This gathering feels off!

Regardless of the circumstances, this time the significant reduction in malice indirectly made things much safer. As long as it was a visible attack, he could evade it. In the past, there was simply no way to avoid them. Moreover, over these three years, his eyesight has been getting better and better. 5.2 is already considered conservative. To be honest, he can see how many legs a spider crawling on a wall ten meters away has.

The address Ryan Grant sent him wasn't close, but Ethan Lewis didn't even consider taking a taxi. If the malice suddenly erupted, being in a car would mean certain death for him. So he preferred to walk; it would only take an hour anyway. On the way, Ethan suffered no less than twenty malicious attacks, each one fatal. Stones could even fall from the clear sky—although he didn't know why stones would fall when there were no buildings around. But regardless, he managed to get through that hour safely.

In front of him was a relatively high-end local hotel where many wealthy people came to dine. For this gathering, the big shots in the class had started making reservations two months in advance. Entering the lobby, Ethan took out his invitation, and only then did the usher let him in.

"Haha, Ethan, you've finally come! I've missed you so much. It's been three years, and you haven't changed at all," Ryan greeted him with a hug, his clear eyes just like they were three years ago. Ethan couldn't help but smile too. In this world shrouded by malice, Ryan was the only person who never harbored ill intentions towards him, which was why Ryan was his best friend. No matter how the world changed, Ryan remained the same.

"You haven't changed either," Ethan smiled and followed him into the private room.

The private room was already full of classmates who had all arrived. The moment Ethan walked in, he saw the girl who had always lingered in his mind—Grace Quinn!

That was her name, and she was the white moonlight in countless dreams. From the first glance, it felt as if the world became clearer. She was the same as three years ago, with a ponytail, no makeup, yet her face remained exquisitely beautiful. Three years hadn't left any marks on her. Her eyes were like a starry sky, captivating anyone who looked into them. Today, she wore a pure white dress, revealing slightly her crystal-clear calves. She sat quietly without saying a word, yet all eyes were drawn to her.

Compared to her, Sophia Monroe, the class beauty, seemed much less dazzling. Although Sophia was also stunningly beautiful, she lacked Grace's cold and noble demeanor.

"Come on, look here, everyone. Do you recognize who this is?" Ryan forced himself to tear his gaze away from Grace after staring at her for two seconds and then loudly announced.

After his shout, everyone seemed to notice Ethan's presence and were astonished.

"Ethan, you can go out now? It's been three years, and I never expected to see you again," Sarah Yao spoke first. She was Ethan's deskmate back then and had a good relationship with him.

Ethan gave a bitter smile, sat between Sarah and Ryan, and said, "I had no choice. I've told you about my situation before. Under those circumstances, I couldn't possibly leave the house. Staying at home was my only option."

"Is your illness cured?"

Sarah asked with concern.

"No, but it has improved a lot. At least I can safely go out now," Ethan smiled faintly.

Once Ethan arrived, dishes began to be served one after another, and the classmates started chatting and laughing, no longer staring at Grace as they did initially.

But most of the time, they unconsciously leaned towards Grace. Ethan's side was relatively quiet.

To be honest, seeing Grace was only a small part of why he came out this time. The most important reason was to see if he would encounter those strange events.

Fortunately, this experiment was very successful. Although it was risky, he managed to dodge them all.

"Ethan!"

Suddenly, a cold voice came over. Ethan was slightly taken aback and turned to the direction of the voice—it was Grace, staring at him motionlessly. Undoubtedly, the voice came from her.

Grace, who had been silent all along, suddenly speaking up, froze the previously relaxed atmosphere instantly. Everyone looked at her incredulously. Nobody expected such a cold and aloof goddess to initiate conversation.

Many had tried to get close to her before but hadn't even received a glance!

"Uh… What is it?"

Ethan was puzzled. Why would she suddenly talk to him? Even three years ago, he had no interaction with Grace. They were like strangers on parallel lines. As for any connection, it was impossible.

He hadn't actively approached her either.

And yet, the first one to speak up was her.

"Wait for me after this ends. I want to talk to you." After saying this, Grace returned to her previous state, ignoring everyone and just gazing at the sky.

"Wow, Ethan! What's going on? You have something with Grace Quinn? Why didn't I know?" Ryan was also stunned, punching Ethan lightly and saying with a hint of grievance, "You're not being fair! How could you develop something like this and not tell me?"

Ethan was utterly confused. He swore he knew nothing and didn't even have any contact information for Grace. How could he have anything with her?

Before Ethan could explain anything, he suddenly felt a chill. Looking towards the source of the chill, it was Class President Zachary Flynn.

Realizing Ethan had noticed, Zachary immediately put on a smile as if nothing had happened.

But Ethan was very familiar with this kind of aura. He had felt it at home for three years. Just now, Zachary had murderous intent towards him.

Why?

Did the malice suddenly become heavier?

Then why didn't he see any distortions?

Could it be simple jealousy?

Ethan shook his head, thinking it was impossible. The class president had always been a great guy, with excellent academic performance and popularity. There was no reason for jealousy. And he understood Grace's situation better than anyone else. Why would he be jealous of a girl he obviously couldn't get?

Looking at his classmates' strange gazes, Ethan didn't know why, but that feeling of being enveloped by malice returned. The world in front of him started to twist slightly, making the distortions on people's faces even more terrifying.

He took a deep breath and stopped wondering what was going on.

"Ethan, are you okay?"

Ryan noticed something was off with Ethan and immediately grabbed him to ask.

Ethan gave him a grateful look and waved his hand. He didn't want to drag Ryan into the malice because of him.

However, at this moment, Class President Zachary Flynn suddenly stood up, drank a glass of wine, and said to everyone, "Sorry, everyone. I need to use the restroom."

As he passed by Ethan, a low whisper reached Ethan's ears:

"Ethan, this gathering isn't normal. Follow me out!"