I had an extremely clean-freak boyfriend. His room was always spotless, without a speck of dust. What pained me the most was that he treated me the same way. Fine, fine, fine, if I can’t handle it, I’ll just leave. Goodbye, Your Highness. Today, after being scolded by my boss, I dragged my tired body back to the home I shared with James, working overtime until very late. As soon as I opened the door, James, sitting at his desk, said without changing his expression, “Change your slippers and take a shower.” I took a deep breath. Having just been criticized by my boss, I don’t know if I was upset or what, but tears of frustration fell. Not only did I not change my slippers, but I also carelessly threw my bag down and lay directly on the couch. “James, let’s break up.” James didn’t even look up, directly ignoring my words, “Looks like the couch cover will have to be thrown away tomorrow, and the floor will need to be mopped.” I gritted my teeth and repeated clearly, word by word, “James, let’s break up!” This was the sixth time I had proposed breaking up in half a year. I admit I liked James and was reluctant to leave him, but I really couldn’t take it anymore. It wasn’t just because he was a germaphobe, but because he treated me like I was dirty too. In the year we’d been together, hand-holding could barely be counted, only once. Kissing, hugging, all these things couples should do had never happened, just because James was an extremely clean person who would wash his hands three times after shaking hands with a friend. What’s more annoying was that in the two months we’d lived together, we slept in separate rooms. I couldn’t enter his room, and the first thing to do when coming home was to change slippers and take a shower. Even going to the toilet required thoroughly cleaning it with toilet cleaner first, and repeating the process afterward. Once, I was lazy and only rinsed with water. As a result, James directly replaced the toilet the next day. What a miserable life, what a miserable me! I knew clearly that James didn’t love me. I wasn’t that special person, and I would never be that special person in the future. James finally looked up at me, his almond eyes glancing at me slightly. I couldn’t see the emotion in his eyes, only feeling extraordinarily calm. He said, “Have you thought it through?” My heart suddenly caught. The last time I broke up, James asked the same question. At that time, I ended up softening without any backbone. How could you let go of someone you like so easily? But this time, I didn’t plan to compromise. If he didn’t love me, why did he accept my confession in the first place? If he didn’t want to touch me at all, why did he agree to live together? I didn’t want to continue living like this for another second. Being with James, I lived like a stranger, walking on eggshells for a year. I also wanted to be able to do nothing when I got home, lie on the couch and scroll through my phone, instead of changing slippers, taking a shower, and constantly worrying about dirtying his territory. I wiped away a tear and sat up, “I’ve thought it through.” “I’ll pack my things and move out later.” James frowned, looking at me deeply, and finally didn’t open his mouth to persuade me, “Okay, do you want me to call you a car?” I clutched my chest, took a deep breath, and quietly chanted to myself, “Don’t get angry, don’t get angry, don’t argue with an idiot…” I got up and angrily packed my luggage to leave, obviously in the manner of running away from home. But when I reached the door, the more I thought about it, the more unwilling I felt. Why should I be the only one suffering while James could remain unmoved? No, I had to make him suffer too. I couldn’t bear this pain alone. So I dropped my luggage and walked aggressively towards James at his desk. James rarely showed a hint of confusion, “Lily, what are you trying to do?” But I wouldn’t explain. I directly forced myself on him, grabbing James’s collar and then kissed him. Then I vindictively bit his lip, and not only that, I ran my hands all over his chest. Without giving James a chance to react, I grabbed my luggage and ran off. I could hear James shouting behind me, “Lily Sanders! Have you gone crazy?” That was our first kiss, and also our last kiss. The news of my breakup with James spread quickly, and after moving out of his house, I met with the manager who had wanted to poach me to their company last time. Their company had been cooperating with foreign enterprises for a long time. After discussing the salary and benefits, I bought a plane ticket without hesitation and flew out of this heartbreaking city. In the first week of joining the new company, I secured an opportunity for overseas training and further studies with my previous excellent performance. I admit I wanted to escape. I didn’t want to see James again because I was afraid I would soften again. Sitting on the plane heading abroad, I looked at the few and not-so-intimate photos of James and me in my phone album. Tears fell again, and then I reached out and deleted them all. James, I’ll make you regret not cherishing me properly! Crying and crying, I was afraid of ruining my expensive makeup, so I took out the mirror I carried with me and wiped away my tears… After six months of further studies, I returned to the new company and worked hard for the boss. Gradually… the thoughts of James in my heart lessened. Perhaps this is the power of time. I lazily made a cup of coffee. Footsteps came from behind, but I didn’t turn around. However, the man behind me called out, “Lily, still working overtime?” I turned to look at the newcomer. It was Ryan, a new colleague in our department, also very hardworking. Compared to me back then, he was even more so. When he first came, I teased him, “Did you also just break up?” At that time, he answered me, “Yes.” Perhaps because we were in the same boat, we quickly became close, sometimes going on business trips together, closer than iron brothers. I took a sip of coffee, “Isn’t it obvious?” Ryan laughed, “Be careful, or you might end up with a receding hairline.” I rolled my eyes at him, annoyed, “If you can’t say anything nice, just keep quiet.” After a while, Ryan said again, “There’s a gathering tomorrow night, help me out, will you?” I said straightforwardly, “No.” Ding ding, phone notification: Ryan Young has transferred 5000 to you. I gladly accepted and then looked up at him, “I take back what I just said. Tell me, what help do you need? As long as I can do it, I’ll definitely get it done for you.” Ryan had a slightly mischievous expression, “Pretend to be my girlfriend.” I shamelessly said, “Add another thousand.” Ryan tugged at the corner of his mouth, “Deal.” The next evening, I wore a sexy, figure-hugging red long dress and walked into the gathering place with Ryan. Although my figure wasn’t particularly good, it was above average, and my face wasn’t bad either. Ryan would definitely look good. Ryan enthusiastically greeted his friends and then introduced me. Living up to my professional ethics, I held Ryan’s arm, appearing intimately close. When the crowd dispersed a bit, my peripheral vision paused, and then the smile froze on my face. Not for any other reason, but because I saw a very familiar figure, a figure I had been avoiding for two years but hadn’t forgotten. My gaze followed that man step by step as he walked over. James, a person I would recognize even if he turned to ashes. When Ryan saw James coming, he immediately perked up, “Dr. Quinn, you’re finally here. We’ve been waiting for you for a long time.” “This is my girlfriend, Lily Sanders.” I awkwardly tugged at the corner of my mouth. James’s eyes kept falling on me, and then I heard his deep voice, “Lily Sanders? Your girlfriend?” As soon as these words were spoken, I suddenly felt the air turn cold. It must be an illusion. I swallowed and thought to myself, Lily! What are you afraid of? You’ve already broken up, there’s no relationship anymore! After a round of self-encouragement, I adjusted my state, then put on a smile and reached out my hand, saying, “Hello, Dr. Quinn.” James held his wine glass, hesitating to reach out. I knew he definitely wouldn’t. This severe germaphobe, who would wash his hands three times after shaking hands with others, how could he shake hands with me, especially me, his detestable ex-girlfriend? I vividly remembered that after I forced myself on him, James looked shocked, his neatly ironed white shirt all messed up, with a blood drop from my bite on his lip. It was like a chaste male god had been violated. Thinking about it now, I still felt a little excited? Seeing that James kept looking at me but didn’t reach out, Ryan, to ease the awkwardness, tried to pull my hand back. But the next second, James reached out and shook my hand, “Hello, Lily Sanders.” I was almost afraid James would say, long time no see, my detestable ex-girlfriend. What shocked me more was that James actually shook hands with me! Has this man reformed after two years? I smiled awkwardly, confused, and quickly withdrew my hand, linking arms with Ryan again. Ryan laughed, “I didn’t expect the usually germaphobic Dr. Quinn to actually shake hands voluntarily. You’ve changed quite a bit in a year, at least you seem like a normal person now…” Seemingly realizing his words were a bit inappropriate, Ryan quickly added, embarrassed, “No, no, that’s not what I meant, haha.” James didn’t mind, he didn’t even look at him, but glanced at me and said, “It’s okay, what you said is indeed very accurate.” Me, “Hehe, hehe…” How come I don’t believe it at all. James didn’t chat for long before turning to leave. I was itching with curiosity, and when no one was around, I pulled Ryan close and whispered, “How do you know this Dr. Quinn? I’ve never heard you mention him as a friend before?” Ryan said, “Ah, a year ago I had a car accident and ended up in his emergency room. At that time, he was disgusted with me because my accident wounds had motor oil, my clothes were all sandy, and my sweat smelled bad. I tell you, I had fainted but his attitude woke me up.” “Later I found out he was a severe germaphobe, thought it was quite interesting, and put in a lot of effort to befriend him.” I almost couldn’t hold back my laughter. I asked again, “Then why did he come all the way here to attend your gathering today? Isn’t he very busy?” Ryan looked at me intently, “How do you know he’s very busy?” I was momentarily at a loss for words, then quickly said, “Aren’t all doctors like that? You never know when there might be an emergency patient.” Saying this, I recalled my bitter history. After getting together with James, he was busy every day, so busy that we might not even exchange a few words in a day. Most of the time, I just curled up on the couch watching TV alone. My boyfriend was like a decoration, and yet I still stuck with James for a year. I admire myself for that. Ryan no longer seemed suspicious and said, “Indeed. But recently, he came here on a business trip, apparently for a job transfer. The hospital here has invited him several times, but I guess James probably won’t come to develop his career here.” My heart skipped a beat. Job transfer? Coming here to develop his career? Isn’t this going to be the death of me? Back then, I went to great lengths just to escape from that heartbreaking place where he was, and now James might have the opportunity to develop here? But since they’ve invited him several times and he hasn’t come, it’s probably unlikely. Thinking of this, my heart settled back down. Ryan leaned in mysteriously, “What? You’ve taken a liking to him?” I rolled my eyes at him, “Would you fall for someone who’s not normal?” Ryan thought for a moment and felt it made perfect sense, “Well, I guess anyone who could fall for James would probably have to be a bit of a germaphobe like him.” Me, “?” I feel like I’ve just been insulted. Ryan was called away by other friends to drink and chat, and I didn’t fit into that scene. Just then, having had a bit too much to drink, I wanted to use the restroom. But as soon as I walked out of the banquet hall, I saw a figure leaning on the railing. Dressed in a suit, I suddenly imagined him in a white coat saving lives, while using those beautiful, slender hands to perform surgery and at the same time complaining about how dirty the patient was here and there. I suddenly couldn’t hold back my laughter, then lightened my footsteps, planning to sneak away. I really didn’t know how to face James. But after just two steps, I was stopped by a familiar voice, “Lily Sanders, where are you planning to run off to this time?” I took a deep breath, then calmly turned around, “Oh, if it isn’t Dr. Quinn. I don’t think we’re that familiar, what business is it of yours where I go?” James narrowed his eyes and walked towards me, his aura intimidating. I felt the pressure, “Not familiar? Can’t I care about my ex-girlfriend?” Care, this word actually came out of James’s mouth. I thought he would never care about anyone. I awkwardly forced a smile, “Dr. Quinn, you seem to have forgotten, we’ve already broken up.” James was very tall, a full head and a half taller than me. My eyes at level could only see his chest. Looking at his chest, I was reminded of the scene two years ago when I forced myself on him. Today he was dressed the same, wearing a suit with a white shirt underneath, and a neatly tied bow tie, exuding an aura of restraint. My inner self screamed, Lily Sanders! I knew you couldn’t possibly be that kind of abnormal person, you must have pursued him because you coveted James’s good looks. “Are you Ryan’s girlfriend?” I was stunned, not expecting James to ask such a foolish question. Hadn’t we just introduced this earlier? “Yes.” “Break up with him, and don’t see him again.” I looked up at him in surprise. It was still those almond eyes, but this time, they were no longer calm and unruffled, but filled with anger, even a hint of fury. I got angry, “Are you sick? If you’re sick, go get treatment.” With that, I didn’t want to tangle with him anymore and turned to leave. But the next second, my wrist was gripped by James, and with great force, I was pulled into his arms. James’s deep voice sounded in my ear, “Lily Sanders, you’ve really learned some new tricks in these two years.” Then, after he finished speaking, he actually took the initiative to kiss my earlobe, and then gently bit it. My brain instantly exploded. James must be having some issues today, not only hugging me on his own initiative but also kissing me. “James! Let go of me, what do you mean by this? Do you want me to report you for harassment?” I felt my forehead throbbing, then coughed twice, “I’ve already told you I have a boyfriend.” James suddenly laughed, “Boyfriend? Ryan has already confessed honestly, said you scammed him out of six thousand dollars.” Me, “…” At this moment, another familiar voice called out to me, “Lily…” Ryan walked out from inside, closing the door behind him, “You two know each other, don’t you?” This matter definitely couldn’t be covered up anymore, I had to admit it even if I didn’t want to, “Mm, he’s my… not-so-normal ex-boyfriend.” I originally thought Ryan would be very gossipy and ask about our relationship, but he only looked at James with some hostility, then said, “Was he harassing you just now?” I nodded vigorously, James’s almond eyes narrowed, looking very angry. Ryan pulled me over and said to James, “Although I consider you a friend, James, if you didn’t try to keep Lily two years ago, why are you coming to harass her now?” What he said made a lot of sense, but when I looked up and saw the flash of loss in James’s eyes, my heart involuntarily tightened again. Then, Ryan pulled me away in front of James, not returning to the gathering, but directly taking me to his car. I was lost in thought the whole way, until Ryan called out to me, and I came back to my senses, “Lily, do you still like James?” For some reason, I heard a hint of caution in Ryan’s tone. I paused, not saying anything. I couldn’t answer. The car was very quiet. Finally, I heard Ryan give a bitter laugh, trying to sound relaxed as he said, “I get it. By the way, thanks for pretending to be my girlfriend today. In the future, you won’t be able to scam money out of me anymore. Let me take you home.” I’m not a young girl experiencing her first love. Of course, I knew Ryan’s subtle feelings. So I opened my mouth and said, “I’m sorry.” “No need to trouble you, I’ll take a taxi back myself.” My tone was polite and distant. Ryan watched me get out of the passenger seat but didn’t stop me. The car stayed in front of me for about a minute, and finally drove away. I took a taxi all the way home, sat on the couch and stared blankly for a long time. After two years, I thought I had long since let go, but when I saw James, the high walls I had painstakingly built in my heart crumbled without a fight. Fragile beyond imagination. The more I thought, the more heartbroken I felt. Finally, I channeled my grief into appetite, tearfully ordered fried chicken. At the banquet earlier, I had only drunk alcohol, now I would be lying if I said I wasn’t hungry. As a result, I ate myself into the hospital in the middle of the night, diagnosed with gastritis. I just remembered that in these two years of living alone, I was really comfortable. I could come home and do nothing, lie on the couch and play with my phone, order takeout when hungry, drink beverages when thirsty. It had more or less affected my stomach. In my foggy state, I suddenly heard, during the year I was with James, although he demanded perfection in my personal matters, he would also knock on my door every day to call me for meals. The meals he cooked himself. Only, every time we ate, I would be scolded by him, like, you dropped a grain of rice, can’t you drink soup without spilling it, and so on. It seems his germaphobia was always the most prominent, so prominent that it could make people forget all his other qualities. I had the misfortune of ending up in the hospital, and even worse luck to see James’s familiar face. It was the first time I saw him looking panicked, with a group of doctors in white coats behind him. Then I was pushed away by him, becoming a patient under his care. Enduring the severe pain in my stomach, I asked, “Aren’t you not a doctor here? How come you’re in charge now?” James replied without changing his expression, “I will be in the future.” My heart sank, no longer speaking. At this time, James raised his hand and used his gloved finger to wipe the corner of my mouth. I had a bad feeling, sure enough, James raised an eyebrow, “Fried chicken? Or barbecue?” “Shut up.” A nurse beside me comforted me while saying, “Don’t worry, you might need to have a gastroscopy. Do you want to do it with direct intubation or under general anesthesia? General anesthesia requires a family member’s signature.” I was shocked. I’m the kind of person who fears nothing except injections and surgeries. Just thinking about how I saw others do gastroscopy before, with such a thick tube directly inserted into the throat, I was terrified, “General anesthesia, I want general anesthesia.” The nurse nodded, “Okay, then where’s your family member?” I suddenly remembered that I’m actually an orphan without parents. When I was in high school, my parents died in a car accident. I went to college relying on that little bit of compensation money and scholarships. Where would I have any family members in this world? James looked at me, then said to the nurse, “Go get the consent form, I’m her family member, I’ll sign it.” I looked at James strangely, but the severe abdominal pain prevented me from speaking. With one shot of anesthesia, I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was already lying in a ward, with a nurse checking my IV drip. I swallowed my dry throat and asked, “Nurse, where’s Dr. Quinn?” That nurse was the one who gave me the anesthesia. She looked down at me, “Dr. Quinn has gone back to the hospital over there, he won’t be taking up his position here for a couple of days.” My eyes were dizzy, “He agreed to the transfer?” The nurse nodded with a suppressed smile, “Yes, after all, his family is here, how could he not transfer?” I tugged at the corner of my mouth, denying, “I’m not his family member.” The nurse looked unconvinced, “Then last night…” Me, “Can you expect a not-so-normal person to say normal things?” Nurse, “…” Lying in bed waiting for the anesthesia to wear off, I suddenly remembered that I still had to go to work today. I hurriedly opened my phone, looking at the time displayed on it. 10:30 AM. I dejectedly lay back down, unlocked my phone, about to explain to the manager. But as soon as I opened it, ding ding ding came several messages. It was the manager’s message box, with three messages sent at nine in the morning, “When did you get married?” “You’ve been hiding it deep.”
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