8On my birthday, I released Chloe from the blacklist.She sent a series of aggrieved emojis to me. [Honey, why did you blacklist me? Don't you like the story I especially wrote for you?][It's not me. It's the hero who doesn't like it.]Chloe was stunned when she saw the message I had sent to her. She then sent a thumbs-up emoji.[You bold girl! How dare you send the article to Ryan? What did he say?]I somehow recalled the subtle disappointed look on Ryan's face after I plucked up the courage to tell him that I was not the one who wrote the article that night.I told Chloe about it truthfully. [He didn't seem to like it.]I was confident that Ryan was unhappy with reading the article. I guess no one would want to be the object of sexual fantasy of his junior at university.Chloe was studying in another city and wouldn't return for a few months. I had to celebrate my birthday alone.In the afternoon, I exited the cafe where I worked part-time and went straight to the bar ups
10In the second month of the project, Ryan told me that the institute would help him negotiate with a company to provide him with equipment and technical support.In return, once the patent was approved, the company would have priority rights to use it.On the day the company sent people to investigate, Ryan and I arrived at the laboratory early in the morning.While we were commissioning the equipment, a bunch of people walked in.I looked up and froze on the spot.Zoey!!He followed at the back of the group, obviously not in a critical position.He was stunned as well when he saw me.A lady from the company began to introduce the team who came here with her.When it was Zoey's turn, the woman smiled and said, "This is our project assistant, Zoey Stone."I struggled to look calm and nodded to greet Zoey. "Hi, Zoey!"When Ryan saw Zoey, he was clearly in a bad mood.He was a person who always concealed his feelings behind a placid face, but during lunch, he took the initi
1"I'm gonna die in your bed, Karen."His voice had a charming huskiness and sweetness.Noah Miller was born with beautiful eyes. Coupled with his handsome, sexy face, he was able to attract a large number of girls his age and even younger.I was getting dressed. My white shirt was wrinkled and dirty, so I couldn't wear it anymore. I dropped it in the laundry basket and pulled a T-shirt out of the closet."Don't say that." After putting on the T-shirt, I poured myself a shot of whiskey, put some soda in it, and went to the refrigerator to get some ice balls.Noah shouted behind me, "Don't look for them. I put it all in my coke yesterday.""Why didn't you freeze new ones?"I glared back at him, stopped drinking, slammed my glass down on the table, picked up the clothes and trousers he had thrown on the floor, and threw them at him."Just get dressed and go. I have a plan to make, so I don't have time tonight.""Why did you turn your back on me after you slept with me?" Noah sc
4Flirtation like this was at an entry-level for me, and I did not have any mood swings. "I like you, too," I said perfunctorily.I leaned in and gently kissed his Adam's apple.His eyes glittered with upset. Finally, he could not resist the urge and took the lead.The big boy was careless. He gave me a little pain sometimes, but he was really energetic.By the time he had finished it, it was past noon. I went to the bathroom with marks all over my body to take a shower. When I casually put on a night dress, I found he was still sleeping naked on the sofa."Go take a shower. After that, you can leave." I drove him away mercilessly.He looked at me, aggrieved. "I'm hungry."I was at a loss for words."If there's no food at home, having you is not bad."I was speechless.I turned and walked to the kitchen. "I'll get you something to eat, and then you can go."There was some toast left in the fridge, so I made a simple sandwich and handed it to him.He picked at the bread on
6Noah stayed at my place for two days, and on the third day, he had to go back to school for classes.He was reluctant to part and insisted on asking me for a goodbye kiss.I kissed him on the warm cheek and was about to leave when he grabbed me by the chin and French kissed me.When he finally let go of me, he looked me in the eye again, and whispered, "I'll miss you."I sighed in my heart. Against my will, I said, "I'll miss you, too."His eyes lit up. "Really?""Yes."Of course it was fake.He had been incredibly clingy for the last two days, so I'd got a pile of unfinished work waiting to be done when he left.I should have driven him away a long time ago, but when I saw his innocent eyes, I couldn't say anything harsh.Early the next morning, I handed Matt the plan I had worked on all night. He looked down and flipped through two pages before looking up and saying with a smile, "I've always had confidence in your ability to do the job."I pursed my lips and said, "Mr.
8Noah seemed to have sensed my emotions.When I woke up the next morning, he was gone. His schoolbag and computer had disappeared with him, and the spare key I had given him was on the dressing table.I stayed in my empty bedroom in a daze for a while. Then, I calmly heated the toast and went to work.Noah hadn't sent me a single message for three days.That was when the new project started. I was so busy that I soon put all my distracting thoughts behind me. Every day, I stayed in the office to keep an eye on the progress and didn't drive home until late at night.When I got home, it was already 1 a.m.As soon as I walked out of the elevator, I saw Noah leaning against the wall with his head slightly lowered. His hair was a bit long because he hadn't cut it for a while. It hung down and covered his face.Hearing the noise, he turned to look at me. His eyes were red, his face was pale, and he looked aggrieved.I looked him in the eye for a moment in silence, then walked past
10Noah started asking me out a lot.We went to movie theaters, aquariums, and amusement parks and took photos on the merry-go-round. We lined up behind a little girl in a pink princess dress for more than half an hour just to get ice cream.I wanted to say no every time, but every time I saw his sparkling, expectant eyes, I couldn't bear to refuse him."Anyway, it's just an act. It's better to make it more real," I told myself....It didn't take long for me to understand why Barrel said that that night.Valenwich underwent a change of ownership and merged with another company. Barrel took over our big project with Valenwich and became one of the new people in charge from Party A.Noah played a sweet boy and stayed with me. It was not until the morning of the training that he hurried out and met up with the others at school.A few days earlier, Party A said they would send someone in charge to discuss the project face-to-face, so I stayed up for several days to come up with a
12I felt like the softest part of my heart had been ripped open. My fingertips trembled in pain, but I gave a sneer."How dare you pester me since you know what kind of person I am? Do you think I don't know what you did to get me fired just so I could be grateful to you for your offer? If I really get back together with you, aren't you afraid I'll slap your mother in the face and make your family a mess?"I didn't look at Barrel. I closed the door and drove away.Barrel liked me? I didn't think so.He was just upset that when I broke up with him, instead of thinking about him, I ended up with another guy.He was the same as Matt. They besieged me by all means for their interests.I wouldn't admit defeat. How could I?I gritted my teeth on my way home. I casually dropped my handbag on the floor and took out my phone. That was when I realized Noah had called me more than a dozen times and sent me dozens of messages."Karen, can you get back to me when you get this?""Karen, y
15The boy stood at the door and looked over with deep eyes. Light and shadows overlapped, but the bottom of his eyes contained the darkest shade. It was as if his disguise had been peeled off so that he was no longer obedient and innocent.At that moment, he looked like a keen-witted adult who could manage on his own.Jason didn't care about Ryan's presence. He didn't even turn around to look at Ryan. He just stared at me as if he was waiting for an answer.I said in a stern and low voice, "Step aside!""Alright."He shrugged and stood straight. Only a few seconds had passed, but Ryan had walked over. He stood side by side with Jason in front of my desk.They were almost of the same height, but compared with Jason, his body shape was more like a teenager's."Rita, I've concluded my work. We can leave now." Ryan simply ignored Jason and said, "I've booked a restaurant. Now It's just the right time to go there."Jason, who was standing beside Ryan, suddenly laughed and asked, "
13When I was in high school, the Luther Group had too many irons in the fire. Since Henric's father was too busy, it was his mother, Celine, who issued the special scholarship each time.Because of Henric, I was always very nervous in front of her. However, I had to force myself to be calm and polite.Eight years had passed. Looking at her, I felt very calm. My mood was not changing at all."Hello, Madam. I'm Henric's..." I paused for a moment. "Old friend."Probably because of what had happened to the Luther family, she looked much older and thinner than she was eight years ago.Sitting opposite me, she now looked like a kind woman next door.However, when Henric heard what I said, his expression froze on his face."Old friend." Celine chuckled and picked up the teacup in front of her. "Indeed. When I went to your high school to grant scholarships, I often saw you and Henric walking together. You seemed to be very close.""Yes, I'm very grateful to Henric. He did help me a l
11After I sent Ryan to his house, it was already late at night.The young boy was always very clingy.In the house he had newly rented, there was a very big sofa. Under the dim light of the floor lamp, he pestered me to give him a goodbye kiss.I didn't agree, but he kissed me forcibly. He immediately apologized to me before I got angry. "I'm sorry, Rita. I won't do it again."I wasn't able to say what I wanted to say. I could only wave my hand helplessly. "Forget it. I'm leaving."He knew me very well, just like the way I knew him.Over the years, I had been interacting with the people around me. The relationship between me and Jason concerned more about interests and the sense of propriety of adults.Only my relationship with Ryan was different.Perhaps only with him could I sometimes feel pure happiness.I thought Henric was asleep, but when I opened the door, I found that one of the lights in the living room was still on. Under the warm yellow light, there was a faint sw
10Fineview finally decided to cooperate with the Luthers. After we went back, Henric was busy with the business of their company.When I was free, I contacted Ryan and invited him to meet me at a restaurant that we used to frequent.Probably because I hung up the phone in a hurry that day, the boy was not in a good mood when he came. He deliberately wore a straight face sitting opposite me, as if he was saying, "Come and coax me.""It was my fault. I shouldn't have hung up on you that day."I took out a box from my bag and put it in front of him. "I'll compensate you with this. Is it Okay?"Ryan didn't take it. Instead, he looked up at me and said, "Our university asks us to look for chances of internships during the summer vacation. If you want to compensate me, give me a chance to work as an intern in your company."I raised my eyebrows. Before I could answer his question, he had already taken out two pieces of paper from his bag and handed them over. I lowered my head and gl
9When the hot June was over, Ryan called and told me that he had finished the exam.At that time, Henric and I were sitting by the French window. Outside the window was the vast sea. Henric's pupils were light-colored. When the sun was shining, the blue light of the sea was reflected in his pupils, which looked as clear as the spring water.However, as I answered the phone, his clear pupils instantly darkened."Rita, I've finished the exam." Ryan's excited voice sounded on the phone. "Can I see you this evening?"I leaned into Henric's arms and said lazily, "Not today. I'm on vacation."He was silent for a moment. Then he suddenly asked warily, "Who is with you?""Good boy, you should not ask this question."I was playing with the buttons of Henric's shirt now and then. "I'll contact you when I go back."After hanging up the phone, I sat up straight in Henric's arms. I turned around and found that he was still sitting very straight. He did not want to bend down even an inch.
7I had intended to coax Henric, but not long after I got up, Jason called me."My car is waiting for you downstairs." He paused for a moment and said, "There are 20 minutes left for you to wash up. We must arrive at Hampton before 10 o'clock.""Got it."I hung up the phone and put on my clothes. Before I finished washing up, Henric had already heated up the milk and the sandwich. Looking at me, he was sitting at the dining table. It seemed he was asking me to make peace.He had always been cold and arrogant, so it was rare for him to give in. I sighed and walked over. I picked up the glass of milk and drank it all. I bent down and kissed him on the lips. The remaining milk had stained his lips. "There is something urgent in my company. See you this evening."Henric slowly wiped away the liquid with the finger pulp. "I'm also going out today."Although the Luthers had gone bankrupt, I knew he still had to deal with a lot of trivial matters. I nodded and said, "I see. If the Luth
4The moment Ryan sat down beside me, Jason stretched out a hand to him and greeted him with a faint smile. "Nice to meet you! I'm Jason Reed."His name was well-known in the city. Naturally, Ryan had heard of him before.Ryan pursed his lips more tightly, but in the end, he still shook hands with Jason. "I'm Ryan Harris.""You seem to be very young. Are you still a college student?""I'm a sophomore. After all, Rita doesn't like men who are not young."Jason smiled and drank up the wine in his glass. "It's something natural. Young people are obedient and easy to deal with. If I just want to have some fun, I also want to make friends with young girls."Ryan gritted his teeth. He had almost crushed the wine glass in his hand. "Really? It seems that you are quite experienced, so you are not at all innocent."…I rested my chin on my hand. With great interest, I listened to their bickering until Jason's phone rang.He answered the phone. The smile on his lips did not change, but
The night before my ideal lover came back, I told my young boyfriend that I wanted to break up with him.He was about to cry. "I don't want compensation. I just want to stay with you for a while longer."The bank card I handed over was rejected by him. After a moment of silence, I agreed.However, he went further. "You should wear the nightdress which I like best."At midnight, I lit a cigarette. Leaning against the headboard, I looked at him lazily. "What are you looking for?""The piece of clothing you have bought for me. I want to take it away as a souvenir."When he said this, his voice seemed to be shaking a little.I sighed and beckoned him. "Good boy, come here and let me kiss you."In fact, Ryan Harris was very obedient as well as very pure. He was almost the perfect lover that I had taught myself.If Henric Luther hadn't come back, I might be in a relationship with Ryan for a few more years.But there was no other way. Since my true boyfriend had returned, the substi
15The next morning, when I went downstairs, Jacob's Bentley was already parked there.I opened the rear door of the car, got in, and then looked at him without saying a word.We didn't meet each other for two weeks. He seemed to be a little thinner. When he faced me, his usual indifference completely disappeared, only tenderness was left.It seemed like nothing happened and we were not changed.I felt a lump in my throat. So I turned my head and tried my best to say calmly, "Go."We did not speak to each other after.After reaching Jacob's home, I walked alone to the secondary bedroom and started packing my luggage. The familiar scent of pomelo surrounded me, mixed with the faint smell of tobacco. The atmosphere was a little bit charming.For a moment, I almost couldn't help telling Jacob that I still loved him.Although I just lived here for a few months, this house gave me so many memories that I could not help but recall many things as soon as I walked in.The night Jacob