The young lady hired me to help her and the young master have an online romance.

What did you say?

Does that mean I don't want to see you?

Jiang Wan held her phone, her finger hovering over the screen for a long time, unsure of what to type.

She took a deep breath, bit her lip, and hesitated before typing—

Nice Rabbit Squid: [Is there something you need?]

Lie: [Can't I go back if there's nothing wrong?]

The other side quickly retorted with a question.

Jiang Wan carefully considered her words—

Nice Rabbit Squid: [That's not what I meant. I just wanted to ask if you have any plans for returning to China.]

The other side remained silent for a few seconds.

Lie: [I want to see you]

These three words sent a shiver down Jiang Wan's spine.

It wasn't a flutter of the heart.

It is a "death warrant".

Her mind raced, and her fingertips tapped the screen heavily:

Nice Rabbit Squid: [Um... I'm not ready yet]

Lie: [What preparations?]

Nice Rabbit Squid: [Be prepared!]

Nice Rabbit Squid: [Don't let my lively online persona fool you, I'm actually a total timid person. We've only been together for a few days, and I'd be so nervous if we met in person!]

When Jiang Wan typed out the word "nervous," she herself felt that it was a terrible excuse.

Who is Gu Manning?

The eldest daughter of the Gu family.

The club owner is a ruthless guy who hires eight male models to accompany him for drinks.

Do you get nervous when meeting your boyfriend?

But Jiang Wan couldn't think of a better reason.

The message was sent out, and the reply came quickly.

Lie: [Are you nervous?]

Upon hearing those four words, Jiang Wan sensed a faint mockery from the other party.

Shang Shixu clearly thought this reason was also far-fetched.

Jiang Wan took a deep breath to calm herself down.

Don't panic.

Do not panic.

She quickly calmed down and continued to explain:

Nice Rabbit Squid: [Of course I wouldn't be nervous around other people, but you're not just anyone.]

Nice Rabbit Squid: [Honey, it's not that I don't want to see you, I just want to talk to you for a while longer, until I'm mentally prepared, okay?]

After sending this message, Jiang Wan lay back on the bed and held her phone face down to her chest.

She stared at the thin crack in the ceiling, waiting for a reply from the other side.

Boston, Harvard Business School.

The sunlight was just right in the corridor outside the classroom.

Shang Shixu stood by the window, looking at his phone.

My body stiffened when I saw the latest reply.

He could understand her nervousness.

But despite my understanding, I still felt a little disappointed.

Shang Shixu replied—

Lie: [Okay, let's not talk about meeting up yet.]

Haicheng, Zhijiang County.

Jiang Wan breathed a huge sigh of relief upon seeing this sentence.

Thankfully, thanks to her quick wit, she escaped unscathed.

Nice Rabbit Squid: [Thank you for understanding me, love you~]

Nice Rabbit Squid: [I'm going to sleep now, goodnight]

Lie: Goodnight

*

Sunday, the Third People's Hospital.

Spring sunlight, cut through the windows, streamed into the ward, casting two golden rhomboid blocks on the floor.

Zhou Feiyan sat on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs back and forth like a bird about to be released from its cage.

She started packing her things last night.

I put my toothbrush in a bag, stuffed my slippers into my backpack, and held the wilted bouquet of flowers on my bedside table in my hands and smelled it.

"Feiyan, can't you just shut up for a minute?"

Li Zhile leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching her wander around the ward like a headless fly.

"I'm so excited!" Zhou Feiyan put down the flowers in her hand.

"I stayed in the hospital for three days, but it felt like I'd been there for three years."

"I really don't want to smell the disinfectant in this hospital anymore."

Li Zhile shook his head speechlessly, unsure of what to say.

Jiang Wan walked in from the doorway, carrying two bags of fruit.

One bag was for her roommate, and the other bag was for herself.

"The discharge procedures are complete, let's go, you two grandmas."

As the three of them walked out of the ward, Zhou Feiyan bowed to the nurses as they passed the nurses' station.

"Thank you, sisters. I'm sorry to have troubled you these past few days."

The nurses smiled and waved their hands, "No trouble at all, don't come again next time."

Zhou Feiyan was stunned for two seconds before she reacted, and the group burst into laughter.

After leaving the hospital, Jiang Wan called a ride-hailing service.

Zhou Feiyan offered to sit in the passenger seat, while Jiang Wan and Li Zhile sat in the back.

As the car drove along, Zhou Feiyan rolled down the window, took a deep breath, and exclaimed, "Ah—this is the taste of freedom!"

Li Zhile rolled her eyes behind her. "You're being discharged from the hospital, not from prison."

Zhou Feiyan turned to look at her, "You don't understand. Sleeping in the hospital makes me feel like a sickly person, with no energy at all."

After saying that, she shifted her gaze to Jiang Wan, "Wanwan, let me tell you, I'm definitely going to eat lots and lots of delicious food next!"

"The doctor advised you to eat a light diet," Jiang Wan reminded him.

"I know, I know, don't worry, I know my body."

Li Zhile remarked quietly from the side, "What do you know?"

As soon as he finished speaking, all three of them laughed at the same time.

Back in the dormitory, Wang Yurong had already returned from her hometown.

She is packing her luggage.

Hearing the noise, he quickly put down what he was holding, ran to Zhou Feiyan, looked her up and down, and said, "You've lost weight."

Zhou Feiyan touched her face. "Is it that obvious? I weighed myself this morning and I've lost three pounds."

"Three pounds?" Wang Yurong's eyes widened. "I can't lose three pounds even if I starve myself for three days."

"Are you hospitalized or at a weight loss camp?"

Zhou Feiyan said helplessly, "The hospital food is too bland, I have no appetite, how can I not lose weight?"

Li Zhile threw her bag onto the bed. "You'll gain those three pounds back in one meal. Don't cry then."

Zhou Feiyan grinned at her, "Li Zhile, are you just jealous of my success?"

"I'm just reminding you not to get too excited."

Jiang Wan listened to their bickering from the side and took out the local specialties she had brought from home from her bag.

This is braised food made by my mom. She usually sells it at the shop, but sometimes when she wants some, she'll vacuum-seal it in a plastic bag and send it to her at school, just like she does now.

This time, Jiang Wan brought boneless chicken feet, duck necks, and dried tofu from home.

Seeing these, Zhou Feiyan's mouth watered. She reached out to grab the chicken feet, but Jiang Wan slapped her hand. "No."

"You've just been discharged from the hospital, so you can't eat anything with strong flavors."

"I'll only eat one bag—"

"Not even one bag is allowed. You must eat a light diet right now. Once you're better, you can eat whatever you want."

As Jiang Wan spoke, she put the braised food away, placed it in her cabinet, and locked it.

As Zhou Feiyan watched the bags of braised food disappear before her eyes, her expression was like that of a child whose toy had been taken away, her lips pouting so much they could hang oil bottles.

"Jiang Wan, are you a devil?"

Jiang Wan patted her head, "Be good, eat when you're ready."

Faced with her gentle advances, Zhou Feiyan was completely defeated.

The four of them busied themselves for a while, taking showers, changing clothes, and tidying up their things.

When it got dark, the dormitory lights came on.

The four people huddled in their chairs, some playing on their phones, others reading books.

Li Zhile suddenly spoke up, his expression serious, "I have something to tell you."

The three of them stopped what they were doing and all looked at her.

She frowned and said with a stern face:

"I've been scammed."