Chapter 465

The present was too extravagant. After much hesitation, she still couldn't bring herself to refuse.

"Thank you."

"Call me Ethan."

"......"

They arrived in the capital at two in the afternoon.

The Langleys and Ethan weren’t in the same train carriage.

As they exited the station, Evelyn was about to hail a cab when she spotted Ethan standing nearby. His tall frame made him stand out in the crowd.

He walked over to William with a smile. "Uncle, my car is right outside. Let me drive you home?"

William waved his hands. "No need, we don’t want to trouble you."

"It’s on my way." Without waiting for a response, Ethan took the suitcase.

"Well, thank you, Ethan."

"My pleasure."

Evelyn quietly closed the ride-hailing app.

Inside the car—

Ethan handled the steering wheel with ease. Evelyn sat in the passenger seat while her parents occupied the back.

"Uncle, that copy of The Comprehensive Mirror you’re holding—is it the 2003 reprint?" Ethan glanced through the rearview mirror.

William’s eyes lit up. "You know about this?"

"My grandfather enjoys studying history. I picked up a bit from him. If I recall correctly, two chapters were cut from the edition published a decade later?"

William grew animated. "More than that! This book underwent three rounds of revisions!"

"The most recent was in 2010, before that in 2004, and the earliest is hard to pin down. Mine is from before the second revision."

"1996," Ethan said suddenly.

William was stunned. "How did you know?"

"My great-uncle oversaw the editorial work for the 2004 revision. The original was from 1996."

William gasped. "Your great-uncle is...?"

"Edward Winston."

"Professor Winston is your great-uncle?!" William’s voice rose in excitement.

Ethan chuckled. "You know him?"

"Of course! Everyone in academia knows Professor Winston!"

Ethan turned the steering wheel. "Pre-1996 editions are practically extinct now, but my great-uncle left me his entire collection before he moved abroad."

"I’ll look for it when I get home."

William was both shocked and delighted. "That’s... too much trouble, isn’t it?"

Ethan glanced at Evelyn. "Books only hold meaning when they’re appreciated by those who understand them."

"Well... I won’t refuse, then!"

After all, we’ll be family sooner or later.

Victoria smoothly interjected, "Ethan, your family has quite the scholarly background. What kind of books do you usually enjoy?"

"Our home library leans toward essays and fiction. Personally, I prefer mystery and suspense. I just finished Seven-Day Tales a few days ago, Auntie. The ending was brilliant."

Victoria was surprised. "You’ve read my book?"

Ethan’s gaze flicked to Evelyn. "Yes. I knew you wrote it."

As for how he knew...

The two shared an unspoken understanding.

Only Evelyn sat stiffly, pinned under their meaningful looks.

"So, was the killer really the physics teacher?"

Victoria raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"