shove, her brow furrowed. "You’re being way too absolute. We don’t know the full situation."

"I don’t, but do you?" Jameson Stone retorted, looking at Renee Reid.

"I definitely know more than you do," Renee Reid said. "At least Seraphina and I are in the same department."

Turning to Ethan Sterling, she continued, "I’m not trying to discourage you, but the reality is that Seraphina is really popular. You’re definitely not the only one who wants to date her. She has every right to observe and choose from her many suitors before making a final decision. You can’t deny that, can you?"

Ethan Sterling nodded in understanding.

"That means you still have a lot of competition," Renee Reid added. "Your odds are a total unknown. So, if you really want to win her over, you have to keep trying instead of just sitting here overthinking things. It’s pointless. If you’re not careful, someone else will beat you to it before you’ve even figured out your next move."

Jameson Stone shook his head, speechless. "That was a whole lot of nothing."

He was clearly annoyed, and his tone was impatient. "Besides, why should a catch like Ethan let someone else ’pick’ him? Sure, Seraphina is pretty, but Ethan’s no slouch either. Why should he have to grovel like this?"

"That just proves you’ve never really liked someone before. Do you think this is something you can just match up based on ’conditions’? Liking someone is about the *feeling*!" Renee Reid said, rolling her eyes.

Jameson Stone opened his mouth slightly, but in the end, he didn’t argue back. He just kept his eyes fixed on Ethan Sterling.

"Hey, you two, stop arguing," Ethan Sterling said quickly. "I get both your points. I really like her, so I’m willing to put in the effort. A little pressure is fine. Pressure creates motivation, right?"

Jameson Stone was completely exasperated. "You’ve got a classic case of love brain."

Renee Reid, on the other hand, asked, "You must have had another reason for asking us here today, right?"

At her words, Jameson Stone also turned to look at Ethan Sterling.

Ethan Sterling nodded. "Her birthday is at the end of the month. I want to buy her a present, and I was hoping you two could come with me. Help me pick something out!"

"A birthday is a great opportunity," Renee Reid offered. "I suggest you find a time to ask her out beforehand and surprise her. Just the two of you."

Jameson Stone couldn’t stop a cynical laugh from escaping. "Getting her to meet up is a problem in itself. Don’t buy a gift you won’t even be able to give her!"