The day we broke up, I discovered my girlfriend was an ultra-rich second-generation.

But when she was with me, she always pretended to be poor.

For three years, she lived and ate at my expense, even the underwear she wore was from my Wish 9.9 Bundle Purchase for her.

When breaking up, she said she was tired of the plain congee and dishes, and it was time to change the taste.

But later, she, with red eyes, said she was willing to compensate me for everything.

I clicked on the video in the top trending news. A woman was leaning casually against a luxury car, giving the camera a slight smile. A man was filming. The camera soon started to shake, followed by a burst of screams.

“She is looking at me! She’s so pretty!”

After that, the video ended and jumped back to the beginning.

I watched the short video over and over dozens of times.

This video was released yesterday. The headline was #Chris attends the event with a new face, suspected of revealing a romantic relationship.

Chris is a new actor, the overlord of a rich family, and is known for being genuine in the entertainment circle. He is 30 years old and unmarried but never avoids admitting to relationships. Moreover, every girlfriend he revealed was younger and prettier than the last.

Each time his romantic relationship was exposed, many people asked him to teach them how to be a Casanova.

Some even joked that even though an 18-year-old girl has just come of age, it would be too late for her to be Chris’s girlfriend.

When the video was just released, my best friend Jhonny shared it with me immediately.

He joked, “This beauty looks like Alice. What’s the matter? Did you piss her off, so she went to the entertainment industry to sell her body?”

I hadn’t had a chance to reply when Johnny sent another message, “Damn it, it’s not just alike, it’s Alice! Go check the trending news.”

That was when I clicked on the trending news in confusion.

And then, I saw that video at the top of the news list.

I never expected that a piece of simple entertainment news could turn so many times.

Some people initially said that Alice is a freshman in Film Academy and that she was with Chris for money and fame, in the hopes of making her way into the entertainment industry.

But soon someone refuted that by saying Alice was not from the Film Academy. She was a campus flower at A University and came from an average family. She worked part-time and paid tuition by herself, which means she was likely being taken care of financially by Chris due to her lack of funds. This person even posted a student card as evidence.

But not long after, this piece of news was overturned again.

Someone revealed that Alice was the little princess of the Laurence Group, the only daughter of CEO Lewis.

She wasn’t just any rich second generation, but a fighter jet among them. She usually kept a low profile, and her hard work and thrift were just to demonstrate her abilities. Since she was young, Chris had always been her ideal type.

However, after chasing after him desperately for five years, the male side did not respond.

The reason for Alice’s high-profile appearance this time was that Chris was bullied by the event organizer, and she rushed to help him out, making a grand entrance with her luxury car, to save face for her beloved man.

And the fact that Chris didn’t deny her presence should be an implied acknowledgment of her feelings.

Soon after, along with this hot search, another photo came out.

Alice, with an intense gaze, confronted a short, obese middle-aged woman.

Chris, on the other hand, was hiding behind her. The typically imposing and aloof handsome man, standing next to the dazzling woman, had eyes full of love and tenderness.

Once this photo was out, the hot search blew up.

The photo was a bit blurry, but it had a story of its own, telling the tale of a beautiful, wealthy woman who is deeply loved, and a star-like man who is completely infatuated with her.

Meanwhile, my chat record with Alice on WeChat was still stuck at last night.

She told me, “I’m tired, I miss you, let’s go have hotpot tomorrow, okay?”

I remember what I replied then.

Oh yes, I said,

“You shouldn’t work too hard either. If it’s tiring, you don’t need to work part-time. I have money, so worst case scenario, I can take care of you.”

But looking back, my attempts at pretending to be rich in front of Alice were nothing short of a joke.

After all, Alice in the video was decked out in high-end brands that I didn’t even recognize, and the watch she was wearing alone was worth over a million.

What kind of wealth was I pretending to have as a worker earning less than 10k a month?

She hasn’t responded to the Weibo link I sent her.

I drafted and deleted text in the chat box over and over again, but I still didn’t know what to say.

I wanted to ask her what the hell was going on. Was she a rich second-generation? What was her relationship with Chris?

Even though the trending news was buzzing, I still had a glimmer of hope, hoping to hear her explain in person that all this was a misunderstanding, that she had indeed lied to me, but all because of her helpless situation.

But I didn’t expect it.

Before I could send out any words after much drafting and deleting, I received a message from her.

Only three words: “Let’s break up.”

I was stunned, and my hand, quicker than my brain, sent out an inquiry, “Why?”

“I’m tired of it.”

“Oh, then what about your stuff at my place?”

“Throw them away, they’re not worth anything.”

Jhonny dragged me out for a drink.

He said that it’s rare for me to experience a breakup, so I should drink away the sorrow, or else it would dishonor the times he was ‘dog food-fed’ in the past three years.

The bar was decked out in vibrant colors, a chaotic ambiance.

Jhonny clinked my glass and persuaded me, “It’s okay, Alice is so beautiful. Sleeping with her is a win, considering your salary, you wouldn’t be able to afford such a gorgeous girl and it’s a blessing.”

I finished the drink in one gulp, frowned at Jhonny, and said, “Don’t talk about a girl like that.”

He gave a guilty smile, “Alright, let’s drink.”

The music was blaring.

Jhonny claimed to drink, but his tolerance was very poor. After a few glasses, he started to blur.

And I have to work tomorrow.

Looking at the emails in my inbox, I let out a deep sigh. A hard-working man barely had the right to drink away his sorrow.

After dropping Jhonny off at his house, I took a cab home.

I wanted to cry, but I endured it.

I wanted to text her, but I held back.

But more than anything, I was bewildered.

I was saving money in hopes of buying a house and writing her name on it.

After all, she told me her family was not well off so she had always lacked a sense of security.

Were the moments we shared over the past three years all fake?

Was she done with me after just one remark?

I leaned my head against the car window, the uneven road jolted me a little.

It was a struggle to get home.

As soon as I got off, I was hit by the cold wind and my head became even more dizzy.

I just sat down by the road, thinking I would go upstairs when I sobered up a bit.

But I didn’t sit for long, someone walked over, blocking the street light.

I looked up and saw Alice’s face.

She was in a plain black dress, her hair cascading down her back in waves. Her valuable accessories from head to toe made her all the more dazzling.

She was getting more and more out of my league.

She looked down at me.

“How pathetic, do you miss me that much?”

I was flabbergasted, not knowing what to say for a moment.

The look in her eyes was cold, like a stranger’s.

I had never seen her like this before.

She always used to smile. Whenever we made eye contact she would suddenly lean over and hug me, and in a coquettish voice would ask me, “Brother, have you loved me more today?”

I would always shake my head and say no. Then she would tickle me and make me take it back.

Now, these memories filled my heart with a throbbing pain.

I took a deep breath, only after suppressing my tears did I manage to ask her calmly.

“What was the reason for all this?”

She didn’t say anything, just waved her hand.

A Maybach car drove over from the corner of the street and stopped nearby.

The car door opened, and a few people got down, among them, a girl with vibrant red hair took a few steps toward me and stood in front of me, asking,

“Poor guy, do you still remember who I am?”

It took me a long time to associate the person in front of me with the face I remembered.

“Amy?”

“Oh, you even remember. I thought you had forgotten.”

Amy took a step back and hooked arms with Alice.

The smile on her face was the same as four years ago.

I met Amy in my sophomore year. I was studying at A University and took on part-time jobs to afford tuition. One of the part-time jobs was tutoring.

Amy was the first student I taught.

Her family was wealthy, but her grades were poor, and she was playful.

The first day of class was tit and tat.

But by the second class, she started to play tricks.

She threw 500 yuan at me and asked me to help her cover up the fact that she skipped class, then, she prepared to jump out the window to attend a party.

I didn’t take the money, but I couldn’t stop her either.

Afraid that something would happen, I called her mother.

But I didn’t expect that her gentle mom would be so strict when disciplining her.

Amy was slapped and put under strict house arrest for a long time.

Because of this incident, she started to bear a grudge against me.

She ran to A university every day making a fuss, clamoring that she would make me pay, and forcing me to apologize.

But accepting money to tutor, and informing the parents when the child left, was my duty.

She got hit was out of my expectations.

I felt sorry but didn’t think I did something wrong.

Therefore, I simply ignored Amy as if she didn’t exist.

And she didn’t appear after that either.

At that time, I thought she lost interest and had forgotten about it.

I did not expect the next time we met, it would be like this.

Amy was watching my expression, apparently knowing I remembered, she pointed boastfully at Alice next to her and said,

“This is my sister, do you know her? She was with you just to get back at me.”

Alice frowned, seeming at a loss for words, but in the end, she said nothing.

But I got the whole picture.

I suddenly wanted to laugh.

And indeed, I did laugh. I looked up at Amy and asked, “Now, you got your revenge too, so are we square?”

Amy was stunned, seemingly unprepared for my response.

She frowned and nodded hesitantly.

“I guess…I’ve had enough of this anyway, but, aren’t you mad?”

I shook my head, laughing even more happily, “There’s nothing to be mad about, a bet is a bet.”

“Then I’ll go home first if there’s nothing else. Ladies, have fun.”

After saying this, I turned and walked away.

As I went upstairs, I could vaguely hear whispers coming from behind me.

“No way, is this guy not even sorry? Shouldn’t he be? Has Ling’s appeal stopped working? After three years of dating, he isn’t moved?”

Morning.

After turning off the alarm, I lie on the bed staring at the ceiling.

My mind is a mess.

I didn’t sleep well last night,

Or rather, I barely slept at all.

It’s because I searched online, asking “How to quickly get over a breakup?”

The most upvoted answers were: cry, keep yourself busy, read, and think.

But I sat on the sofa for a long time, and I just couldn’t cry.

So I start to tidy up, pack all my belongings, and prepare to move out.

The house is a two-bedroom apartment, which is large but a bit far from where I work.

I wouldn’t have rented it if it wasn’t for her.

Now that we’ve broken up, I could just move out.

However, as I was packing, I realized that Alice didn’t have many belongings, and most of them were ones I bought for her.

No wonder she said she didn’t care about them.

Because they are not worth much.

I went to bed at four in the morning.

Turned off the light, tossed and turned, staring at the refreshing mobile phone screen, switching back and forth in several apps, but couldn’t take in any of the words on the screen.

Until the faint sunlight seeped into the room through the curtains, and then the alarm rang.

I got up with dark circles under my eyes.

Took a shower, and changed clothes.

After a few sets of strength training, I finally looked a bit better, not so much like a ghost.

I picked up my bag and prepared to leave for the subway as usual.

But outside the door, there was a sudden knock.

I was a bit puzzled, pulled back my hand on the doorknob, and looked out through the peephole.

But all I saw was a patch of red, swaying in my line of sight.

Hesitant, I opened the door anyway.

But I didn’t expect to meet Amy who was about to knock her head on the door.

I was startled, and frowned subconsciously, “Why are you here?”

Her eyes brightened.

As if she had seen a savior, she pushed everything in her hands to me.

“Um, I came to apologize to you, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault, I was petty, I’m sorry, could you please forgive me?”

I stepped back a few steps and did not take the things in her hand.

They were some exquisite shopping bags, each of them printed with the logo of luxury brands, and a bag filled with cash.

“What do you mean?”

Seeing that I didn’t take the stuff, Amy’s face fell, “I just want to apologize to you.”

I stared at her for a few seconds, and asked, “Did Alice send you?”

She paused, and shook her head, “Ah, no, no, Alice doesn’t know about this.”

A male voice suddenly sounded, interrupting Amy’s stuttering, “I was the one who asked her to come, sorry, Mr. Andy.”

And with the voice, another man walked around the corner of the stairs.

The man was wearing a mask and sunglasses, tightly wrapped, making it hard to see his face.

But he’s tall and well-proportioned, dressed in understated but high-quality attire, perfectly highlighting his status.

He stepped forward, standing beside Amy.

Then he took off his sunglasses in front of me and extended his hand to me, “Hello, let me introduce myself, I am Chris.”

“I am Amy’s brother, I heard about the prank they played on you… so I brought her to apologize to you.”

Chris is Amy’s brother.

I was a little surprised, but thinking about it, it made sense.

Alice and Amy are friends, and she berated the event organizers for Chris.

Since they are all rich second generations, in the same circle.

They know each other.

But for his later words, I shook my head, “You don’t need to apologize to me.”

“No, it’s all Amy’s fault, she was too immature, Alice couldn’t stand Amy’s pestering and was forced to participate in this ridiculous prank, so in essence, I didn’t teach my sister properly, it’s only right for me to apologize.”

As he spoke, he took the bags from Amy’s hand and irresistibly shoved them into my hands, “This is a small gift we bought on the way, consider it as compensation.

“Plus, Alice and I are about to get engaged, I know you had some time together, but everyone knows that was just a misunderstanding, so I hope in the future you could stop bothering her, is that okay?”

“Is this, Alice’s wish?”

“Mr. Andy, even though you have broken up now, after all, now you know her real background…”

The man in front of me nodded and smiled comfortably, I don’t know what kind of person he thought I was.

But for that moment, I felt like a clown with nowhere to hide.

After the breakup, I was sad and a little heartbroken, but before that, I never really hated Alice.

Because I always felt that even though our start was wrong, even though our end was ungracious,

But the whole three years, all the little moments we’ve had, she should at least know what kind of person I truly am.

I don’t care whether she has money or not, and I certainly wouldn’t throw away my dignity and face, to chase after her persistently for her money.

But the man in front of me still smiled politely, as if not noticing the changes in my expression, he asked again,

“Mr. Andy, you can do it, right?”

The final character was typed out.

I sorted out the plan and sent it to the team lead for confirmation.

Despite the exhaustion that has clouded my mind, I couldn’t help but think of something Chris said to me this morning.

I said to him, “…You can rest assured. We’ve broken up, so I won’t initiate contact with my ex, irrespective of whether she’s a second-generation rich or not. So, please take these things. I don’t need them.”

Having said this, I put the bags back at Chris’s feet.

Rather than looking down, he laughed and said, “These are just some small items, which are not worth much. If Mr. Andy doesn’t like them, just throw them away.”

When he said this, he reminded me of Alice.

The surreal nonchalance, as if it’s devoid of any evil intentions, yet you can’t help but feel an immense humiliation when you hear it.

This, in turn, brought back memories of Alice’s birthday.

I was working extremely hard, saving costs to buy her gifts, and presenting to her what she considered as cheap stuff.

She must have found me ridiculous then.

My colleague tapped on my desk jolting me back to the present.

She asked, “What’s up?”

I laughed and said, “Did you not see the group chat? The manager has been looking for you. He wants you in his office.”

“Ahh okay, got it.” I hurriedly set aside my scattered thoughts.

After thanking my colleagues, I went to the manager’s office.

The manager had asked about an old issue.

The company wanted me to host a car show in Atlanta, but was lacking experience. Hence, they needed someone from the headquarters to oversee the situation.

This position offered a promotion and double the salary.

The only issue was that even after the project ended, there would still be a possibility of being posted to Atlanta for at least half a year.

About half a month ago, just when the news broke, the manager had asked me once about this.

I had tactfully refused him by saying that I lacked experience.

But the manager probably knew that it was just an excuse.

So, he asked me again.

This time, I didn’t refuse.

After one week of organizing my belongings, I left my unused stuff at the rental house and sent my luggage which I couldn’t carry to Jhonny. I planned to ask him to ship them to me after I found a place to stay in Atlanta.

The company had booked a hotel for me in Atlanta. I just needed to go there after I got off the plane.

For the farewell meal, Jhonny insisted on a hot pot.

I returned to university with Jhonny and went to the usual place we used to eat.

When it came to choosing the soup base for the hotpot, I habitually chose the ‘Yuan Yang’ hotpot (spicy and non-spicy soup base).

But Jhonny looked puzzled and asked, “Wait, when did you stop eating spicy food?”

I was a bit surprised and said, “I do eat spicy food.”

“Then why did you choose the Yuan Yang hot pot? We both eat spicy food. We should have chosen the Nine Palace hotpot. "

Only then did I come back to my senses. I saw the small tick behind the Yuan Yang hotpot.

“I accidentally ticked the wrong box,” I said, then crossed the tick and reselected the Nine Palace hotpot.

But in truth, it was because I was used to it.

Because Alice didn’t eat spicy food.

She encountered it when we had just started dating.

She thought hotpot places were too noisy and would rather eat at home.

But later on, she would ask me if I felt like eating hot pot.

Once, when we chose the Nine Palace hotpot, she was sweating all over, gulping down cold water to survive. She hardly ate anything but consumed a lot of water.

Yet when we left the hot pot place, she was still stubborn and said, “You helped a lot, brother. I think I can

handle spicy food better than before.”

Seeing her pretty side profile under the streetlight, and her child-like silly laugh, I felt a sense of tenderness towards her.

Ever since then, we have only eaten the ‘Yuan Yang’ hotpot.

When I returned to my senses, Jhonny had already taken the menu and efficiently ordered some dishes. He asked me if I wanted to add more meat.

I shook my head and said, “No need, you order.”

“Don’t try to save money on me, Andy. Otherwise, you’ll be paying for the next meal. I’m planning on spending all your money.”

“Well, then let’s go for a buffet next time.”

“Get lost!”

We teased each other and laughed.

The conversation ranged from all aspects.

But, we avoided talking about the real reason for my departure.

I don’t have work tomorrow.

We both had a drink.

While I just had a flush on my face and was a bit dizzy, Jhonny was completely drunk. He was singing ‘I knew you were trouble’ by my ear, not only off-key but also out of tune.

I held onto him with one hand and used the other hand to pay.

Unwittingly, he ran away when I was swiping my card.

After finally paying, I found him leaning against the dining table next to the counter, talking to other customers.

He said, “You seem like a player to me.”

I was completely flabbergasted.

I rushed over to pick him up and rushed to apologize to the customers whose meal was interrupted by him.

Suddenly, someone called my name, “Andy, what a coincidence!”

It was then I realized that Amy was one of the people sitting at the table.

I was taken aback and a sense of unease started to rise within me.

Amy was here, so would…

I turned my head stiffly and as expected, Alice was sitting just beside me, outside the dining table.

Jhonny kept insisting and pointing at her, “Young lady, you are indeed a player. In my opinion, you should do good

deeds for the rest of your life, become a nun to atone for your sins.”

But Alice seemed unmoved by his words and just stared at me.

Four people were at the table, and everyone was quiet. No one dared to speak.

The embarrassment made my scalp go numb, and I regretted letting Jhonny drink that last bottle of beer.

I managed to control him and was about to leave.

But he used all his strength to struggle, “Don’t stop me!”

When I managed to drag Jhonny out of the hot pot restaurant and squat at the door, I was already sweating.

On one hand, I was hailing a cab,

On the other hand, I said to Jhonny, “Stay quiet for a bit.”

But he looked at me for a while, and suddenly he sniffed.

“Andy, for a woman, you even abandoned your buddies. Are you still considered a friend?”

His eyes gradually reddened as he was muddled by the alcohol, and tears began to drop. He grabbed my sleeve and sobbed loudly.

Two men were pulling and tugging at each other, which seemed bizarre.

Passersby were looking at us.

But I know, Jhonny regards me as his family. I felt a bit sour in my nose for a moment. I wanted to give him a tissue to wipe his tears, but I couldn’t find any after searching my pockets.

“Use this.”

Someone behind me spoke, the voice familiar.

The hand that reached out to me was fair and slender, holding a beautiful handkerchief.

I didn’t take it.

I used my sleeve to dry the tears on Jhonny’s face.

The person took back her hand and asked casually, “Did you block me?”

I still didn’t answer, bowed my head to finish calling the cab, and then helped Jhonny to wait by the roadside.

But she caught up and grabbed my sleeve.

I forcefully shook off her hand, and finally raised some anger, “Alice, are you sick? You are the one who said you had enough and broke up. You warned me not to harass you, what are you doing now?”

After I shook her off, her eyebrows were locked, but in the end, she only said three words, “I’m sorry.”

But to me, it just sounded funny.

“Alice, don’t you think your apology is a little too late?”

She saw me smiling, but frowned, “If you’re upset, just scold me, don’t be like this.”

“No, I was indeed a little upset, but now I don’t care. For three years, even if you raise a cat or a dog, you would feel some emotions. But you, you’re not worthy, you aren’t, so now I just feel relieved that we broke up early.”

My phone vibrated, it was the driver.

I saw the taxi parked by the side of the road, turned off the screen, and turned around, saying, “I’m leaving, and I hope to never see you again.”

After I got home, I received a friend request.

There was no profile picture or remark, the request message only had three words: I’m sorry.

I easily guessed who sent this message.

But I didn’t pay attention to it.

But to my surprise, the other party was very persistent.

She tried several different accounts, and the request messages were diverse, from “Handsome man, get to know you”, to “Bar recommendation”, then to “I am your leader, I switched numbers, add my new number.”

In the end, she seemed to finally realize that I wouldn’t be fooled, and filled in desperately, “I’m sorry, bro, I know I was wrong, but can you give me a chance to explain?”

I found it funny and only replied to the last one, “Explain what? Explain that you are a liar, or explain that you are playing both ends against the middle. You want to break up peacefully, then invite me to your wedding with Chris?”

This time, the other party finally kept quiet.

Upon arrival in Atlanta, the branch arranged for people to pick up at the airport.

The person holding the sign with my name was long-haired and stunningly beautiful. But because the temperament was too prominent, standing among a group of little girls waiting for their idols at the airport, it was obviously out of place.

“Hello, Andy.”

“Hello, Janey.”

The manager of the planning department in Atlanta and my new boss is named Janey.

So when I heard this name, I froze for a moment.

“I thought you would send an assistant to pick me up.”

Janey explained, “The assistant is off, her cat is going to give birth.”

“Could even take a leave because her cat is giving birth, is the working atmosphere of the branch so relaxed?”

While leading the way for me, Janey said with a smile, “Yes, it’s convenient for fishing, so you won’t regret it after you come.”

I was also amused.

The new boss is humorous, which is a good sign.

The tension of leaving home and switching cities was somewhat alleviated.

On the way to the hotel, Janey simply introduced the situation of the branch and the work that I would be taking over.

The workload is not small, but it is relatively easy to get started.

It’s just that I had just been transferred, and I wasn’t familiar enough with the new colleagues, so it would take some time to match.

Arrive at the hotel and check in.

My original plan was to wait for the work to stabilize and then choose a weekend to rent a house.

But on the car, Janey told me that it would be very busy for the next while due to a large-scale exhibition.

I arrived a few days early and reported to the company next Monday.

Why not take these few days to find a house first?

But just after contacting the agency and preparing to go out, I suddenly received a message from Jhonny.

“Andy, Alice came to find me, she asked me if you moved, and where you are now.”

I frowned, thinking that my response yesterday was already clear enough.

I don’t understand, what’s the point of her persistence now?

Competitive spirit?

Did she feel that her charm was belittled because of my indifference?

6

I sent a voice message directly to Johnny, firmly saying, “No matter what she asks you, don’t tell her.”

“I understand, I haven’t said anything. However, she drank too much and seemed to have cried. She said that initially, she indeed approached you because of Amy, but after being with you, she had truly fallen for you. She intended to find an opportunity to explain everything and reveal her true identity to you, but she was afraid to hurt you, so she kept dragging. She didn’t expect you to see that video first… She said a lot, but I can’t remember all of it. Do you want to hear her explanation?”

“No need, there’s nothing to explain. Initially, I was considerate of her because she was struggling with her studies, to make her work less part-time and concentrate on her studies, I worked hard to earn money and even got hospitalized due to exhaustion. Yet, she knew everything but deceived me for three years…”

Halfway through typing in the chat box, I lost my train of thought.

Actually, over the past three years, Alice never asked me for anything. Working, earning money, and striving hard for our shared future, were all choices I made.

She didn’t ask for help, didn’t see it, and naturally, she didn’t know.

As for her claims, at first, she approached me with a purpose, but later got emotionally attached, I don’t doubt them.

You can disguise your motives, and use language to deceive, but subconscious reactions and eye contact can’t be faked.

Countless times I was busy with work and left her aside. When I finally finished and went to find her, I could see the disappointment and loneliness on her face, which instantly transitioned into cheerful happiness.

When my phone died on my way home from work, and she ran out in slippers and searched for me for two hours, only to find that I had already returned home, her first reaction was to hug me with reddened eyes, not blaming me.

She is a pure girl who differentiates between love and hate.

When protecting her favorite person conflicted with avenging her best friend, she was probably anxious too.

Between revealing the truth to face the issue and continuously dragging to postpone the conflict, she was indecisive.

In the end, when the truth revealed itself, I became the one who was abandoned.

Some people say that feelings between men and women are a struggle, either the east wind overpowers the west wind, or vice versa, but I disagree with this statement.

I think a good relationship should be built on equality.

But because of Alice’s deception, this relationship was unequal from the beginning.

Maybe she had a reason for it.

Behind those actions that have hurt me deeply, was something that she couldn’t resist.

But, these things are meaningless to me.

Because we are not from the same world, we briefly fell in love due to a lie, and when the truth was revealed, we had to return to our realities.

From the moment the lie was exposed, everything between us had already ended.

Thinking of this, looking at the text that I had finished typing in the chat box, I suddenly felt tired.

The things and people that I decided to let go, there’s no need to bring them up and complain about them again.

I took a deep breath and deleted all the text, replacing it with a single sentence,

“Alice is getting engaged to Chris, her affairs have nothing to do with me.”

The person on the other side was shocked.

“Wow, she’s still clinging onto you even though she’s getting engaged, is she sick?”

“Today she was passionately talking to me but didn’t retaliate at all, I thought she knew she was wrong.

“She almost fooled me, good-looking people are the worst.”

“But, Andy, what do you plan to do?”

“Should we expose her? I can’t swallow this down.”

After the person on the other side calmed down, I said, “No need, since we’ve broken up, there’s no need to keep getting entangled with her. Just ignore her.”

“Okay, I understand. I promise to keep my mouth shut, I won’t let her annoy you again.”

“How’s the situation over there? Is the South hot? Is it very different from where we are? Are you getting used to the company? Are the colleagues easy to get along with?”

In early May, the north is still at the junction of spring and summer, sunny days occasionally mixed with a few days of rain, jackets and short sleeves are put to use, neither can be put away.

But Atlanta in the south had already entered summer.

I glanced outside the hotel window, the same tall buildings, hurrying pedestrians on the road, it didn’t seem too different from New York.

I said on the phone, “It’s a bit hot, but it’s bearable. I’ve arrived early, and haven’t reported to the company yet. The department manager picked me up in person, seem like a nice person.” Johnny immediately became alert and anxiously asked, “Why is the manager doing such a small thing as picking up people, male or female? Is it a middle-aged woman who thinks you’re handsome and wants an office romance?” I laughed.

“Stop talking nonsense, the branch staff is young, she’s not much older than me. She had to pick me up only because the assistant took a sudden leave and no one else could replace her.”

“That’s impressive to be a manager at such a young age, so what does she look like, pretty?”

“She’s… pretty good-looking.”

Because of Johnny’s question, I subconsciously recalled.

Looking at the face, Janey can’t be said to be cute.

But at the airport, she stood in the crowd with a sign, definitely drawing quite a few people’s attention.

I read a topic on the internet before, discussing whether cute or sexy is more important.

Opinions were diverse and clashed with each other but a single concise statement topped the list:

A true goddess lacks neither cuteness nor sexiness.

Janey fully confirmed this statement.

Exquisite features, a tall nose bridge, and a well-proportioned body. Even with the most common long straight hair and work wear, she is exceptionally eye-catching on the street.

Perhaps fearing that I was down, Johnny chatted with me on trivial topics and was reluctant to end the conversation.

It was me who took the initiative to tell him to go to work.

He hesitated for a bit then hung up the phone. Before hanging up, he said if I felt uncomfortable I should let him know and not suppress it.

I complained with a smile, “I know, don’t act like an old lady.”

After hanging up the phone, I felt very warm.

Because I had to view the house in the afternoon,

So I took my bag and went out to find a place to eat lunch.

On the way to the meal, I added the contact information of the rental house agent.

This agent was recommended to me by Janey when she heard I was looking for a house.

The agent was very efficient. After I sent over my requirements, they quickly matched six to seven houses for me and made an appointment for me to view them in the afternoon.

For commuting convenience, I wanted to rent near the company.

With no exception, they were all expensive.

A twenty square meters studio, excluding utilities, costs nineteen hundred dollars. The kitchen was next to the bathroom, and the washer was squeezed next to the stove.

After viewing countless houses, a flat that was up for rent seemed the most fitting.

It was sixty square meters, slightly away from the company, approximately one kilometer, and walkable.

The master bedroom had been rented out, the room available for rent was eighteen square meters and included a small bathroom. The kitchen and the living room were shared space, the rent was fifteen hundred dollars.

Most importantly, the house was neat and had good lighting.

I was instantly tempted, but there was only one issue - the other tenant was female.

One man and one woman living together sounds ambiguous and stimulating.

But from a realistic perspective, it brings about trouble.

Yet, the agent kept persuading me.

The house was newly posted not long ago, has high-cost performance, and will be rented out quickly. Once it is gone, there will be no identical ones left. The other tenant was nice; not a troublesome girl.

It was just because the roommate was switching jobs and moving, the room was vacant.

Along with my preference for the house.

After hesitating for a while, I finally followed the agent’s advice.

I wanted to wait until the other tenant got off work, to see what kind of person she was.

Until.

The agent received a message that the other tenant had returned.

When the door opened, Janey walked in with her bag.

Oh, now I understand.

Why did the agent’s contact information just happen to be stored in Janey’s phone?

“My roommate is changing jobs and is looking for a person to share the rent, is that you?”

Janey reluctantly replied, “Yeah, are you also planning to live near the office?”

“Yes.”

The agent, sandwiched between us, looked at me and then at her, said bewildered, “You guys know each other, what a coincidence?”

We both smiled bitterly.

Indeed, it’s quite a coincidence.

But even so.

I eventually decided not to share the rent with Janey.

After all, sharing a living space with the opposite sex is complicated enough,

Adding the co-worker relationship on top of this, it’s embarrassingly awkward.

I believe Janey thinks the same.

After saying goodbye to the agent,

I took a taxi back to the hotel.

I planned to spare another day to look at a few more rooms the agent recommended.

But what I didn’t expect was the arrival of Alice.

The hotel I am staying at was arranged by the company. Even Johnny doesn’t know the exact location.

So, in the lobby of the hotel, I was stunned to see Alice sitting lazily on the sofa, playing with her mobile phone, attracting frequent attention from the crowd with her beauty.

Did she come to find me on purpose, or was it a coincidence?

But no matter which one it is, I don’t want to have any intersection with her.

So, I raised my arm to cover my face, trying to pass through the hall quickly.

But I didn’t expect to bump into someone.

A middle-aged man, slightly fat, reeked of alcohol, leaning on the counter and lighting a cigarette. I bumped the lit lighter directly onto his hair, burning off a tuft of hair on his forehead.

The man had a slow reaction due to alcohol and even made eye contact when he raised his eyes to look at his hair. Only when the smell of burnt hair filled the air,he come back to his senses.

After he hastily extinguished the fire on his head, he smashed the lighter on the ground.

“Didn’t you see where you’re going, huh?”

“Sorry, I didn’t see you.”

“What nonsense, you didn’t see me, who’s this big?”

His roar of anger attracted the attention of everyone in the hall.

Including Alice.

I’m not good at dealing with drunken people, especially in a situation where I have to deal with a middle-aged man who looks strikingly similar to someone from my nightmares.

My palms were sweating unconsciously, and I wanted to escape, but I couldn’t.

So, I kept apologizing.

Until someone came over and blocked the verbal abuse of the drunk with her body, “Are you going to let him scold you like this?”

I looked up and directly met Alice’s hurt and aggrieved gaze.

“Don’t you think you should wait for me to explain before you decide to escape?”

Before I could speak, the cursing drunk got furious.

“Who the hell is this little bitch, mind your own business, are you looking for death?”

“Can you be quiet? You just want money, don’t you? Is this enough?”

Alice’s gaze was sharp, and she took off her wristwatch and threw it directly into the drunk’s arms.

The million-dollar watch successfully calmed the drunk down.

But I couldn’t let her continue like this.

We have already broken up. There shouldn’t be any connection between us.

So, I had to suppress my feelings, walk around her, and face the drunk.

“Sorry, I don’t know this person. Can you give the watch back to her? I can compensate for your burnt hair, however much you demand.”

I didn’t carry any cash on me, so I had to take out my credit card as proof that I really would pay.

Alice’s eyebrows furrowed, and the emotions in her eyes deepened, “Andy, what are you doing? Are you trying to alienate me?” “Alice, we’ve already broken up.”

“But I don’t want to break up with you. There are some things that I can’t tell you right now, but I can assure you, I will not marry Chris. Can you give me some more time? I will soon call off the engagement…”

“There’s no need.”

“Andy, can you stop it?”

The friend of the drunken man, seeing us quarrel, finally sensed something wrong.

He came over and pulled the man away.

However, this drew the attention of the crowd, many people were watching the drama secretly.

I turned around and prepared to leave.

But she held my arm.

“Can’t you give me another chance? I know I lied to you, but I came here to apologize, I know I was wrong, can’t you forgive me once? You’re just going to let go of our three-year relationship, is your heart made of stone?”

Her eyes tinged red, irrespective of the people around her, she stared at me persistently.

This is the first time she has lost control since we broke up.

I have a lot of things to say.

But in the end, I didn’t explain anything.

Instead, I unwrapped her fingers gripping my arm one by one.

After creating some distance from her, I said, “Alice, we are from two different worlds.”

I turned around, got on the elevator, and haven’t looked back since.

So, I don’t know what her reaction was after hearing this.

But after I returned to my hotel room, I received a text message from a strange number.

There were only four words, “But I can’t let go.”

What she can’t let go of, she didn’t say.

I opened and read the message for a while, then deleted it.

I was supposed to officially report to the company three days later.

Initially, I was a bit nervous and worried about how to fit in with my new colleagues at the first meeting.

But to my surprise, after completing the onboarding procedures and being led by HR into the office, I discovered that there was nobody inside.

“Where did everyone go? They should be in the office at this point,” I wondered.

HR was taken aback and didn’t expect this situation. They promptly dialed Janey’s number.

Only then did they tell me,

“Sara has gone to a meeting with the Editor. The rest are at the exhibition site. You wait here for a bit. When Sara comes back, she will take you over.”

I nodded my understanding.

Offline activities are the most troublesome, especially large-scale events such as auto shows. There are many and varied issues, and it is normal for the entire department to watch the scene together.

I found my seat and sat down, arranging my things while waiting.

But only after less than five minutes, a person suddenly broke in.

“Boss! There’s trouble at the site, you need to go there quickly, or Steven will…”

It was a tall and thin boy with glasses and very pale skin. Seeing that I was the only one in the office, his words came to a sudden stop, and he froze in place.

“May I ask… who are you?”

“My name is Andy, I’m new here.”

“Oh, I know you! You’re the big shot from headquarters, I’m Victor. But boss, you are so handsome! I was supposed to pick you up from the airport that day, but my cat was having kittens and I couldn’t leave. By the way, do you like cats?”

Victor casually sat down next to me.

But the next second, he sprung up immediately.

“Ah no, I can’t sit down, I need to find the boss on the scene, something has happened there. Andy, do you know where the boss is, our manager, Sara?”

“I don’t know where she is, but the HR said she was having a meeting with the Editor.”

“That’s it.” Victor groaned in agony, visibly getting a headache, “It must be the Editor, she’s the most difficult to deal with, talkative and short-tempered. Every time the boss has a meeting with her, it must start with a whole morning at least, and she doesn’t allow interruptions in between, what should we do?”

Seeing him like this, in the end, I couldn’t help but ask, “What happened at the scene?”

Victor explained, and only then did I understand what was going on.

A young planner in the office got into a quarrel with the workers on the site.

The reason was that the workers misread the blueprints and swapped the billboards of two car brands, which needed to be pried off and reinstalled.

But the workers felt that the two exhibition areas were of the same size and it was not necessary to install them again.

In reality, although the two exhibition areas were of the same size, the distances from the entrance were very different, and the brand owners naturally gave different booth fees.

It seems that there was a problem in this communication process, and it evolved from a discussion to a quarrel.

Now the worker who led the strike sat on the ground on strike, but the progress on scene couldn’t be delayed.

I pondered for a moment and said to Victor, “Why don’t I go to the scene with you? I have encountered similar situations before and may be able to help.”

“Really?” Victor’s eyes lit up and thanked me repeatedly.

The distance between the exhibition hall and the office building was neither far nor near.

It took twenty minutes to take the subway and walk a few hundred meters.

By the time we got there, the workers had sat down on the ground in protest, and no one was working.

A young man in a shirt, holding a fan, squatted at the door with a worried expression on his face.

It was easy to guess that this must be Victor’s other colleague, Steven.

The venue was spacious, and as Victor and I walked in, it naturally attracted the attention of the people inside.

But the worker who led the strike just glanced at us and warned, “No matter how many people you bring today, it’s no use. We won’t take this oppression anymore, you should quickly settle the wages from the past few days, and then we can leave.”

Steven heard this, sprung up angrily, and wanted to start quarreling.

I quickly signaled Victor to stop him.

Then I stepped forward and stood in front of the leading worker.

“Duke, when did you come to Atlanta? Why didn’t you tell me?”

The worker paused, seemingly not expecting me to say this.

“Boy, don’t you call out randomly, I don’t recognize you.”

“You don’t know me? I am Andy, didn’t we just meet in our hometown when my cousin got married two years ago?”

The worker still frowned, but his tone was less harsh.

“You must have mistaken me for someone else, boy, I don’t know you.”

“Is that so, I’m sorry uncle, I might have mistaken you for someone else. You look a bit like my cousin Duke, and I am alone here, feeling a bit homesick.”

“No problem, no need to apologize.” The worker’s expression softened and he waved.

Then I spoke up, “So, uncle, I am the new person in charge. I heard from my colleagues that you don’t want to continue with this job anymore. Could you tell me what happened?”

“You still asking me what happened?” The worker’s expression was not good when mentioned this, “Isn’t it because of your colleague? She said it would take a week to finish the job, tomorrow is the last day, but now we have to take down the completed things and reinstall them, how can the work be done? Drag the time in the midday sun, don’t let us rest, we are also humans, if we don’t rest how can we work.”

His tone was unkind, but he at least didn’t refuse to communicate.

I guessed the cause and was relieved.

“That’s right, it’s their fault. They don’t say whether to do this job, who has the strength to work without a break after midday.”

Seeing me agree with him, the worker showed a grateful expression, “Exactly, boy, it’s not that we don’t want to do this job, but mainly because everyone is hungry and can’t work.”

I thought for a moment and said, “How about this? We will order lunch boxes for you. After you finish eating, take half an hour to change the sign. Is that okay?”

The worker’s eyes brightened and after a fleeting exchange of glances with his brothers behind, he nodded without much hesitation.

“This… could work.”

Problem solved.

Victor called to order meals familiarly and asked the delivery to bring the meals.

As the two of us went to the door to wait for the takeaway, he asked me excitedly, “Andy, you are so brilliant. How did you do it? Before you came, we had been communicating with them for a long time. We used all kinds of methods but couldn’t get through to them. Why did they agree as soon as you came?”

I smiled and explained, “Communication is not difficult, just need to understand each other.

The location of the car show is in the prime location of the convention center, surrounded by towering buildings, and shopping malls and entertainment facilities are everywhere, vibrant and lively.

But for these workers, this place is very unfamiliar.

The excessively high rent drove away most of the small businesses.

They did not understand the food delivery app, were busy all morning, they needed to walk a long way to find a suitable place to eat.

So their refusal to delay their lunch work is not unwilling, but they can’t.

Because if the rest time is reduced, they will not be able to find a place to eat nearby and will starve.

Victor opened his mouth doubtfully, “But Andy, why didn’t they say directly if they had difficulty eating? Ordering a meal isn’t a big deal.”

“Because they care too much.”

They earn a living by selling their labor, haven’t received much education, and are no longer young.

In this rapidly developing era, where everything is rushing towards better and newer, they seem to have been left behind.

They didn’t do anything wrong, but they were always feeling uncomfortable because they were unable to fit in.

People are all like this.

The more they care, the more sensitive they become.

Those seemingly stubborn and indisputable insistences are often not due to being superior, but inferiority.

Before Victor could speak, a voice came from behind us, “But sometimes, things and people that make people feel inferior, maybe they should not be insisted on.”

I turned my head and saw Janey walking out of the exhibition hall.

She was striding with an air of determination she had just rushed over.

10

The welcoming dinner at night was held near the office.

Janey was the host, taking everyone to have Chongqing hot pot.

Because of the accident that happened during the day, several colleagues got to know each other in advance.

Apart from the already met Victor, operation Steven, there was an editor named Chen, and a copywriter named Hu.

Since we’re about the same age.

The atmosphere was more harmonious than I imagined.

As more wine was served, the atmosphere at the table became more lively.

Steven stood up and made a toast, his expression naughty, “Thanks to handsome Andy for saving me. If I had known that the big shot sent by the headquarters was a handsome guy, I would have gone to the airport to pick him up.”

Victor laughed and interjected, “Andy, don’t listen to her. Steven is a heartbreaker, she falls for every handsome guy she sees.”

Steven took the ribbing well and retorted, “What about me? Carla is the worst. She kept the resume secret from us and went to pick up the handsome guy at the airport. Isn’t this considered lustful?”

“You’re talking nonsense. The boss went by herself because she couldn’t find anyone when I asked for leave. It’s not the same as you!”

“How is it not the same? It’s all lust. You can’t double standard just because the boss is prettier than me.”

They laughed and teased each other, and it was obvious that they got along well normally.

Victor was quite feisty, and Steven quickly lost the battle.

Half-jokingly, she asked Janey for help, “Boss, tell us the truth. Did you decide to pick up the person yourself after seeing the resume?”

When she asked this question.

The others also joined in.

I looked up and, to my surprise, made eye contact with Janey, who was sitting across from me.

But she just smiled and didn’t seem to want to explain.

Due to the imminent opening of the exhibition.

Online promotion and offline brand connection have reached a crucial stage.

For the promotional video, Janey and the editors spent the whole day shooting materials on-site and editing them at the office, going back and forth.

I took the rest of the team to monitor the situation on-site.

All kinds of problems arose in unexpected ways from unexpected places.

Everyone was busy all the time.

That night’s welcoming dinner, however, became a rare occasion for everyone to gather in the same place after two weeks.

Moreover, as soon as mid-month passed, the temperature in Atlanta became increasingly fierce.

The heat, with its humidity, felt like a net that drained one’s energy.

So even if things were going well and we could go out for lunch, everyone still couldn’t leave the air conditioning in the break room and ordered takeout again.

When we were waiting for the food, Victor sat next to me.

He took out his phone and didn’t look at it for long.

Suddenly, he exclaimed excitedly, “Look at Weibo, my female goddess is engaged!”

Then he held up his phone in front of me.

I could only clearly see the topic page on the screen, which read, “#Chris is low-key engaged to the young lady of Laurence Group”.

I was stunned and didn’t say anything for a while.

Victor thought I didn’t know these two people and explained happily, “Andy, you don’t know these two people? Didn’t you watch the trending news the other day? This couple has been good to ship for a while. The woman is a wealthy heiress, but she has liked Chris since she was young. After being treated as a little sister for many years, she left her family out of anger, supported herself through hard work, got a degree from a big college, and started her own company. Then, she came back confidently, supported Chris at an event, and changed from a little sister into a stunning beauty. Chris was finally moved and accepted this relationship. What is this? This is sweet love!” So that’s how their story is…

Is it true?

Steven, who had just opened a bottle of water, started talking.

“You’re stupid, aren’t you? What sweet love, everything is fake, it’s all business. There’s no such thing as true love in the entertainment industry. You’re the kind of fool who believes in it.”

“My best friend is a marketer. She told me these two people are not as they seem. The trending news before was all hype. Chris wanted to promote his company, so he hired people to write press releases and set the tone. The woman didn’t want to get engaged at all, she was forced into it. She couldn’t reveal anything because of family power.”

Victor glared at him, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Cut, it’s all true. If you don’t believe it, just forget it.”

The two of them were arguing back and forth, but they couldn’t avoid that person.

I felt a little stuffy in the break room.

I got up and wanted to go outside for some fresh air.

But I ran into Janey, who was carrying coffee to the break room.

When she saw me, she handed me a cup of coffee and asked with a smile, “Have you eaten yet?”

I shook my head, “The delivery hasn’t arrived yet.”

“Why didn’t you go out for lunch during the break?”

“It’s too hot outside, I don’t feel like moving.”

“Why not wait in the break room with the air conditioning on?”

“It’s stuffy in there.”

This excuse was too lame, even I felt a bit inadequate.

But Janey didn’t expose me, she put the coffee at the door and called the people inside to come and get it.

Then she smiled and said to me, “I also think it’s stuffy in the room. Why don’t we wait together?”

I just wanted to be alone and didn’t feel like socializing.

But after all, she was being kind and it was hard to refuse.

The iced Americano was a bit bitter, and my stomach was empty, so I didn’t dare to drink much.

I muttered a little.

When Janey heard, she pulled out a few pieces of candy from somewhere and put them in my hand.

The colorful candy wrapper was shiny and holographic.

But my hand was only filled with red.

And indeed, I liked red the most.

But how did Janey know to carry these around with her, and how did she know…

To meet my surprised eyes, Janey suddenly smiled, she looked a bit helpless and said, “You little liar forgot everything about me. If I knew earlier, I wouldn’t have given back the candy I owed you.” 12.

The familiar tone and address finally awakened my memory.

“You’re the little dwarf who got bullied!”

When I was eight years old, I was staying at my uncle’s house.

That year, my parents divorced and started their new families.

My uncle, feeling sorry for me having no one to take care of me, welcomed me into his home.

My uncle and aunt were the kindest people in the world, and they took good care of me.

But no matter how good it was, there was still a barrier between us.

When my cousin did something wrong, he would get beaten, run away from home, or get scolded by both parents for wanting to buy a cell phone.

But even so, he never lacked anything he wanted.

And I was always envious.

When I missed my parents too much, I would skip classes.

I would climb over the broken railing at the school and wander around the streets.

It was on one of those afternoons when I skipped class that I met the little dwarf.

She was huddled alone in a corner, wearing a delicate little dress, but she was curled up, with a few fierce-looking dogs beside her.

I was scared too.

But I picked up a stick and ran towards the pack of dogs.

Stray dogs would back off when faced with aggression, so I drove them away.

I quickly helped her up and asked if she was okay.

She said she was fine, just really hungry and couldn’t outrun those dogs.

She looked pitiful, her stomach growling audibly.

After much thought, I gave her half of the candy I had saved up for a long time.

Her eyes lit up, and she ate it greedily, then she promised me that she would repay me by buying me more candy.

Before we parted ways, she asked me where I lived and what my name was.

I told her my name.

But when it came to the address, I thought of another problem.

My uncle and aunt didn’t know I skipped classes, let alone that I had made a new friend. If this person came to my house to give me candy, wouldn’t everything be exposed?

So I lied and said I lived near the school, in the tallest house.

After all, I came to school every day, so we would eventually meet.

Later, we became friends.

She told me about her parents fighting, and the new games at her desk, and I told her how much I missed home and asked her to study hard and not mind what others said.

But later on, my uncle’s job changed and we had to move, which also meant changing schools.

And I never thought that our next encounter would be under these circumstances.

I felt surprised and a little curious, and asked, “How did you recognize me? Actually, it has been so long, how could you still remember me?”

Janey looked conflicted and explained, “Don’t you remember that I said I would repay you? After that day, I had been saving money all along in order to buy you candy. I smashed all the piggy banks and went to every supermarket nearby. But when I wanted to give you the candy, I found out that you gave me a fake address. So every day, I emptied my school bag and carried candies around to find you. But then the teacher found out and told my mom. I was severely punished and all the candies were thrown away. I cried for many days at that time. How can I forget?”

I didn’t expect that our meeting from back then would have such a follow-up.

I felt a little guilty, suppressing a smile as I apologized, “I’m sorry, I moved afterward.”

“No, this incident caused me too much harm, I can’t forgive you so easily.”

“Okay, then you can call the police.”

My sudden response caught Janey off guard, and she burst into laughter.

Her smile was bright and cheerful, and the frustration that had accumulated in my heart for the past few days dissipated a lot.

I returned to the break room with the takeout.

But I didn’t expect that the tense atmosphere inside had changed dramatically.

Victor and Steven, who were arguing just now, were now huddled together, focusing on their phone screens.

“This seems like a PR crisis.”

“It’s over, the page crashed and I can’t refresh it!”

“Why don’t you log out and log back in?”

The two of them were too serious, and when Janey and I entered the room, they only briefly greeted us.

Janey asked, “What’s going on? Why are you two so focused?”

Steven kept refreshing his phone a few more times, seemingly without success, before looking up to explain.

“Something big has happened, come and enjoy the show.”

“Just now, Chris announced his engagement officially, and various marketing accounts were praising it, but now someone has leaked that a fight broke out at the engagement ceremony!”

I frowned and subconsciously asked, “What do you mean?”

“No one knows the details, but a paparazzo sneaked in and captured the chaotic scene at the engagement ceremony. They said that the woman didn’t even know about the engagement, she was lured there and went berserk once she found out, and then her younger sister was the first to attack.”

The video that came out this time was quite blurry.

And with the long-distance filming, there was no sound at all.

But Chris was a star, with high recognition, and combined with his expensive suit and every strand of hair effortlessly stylish, he was truly eye-catching in the footage.

The video started with Alice pushing open the door and entering the venue.

The scene was luxurious, with everyone in suits and formal attire, so when Alice entered in casual clothes, she immediately attracted most of the attention.

Chris approached her, but she avoided him.

After that, she looked frustrated as she questioned him.

But the communication seemed difficult, and Alice directly knocked over the engagement signboard with their photo on it.

Then, Amy rushed out and grabbed Alice’s hair.

The scene was completely chaotic.

Security guards approached, the person filming was discovered, and the video abruptly ended.

Victor sounded resentful, “It’s terrible, my CP became real for less than an hour, and now it’s broken.”

“And someone said that Alice has had a boyfriend for a long time in private, they met while she was studying at A University and even lived together. Everyone says that guy is a freeloader, but now she’s causing a scene at her own engagement for him. Ah, the goddess is confused!”

“What do you mean causing a scene for that guy?” Steven interjected, “Victor, you’re too naive. This kind of wealthy heiress has been playing around outside. How could she have only been in one relationship? I think she’s just a pure scumbag, not ready to get engaged yet. Why would there be so many reasons? Carla, Lu Ge, what do you guys think?”

Janey said, “We don’t know the whole story, so no comment.”

And I didn’t want to join in this conversation, so I just shook my head

After work, I should have cleaned my room first.

But seeing the big and small unopened boxes sent by Johnny all over the floor, I got lazy again.

Anyway, the necessities of life are out, it doesn’t hurt to unpack these later.

Thinking this way, I turned a blind eye.

I took a shower first.

Wrapped in a towel, I found several missed calls on my phone.

Unknown number, but the area code was local in Atlanta.

Maybe it’s delivery.

Thinking this way, I dialed the number back.

Unexpectedly, it was the hotel I had stayed at before.

The front desk said that someone had mistakenly sent my package to the hotel, they were unable to contact the sender, so they could only inquire about my current address and sent it to me for processing.

Who sent me something and sent it to the hotel.

Did Johnny get it wrong?

I’m not sure what the thing is,

But it’s really not good to bother the front desk, so I had to give my current address and contact information and tell them to call when the delivery arrives.

When I hung up, I asked Johnny if she had sent anything to me at the hotel.

She denied it.

I was full of doubts.

I had to send a message to Janey to confirm whether the company had sent any materials to my old address by mistake.

After all, the hotel was booked by the company when I first arrived in Atlanta.

But Janey didn’t know what was going on.

I had no choice but to wait.

Finally, half an hour later, the deliveryman knocked at the door.

Without thinking, I opened the door.

But I found out that it was Alice standing outside the door.

She was dressed in black, wearing a duckbill hat, and holding a huge suitcase.

Bangs were pressed down by the hat, covering a little eyes, the whole person stood in the shadow of the corridor, vaguely to see a hint of red lips.

I couldn’t help but think of the video where Amy pulled her hair.

Frowning, and asked “Why are you here.”

“Did you bribe the hotel to reveal my address?”

She shook her head, “No, they refused to tell me.”

“So I sent a package to the hotel and had the deliveryman run away after dropping it off, as I wanted to see how they would deal with it. And as I expected, they called you, and when they went to arrange delivery, I overheard the address.”

……

The story was way too convoluted, and my first instinct,

Was neither to call the cops for harassment nor to compliment her for being clever.

But just as I was trying to figure out what to say to get rid of her, she closed her eyes and collapsed on me.

I was startled.

I reflexively held her up, the hat was bumped off.

With the light from the room, I finally saw that her face was unnaturally flushed, and her wrist, which I had briefly touched just now, was alarmingly hot.

She had a fever.

She lay on the carpet, but was still trying hard to get up.

Maybe it was because of the fever, her red eyes were glistening with tears and her voice was hoarse as she murmured something.

Getting closer, I heard what she was saying, “I’m sorry, brother, it’s my fault.”

And just as I was at a loss for what to do with her,

There was a rush of footsteps in the hallway.

Then, a panting Janey appeared at the door.

“Andy, are you okay? You weren’t picking up your phone, but I heard that there had been some parcel delivery scams recently…”

Through the wide-open door,

Janey first looked at Alice lying unconscious on the floor, and then at me squatting next to her.

Only then she hesitated and changed her words, “What happened here?”

I hurriedly explained that I just left my phone in the bedroom to charge, so I didn’t pick up the call, and I hadn’t encountered any parcel scams.

“Did I trouble you for nothing?”

Janey shook her head, “No, I just overthought it. "

After helping me get Alice on the couch, Janey said goodbye.

“If you’re fine now, then I’ll be leaving.”

I followed her to the door.

But as soon as she stepped out, she turned back and asked, “If I may ask, who is… she to you?”

She was obviously referring to Alice.

But it’s always a little strange to have an ex-girlfriend suddenly drop by unannounced.

I didn’t want my personal relationships to become office gossip, so I lied.

“She is my cousin, she had a fight with her parents and ran away from home.”

Janey looked at the suitcase by the door, as if heaved a sigh of relief, and laughed, “That’s just how kids are during puberty, they always run away at the drop of a hat.”

I played along.

After sending Janey away and closing the door, I realized that the person on the couch had waken up at some point.

She was staring at me.

“Andy, who is your ‘sister’?” Her voice was hoarse from the fever and her body was weak, but she stubbornly propped herself up.

“And also, who is that woman, your new girlfriend, did you get together with her to spite me, or do you really like her now…”

Her breathing was somewhat chaotic, her eyelashes drooped like fans, casting a little shadow on her face,

Just like an abandoned puppy.

I avoided her gaze and didn’t look at her.

“Trespassing is against the law. If you leave now, I won’t call the police.”

She stubbornly stared at me, stood up and asked again, “Is that woman your new girlfriend? Did you come to Atlanta for her?”

She had lost some weight, her small face seemed even paler and more fragile.

I stepped back and cleared the way to the door.

Saying, “Yes, I really like her, so your current actions drastically interfere with my life.”

“I don’t believe it, you’re lying.”

She had a look of sorrow in her eyes, and her voice was trembling almost imperceptibly.

But I smiled, raised the corner of my mouth and looked at her, “Why should I lie to you, Alice, you wouldn’t actually think that you are important, would you?”

“Even someone like you, I’ve heard, costs at least five thousand to keep for a month. I leached off you for three years, so I’d better be nice to you…or did you misunderstand and really think that I liked you that much?”

The woman in front of me instantly turned pale.

Her emotional eyes turned from sorrow to disbelief, and finally, to anger.

I stood inside, watching her drag her luggage away in shame.

She didn’t even look back when she went downstairs.

Then I picked up my phone from the table, cut off the call and replied to the message.

“She’s gone, she probably won’t come back.”

They replied immediately, “We heard everything. Thanks for your cooperation, Mr. Andy. The video has been destroyed.”

A declaration followed.

Stating that if the video were to be leaked in the future, they would be fully responsible and would have to pay substantial damages.

I didn’t look, I just deleted the chat.

Afterwards, I squatted on the ground with cold hands and feet, covering my face with my hands.

I received the message while I was on the road.

Chris contacted me.

He sent me a video, a video of the past that I thought no one would ever see,

Recording my most embarrassing, most unforgettable past.

When I was in college, my first part-time job was actually at a bar as a receptionist.

A drunk man asked me to show him the way to the bathroom.

I was young at the time and had no experience.

I thought I was just showing him the way.

But when we turned the corner of the corridor, he suddenly leaned in and started touching me.

It was the first time I realized that some men could…

I was stunned for a moment before I came back to my senses. I fought back frantically, shouting that I was going to call the police. The man woke up sober and cursed,

“Darn it, why are you acting?”

Afraid I would call the police,

He took out five thousand dollars and threw it in front of me, telling me to not make a fuss about it.

Five thousand dollars.

Just enough to cover my tuition for a year.

It gave me the confidence to quit my job at the bar, avoid working night shifts.

It allowed me to stop scrambling for tuition for at least a year, take on fewer part-time jobs.

It allowed me to focus on studying, work hard to win a scholarship, and find a more leisurely part-time job in my spare time.

I took the money.

On the way back to school, I brainwashed myself insistently, saying, “After all, I am a man, it’s okay, five thousand is not a small amount, it’s a blessing in disguise, anyway, I will never go back to that place again, and I will never see that man…”

But even so.

I took a lot of showers that day after I returned to my dorm.

After that, for a long time. Every time I see a middle-aged male who is wearing glasses and is overweight, I feel nauseated

“Knock knock knock”

Someone was knocking at the door.

I was startled out of my thoughts, and called out.

“Who is it?”

“Flash delivery, you have a delivery.”

The delivery man in his uniform was holding a large bunch of sunflowers.

The language of sunflowers is: belief, brilliance, pride, loyalty, sunlight, brightness.

It signifies silent love, love that is hearty and unstoppable, where one can bravely pursue what they want…

Also delivered with the flowers,was a letter.

A letter of apology handwritten by Alice:

“Brother, this is a letter that I wrote long ago but didn’t know how to give to you.

I am sorry, I did not want to agree to Amy’s plan to revenge you.

I thought she was childish and foolish.

Moreover, it was unnecessary to bully an innocent person this way.

So, I chose to reject her from the moment she proposed me this plan.

She tried to persuade and beg me, but I just ignored.

Until one night, we had a reunion and Amy took everyone to the coffee shop where you were part-timing.

She was going to make trouble.

I didn’t want to get involved, so I stayed in the car and waited.

Through the glass of the coffee shop, I saw them shouting at you and deliberately throwing coffee on you.

That was the first time I saw you.

I thought you would endure it,

like a regular victim,

but you didn’t.

You calmly asked her to pay, not only for laundry and cleaning, but also for mental distress, and you mentioned that the shop had surveillance and that you would call the police.

Amy was stunned by you.

And I was surprised.

Surprised at how different you were from what I had imagined.

And finally understanding why Amy was so against you.

I sat in the car enjoying the show, very interested.

Until you were indiscriminately scolded by the manager and lost your job.

You walked out of the coffee shop with your head held high, like a proud gladiator.

But I, sitting in the car, knew that you were feeling wronged.

I rolled down the car window, wanting to ask if you were alright.

But you just walked past me, muttering under your breath, “These bad guys, none of them will have flavor packs in their instant noodles in the future!”

You were gritting your teeth with anger, but you had no intention of giving up.

And from that moment on, I suddenly felt that,

if I were to pursue you, maybe Amy would stop bothering you, which seemed not so bad.

Then, I agreed with Amy’s request.

To approach and understand you, without revealing my identity.

Because every time you glanced over, my heart raced.

The three years we spent together,

were the happiest, but also the most painful days of my life.

Because I loved you.

Because I lied to you.

And the longer it dragged on, the more painful it became.

I even fantasized that if things go on long enough, then you and Amy would forget each other, and the lie would resolve itself.

But I was wrong again, because lies aren’t worn away with time.

The longer it drags on, the harder it is to explain.

Until everything came to light, you knew who I was.

I realized what a foolish mistake I had made.

But I really did realize I was wrong.

Brother, can you forgive me, and give me another chance.”

“Sir, could you please sign for this.”

I was brought back to reality by the reminder in front of me.

After signing, I took the bouquet of flowers and put it at the foot of the wall.

The once cramped and gloomy rental room seemed to be bathed in a beam of light.

But my vision was blurred by tears.

Only feeling that the distant brightness was becoming increasingly unreachable.

We’ve never been from the same world.

She is the dazzling star, radiant in every way.

She would not stoop to compromising for anyone.

I don’t care about that video.

That’s my past, although not glamorous,but it was the best choice that I, in those days, made after weighing the pros and cons.

Even if that video really got released, it wouldn’t cause any harm to me under the current circumstances.

I’m just an ordinary person, I don’t live off the internet.

If the issue gets out, my company or colleagues might criticize.

But I can resign and find a new job.

In the adult world, while reputation and others’ opinions are indeed important, strong work abilities and inner strength are the foundations of our lives.

I’m not afraid of that video being released.

It’s just that Chris’ phone call reminded me once again, that Alice and I have never been from the same world from the very beginning.

We met and depended on each other when we were at our lowest.

But ultimately, we are not the same

Earlier today.

When I got Chris’s message, I was still on the road.

My phone vibrated, alerted me of a new incoming message,

“Mr Andy, there are some things I think you should know. Do you have time for a call?”

It was a strange number.

I thought it was a scam message and ignored it.

But the other side immediately followed up with a sentence, “It’s about Alice, I’m Chris.”

I’m not sure what Chris is trying to achieve by contacting me,

But eventually found a quiet place and took the call.

He said a lot.

He said I didn’t deserve Alice because of my background, a marriage of affluent families would be the most stable scenario, and even if I insist on staying with Alice, I could only be the third party.

Most importantly, he told me that,

Originally, after I offended Amy,

What she initially thought of as a way to revenge, was not so childish.

Growing up with a silver spoon in her mouth, a lady who had been spoiled by her family, rich and powerful, arrogant.

After being beaten up and losing face, she went crazy wanting revenge.

Investigating me alone cost a lot of money.

Besides, she promised a handsome reward to anyone who could dig up dirt on me.

And my surveillance footage from the bar, taking money from a man,

Somehow got into her hands.

Amy was ecstatic and ready to post the video online, along with my personal information and professional name in a popular school network and Tieba.

“Male university student prostitutes for money, client is same-sex.”

It was a headline she had prepared long before.

It was enough to ruin my reputation, and if the news got big enough, I could potentially be expelled by the school.

It was Alice who stopped her, telling her that she shouldn’t ruin other people’s lives because of her unintentional mistake.

Amy naturally disagreed and directly refused.

However, what Alice said about the possibility that she could get into trouble if the victim reports to the police, made her somewhat wary.

She began to hesitate about whether to release the video.

And when she saw those girls who sent love letters to Alice, and looked disappointed after being rejected, suddenly she had an idea.

She said, “Alice, how about you help me get revenge? You go after that poor boy, and when he falls in love with you, you brutally break up with him, he will be heartbroken.”

“I promise, as long as you help me get revenge, I will do whatever you ask in the future!”

As Alice wrote in her letter.

At first, she refused.

But Amy’s persistent pressure on me made her a little reluctant.

That’s when this outrageously long, three-year-long revenge plot began.

As Alice truly fell for me, she began to delay the plan.

Whenever Amy, came to urge her to act quickly, Alice would say that I was not affectionate enough about her, and needed more time to build up feelings.

But as spring turns to autumn, the seasons change.

A whole three years.

Even the foolish Amy finally realized something was wrong.

That night was Alice’s father’s birthday.

She had to go home.

Unexpectedly, Chris attended the event and he was embarrassed by the event organizer, Amy’s car skills were average, she pleaded with Alice to go to the event venue with her to back up Chris.

It didn’t occur to her that in the car, while Amy was negotiating with the event organizer, she was photographed by someone because of her attractive looks.

The video hit the trending list.

Despite Chris’s team, without considering the facts, they amplified the heat for publicity, and it got hotter and hotter.

Alice was extremely anxious, fearing that if I saw it, I would misunderstand her relationship with Chris.

She hurriedly tried to suppress the trending list, trying to ban the video across the web.

Yet Amy sensed something unusual from her rare outburst of emotion.

She questioned who Alice was suppressing the trending list for.

Did she fall for me, and that’s why she refuses to break up with me?

Meanwhile, that video climbed to the top of the hot list and was sent to me by Jhonny.

Alice was in a mess.

But she didn’t dare to admit it in front of Amy.

Because she was afraid that Amy, without considering the consequences, would do something improper to me.

So, she could only break up with me in front of Amy, and brought Amy to me, hoping that after the play was over,

Amy would be satisfied and would no longer harass me.

But Chris was much smarter than Amy.

She saw that Alice was helpless,

And took advantage of it, threatened her.

The Mu family started as a supermarket business, with a large family business, very rich, but in recent years the market is not promising, plus the impact of e-commerce on the real economy, the business is slowly going downhill.

To maintain the family glory and try to transform the business with the help of Alice’s family.

He proposed to get engaged with Alice, a business marriage, for half a year, the two do not need real love, just need to maintain the title of engagement quietly.

And the chip is that piece of surveillance footage, and Amy can never get close to me again.

The surveillance footage from that year had been erased long ago.

Chris, with the last backup in his hands.

Alice agreed.

But after she finished everything, she found out she had been blacklisted by me.

So she forced herself to stay focused on acting in front of Amy and relatives and friends and waited until all these things were resolved before going to find me to explain everything.

She didn’t expect that I would leave directly.

She never drinks, but she was drunk many times during that period, when she was sober she would drive back to the rental house, staring at the window I used to live in until the light came on and then went out, and she would leave after the curtain was pulled open after dawn.

But that night, she waited for the whole night, but still couldn’t wait for the light to come on.

She thought I had an accident, but ran upstairs only to find out I had already left.

The landlord was cleaning up the room, picking through the things I left behind, trying to keep the useful ones.

The clothes and shoes I bought for her were all pulled out and thrown on the ground, it was a mess.

She teared up, squatting in the room crying.

The landlord was startled by her, and the neighbors almost called the police.

But she calmed herself down, told the landlord that she was willing to pay for these sundries, and rented the room at a higher price.

These are all known to Amy when she finds Alice missing and looks for her from the landlord’s mouth.

On the phone, Chris’s voice is cold and low, “Mr Andy, do you know, Alice always dislikes me, dislikes us who sell our marriages for the family business, for profit, but for you, for that surveillance, she still agreed to my request, got engaged with me, don’t you find it ironic?

“From a profit perspective, Alice and I are the most suitable marriage combination, she is smart and I don’t dislike her, this marriage can promote the cooperation between two families, she can also get the approval of her parents faster with the help of my family, and inherit the family business.

“She likes you a lot and has done a lot for you, but what about you, what have you done for her? What can you do for her? I heard that you can’t even afford to buy a house now.

“Yes, I did lie, I meticulously planned that engagement ceremony, planning to turn the fake into real, thinking if her brain was a little bit sober, she should realize that it would be the most cost-effective to get married to me.

“But because of you, she lost even her rationality, caused a commotion at the engagement ceremony, became a laughing stock in the whole circle, and stubbornly went to find you to explain, which even annoyed her family, a not so smart heir, even with blood relations, can lose inheritance rights.

“It is difficult for her, a woman, to inherit the family business.”

“Mr Andy, do you want to ruin everything for her?”

I was silent for a long time.

I don’t want to, and I can’t bear to.

So I have to remain cold and drive her away.

I returned to the present moment and watched those flowers for a long time.

So long that my eyes were sore,

Then reluctantly switched off the lights, and watched the dark engulf that beam of light, everything returned to silence.

In the following days, I was not feeling well.

Fortunately, the preparation for the expo had reached the final stage where the brand vehicles were entering the site, which was relatively easy.

Even if I was absent-minded the whole time, I didn’t make any mess.

Every day, I hoped to go off work and go home to rest as soon as possible.

But today.

As I was going upstairs, I found the door of the next room open, with quite a lot of luggage at the door, including a pink suitcase.

The previous tenant moved out just last week, and new tenants moved in today.

The sound insulation of the house was not good.

I hope the tenants this time won’t quarrel at midnight like the couple before.

Thinking like this, I couldn’t help but take a few more glances.

For some reason, I felt familiar with the pink suitcase at the next door.

An uneasy premonition suddenly rose in my heart.

The next second, a person walked out of the room.

Wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, blue jeans, black hair pushed to one side, revealing Alice’s delicate and beautiful face.

She was about to bend down to move things, and it felt strange to see her standing in an old, narrow residential building.

So surprised that I forgot to pull the key that I had stuck halfway in, “Why are you still here, didn’t you leave?”

Alice straightened up on hearing this and looked at me, “I was planning to leave, but I upset my boyfriend and she didn’t want to go home with me, so I had to do everything to win her over until she changed her mind.”

As she said this, her eyes fixed on my face.

But hearing what she had to say, I didn’t know how to react.

Fortunately, she also didn’t wait for my answer, saying, “Okay, looking at your dark circles, I know you didn’t sleep well, hurry back to rest, when I finish tidying up here, I will invite you to my housewarming feast.

“Of course, it’s as a neighbor, your girlfriend won’t mind, right?”

Because of being sick, her voice was a little hoarse, and her beautiful eyes were full of laughter, just like the first time we met.

Then she rode a bicycle to catch up with me, the sun shining on her face, the teasing voice mixed with the wind, “Classmate, you read while walking, are you sure you won’t bump into a tree?”

How did I respond at that time?

I said no, but the next second, I almost hit a street light because I was distracted by her.

She stopped the bike and laughed at me on the spot.

Back to the present.

Alice was still looking at me as if waiting for my answer.

I pressed down the strange heartbeat, shifted my gaze, and said coldly, “No need, I don’t have the habit of making friends with strangers.”

She shouldn’t stay here.

She should go back to her world.

Alice moved next to me.

After that, she often came to knock on my door for some inexplicably strange little things.

For example, “Where to get WiFi?” “What to do if the access control can’t be brushed?” “What’s the contact number for bucket water?”

After many times, I knew that she had ulterior motives, so I just ignored it.

Or attitude cold, trying to quit her.

I don’t know if she has resolved her contradictions with her parents, I have no position to ask, so I can only worry blindly.

But after she moved in, the originally dim hallway became brighter and brighter day by day.

There were several more shelves on the stairs, with various ornaments and colorful dolls.

I even saw a ceramic flower pot on the shoe rack at her door, with a sunflower in it, facing the only small window in the hallway, blooming wildly.

However, the flower seems to have not been watered for several days, and it is a bit wilting.

Perhaps, is she thinking about it and going home…

“What are you thinking, Andy?”

My shoulder was patted, and when I came back to my senses, I realized it was Victor, he said with a smile.

“The last day of the car show is tomorrow, we start to have a holiday from the day after tomorrow, five days in a row, Andy, do you have any plans then.”

I rubbed my neck and said, “I guess I will sleep for a day and a night first.”

“I guess so, it’s tough to keep an eye on the scene every day at seven o’clock.”

Because of the coming holiday, the small group members who have been working continuously for a month have visibly become excited.

The afternoon activities ended.

Clean up the site, sort out the materials, and finally take a group photo, and all is over.

Off from work and returned home.

I dropped my bag and collapsed on the bed, just tired and listless.

When I was about to fall asleep, my phone suddenly rang.

It was a call from Johnny.

I only remembered then that he said he was coming to Atlanta this weekend, so I hurried to pick up the call.

“Hey, Old Jhonny, what date did you buy your flight ticket?”

But the person on the phone was surprisingly excited, “Let’s talk about the ticket later, have you seen the hot search? Chris announced to quit the entertainment industry and also got married.”

Hearing Jhonny’s words, I became slightly awake, subconsciously gripped my phone, and asked, “When did this happen?”

“A few days ago someone was revealing it, but not many people believed, the fans were all over the place to debunk the rumors that Chris was on the rise of his career and would not leave the circle, but a moment ago, the studio directly announced it, even showed the marriage certificate.”

“Marriage certificate…”

I subconsciously repeated these three words, feeling mixed.

Just after getting off work, when I saw that pot of flowers, I was guessing that she really gave up and had gone back to New York.

But right now, when the guess was confirmed, I didn’t feel as relaxed as I had imagined.

Instead, I felt as if a big stone was pressing on my chest and I couldn’t catch my breath.

But actually, this is exactly what I wanted.

I rejected her coldly, precisely to make her leave and return to the world where she should be…

Jhonny is still talking on the other end of the phone, but I can’t listen to a word right now.

I just interrupted him and said, “Old Jhonny, I have something here, why don’t I call you when I’m done.”

“Alright, I just got off work and need to rush for the subway, we can talk when I get home.”

I hung up the phone.

The rental house was quiet again.

I didn’t know how long I had been lying on the bed, watching the sky outside the window gradually darken, and a bird flew past in the hazy evening.

And then, the door was knocked.

Who is it?

I got out of bed in a daze to answer the door.

But unexpectedly, I saw Alice through the peephole.

She had cut her hair short, and without the cover of long hair, her completely exposed neck looked even more slender.

What is this person doing here again?

Do you want to reconcile with your ex after getting married and want to get my blessing?

Mixed feelings, I opened the door.

But she flashed the ingredients in her hand at me and said, “Do you want to come to my house for hot pot, I promised to invite you to dinner after moving in.”

“No need, I don’t want to eat.”

But she still didn’t give up, “Why, you’re really afraid that your girlfriend will be unhappy?”

Her tone was still teasing, and even my good temper was out of patience, “Alice, what do you mean, since you are married, can you not bother me anymore.”

But hearing this, Alice was stunned, “What are you talking about, who can I marry besides you?”

She doesn’t know when to stop.

I simply pulled out my phone, clicked on the hot search, and looked for evidence for her.

Sure enough, Johnny didn’t lie to me at all.

#ChrisRetires and #ChrisGetsMarried, hashtags firmly dominated the hot search list.

I clicked on one at random, found the picture of the marriage certificate, and prepared to show Alice.

But after magnifying it, I found something wrong.

I don’t recognize the woman on this marriage certificate.

Look closely at the name column, it’s not written Alice.

How can this happen…

I’m stunned.

Alice leaned in to look at my phone screen, exhaled in relief, and said helplessly,

“Do you think I married Chris?”

I didn’t answer, and it didn’t occur to me until then that Johnny had indeed told me about Chris’s marriage, but whether the bride was Alice or not, he didn’t mention…

I had made a mistake.

Realizing this, I felt terrible.

Alice laughed with bright eyes and patiently explained to me,

“I did go back to New York yesterday and attended Chris’s wedding, but more importantly, to explain to my parents about your existence, how important you are to me, to dispel their misunderstandings, so that I can bring you home with dignity.

“Chris just wanted a marriage alliance, he never liked me. I had to go along with his act because he had something on me, but now I’ve dealt with it all.

“Remember, you said we couldn’t be together because we’re from different worlds, but you forgot that the moment I fell in love with you, I came to your world. I love this world so much and I don’t want to leave.

“So, can you give me a chance? Don’t be in such a hurry to drive me away. When I’m not enough for you, you can send me away, right?”

Her eyes were gentle and firm.

I felt a lump in my throat as I spoke in a nasal voice, “Let me think about it.”

“Do you make your own decisions without considering your girlfriend’s opinions?”

She emphasized the word “girlfriend” with a playful light in her eyes.

As a result, I remembered that I had lied to her earlier - I had told her that Janey was my girlfriend in a bid to make her leave, but she had found out that I was lying.

“When did you find out?”

“I was too attached to you, I wanted to see you one last time after being driven away, and I found out that this place has poor sound insulation, and someone’s dream talk was all about calling my name.. Moreover, Janey, despite living so close to you, would always separate from you after work…”

I was stunned.

I didn’t realize that I had been exposed from the beginning.

But then it hit me, “Wait, how did you know where Janey lives?”

“That’s a secret.” She smirked, revealing a victorious smile, and said, “Let’s go, let’s go eat hot pot.”

“Yinyang style?”

“Lattice.”

I followed her, arriving at her home.

But as soon as I walked in, I was taken aback.

Because there were just too many familiar things in the house.

From the wardrobe mirror to the slippers and ornaments, they were all things that I had left to my landlord when I moved out of my house in New York because I couldn’t take them with me.

“How did these things end up here?”

Alice had already entered the kitchen and had begun washing vegetables.

She awkwardly responded, “Had someone ship them over to save money.”

“Even this mattress?”

Due to the thin mattress of the rental room, I had always had poor sleep quality. At that time, after struggling for a long time, I bought a latex mattress for $500.

We had split the cost.

When I was moving, I realized that the shipping cost of taking the mattress to Atlanta was quite steep, so I had to regretfully give it up.

But Alice had brought everything over.

The shipping cost adds up to more than the original price.

It can’t possibly be about saving money.

I chuckled as she blushed, but I didn’t expose her.

But, something’s wrong.

If she’s so rich, why did she pretend to be poor in the first place?

Thinking of this, I asked directly.

Alice coughed lightly and explained, “Didn’t I boast to my family that I was not like the other trust fund kids, that I could finish college by working and studying hard, even forcing them to freeze my card? Later, I realized that I was wrong and regretted it too late, so I had to tough it out and work a part-time job. So, you may not believe me, but I was poor back then……”

The phone rang, interrupting our conversation.

I picked it up only to find out that it was Janey calling.

The auto show was over, and the department was going to hold a celebration party. She asked when I was free to arrange a time.

“I’m free these few days, just arrange it according to everyone else’s schedule.”

After getting my answer, Janey swiftly hung up the phone.

That’s when I noticed that the sound of washing vegetables in the kitchen had long stopped and that a head was sneakily peeping out from the doorframe.

Seeing this, I decided to tease her.

“I might have to have dinner with someone else tomorrow…”

Before I could finish, she walked out directly, saying with a smug look on her face, “Now you have to report to me whenever you have a meal with someone, proves that I’m on your mind.”

I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

She was someone who still held me in her heart despite having seen my coldest side; it didn’t make sense to tease her.

On a summer night in Atlanta, I had a hot pot with Alice.

She loved the spicy hot pot but could barely talk through the spice,

And she filled the whole balcony with sunflowers.

Welcoming me into her world.

Janey - Extra Story

My name is Janey, and I feel like I’m being followed.

After work, I went grocery shopping as usual.

But walking on the road, there’s always a strange feeling of being watched behind me.

When I look back, there’s no one to be seen.

What’s happening?

Could it be arranged by the competing company?

Our company has the opportunity to collaborate with the government on a car show, which is not an easy thing.

A few similar-sized competitors have been eager to get involved.

They’ve been creating chaos since the project started.

Tracking, threats, reports, and all sorts of small moves are common.

Now that the car show is less than half a month away, I want to see what they want to do this time.

Thinking of this, I changed my mind.

Didn’t go grocery shopping anymore.

Instead, I changed my route and went to a tea restaurant nearby.

I’ve been to this tea restaurant a few times.

There are no private rooms, the table layout is clear, and it’s all transparent glass, which is convenient for observing the outside.

Sure enough, I had just sat down.

Before long, a person wearing all black and a hat and mask peeked through the glass window into the shop.

She’s a woman, judging from her figure.

Taller than me, with a good figure, but aren’t men usually the ones doing the tracking?

To avoid frightening her, I pretended not to notice her.

I ordered food as usual, giving off the impression of a person resolving dinner alone.

But as time went on, after finishing my meal, I even ordered a pot of tea, while drinking and taking out my notebook, dealing with unfinished work.

Finally, she ran out of patience.

She pushed the door and came in.

The waiter greeted her and asked where she wanted to sit.

But her gaze was always staring at me lightly.

And when she was led by the waiter and passed by me.

I reached out and grabbed her sleeve.

Her body stiffened, but she didn’t dare to look back at me, she just stared at the ground and questioned, “What are you doing?”

I then realized that her voice was soft, she seemed to be quite young.

The nervousness after being caught red-handed was visually obvious.

It’s probably just an intern who has been bamboozled by her boss.

She softened her tone,

“There’s nothing, I just want to share a table with you.”

Of course, she was unhappy, struggling to shake me off.

The waiter who didn’t understand what was happening also interjected, “Madam, there are plenty of seats in the shop now, you two don’t need to share a table.”

“But I felt a connection with this young lady at first sight, I wanted to get to know her.

“And, you’ve been following me for so long, I should know who you are.”

After saying this, the person was stiffened and looked up at me.

After a few seconds.

She directly took off her mask.

Showing a young and pretty face, with thick long eyelashes.

The waiter next to her was stunned, then murmured under her breath, “She must be a celebrity, no wonder she’s so wrapped up.”

But I thought this person looked familiar……

Until the other party calmly sat across from me.

I then remembered where I had seen her.

“You are Andy’s cousin?”

The one called Alice……

The other party had been lowering her head, ordering from the menu.

Heard this, she looked up a bit disgruntled, “I’m not his cousin.”

I frowned, recalling the scene I saw when I arrived at Andy’s house that night.

“So who are you? Why are you following me?”

She didn’t answer, just kept ordering what she wanted.

Waited until the waiter noted down the menu and left, then she spoke.

Staring at me and asking, “Do you like Andy?”

I was taken aback.

“What are you asking this for?”

But at the same time, I was also asking myself, do I like Andy?

The first time I ran into Andy again was in early April when the specific time of the car show had been determined, but because it was the first time the branch company was running such a level of exhibition, they lacked experience.

Because of the interference from competitors, the exhibition plans of several cooperating brands have not been finalized.

The progress took time.

Only then did I report to the New York head office for solutions.

The head office was very efficient and quickly organized an online meeting to impart experience.

I was responsible for the liaison.

The middle and high levels of the branch company were all present.

But I didn’t expect that the speaker on the large screen after the connection was a handsome young boy.

He looked a few years younger than me.

Because the image was severely inconsistent with expectations.

There was a lot of discussion in the meeting room.

I was also a bit puzzled, we had agreed that it would be explained by experienced veterans, how did they suddenly change to a rookie at the last minute?

But even so, the order of the meeting still needs to be maintained.

I was about to speak out and ask everyone to quiet down.

After all, the boy on the opposite side was probably not able to keep the meeting going.

But before I had a chance to speak.

There was a voice on the other side, “Let’s save some time, you guys have too many questions.”

The voice was crisp and cool, and he pulled up the PPT that had been prepared a long time ago.

Not shy at all.

Even facing the Editor’s intentionally difficult questions, he still maintained modesty and politeness, saying, “I don’t understand how this question relates to event planning, but I believe your question should have a deeper meaning.”

Editor blushed, but could not refute.

She was a mean and stingy person.

Everyone had suffered a lot from her.

Seeing the Editor being teased, there was a light laughter in the meeting room.

The subsequent meeting progress was also exceptionally smooth.

And I, also have a bit of admiration for the boy on the other side of the screen.

The online meeting ended.

I disconnected the computer and projection connection, waiting for everyone in the office to leave one by one, also packed up my things, ready to go off work for dinner.

But I didn’t expect that there would suddenly be some noise coming from the computer,

And mixed with some unclear dialogue.

That’s when I remembered that after the meeting, the connection should have been forgotten to cut off.

I have a habit of not shutting down the computer, I just closed the notebook straight away.

Now, I wanted to remind the other side to disconnect.

But I was caught off guard when I heard the speaking voice suddenly clear.

The person should have brought the computer into the bathroom and called a friend.

“Hello, Old Song, I finally finished the meeting!”

“You don’t know, I was tricked by the leader, he’s too lazy to have a meeting, so he threw it to me, and said it was a small meeting with two or three people, turns out a large group of people was on the other side, I was scared to death.”

“Yeah! No way, I’m too pathetic, gotta have a piece of cake as a reward for myself.”

The accent was familiar.

The originally calm and professional boy completely changed his demeanor, his voice lively and clear.

I didn’t want to disturb him, so I just shut down the computer.

But after that, oddly enough, I would always remember that guy who had such a huge gap between when he was in public and when he was alone.

After making mental preparations, I then made a call to a colleague who had been transferred to the head office.

Asked who that boy was.

The colleague was very smart, and after laughing loudly, mercilessly pierced through my slight infatuation.

“Carla, he has a girlfriend, and they have a good relationship.”

Getting this answer.

I felt a bit disappointed, but it was within my expectations.

The world of adults is busy, the requirements that keep changing and the endless meetings are enough to bury that little infatuation under exhaustion.

I almost forgot about him.

At the beginning of May, I received a message from the leader again.

Saying that as the car show was approaching, they were short of hands, and the head office would dispatch an experienced person to assist me in completing the project.

I wanted to refuse outright.

“We’re short-staffed, and we should be able to recruit new people after borrowing from other departments and getting busy for a while. But now that someone is parachuting in, not to mention whether they are adapting to the company’s pace, the top-down integration alone is not an easy task. The leader muttered, “This person originally said he wouldn’t come, he thought Atlanta was too far away, but now he seems to have broken up with his girlfriend and agreed.” Then, I saw the information. The boy on the resume had a decent look, but I was stunned. Also called Andy?”

Standing in the leader’s office, I can’t help thinking of the local accents I heard through the conference software. When I saw his former residence again, I finally remembered that boy who had been buried in the memory of a small city for many years.

At the age of twelve, my parents divorced, and I followed my dad back to my hometown. The small city is idyllic, but it also naturally rejects outsiders. I felt this more clearly. At that age, children who are a bit special are always hard to make friends with. So I often wandered around alone. But one day in the alley, I was targeted by a stray dog. I was so scared that I didn’t dare to go home and almost starved to death.

Then I met him. He saved me and also became the first friend I made. Meeting again after many years. I think it’s amazing and exciting. I couldn’t help but marvel at the cleverness of fate.

I held down my emotions and agreed to the headquarters’ plan to transfer someone over. My boss thought I was making a forced compromise, and solemnly promised not to treat me badly. But I didn’t care at all.

Finally, the day before he arrived. The person who was originally arranged to pick up the plane was Victor. But his cat was going to give birth, and the timing was conflicting. I directly approved his leave and offered to pick him up tomorrow. Victor didn’t expect me to be so swift, quietly told Steven that Carla, who was hanging high above her affairs, had turned her sex. I laughed. Also aware that I was a bit despicable. But, when the feeling of a heartbeat comes, isn’t it really stupid not to try to seize it? I went to the airport and saw him. He seemed to be in low spirits and greeted me politely and awkwardly. I tried to make him laugh. He smiled, his guard melted away a lot, but he still couldn’t recognize me.

Never mind, I’m not in a hurry either. Afterward, he officially joined the company and we became colleagues. The closer I got, the more I realized that he was a shining boy. And every time, when I remember the surprised and blank expression when I gave him candy, I can’t help but raise my lips. Suddenly, my desk was knocked on by someone. I recovered, listening to the person across me repeating her question. “Do you like Andy at all?” “What does it have to do with you?” “Don’t ask, answer me yes or no.” The person opposite was full of energy, with obvious hostility. For some reason, I always feel that I shouldn’t give in at this time, hands crossed to meet her gaze, “What if it is?”

The person opposite gave me an annoyed look and said, “I advise you to give up as soon as possible, he doesn’t like people like you.” This got me laughing, “He doesn’t like people like me, does he like people like you?” “Yes, you guessed it right.” The person on the other side took off her hat and looked at me provocatively. Even as a female, I have to admit she is very beautiful.

I faintly remembered Victor mentioning that Andy was believed to have been deeply hurt by his ex, who cheated on him, and every time Andy brought up the topic, his mood would worsen. I looked at the girl in front of me with a complicated expression and suddenly made a guess, “Are you Andy’s ex?” On hearing this, she refuted a little unhappily, “Temporarily, temporarily ex.” I squinted my eyes, no longer tone gentle, “It’s not quite appropriate to still harass him after breaking up.” “I didn’t mean to harass him.” “So what does it mean to follow me, force me to give up, so he has to forgive you?”

My words probably hit the nail on the head. The person’s eyes were dimming, she bit her lip. After a long time, she finally spoke slowly, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you, I’m just here today to confirm, if he’s really with you.” “If you guys are together, and he likes you, then I want to find out what kind of person you are, if you’re a good person, then I’ll choose to bless you and leave directly.” “And if you’re not together, I have to know what kind of person you are. I’ve wronged him, I want to do everything I can to get him back, so I always need to know my enemy and know myself.”

The person opposite was serious, with a determined look in her eyes. Females are the best at discerning whether the other is lying or not. I’m a little surprised, I didn’t expect her to be so honest, and brave to be honest. And this person doesn’t seem like the type to cheat. Victor’s intelligence is probably wrong.

I asked the army to spy on the situation, “how did you break up?” She raised her head, and her eyes wrote the three words ‘wishful thinking’. After a sip of tea, she counter-questioned, “How did you know Andy’s home address?” The eyes met and both fell silent. I secretly concluded that this girl was very careful, and a tough opponent.

So, it dragged on until the tea restaurant was about to close, and the waiter came over to chase people. Because I couldn’t hear any enemy news from her, I was somewhat disappointed. Suggested tentatively, “Shall we find a place to sit?” “Let’s go.” The person opposite agreed very happily, obviously with the same idea as me.

As I left the tea house. I began to think about where to take her. Atlanta’s nights are never afraid of being late, especially with such a large square nearby. Even if it’s almost noon now, the square is still very lively, with endless food, drink, and fun stalls, and from time to time a cartoon car comes over, with the laughter of children. I was checking Yelp on my phone, but someone came over to greet me. It was a little girl with a publicity flyer, smiling with a mouthful of white teeth.

“Two beauties, our new store is opening, we are now holding a balloon game, following the official account can get darts, and participate in the prizes, do you want to try?” I waved my hand, intending to refuse.

Since the young person introduced it so enthusiastically, I finally took a glance in the direction she pointed at.

Not far away, there was a temporary stage set up.

In the middle were three huge targets, covered with countless tiny colored balloons.

Next to the targets, there was a whole wall of plush toys, set up as rewards.

Many people participated in the activity, and the top row of toys was almost all taken.

The last left on that row was a bright yellow sunflower doll.

I remember that Andy’s WeChat profile picture seems to be this doll.

If I win it and give it to him…

“Where is the QR code, I want to participate.”

While I was still thinking, Alice’s voice sounded from behind.

Feeling alarmed, only one thought left in my mind: I can’t let her get ahead.

I quickly scanned the QR code as well.

We both rushed to collect darts and lined up.

The young girl was a bit dumbfounded, not understanding why the two of us, who weren’t enthusiastic at first, became so eager all of a sudden.

Each person gets ten darts.

You need to hit more than five to get the soft toy; otherwise, you only get a keychain as a souvenir.

Her target and mine are the last remaining sunflower dolls.

I don’t think I’ve thrown darts this seriously in my entire life.

But fortunately, heaven rewards the diligent.

I won the doll ahead of her.

And all the way, Alice stared at the doll in my hand angrily.

“You, an adult, snatched a toy from a child who wanted it. Is it so deserved to win?”

But I’m in a good mood.

“Oh, I’m willing.”

Because of this.

When we sat down for a drink, both of them had a strong will to win, fighting each other fiercely.

And then they both got drunk.

“Miss Jiang, it seems you’re drunk. Maybe you should stop drinking.”

But even though I said this my tolerance isn’t great either. I’m barely holding on, just refusing to give in to her.

“I’m not drunk, it’s just hot here, and my face is a bit red.”

She is still stubborn, standing up and saying she needs to go to the restroom.

Unexpectedly, she was being sneaky. She made a round from the side, approached from my back, and tried to steal the doll I hid under the chair.

Caught stealing, she sheepishly returned to the table.

“Your reaction is very fast.”

I couldn’t help but tease her, “If you can’t win, you try to steal, isn’t that a bit mean?”

With her head down guiltily, her face, already flushed, turned even redder.

“But Andy likes it.”

With these words, she suddenly stood up and banged her hand on the table.

“I’m sorry! It was mean of me. We agreed to a fair competition. I shouldn’t have stolen your toy!”

She was so loud that many people in the bar turned to look.

Such a socially awkward scene happened next, but it was even harder for me to understand.

Because I also stood up and patted her shoulder.

Praised her loudly, “Well said! You may not be as pretty as me, but you have a good character!”

“But I am prettier than you, I am much more good-looking than you, let’s compete.”

“Let’s do it!”

When I woke up the next day, the video I found on my phone was of two women, completely intoxicated, appearing on the screen, struggling to keep their faces as far away from the screen as possible.

“You stand in the front, otherwise my face looks enlarged.”

“No way, your face is already big, doesn’t matter if you stay in the front.”

The passer-by filmed looked entertained.

I collapsed while clutching my messy hair.

Only then did I realize how much drinking could make a mess.

The only saving grace was that we didn’t go completely insane and sent this video to Andy to judge who was more beautiful.

But I still remember on my way home with Alice, she seemed to have cried, deeply intoxicated, but kept repeating.

She said she was sincerely wrong.

She hoped for forgiveness.

Her voice was sincere, and I was somewhat moved.

But I don’t plan to hand over the person I like because of it.

Fair competition is the greatest respect for the opponent.

Therefore, when the exhibition ended.

On the night before the vacation.

I called Andy.

I want to ask him out for a meal.

When the call got through, I was sweating in my palms.

But still tried to stay calm and asked him, “When are you free, can we have a meal together?”

“Sure, I’m free these days.” The person on the phone was happy, but he asked me, “Is it a company celebration banquet, can I bring a friend along?”

I was startled.

In a hurry, I changed my tone and said, “Yes, a celebration banquet, the auto show was a great success, everyone has worked hard, so let’s celebrate together. When we decide on the exact time, I’ll ask Victor to inform you.”

His tone was relaxed, and we chatted for a while.

But in that chat, there was only the friendliness between colleagues, without any trace of affection.

After the call ended.

I stood in the corridor, staring at the small sunflower outside Alice’s door for a long time.

I understood for the first time what it meant to win the game but lose the person.

Couldn’t help but laugh, and then I took out the sunflower doll that I had been carrying in my shopping bag all the way, and placed it next to the flower pot.

Then I went downstairs.

It doesn’t matter, at least there will be no regrets after trying, it would be embarrassing if I didn’t even try.