12"My car is parked in the opposite parking lot."I explained to Nathan, causing him to show a slightly surprised expression. He said, "You really drove here... I thought it was just a joke.""Of course I need to drive here. Otherwise, how can I make her completely mad?"I opened the car door, raised my eyebrows at him, and said, "Get in."I got my driver's license after graduation last year and then bought a nice car with the remuneration.I didn't like to go out, and I was particularly afraid of trouble. I was always worried that I wouldn't be able to find a parking space when I drove out, so I rarely drove.Apart from Julia, Nathan was the first person to sit in the passenger seat of my car.I drove in the direction of my home and stopped in front of the convenience store near my neighborhood. I turned to Nathan and said, "Go and buy something for me."He was slightly stunned. "What do you want?"I turned my head, put my hand into my pocket, and took out an empty cigarett
14Did Monica really like Nathan?I bet since Monica was born, she had always been able to get whatever she wanted.To her, Nathan was a challenge, and I was an obstacle on her way to success.For her, our lives were just an insignificant game.She was always that arrogant.That night, after listening to Nathan's explanation, I was silent for a long time before I looked up at him again."Nathan," I said. "Let me work with you."I want to lure Monica to trick me. By then, I'll use the chance to catch her weakness. I won't let her destroy my life again."My original plan was to let Monica make things difficult for me again with the help of Sophie.As for me, I had secretly contacted a few authors who had a good relationship with me. I planned to report to the website that Sophie, the director, had accepted bribes, forged the list, and suppressed the new authors...I had prepared to abandon the pen name and the works under this name.But Nathan stopped me.My face was clearly
16About a week later, I received a parcel from the city where Nathan was. The sender's name was Nathan.After getting rid of the layers of explosion-proof packaging, I saw what the gift was.It was a miniature moon model, and the texture of the material seemed familiar. I gently stroked its surface and it took me a long time to remember.It was made of the same material as the astronaut Nathan sent in the past.I got up and went to the bedroom. I took out the small astronaut from the drawer and put the two things together. Only then did I realize that the moon model didn't seem to be brand new. The tiny traces left on its body was basically the same as those left on the small astronaut.It was as if they were born to be one.On the spur of the moment, I took a picture of the two things and post it on my social media.Not long after, someone sent me a message. "That moon model has fallen into your hands eventually."The guy who sent the message was called Michael Brown. He was
22When I talked to the editor about the copyright and officially signed the contract, it was almost the end of the year.That morning, I woke up in a daze and picked up a phone call.Then I heard Julia's excited voice come from the other end of the phone. "Jess, watch the morning news, now!""...What?""Watch the morning news. Damn! Nathan is amazing! He is so talented. I can't even believe his existence! Watch it now, Jess!"I sat up in a daze and clicked on the video that Julia just sent me, feeling sleepy.Then I woke up in an instant.It was a short piece of morning news. The general idea was that a graduate student of a famous school would be directly hired as a senior talent because of his breakthrough in technology and tracking algorithm.And this graduate student's name was Nathan Turner.At that moment, I suddenly recalled what Nathan had said before he left my house that afternoon.He said that he would see me soon.Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagine
Author: Ming Che Echo Did you believe in love at first sight? I did. The first time I saw Kevin, I fell in love with him, unconditionally and irrevocably.Humbly and carefully, I had tried my best to meet all of his needs while protecting his pride. All the time I had been enthusiastic and passionate, but our relationship was quite delicate.One day, I was exhausted and decided to give up.At this point when my life was a mess, another man appeared."That's why I appeared in your life," he said.He aroused my desire, I had to admit.He saw through my little game and saw the real me. He knew I was greedy, selfish, and prone to run from my problems. But he held my hand still.From that day on, he never let go of my hand.I kept receiving messages from Kevin, but they no longer meant anything to me.1To my mind, I was good at handling problems and obstacles, emotionally and mentally.While I was with Kevin, I tried my best to work through my negative emotions on my own,
5When I woke up, I received four messages on WhatsApp.I rubbed my eyes, wondering who it could be, and found it was Elliott."Good morning."It came with an emoji of a bear struggling to get up.It had been a long time since anyone said good morning to me."I just woke up," I replied, pretending to be calm.I got out of bed and washed up. As I was chewing the bread I bought last night in a trance, my phone vibrated again.Elliott sent another message. "I almost missed the bus and jogged all the way to the classroom.""Always arrived right on cue, didn't you?" I teased."Yes, and because of that, all the teachers in our department know me. Bad news spreads far and wide."As graduation season was in full swing, most of us were busy with our graduation projects and dissertations. Elliott had to do experiments in an off-campus lab, while I wrote my dissertation in my dorm.I went down to get an ice cream to refresh myself. As was my habit, I took a picture of it. It was a pea
7I was surprised to receive a message from Kevin.He asked me about my job and which city I wanted to live in.I didn't want to reply.The first time I broke up with Kevin was about... three months after we got together.My memory had dimmed.I used to be very honest with him. When he asked me if I was in a relationship, I told him I had been in love once.He was upset and thought it was unfair because it was the first time he had been in a relationship. He hoped the same thing from his girlfriend.I didn't say anything.This topic drove a wedge between us.While we were shopping, he pointed at a light camel-colored dress and asked me to try it on. I shook my head in panic and said that I was too fat for it.Was I fat? I didn't know.My first boyfriend was a control freak. He gaslighted me by frequently telling me that I was fat and that "it was my blessing to be with him".The smile on Kevin's face disappeared instantly. He knew I was thinking of my first boyfriend. "I k
9"Babe, you have perfect skin." Elliott complimented me on the way to the library.I knew I had good skin and long legs, so I chose a mint green shirt, a white pleated skirt, and knee-length socks, which made my legs look straighter.After coming out of the library, Elliott and I started discussing what to do over the holiday.We decided to go to the restaurant we both liked and then spend the afternoon petting the dogs in a special cafe and playing the escape game.I was timid. I had only played the game once. But when he said he wanted to go, I got curious and intrigued enough to agree.The game he chose wasn't very scary. After booking the tickets, he looked at me and said in a gentle tone, "Actually, the game doesn't appeal to me, but playing it with you does."I avoided his gaze and rested my chin on my hand, blinking constantly.Actually, I liked it when he tried to ingratiate himself with me.When I was with Kevin, I suppressed my desires and pretended to be pure in bo