The Savage Within

Chapter 13: You’re Too Young

“You… weren’t you supposed to still be on break? Why are you at work today?” Ethan asked in surprise. Each person had three days off. Tina had started her leave one day later than him, so she should have had another day to rest.

“Yeah, but I only took two days. I saved the last one for later!” Tina sounded slightly annoyed. “You didn’t even tell me when you were on break, and you didn’t reply to my messages either… Wait a second, Ethan, why does your skin look so much better?”

As she spoke, she leaned closer, hands clasped behind her back, her silky hair falling forward with a faint fragrance, her breath brushing against his face.

Ethan had resolved to keep his distance from this woman, but facing that sweet, youthful face in person, his resolve wavered.

Tina was a twenty-one-year-old junior at Nanquan University, nine years younger than Ethan. At the start of the year, she had joined the company as an intern, assigned to Ethan’s design team. Their department manager, Mrs. Wu, had asked him to mentor her—essentially making her his apprentice.

Fair-skinned, beautiful, and young, Tina had long, wavy hair and stood at 5’8”, her proportions better than most fashion models. She was the type of woman most men only dared to dream about but wouldn’t dare to pursue.

From the moment she joined, Tina became the center of attention in the office. Whether single or married, designer or marketer, every man seemed to invent reasons to wander near Ethan’s desk just to chat or sneak a glance at her.

For three months, Ethan had taken her along to construction sites and client meetings. She was both his trainee and his assistant—helping him carry bags, print blueprints, and so on. This stirred envy across the company.

Tina was a natural charmer. She called him “Master” with her sweet voice, often brought him breakfast, and even helped order takeout. What man could resist that kind of treatment?

At the time, Ethan had recently broken up with his ex-girlfriend and was emotionally vulnerable. Naturally, he was drawn to Tina.

From her side, despite the nine-year age gap, Ethan’s maturity, steadiness, knowledge, and good looks made him very appealing.

After her internship ended, Tina became a full-time employee. Their relationship didn’t fade—it grew closer. They ate together, watched movies, and went to karaoke. They were almost like a couple, but then Ethan discovered a troubling side to her.

Ever since she joined the company, she had never lacked admirers. Though she rejected their confessions, she still went out to eat or watch movies with them, insisting they could still be “friends.”

This attitude drove Ethan crazy. To him, Tina was immature, unstable, and not ready for a serious relationship. On top of that, she was an only child, living with her mother. Ethan knew he would eventually return to his hometown, and he doubted she would abandon her mother to follow him.

All these factors forced him to end their ambiguous relationship.

Since they had never officially confessed their feelings, Ethan was able to withdraw without much drama. Outside of work, he slowly distanced himself from her.

“The general manager already said that after the event, workloads would be heavy. We should stagger our breaks instead of all taking time off at once. As for my skin—let’s just say I had a little cosmetic treatment.”

Though Ethan’s physique hadn’t changed much, his skin and aura had undergone a dramatic transformation—something he couldn’t fully hide. He had prepared excuses in advance: no matter who asked, he would blame it on skincare.

“Oh,” Tina said, half-believing him. “I just started full-time. I don’t even have any projects yet. It wouldn’t have mattered if I had taken the same days off as you. Lots of designers coordinated their breaks.”

Ethan never had the habit of confessing to women. Even when they had been closest, he had always treated Tina as a colleague. He was experienced and rational, unlike her, and once he noticed red flags, he pulled back decisively.

Tina, on the other hand, saw him as her “almost boyfriend.” His sudden withdrawal confused and hurt her. She tried everything—small gestures, little favors—to win him back.

Ethan had considered explaining the truth to her, but since she had never openly confessed, he had no idea how to say it. Deep down, he was conflicted too. Maybe he hadn’t fully let go.

The truth was, Tina wasn’t promiscuous—just immature in handling relationships. She wanted to please everyone and hated offending people, which was why she kept “friendly” ties with her suitors. She was also generous—if someone treated her, she would always return the favor.

“Work’s starting. Go clock in!” Ethan suddenly cut off the conversation, worried about falling deeper into temptation. He bypassed her quickly, striding into the company.

Tina stood frozen, disappointment written across her face, before finally trailing in behind him.

Inside the building, Ethan let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Turning down a woman like Tina was painful for any man. But better a clean break now than a tangled mess later.

“Morning, Ethan!”

“Hey Ethan, where have you been these past few days? Did you get a facelift or something?”

“Damn, did you plaster your face with putty?”

Colleagues from the front desk and admin department chattered as Ethan walked through the doors. His improved skin was impossible to miss.

Ethan could only smile and wave it off. He claimed he’d been using a homemade skincare remedy—mixing ginkgo, white atractylodes, egg whites, and cucumber juice to shrink pores and clear blackheads.

He had looked up the formula online in advance. It was harmless, cheap, and perfect as a cover story.

To be safe, he added: “Different people get different results—it might not work for you.”

The female colleagues were skeptical but intrigued, peppering him with questions about ingredient ratios before finally letting him retreat to his desk.

As he sat down, determined to test the limits of his enhanced hearing in the office, a heavy punch landed on his shoulder.

“What are you daydreaming about so early, huh? Acting lovesick? Damn, what happened to your face—did you rub laxative cream on it?”

Ethan didn’t even need to look. The voice belonged to his coworker and fellow townsman, Daniel Deng.

Daniel had brought him into the company after they met at a smaller firm. Both were designers, sometimes rivals, but often cooperative—passing projects back and forth during busy times.

“You’re the one rubbing laxative cream. It’s skincare, alright?” Ethan shot back.

Daniel was anything but the “honest and loyal” his name suggested. He was sharp, ambitious, and far more successful than Ethan, thanks in part to his wife, who worked as a beautician at a local salon.

Back when Tina first joined, Daniel had been a frequent visitor at Ethan’s desk, pretending to chat but really hoping to bask in her presence.

“Alright, alright,” Daniel laughed, then lowered his voice. “But I saw you with Tina at the stairwell just now. Weren’t you trying to distance yourself from her?”

Their company employed twenty-eight designers across three departments, not counting interns. Performance levels varied, with veterans pulling in millions and newcomers barely scraping by. Ethan was near the bottom of the mid-tier group, consistently bringing in three to four million annually—respectable, but nothing special compared to the top performers.

“Don’t talk nonsense. She was waiting there—I had no choice. Anyway, I’ve got a backlog of work after three days off. What do you want?” Ethan cut him off impatiently.

“You ungrateful bastard,” Daniel muttered. “Didn’t you say your mom keeps nagging you to settle down? Well, my wife’s got a friend who’s also under pressure to marry. She’ll be at my wife’s birthday party soon. Why don’t you come meet her?”

“How old? Local?”

“Two years younger than you. Yes, local.”

“Forget it then,” Ethan said flatly. His ex-girlfriend had been local too, from a wealthy family, and the experience had ended badly.

Daniel rolled his eyes. “She’s not like your ex. Just middle-class, down-to-earth. And not every family here is as strict as the rich ones in Jinhé. Don’t be stupid. She’s gorgeous. If we weren’t friends, I wouldn’t even introduce her to you.”

“What, were you planning to keep her for yourself?” Ethan teased.

“Even if I can’t have her, better me than letting some pig snatch her up.”

“Well, I don’t plan on being that pig.”

“Seriously, though, she’s worth meeting. You’re coming to the birthday party anyway. Just take a look—it won’t kill you.”

“Fine, we’ll see. Now get lost.”

“Asshole!” Daniel cursed with a grin before heading back to his desk.