Colin was wearing a suit and a tie. Despite his bony cheeks, he looked dapper and walked in broad strides.Behind him was a meek woman carrying a stack of documents in her hands. She was chatting with him shyly. She looked to be around 18 or 19 years old—the age when one felt fearless. Colin's maturity and dependability attracted women around that age.Colin was expressionless, but he didn't quicken his pace either. He maintained the delicate balance where he was just slightly ahead of her.I didn't know if he saw me or not. But when he turned around, he had this condescending look on his face. The grin he wore was taunting me.Why was he taunting me? Because I made the selfish decision to agree to Felix's nonsensical demand?But I did it for him. Couldn't he see that?I froze on the spot. My heart felt like it had been put through a meat grinder. It hurt.Had he found a new love this soon? Were all his sweet promises empty and fake? I had expected this to happen one day, but I
"Lulu, are you sure you want to compromise?""No, I don't want to. But I don't want to give up either." Thanks to Professor King's and Colin's reminders, I decided to stop playing the hero.People might call me fickle-minded or toxic, but come what may, I would endure it.I was forced to promise Felix that to save him. I told him that as long as he saved his life, I'd stay with him. I didn't specify what we'd do or how long we would be together. Even if we only stayed together for a month, I still delivered my promise, right?Criticize me all they wanted. Felix never took care of me. In fact, I was the one taking care of him."Good." Dad gave a content smile and clasped my hand. "That's my baby girl. When facing adversities, we must think positively. Let's work hard together. There must be a solution.""I know. Thanks, Mom, Dad."I booked them a room in the hotel near my campus. After they settled down, I went back to Felix's place.I was away from him longer than usual today.
"I know you resent me, Lulu. I made a mistake last time. I made an inconsiderate demand because I was too afraid of losing Felix. I'm not going to apologize because I know it won't help. Whether you believe me or not, I want you to know that we don't expect you to sacrifice yourself."That accident took place when you were out buying medicine for Colin. If anything, Colin owes it to Felix, not you. This is a family matter. It doesn't fall on you to solve this problem."I stood up, poised to leave, but I decided to say my piece, "Colin's debt is also my debt. It doesn't matter who's repaying the debt. Let me be frank with you, Aunt Mel. I'm not as selfless as you think. I'm not sacrificing my love and my happiness for Felix."I'm doing this for Colin because I don't want him to be wedged between Felix and me. I don't want him to make a decision that he'll regret. Agreeing to be with Felix is just a temporary solution. I'll find a cure for him. And after that, I'll go back to Colin.
Colin's lips were warm and soft. I lost myself in yet another kiss."I've missed you so much. Did you miss me, my little princes?"Urgh. Did he have to ask that? Did he not have the answer already? I couldn't possibly answer that.Before I exited the car, Colin's broad hand ruffled and messed up my hairstyle. He wore a goofy grin.Why was he so smug? He was still a probational boyfriend. How arrogant of him!After my parents went home, I began designing the murals. After I read the proposal, I realized that it wouldn't be easy to earn this eight million dollars. The workload was unconscionably large, and it came with a tight deadline. To finish everything on time, I had to work overtime.But it was okay. At least I could kill time with it. To save time, after my classes were over, I went to Felix's place to work.Colin allocated one corner of the living room to me and set up a small drawing studio. It had everything—easel, paintbrushes, and watercolor. When I hit a wall, I cou
"Lulu, your drawing has improved so much. It seems like Professor King has given you a lot of useful tips.""I've worked very hard as well. By the way, while Tudor fashion is fascinating in itself, it's still quite dated. I find it hard to imagine the Tudor aesthetics from the readings alone. Besides, we have so many more colors now. Back in those days, they must have only worked with a handful of colors."It's a shame if we can't toy with more colors. Do you think I can mix some modern elements into the murals? I can combine Tudor elements with modernity. After all, the apartment is meant to be inhabited, no?""You're right. Color theories in the present don't apply to antiquities. As to whether you can combine Tudor elements with modernity… Putting the academic value aside, it depends on whether the developers like the idea or not."I suggest you draw several drafts with sharp contrast and show them to Professor King. But…" Colin paused. His tone turned appreciative. "I love the
After we showed George everything we brought, the three of us sat on chairs like criminals waiting for the judge to pronounce their sentence.George took out the papers and looked through them carefully. He also grabbed the imagery and inspected it against a projector. Then, he put everything back on his desk and looked at us.He smiled, amused by our anxiousness. He smirked so brightly. His ruby lips parted like a blossoming red peony.Colin and Felix were both handsome men, but they were attractive in their own ways.Felix was scholarly while Colin was flirty. And George was simply exuberant."So George, can you do it? What's the chance of success?" asked Matthew."It's not a complicated case. If I operate on him, I'll say more than 90%. However, I need to conduct a comprehensive checkup on him before surgery."I almost jumped from my seat and cheered. But Colin pulled me down and continued politely, "Mr. George, what will happen if the 10% occurs?"George glanced at us, surp
Colin could not refuse when I insisted on an answer. After an awkward while, he finally whispered, "I'm happy because my darling Lulu will return to me. I no longer have to worry about agitating Felix. I can finally hold your hand again."I knew this would be his answer, but I still felt shy when he said it. My cheeks reddened out of embarrassment. I instinctively acted coquettish by burying my face into his chest and nuzzling against him.To think that Colin cared about me this much...I even considered filling all the red flowers to end his probation period because of his sweet words.Colin froze immediately, and his body soon heated up. When I noticed that he was about to lower his head and kiss me, I quickly stopped him."Why did you stop me?" Colin's breathing got heavier, and he caressed my neck. His eyes revealed a sense of desire."Felix will be undergoing surgery tomorrow, so we need to rest. We'll have many opportunities to kiss in the future," I whined cutely, causing
"Colin, the surgery was successful, right?""Yes."I was so thrilled that I didn't care about the presence of others. I rushed to hug Colin and exclaimed, "Hurray! It succeeded!"He was worried I would fall, so he hurriedly hugged me back and smiled happily.Mom reminded me to be polite before wiping away her tears and leaning against Dad.Aunt Mel was so pleased that she pulled up Uncle Austin's clothes to wipe her tears. She cried uncontrollably into his shoulder.We may seem back to normal after Felix's car accident, but we were all under pressure. Our heart sank when he couldn't see or walk.Even though we knew what was going on and let things run their course, we felt regretful.After all, Felix had always performed admirably and made his family proud. Now that the surgery was successful, he could finally see again and be the excellent guy he once was.I felt overjoyed for him, Colin, and even myself....Felix was sent to the ward. He slept silently, with his hair shav