Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 80: New mission

Scarlett’s face changed for a moment, but she quickly masked her emotions, regaining her poised and cool demeanor as she pulled her hand away from Ethan’s grasp.

“Happy now? Remember our agreement. Once we leave the hotel, we’re just a normal aunt and nephew,” she said.

“Oh.” Ethan looked disappointed. “Can I give you a hug?”

Scarlett’s eyes briefly flickered with pity. She nodded and opened her arms.

Ethan hugged her tightly, pressing himself against her, as if trying to merge her into his body.

But despite the look of loss in his eyes, his mind was already racing with plans for the next step.

Their relationship reverting back to aunt and nephew was all part of Ethan’s plan.

His aunt had agreed to date him, thinking he wouldn’t make it through the night—a decision made in a moment of desperation.

If he kept up the pretense, it would only make her uncomfortable.

The smartest move would be to drop the act and start over, to make her truly fall for him.

Holding Ethan, Scarlett felt the warmth of his body and her emotions were a whirlwind. She knew her nephew had some unusual inclinations, but his genuine feelings for her were something she couldn’t find in anyone else.

In that moment, her heart felt a profound emptiness.

“Alright,” Scarlett said, letting go. “Go take a shower.”

“Yeah.” Ethan lingered a moment longer, knowing it might be a while before he could embrace his aunt like this again.

He declined Scarlett’s offer to help him bathe.

After completing his task, he earned a thousand points.

He hesitated briefly before investing all the points into his attributes.

“Name: Ethan”

“Age: 18”

“Strength: 4”

“Stamina: 4”

“Agility: 4”

“Skills: Hard as a rock LV2, Weakness Implantation LV1, Medical Secrecy.”

“Wish: Refresh time: 23 hours 31 minutes, 16 seconds.”

Now with all attributes at four, his physical condition was comparable to that of a normal 16-year-old female. He just needed some time to rehabilitate and get used to his body, then running and jumping wouldn’t be a problem.

Scarlett watched silently as Ethan walked into the bathroom alone.

That evening, she took Ethan back to his hospital room.

“Aunt, I can sleep alone tonight,” Ethan said, now stronger with all attributes at four. Blair, a student, sometimes stayed overnight with him, which was manageable.

But his aunt was already overworked with her job and studies, and visiting the hospital added to her stress.

Scarlett lingered over him for a while, then nodded silently, managing a smile. “Okay.”

She knew Ethan was worried about her.

Scarlett chose not to pretend she was stronger than she felt. She needed some quiet time alone: “Call me if you need anything.”

“Yeah.” Ethan watched as his aunt left.

He clenched his fist, truly understanding the importance of health in that moment.

…

Time swiftly moved to the next day.

At night, the lights of a small tavern flickered on.

“Now I feel completely relaxed,” Scarlett said, putting down her glass, one hand propping up her chin, the other holding her drink, a smile on her face.

Jessica sat next to Scarlett, swirling her drink. “It’s a shame, really. I thought I was going to hear a beautiful, forbidden love story.”

“What are you talking about?” Scarlett spread her hands dismissively. “With such an age difference, it’s just perverse, isn’t it? It’s not beautiful,it’s just a bizarre fetish.”

“Really? Don’t you think you’re reacting quite strongly today?” Jessica’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “And why are you crying?”

Scarlett shivered and quickly reached up to wipe away tears, but her fingers found no wetness on her cheeks.

By now, she realized she’d been tricked.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. “That kind of joke isn’t funny at all.”

“Ha ha,” Jessica laughed, her gaze piercing as if trying to see into Scarlett’s soul. “But your reaction just now already gave you away, didn’t it?”

“You’re still as annoying as ever. That’s why you’ve had no friends since school,” Scarlett retorted, looking away. “We’re adults now. We should know what’s best for the kids, not just act on whims.”

She downed her drink in one go, staring at the empty glass with a melancholic gaze. “After all, life is full of regrets and imperfections.”

Meanwhile, in the hospital room.

Ethan watched the countdown for his wish refresh on the screen: “13 minutes, 23 seconds.”

His hand moved quickly over his “Pecker.”

“Do you need me to step out for a bit?” Blair asked from the next bed, glancing over.

“No, keep doing your thing. It doesn’t bother me,” Ethan replied, speeding up his movements, surrounded by used tissues.

This was his third time.

He wasn’t just testing his limits.

After the third time, his eyes cleared, free from any carnal desires.

Three times was his limit.

Ethan’s mind wandered back to the moments he had spent with his aunt. After the third release, the memory of his aunt’s curves seemed less pronounced, her maternal side more prominent.

He began to fantasize about dating his aunt.

Walking hand in hand, tasting delicious food together, sharing joy and happiness.

As he fantasized, the countdown continued.

Until the timer hit zero.

A blue screen popped up in front of him: “Wish: I really wish my aunt would genuinely want to date me. Reward: 2000 points. Random existing skill +2.”

“Just as I thought!” Ethan’s eyes lit up, confirming his suspicion.

The wish refresh was based on his most intense current desire.

Like the last time, when he had been looking at his aunt’s behind, and the system refreshed with a strange wish related to that.

He quickly noticed the reward for the task.

2000 points and a random skill upgrade by two levels—a fantastic reward.

“So, the difficulty of the wish varies, and the system adjusts the rewards accordingly,” Ethan quickly accepted this.

After all, world peace and touching his aunt’s long legs in black stockings were worlds apart in difficulty.

“If the rewards were the same, that would be unreasonable.”

“So wanting my aunt to genuinely date me is judged as a 2000-point difficulty task.” A flash of disappointment crossed Ethan’s eyes.

He had deliberately triggered this task, thinking it would be simple given his aunt’s feelings for him.

But the system had judged it as difficult as entering his aunt from behind twice.

“Could it be that I’m deluded in thinking she likes me?” Ethan fell silent, a wave of disappointment washing over him.