Beneath the July Sun

Chapter 1

The July sky, the sun is strong.

In the midday hours, the whole city is covered by the hot sun, as if baked into a soft bread, skyscrapers, cars, billboards, asphalt roads ...... everything is in the heat wave exudes an intolerable smell.

Century Gardens, an upscale luxury residential neighborhood in the heart of the city, is home to the rich. With tennis courts and swimming pools, the neighborhood is a dream come true for every city dweller.

At the entrance of one building, a group of sweaty movers were busy lifting down furniture from a truck. The old, second-hand Dongfeng truck is painted with a "Swift Movers Inc." sign.

As a whirlwind swept by, the movers looked up in shock, and saw an orange Hummer H3, its massive body like a miniature tank rumbling across the road and pulling up next to the van.

The door opened, and out stepped a gorgeous woman with a figure of about 167 centimeters.

Hummer has always been regarded as a typical man's car, or more accurately, a synonym for a rich man, but this beautiful woman and Hummer are in stark contrast to each other.

She stepped out of the car and looked at the busy porters. Ethan Carter stood out among the rugged workers. In his late twenties, he was about 180 centimeters tall, his skin was originally fair, but under the hot sun, he was already red from the sun, his body was soaked through, and his hair was sticky and greasy on his forehead, which made him look like a mess.

This sweaty young man is Ethan Carter, 22 years old. After graduating from a third-rate college, he was addicted to online games until his father died three months ago, when he finally got out of that dimly lit room.

Looking around for a job, he realized how hard life is. As a graduate of a third-rate college without any work experience, he sent out his resume like a stone sinking into the sea, and even had few second interviews, and was even cheated by a fraudulent recruiting company that took away his last 500 dollars.

After three months of running around and endless despair, he almost lost his confidence in life, and finally found a moving company to work as a temporary laborer. After staying at home for a long time without exercise, Ethan Carter was exhausted by the heavy physical labor, and when he woke up in the morning, his body felt as if it was going to fall apart. However, he grits his teeth and perseveres. He is not willing to be a useless loser, but he has to work hard.

Ethan swallowed hard at the sight of the Hummer H3 in front of him, a car that would blow anyone's mind.

"Shit, another bitch." A low curse pierced Ethan's ears, coming from Joe King, the foreman, a cynical man with a grudge against society and everything in it.

Ethan knew what he was thinking, a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties driving a million-dollar Hummer would conjure up some grim images for even the casual observer. However, Ethan didn't think so, and he didn't think of others in a bad light. Maybe this girl is just a rich girl, or a lucky girl, but she's not necessarily who Joe thinks she is.

Besides, this beauty gave him a sunny feeling, like a delicate flower blooming in the sun, with bright eyes as clear as a spring, Ethan always trusted his intuition.

The beautiful woman in the Hummer was their employer, the owner of the house, and Ethan thought to himself that such a beautiful woman would only appear on TV, on stage, or in a luxury restaurant, and would never cross paths with him, so he quietly picked up the boxes and went on with his work. After the big furniture was moved, only some miscellaneous small items remained. He thought to himself, "Let's finish this one, there's another one waiting".

When he came out of the house ready to move the next item, he was surprised to find Hummer Beauty arguing with Joe, the foreman.

"Could you guys be a little more gentle, these things are very important to me." Hummer Beauty said.

"We're all rough men, we're used to being rough, so why don't you move it yourself?" Joe responded gruffly.

"How can you do this, I pay your fees, what kind of service are you performing?"

Her words were like a powder keg that ignited Joe's anger, and he snarled, "Is it a big deal to be rich? Can you look down on people just because you have money? Women nowadays will do anything for money? Don't you know how you got the car you're driving?"

Hummer's cheeks flushed red, and Ethan felt that these words were too much, and that it was too much to insult someone for a nice car when the truth of the matter was not yet known. He was just about to step forward to moderate the situation, when he was surprised by a scene that left him dumbfounded.

The Hummer beauty pounced like a lion, and her fist struck Joe solidly on the left side of his face with the sound of wind! This was no casual slap.

Joe obviously didn't expect such a decisive blow from this seemingly delicate girl, and the force of the blow was such that even a man of his stature took two steps backward.

Just when Joe wanted to be angry, he was subdued by the stern look of Hummer's beautiful eyes. At this moment, a few security guards around the area noticed the commotion and came this way.

Joe saw the security guards, realized that he may have said too much, so he did not say anything, with a group of men a few times to throw the remaining things on the car to the ground, turned around and drove away in the old Dongfeng, even left Ethan, the temporary workers aside.

"Bunch of assholes!" The Hummer beauty muttered in annoyance as she looked at the pile of disorganized items on the floor. As she turned around, she noticed Ethan standing in the doorway, still frozen, and thought to herself that the kid seemed nice enough, and didn't seem like he'd be a pain in the ass.

"Hey, you! Surely you're one of them, aren't you?" The Hummer beauty shouted at Ethan.

"Yeah, ah, no, no." Ethan stuttered a bit, waving his hands to explain, but he didn't know how to express himself. This Hummer girl is really something, don't punch yourself in the face.

"Puff!" Hummer beauty felt extremely amused by Ethan's blushing and nervous posture, and couldn't help but laugh out. Then she deliberately pretended to be cold, stuck her hands on her hips and said, "You guys threw these things here, I'm going to file a complaint against you, unless you help me move all these things back!"

"And I'll add 200 bucks to your price." She thoughtfully added.

Ethan's eyes lit up with excitement. As a temporary worker for a moving company, he only earns 90 dollars a day.

The stuff on the floor was not that big, Ethan was able to move it. And the beautiful Hummer didn't just sit back and do nothing, she also helped Ethan with the moving.

Everything was moved into the house, a 200-square-meter suite with a leaping floor, fully furnished and equipped with all the appliances. In the spacious living room, sofas and tables were scattered randomly. Looking at Hummer's embarrassed expression, with beads of sweat on the tip of her nose, Ethan offered, "I'll help you put these in order."

The beauty smiled sweetly, turned back to change into jeans and casual clothes, tied up the ponytail, stepped on the sneakers, and Ethan together to collaborate, moving the furniture to the right place.

Chapter 2

The Hummer beauty was cheerful and uninhibited, and she joked and laughed with Ethan Carter, who gradually let go of his initial constraints and awkwardness, and the atmosphere became much more harmonious. The sofa and dining table were gradually put in place, and the house gradually took on a new look, looking much better. Moving is a pain in the ass, with so much stuff that it's a headache; Chloe Madison tripped over the foot of the sofa when she was moving a cardboard box, and it fell and scattered all over the floor.

Ethan, who was busy organizing the kitchen, rushed over to help clean up the mess. The cardboard box contained a lot of old photos, mostly of a man and a woman, the girl in the photo was Chloe, but she looked even more youthful and pretty, like a seventeen or eight year old girl, with a sunny smile on her face. Next to her is a man who looks in his thirties, wearing glasses, looks very civilized, somewhat conservative, always with a smile in front of the camera.

Ethan was just about to pack up those old photos, Chloe suddenly reached out and stopped him, her voice a little choked: "Don't move, let me pack up."

Ethan na na retracted his hand, heart vaguely sad, this man and her relationship must be very close.

Chloe stared at the old photos without saying a word. She gently stroked the scattered photos with her fingers, her beautiful eyes gradually covered with a layer of water mist, tears glittering.

Ethan did not know how to comfort her, from her emotional eyes, he read a trace of deep sadness, a helpless and lonely woman who had lost her dependence. After about half an hour, his feet were slightly numb. He did not know whether he should quietly leave, or to say hello and then go. However, the beauty in front of him was obviously caught up in the pain of memories, and it seemed inappropriate to interrupt her hastily.

Maybe she needs encouragement and comfort now, but ...... is not something he can give. Ethan thought to himself, and took a deep breath, trying to dissipate the boredom in his heart.

Forget it, so quietly leave it, Ethan looked around, basic Townsend furniture has been packed almost. As for the 200 bucks ...... forget it, he is too soft-hearted, as a favor to a friend.

He was about to move his feet to leave, Chloe suddenly spoke, "He is my husband."

"Huh?" Ethan's legs fell back to the ground, he wasn't sure if Chloe was talking to herself, or to herself.

"My husband, and my teacher in college ...... teacher-student love, I am bad early ......" Chloe turned her head, looking directly at Ethan. This beautiful woman was talking to him.

"Oh, teacher-student love ...... is also very common nowadays ...... "Ethan did not know what to say, "So why didn't he come? Busy at work?"

"He's been dead for two years ......" Chloe said with a sad smile on her face.

Ethan scratched his hair and realized that her husband had passed away, no wonder Chloe was in tears when she saw the pictures.

"Your relationship ...... is very good, right?" Ethan just casually asked a sentence, Chloe faint smile, but did not continue to say, but lowered his head to organize those old photos.

"That, almost finished organizing, I'll leave first." Ethan said, scratching the back of his head again.

The corners of Chloe's mouth rose slightly, and she asked, "You don't want the money?"

"Forget it, just help out." Ethan said, speaking from the heart, but realizing how he could be considered a friend to this beautiful woman!

"Why don't you go take a shower, you're soaked in sweat, take a shower first." Chloe said.

"No, no!" Ethan waved his hand hastily, he wasn't used to taking a shower in a stranger's house, although his body was really uncomfortable, sticky and a bit itchy.

"You're welcome! Just now you said you were doing a favor for a friend, but now you're squirming when you take a shower, are you a man or not?" Chloe said and stood up, directly pushed Ethan towards the bathroom.

Ethan also really want to take a bath, he can smell the smell of sweat on his body. Since the other party has said so, he also will not twist, directly into the bathroom.

After the bath, Ethan realized that he did not have any change of clothes, do you want to wear this slightly smelly work clothes again? Then the bath is not in vain!

Just when he was in a difficult time, Chloe's voice sounded outside the door: "Throw the dirty clothes into the frame, there are clean pajamas outside the door, all of them are my husband's, if you don't mind it, you can just use it once."

It was really difficult, but having come to this point, Ethan had no choice. He quickly opened the door, changed into his pajamas, and walked out of the bathroom.

Watching this boyish boy wearing his deceased husband's clothes walked out, Chloe was instantly lost in thought, and that cozy feeling was like going back to a few years ago. Although the two of them look very different, but why will give people the same feeling?

Chloe shook her head, trying to get rid of her confused thoughts. It seems that the old photos have caused too many mood swings today, she looked at Ethan and said, "Wait for me, I'll treat you to dinner, it's already so late, I've delayed you for the whole afternoon."

"No need." Ethan said.

Chloe ignored it, and continued, "I've already thrown your clothes into the washing machine for you, and I've already ordered takeout, so your clothes will be dry later."

"That's not very nice ......," Ethan responded.

Chloe winked mischievously, "What's wrong with buying a friend a meal, my name is Chloe, what's yours?"

"Ethan Carter. "Ethan replied with a slight smile, a warmth welling up in his heart, it had been a long time since he had felt such sincere feelings in this cold city.

The takeout arrived soon after, although it was called takeout, for Ethan, it could be regarded as a luxury meal, a dozen dishes, all kinds of colors and flavors, even lobster.

The sun had already set and the house was getting dark, Chloe turned on the crystal lights in the living room, poured two bottles of red wine and started to enjoy the meal with Ethan.

As she drank more and more wine, Chloe talked more and more. She began to talk endlessly about her school days, down to the smallest detail, and she could go on for half a day. One bottle of wine after another, time passed without her realizing it, and it was already dark outside the window.

Ethan thought he was a good drinker, but now his mind was getting dizzy. All this time, Chloe had been talking alone, and he only occasionally echoed with a few "uhs" and "ahs". As he listened, Ethan gradually realized that the many stories she was telling did not have any direct connection to a particular person, or even if there was a person involved in the story, that person was completely hidden.

It was a strange but true feeling, Chloe seemed to deliberately avoid mentioning that someone ...... who, Ethan knew in his heart, was her husband who had died young, her teacher. Then look at the light swaying beauty, Ethan's eyes can not help but more than a few points of pity.

Chapter 3

"Hmm? Where's the wine? Not again, Ethan Carter, you go open another bottle!" Chloe Madison commanded.

"You've had too much, you can't drink any more."

"Bullshit! I can drink at least ten more! Just buy me ice cream. In high school we had a get-together, and I was drunk, so I called for ice cream. It was late at night, but the ice cream came anyway. ......"

"Oh, who ah, so good to you ......" Ethan Carter asked casually, the room fell violently silent. The silence was sudden, as if someone had suddenly cut the power, plunging the room into blackness.

Ethan Carter suddenly realized that he had asked a question he shouldn't have. He had brought up someone who should not have been in the conversation, and although it was unintentional, it broke some kind of rule.

Chloe Madison lowered her head, hiding her face in the light, her shoulders began to shake slightly, and slowly, the sound of sobs came out.

Ethan Carter fell silent as he watched this beauty cry silently, unable to help herself, his heart welling up with unspeakable remorse. Under the influence of alcohol, he moved closer to Chloe Madison, holding her gently trembling shoulders, trying to comfort her.

Chloe Madison fell into his arms.

After a drunken night, Ethan Carter inevitably stays at Chloe Madison's house for the night.

At dawn, Ethan Carter woke up first, and looked at Chloe Madison, who was still in a dream, but he didn't dare to make a move.

He was just a geek who couldn't find a job, the bottom of the social ladder, while this beautiful woman was a wealthy person with a mansion and a famous car, the huge social difference between the two sides, in the reality after the alcohol disappeared, clearly surfaced in Ethan Carter's mind.

What will she do to herself when she wakes up, Ethan Carter does not dare to think, or even call the police to arrest himself is not impossible, this Hummer driving a tough beauty is definitely not the type of weak and vulnerable.

Deep down, Ethan Carter feared the wrath of Chloe Madison when she woke up. It would mercilessly crush what little fantasy he had in his head. Obviously, imagining the possibility of this upper-class beauty waking up, being submissive, and falling in love with him is something that only happens in novels, isn't it? For himself, Ethan Carter would not dare to have such unrealistic fantasies.

He gingerly got off the floor and crept out onto the balcony, removing his sun-dried overalls, which were as clean as new and smelled faintly of fresh air, which warmed his heart.

Maybe this should be treated as a dream, kept, sealed in the depths of memory.

After dressing up, Ethan Carter took one more look at the beautiful woman who was still in a sweet dream, and silently opened the door to his room and walked out, locking the door behind him.

The sky was already slightly bright, the sunset was red in the sky, it was another fresh morning, Ethan Carter stretched his waist, the fragrance of last night was still lingering in the tip of his nose, he looked back at the closed door, and smiled lightly.

The silent ending may be the most perfect ending.

In the morning, he arrived at Swift Movers Inc., but he didn't expect to hear the news that he was fired, the reason was that yesterday he left in the middle of the day, and the second task was not completed.

You're the ones who left me behind, aren't you? Ethan Carter is furious, but what can he do, even in a fight, he is no match for these big and strong men.

Yesterday's paycheck was deducted by that asshole boss, Ethan Carter used the only five dollars he had left to buy a breakfast and brought it home.

Mom has already left for work, and as a loser, he suffers another defeat, the feeling of speechless failure is like a poor puppy drenched in the rain on a dark winter night, which makes one's heart ache.

Opened the computer, inside the game has been deleted by him, think about it, Ethan Carter opened the mailbox, he has been on the Internet everywhere in the resume, but the response is not much, and now seldom check the mailbox. There were three unread messages in his inbox, two of which were advertisements, and one of which was actually an interview notice!

Ethan Carter rubbed his eyes and confirmed that it was an interview, and that it was with Constellation Corp!

Constellation Corp. is a Fortune 500 mega-corporation that specializes in cosmetics and skincare products, and is involved in a variety of industries, including hotels, shopping malls, restaurants, and real estate. This behemoth of a company also offers great benefits to its regular employees that are unparalleled by other companies, making it a dream come true for all job seekers.

Because Constellation Corp. is headquartered in Ethan Carter's city, he happened to see the company's job posting on the Internet and sent in his resume as a just-in-case scenario, but to his surprise, he got a response and was notified to come in for an interview.

Ethan Carter looked at the date, the e-mail was sent three days ago, his heartbeat accelerated, almost jumped out of his throat, hurried to check the date of the interview, but fortunately it was 9:30 this morning. He glanced at the alarm clock, it was only 8 o'clock, and let out a long breath, his heart finally falling back into place.

Ethan Carter excitedly waved his fist in the air, if he could get into Constellation Corp., the house and car would not be a problem, and his mother would not have to work so hard to do the cleaning in the neighborhood.

Chapter 4

Ethan Carter rushes to find something to wear for the interview, which naturally requires a formal suit, but the only suit he has is wrinkled from a long period of not wearing it, almost like a beggar.

He didn't bother to eat breakfast and rode his bike around looking for a dry cleaner. Finally, he found a store that opened early, ironed the clothes in a hurry, and put them on with much better results. Then put on a tie, Ethan instantly has some small white-collar temperament.

He printed out the interview notice and took a taxi to the headquarters of Constellation Corp. An eighty-eight-story skyscraper stood, demonstrating the powerful economic strength of Constellation Corp.

A lot of people had already gathered in the lobby on the first floor, Ethan suppressed his inner excitement and handed the interview notice to the pretty girl at the reception desk. She was a cute girl with a round doll face and two dimples when she smiled, which was really mesmerizing. She wasn't very tall, about 1 meter 62, but her body was perfectly proportioned.

Such a loli appearance, coupled with excellent body, the front desk lady is worth at least 9 points.

The receptionist politely took Ethan's interview notice, checked it and handed him a small number plate. Her fingers were fleshy and felt very comfortable to touch.

"This is your number plate, please take it, when you are interviewed, you can only go in when your number is called." The receptionist said sweetly, her voice as sweet as a little girl, making people feel happy.

"Thank you!" Ethan said with a smile, glancing at the number 49 on the license plate, feeling that this number seems not too auspicious.

Soon, all the interview participants were gathered in the meeting room, everyone sat on the chairs and waited for the notice. ethan's heart has been nervous, hands and feet slightly trembling, he looked around the meeting room, and found that about eighty to ninety people were sitting in the meeting room. ethan remembered that he had applied for the position of an assistant, and there were only two quotas, which was still filtered out from the huge number of applications. Thinking about the only two places and hundreds of competitors, Ethan felt a mountain of pressure, the excitement of the morning had disappeared, and only uneasiness remained in his heart.

Everyone was nervous, there was hardly any conversation in the room, and everyone in the room was a competitor, and the atmosphere seemed hostile.

Sitting next to Ethan was a neatly coiffed young man with thick glasses and a backpack clutched tightly in his arms.

"Do I need to bring anything else for the interview?" Ethan asked out of curiosity.

The man with the glasses gave Ethan a disdainful look, and said slowly, "This is the certificate I've taken, and I'd like to be able to show it to the examiner during the interview."

"Certificate?" Ethan had also brought his graduation and degree certificates, but the bulging backpack was obviously filled with all sorts of stuff.

The man with glasses slowly unzipped his backpack and showed it to Ethan: "This is a professional English six-level certificate, this is a senior interpreter's qualification certificate, this is a national computer three-level certificate, this is a certified public accountant's certificate, and a human resources practitioner's qualification certificate ......" he He took out more than a dozen certificates in one breath, and even a national grade certificate of bead calculator, so Ethan was amazed, this is too powerful!

"Hmph!" Someone beside him snorted, Ethan followed the voice and looked at him, it was a handsome guy. He glanced at the pile of certificates, and said contemptuously, "What's the use of these things? I'm a highly talented student who graduated from Yale University."

"Is Yale University great? I'm a master's student from Harvard University!" Another person retorted.

".................."

Chapter 5

If Ethan Carter had been under any illusions when he first entered the hall, he was now fully convinced that he was just a punching bag. If it wasn't for the experience of interviewing for a big company, he would have been ready to turn around and leave. As he watched the aggressive interviewees walk in and out with their heads held high, Ethan began to wonder if Constellation Corp. had made a mistake with his resume and let him in.

"Interviewee number 49, please stand by." The tall protocol lady called out in a clear voice from the conference room.

Ethan let out a long breath, it was time for the ugly daughter-in-law to meet her mother-in-law. He straightened his tie and the hem of his shirt, and followed the lady of the hour forward with a sense of trepidation.

Pushing open the door of the interview room, he saw a row of examiners sitting behind a long table, and in the center sat a stunning professional beauty.

Ethan was dumbfounded to see that the beauty sitting in the center of the interviewers, with a cold look on her face, was the Hummer Lady of last night--Chloe Madison!

The Chloe in front of him was very different from yesterday's lively and playful, her expression was cold, her eyebrows were slightly wrinkled, intimidating, and her well-fitted professional suit was even more feminine. She glanced at Ethan, her face as emotionless as if she had never seen him before.

"Why are you standing there? Sit down." A fat, balding man next to her was a bit dissatisfied with Ethan who was fidgeting.

Ethan then came back to his senses, hurriedly walked to the chair and sat down, and his mind was in turmoil. The interview email was sent out three days ago, he only met Chloe yesterday, definitely not her handiwork, this is too much of a coincidence! His heart was both surprised and vaguely pleased.

The examiners are five people, in addition to Chloe sitting in the center, there are four middle-aged people. They looked at his resume with puzzled faces, a specialist from a community college? This is the lowest educated interviewer they have ever seen, they really don't know how he got the interview qualification.

The balding fat man asked a few questions, Ethan was a little unprepared for the specialized nature of the interview, so he bristled and said, "A college student who doesn't know anything, comes to the interview too."

Ethan looked up sharply. He had heard this kind of mockery many times, but today it sounded particularly harsh for some reason. Anyway, there was no hope, so he let go of his guts and started to fight back, "The president of Constellation Corp. graduated from junior high school, started his own business without even going to high school, and eventually created today's achievements! Do you also want to ask the president's education?!"

The examination room was instantly silent, no one thought that this young man, who had just been so obedient, would suddenly explode.

Before the examiners reacted, Ethan quickly continued, "I admit that high education and study experience can prove a person's ability in competition, but it does not mean that people who have failed before cannot succeed! One or two victories do not determine a person's life. The fact that I can sit here and be interviewed today proves at least two things: firstly, I have confidence and courage; secondly, I am very lucky! These two things may be lacking in others!"

The scene was silent for a few minutes, and the bald fat man opened his mouth with wide eyes, "You guy ......" Before he finished his words, he was interrupted by Chloe who was sitting in the center.

"Well, your interview ends here, you can go out." Chloe said in a cold tone.

Ethan stood up, bowed ceremoniously, and walked out of the interview hall.

"This ungrateful ......" The bald fat man's emotions had not subsided, and he was grumbling, but he suddenly felt the icy gaze from Chloe, and he secretly said that it was not good. This young girl's means and ability he has seen, her background is also quite scary, he or less talk about it, lest annoy her, he can not eat a pocket to go. The bald fat man could not help but shrink his neck, no longer open his mouth.

Back home, Ethan felt weak and lightheaded. He didn't want to think about Constellation Corp. and Chloe, and drifted off to sleep.

"Hulua, hulua, seven flowers on a vine, wind and rain are not afraid of ......" When he was sleeping in a daze, Ethan was awakened by the ringtone of his cell phone.

He was a little annoyed to pick up the phone, looked at the caller ID, is an unfamiliar number, hesitated for a moment, but still answered the phone.

"Hello ......"

Opposite the silence for a moment, then came a female voice: "My car is parked downstairs in your house, give you five minutes, down to find me!" Then snapped, the other party hung up the phone.

Ethan looked down from the window in wonder, but there was a reddish-orange Hummer H3 parked on the other side of the street!

Shit! Ethan's heart was pounding with fear. But since the other party has already come to his door, there is no way to hide.

How did she know his cell phone number and home address?Ethan suddenly remembered, his resume is not clearly written? This is really ...... bad luck ah!

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