Ethan Ellsworth wasn’t the only one who was stunned; Chloe Marshall was utterly speechless.
But after just a mont, Ethan Ellsworth’s mood inexplicably brightened. He whispered in Chloe Marshall’s ear, "Looks like my mom is quite pleased with you."
Chloe Marshall, however, was incredibly nervous. She cautiously followed Ethan Ellsworth into the living room.
She called out, "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth."
Mrs. Ellsworth gestured for her to co closer. "Chloe, co and sit down! Jane, serve the tea!"
Chloe Marshall waved her hand. "Oh, there’s no need, ma’am."
"Don’t stand on ceremony with . Make yourself at ho here." Mrs. Ellsworth was all smiles. "So, when did you two get together?"
Ethan Ellsworth lied calmly, "It’s been a little while."
"Then why didn’t you tell , you little brat?" Mrs. Ellsworth paused right after she said it, then laughed at Chloe Marshall. "Don’t mind . That’s just how I am. I have no filter."
Chloe Marshall suddenly felt a fondness for Ethan Ellsworth’s mother. "It’s no problem, ma’am. I can be pretty loud and reckless myself. This is my first visit, and I ca empty-handed. I hope you don’t mind."
"You don’t need to buy a thing! We have everything we need here. I’ll be happy as long as you visit often."
Ethan Ellsworth’s mouth twitched. "Mom, just so you know, Chloe’s family isn’t very well-off, and her mother passed away a long ti ago."
"That poor child," Mrs. Ellsworth said with empathy. "Don’t you worry. From now on, just treat like your own mother. It doesn’t matter if your family isn’t well-off—ours is!"
Ethan Ellsworth pressed on. "So, Mom, you don’t mind that she’s from a rural area, with a background like that?"
He had expected his mother to flip out imdiately. But to his surprise, not only did she not get angry, she was absolutely beaming.
"What’s wrong with the countryside? Most girls from rural areas are simple and honest. They aren’t scheming. I like that even better."
Chloe Marshall’s eyes moistened. She recalled how disdainful Quentin Grant’s mother was toward Nora and had expected Ethan Ellsworth’s mother to be the sa. But seeing her today, her words ward Chloe Marshall’s heart.
"Thank you, ma’am."
Mrs. Ellsworth handed her a cup of tea brought by the maid. "Have so tea, have so tea. Don’t be shy."
With that, she nudged Mr. Ellsworth. "Dear, you say sothing, too."
Mr. Ellsworth said, "Well, dear, let’s not have the two of them leave tonight. You can have a nice chat with Chloe, and I’ll have a little talk with our boy Ellsworth."
Ethan Ellsworth did a spit take. "Mom, Dad, I don’t think that’s a good idea."
Mrs. Ellsworth laughed. "What’s inconvenient about it? We’re on the first floor, and you two will have the second floor all to yourselves. Don’t worry, no one will hear you. You can do whatever you want. No need to be concerned."
Now Chloe Marshall caught Mrs. Ellsworth’s drift and had to stifle a laugh. Her usual reserved deanor vanished, and she boldly took Mrs. Ellsworth’s hand. "Ma’am, I’m afraid my younger brother and my dad haven’t eaten yet. I need to go ho to cook for them."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Ellsworth said, "Such a good girl. So unlike Ellsworth’s sister, who’s out all day and wouldn’t lift a finger to do housework."
Ethan Ellsworth stood up. "Okay, Mom, I’m going to take her ho now."
Mrs. Ellsworth was clearly reluctant to see her go. "How about this, Chloe? I’ll send one of our staff over to cook for your father and brother. You can stay and keep company."
Ethan Ellsworth broke into a cold sweat. "Mom, you’re hopeless!"
"You little brat! I’m only this worried because of you! Look how old you are! You’ve never brought a single girlfriend ho, and you have the nerve to criticize ? That rumor about you and Herman being together... you have no idea how much it scared and Hawthorne! Then when I saw you and Chloe in the news a few days ago, I thought it was just another fake story. I’m so glad it’s real! This is great!"
Ethan Ellsworth threw in the towel. "Okay, okay, I get it! I’m taking Chloe ho now. We’ll co back together so other ti."
Mrs. Ellsworth wasn’t having it. "Ellsworth, you’d better drink so restorative soup. I’ll bring so to you two tomorrow."
Ethan scrambled into the car and threw open the passenger door. "Id-- Chloe! Get in the car!"
"Goodbye, Mrs. Ellsworth! I’ll visit again when I can."
Mrs. Ellsworth was still unwilling to let her go. "You’re a good girl. Be sure to co back often."
As the car pulled away from the Ellsworth Residence, Chloe Marshall was beaming. Ethan Ellsworth shot her a sideways glance. "My mom really likes you, kid. That’s a rare thing."
Chloe Marshall looked at him. "Boss Ellsworth, your mother is so wonderful. Seriously, I think you’re really blessed."
Ethan Ellsworth snorted. "If you had to live under her constant supervision, she’d drive you crazy sooner or later."
"You shouldn’t talk about your own mother that way. I’d give anything to have my mom back, but I can’t."
Ethan Ellsworth lowered his gaze. "Fine. I’ll let you call my mom ’Mom’ for free for a while."
When they stopped in front of Chloe Marshall’s ho, she handed back the one thousand yuan he had given her previously.
"What’s this for?"
"Boss Ellsworth," Chloe Marshall said seriously. "I can’t accept this money. I really like your mother. I feel blessed just being able to be around her. I’m happy to be your fake girlfriend, free of charge."
With that, she placed the money on the passenger seat and shut the door.
She turned and walked toward her front door. Ethan Ellsworth watched her retreating figure, a strange smile on his face. He muttered to himself, "What a fool. Turning down money when it’s handed to her."
「The next day」
Just as Chloe Marshall got to the office, she saw Mrs. Ellsworth waiting for her, holding a thermal lunch box.
"Mrs. Ellsworth? What are you doing here?" Chloe Marshall jogged over to her.
"Chloe, dear. I personally made this soup for you and Ellsworth to share."
Chloe Marshall was touched. "Thank you, Mrs. Ellsworth. Let carry that for you. I’ll take you up; Boss Ellsworth is probably in the office already."
"Wonderful, wonderful."
Just as they reached the office and pushed the door open, Ethan Ellsworth froze in his tracks. "Mom? What are you doing here?"
Mrs. Ellsworth sat down, smiling. "A mother worries about her son’s health, so of course I had to check on you. I made this restorative soup just for you two. I need to see you both drink it before I can rest easy."
Chloe Marshall placed the lunch box on the desk and got two bowls from a nearby cabinet.
"You should have so too, Mrs. Ellsworth."
Mrs. Ellsworth blushed. "This soup is for young people like you. An old woman like doesn’t need it."
Curious, Ethan Ellsworth walked over and opened the lunch box. He was mortified by the soup inside.
It was bull penis soup.
Mrs. Ellsworth pointed at the lunch box. "The top tier is for Ellsworth, and the bottom one is for Chloe. Hurry up and drink it before it gets cold. It won’t be good then."
Ethan Ellsworth lifted out the top container. The one underneath held soft-shelled turtle soup, ant to "nourish the kidneys."
Chloe Marshall, not understanding the implications, said, "It slls delicious! You’re so thoughtful, Mrs. Ellsworth. It has a wonderful aroma."
Mrs. Ellsworth prompted, "Well, drink up then."
Chloe Marshall nodded, poured the soup into her bowl, and finished it in no ti.
Ethan Ellsworth’s portion remained completely untouched.
Mrs. Ellsworth glared at him. "Get on with it! I need to take the lunch box ho!"
Ethan Ellsworth gave his mother a disgruntled look. "Mom, I’m in great shape. I don’t really need this, do I?"
"Absolutely not. Even if you’re in great shape, you need to recharge. Who knows how much energy you’ve been... expending lately? You have to replenish it!"
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