"The alcohol content is a bit low, but it should be enough to get Nate drunk." Grace took a hotel key card out of her pocket and handed it to Evelyn. "It's the hotel right across the street, room 2447. Checkout is tomorrow night. Consider it a Christmas gift to yourself."
Evelyn accepted the key card with a soft laugh. "Grace, you really love getting involved in your students' relationships."
"Sister is very supportive of you young people and your beautiful romance. It's just a shame it's not my turn."
"You were saying earlier that you're not old."
"I'm still a little older compared to you two."
…
The door to the private room opened behind them. Noah turned his head and saw Evelyn and Grace returning with the drinks and Coke. "Sis, you guys took forever. A lot of the meat and veggies are overcooked now."
"We chatted for a while." Evelyn placed the ice-cold Coke beside Noah. "Drinking something this cold and sweet while eating hot pot? Be careful you don't get a stomachache."
"It's just once, it'll be fine. You two are the ones drinking alcohol, isn't that worse?"
"Getting lectured by Nate is pretty rare," Grace said, pouring herself a glass of the mineral water they had brought. "But we're saving the drinking for after the meal. Have some water first."
Noah had nothing more to say and continued eating the hot, oily, spicy food from his plate.
Grace and Evelyn ate very little, mostly talking about their work, daily lives, and interesting stories from the past.
From their conversation, Noah overheard quite a few things. Certain topics naturally caught his attention, and during a pause he couldn't help interjecting, "Sis, you had guys chasing after you back in college?"
"Of course," Grace answered first. "Nate, just think about how excellent your sister is. It's completely normal for her to have pursuers. If Evelyn wasn't so low-key and avoided the spotlight, there wouldn't have been only one or two."
It seemed like one of Grace's favorite topics. She opened up completely and spilled everything at once. "Unfortunately Evelyn already had someone in her heart. She didn't spare those boys a single glance. Plus she never interacted with guys, so later people even started rumors that she was a lesbian."
"That's ridiculous," Noah turned to Evelyn and joked dumbly, "Sis, do you actually prefer girls?"
"If you were a girl, then sister would like girls." Evelyn flicked his forehead lightly with her finger.
"Let's change the hypothetical then," Grace said to Evelyn with a smile, her full lips curving in a seductive line. "What if Nate was your actual biological little brother, Evelyn? What would you do?"
"Well… why don't you guess first, Nate?"
"That obviously wouldn't work. Mom would never agree."
"What if sister insisted anyway? Would you obey sister?"
"But… that would be incest…"
"For you, Nate, sister wouldn't care at all." She smiled gently and stroked the top of his head. "It's a good thing it's not the case. Sister still wants Mom's support."
The conversation afterward became much lighter, sticking to safe and ordinary topics. The ingredients on the table slowly ran out, and no one suggested ordering more. After they had digested a little, Grace opened the first bottle of wine they had brought.
After pouring a glass for herself and Evelyn, she turned to Noah. "Want to try some, Nate? This wine isn't very strong."
Noah looked eager but still glanced at Evelyn calmly, seeking her permission.
"Go ahead if you want to drink. Sister is right here."
With permission, Grace poured him a full glass. Noah brought it to his lips and took several sips. The wine was light, fragrant, and sweet, not harsh or bitter at all—the kind he liked.
"If you like it, drink more. If you get drunk, sister will take care of you. We'll make an exception tonight so you can enjoy yourself."
"Hehe, thanks sis." He gave Evelyn an innocent smile, completely failing to notice anything off, and quickly downed a good amount from the glass.
But it was still alcohol in the end. Noah's tolerance was poor to begin with, so even low-proof liquor was enough to intoxicate him. Gradually his head grew dizzy, and the whole world seemed to be spinning.
All the strength drained from his body. He couldn't even hold the glass anymore and slumped heavily onto Evelyn's shoulder, almost completely drunk.
"Then I wish you a fun night, Evelyn. Do you want me to help carry Nate over?"
"No need." Evelyn shook her head. "Thank you for today, Grace."
"It's nothing. Nate is a good kid. Sister doesn't want to see him get deceived by those bad girls either."
"I thought I wouldn't need to use tricks like this."
"Just speeding things up a little. You've already waited nearly twenty years, Evelyn. Using some methods isn't out of the question." Grace opened the door of the private room and looked back at her. "I'll head out first. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas…"
The private room fell silent. The spicy, greasy broth in the copper pot was still bubbling. Evelyn tried to help the boy lie down on her lap, but Noah instead wrapped his arms around her neck and buried his face into her shoulder.
"Sister… mmm… I'll be good… Sister…"
Just as expected, like the previous times. Once drunk, the boy would regress to the childish and innocent mentality of his younger self, clinging to her stubbornly and refusing to let her leave.
If a boy lost his father at a young age, had a mother who was constantly busy with work, and received little attention from elders, how dependent would he become on the one person who truly cared for and looked after him?
Evelyn had strictly forbidden Noah from drinking with outsiders precisely to stop the boy from seeking comfort from other people when he was drunk.
She had an extremely severe psychological cleanliness obsession toward Nate. Allowing Nate to get close to Lila Vale before had already made him far too dirty—contaminated with all kinds of scents and traces she found repulsive and disgusting. He had been covered in filth.
It had taken her months to finally clean him up properly. She couldn't let him get dirty again.
Her slender, pale fingertips gently brushed over the top of the boy's head, sliding down across his slender cheek, then along the narrow line of his neck…
The hotel room was luxuriously appointed, spacious and warm. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the brightly lit streets and alleys of Loane City were visible. Young couples embraced under the lights, elderly partners supported each other, cars flowed continuously, and the sounds of the crowd filled the air.
Evelyn drew the curtains shut, turned around, and asked softly beside the boy's ear, "Nate, are you hot?"
"Mmm… so hot…"
"Then shall we take your clothes off? Sister will help you."
"Thank you… Sister."
The air conditioning was set fairly high, so even thin clothing wouldn't feel cold. She unbuttoned Noah's outer coat, removed his second shirt, leaving only the thin wool sweater.
Then she took off her own black sweater and pants. Her long, raven-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. The bright lights fell across large expanses of her snow-white, delicate skin, glowing with an alluring honey tone.
She half-sat on Noah's lap, supporting his body so he could lean fully against hers. "Nate, do you love your sister?"
"Mmm… I love… sister."