On the other end of the phone, Shelly''s mother burst intoughter. "I''ve yed poker with your mother before! I didn''t expect you to run into Shelly here! That''s wonderful!"


    Upon hearing her mother''s words, Shelly suddenly felt a closer connection to Fergus.


    They went to the restaurant he had mentioned.


    Fergus took the initiative to grab the menu and ordered a few signature dishes before passing it to Shelly. "Order whatever you like. I earn a decent sry, so you don''t need to worry about saving money for me."


    Shelly noticed that the dishes he ordered were enough for two people, so she did not order anything else. "Even if you earn a good sry, it''s still important to spend wisely, unless you n on going back to our hometown." Shelly hoped that he would continue to improve his life. "As for me, I don''t n on going back. My goal now is to earn money and settle down here."


    "That''s impressive! You are so young and already a boss running your own shop. You even turned my boss into your customer. That''s amazing," Fergus praised her sincerely.


    "Oh, don''t tease me, Fergus. I''ve just been lucky. The cafe was funded by a friend, and I''m just managing it," Shelly humbly replied.


    "That''s still amazing. Sometimes when I''m exhausted from working overtime, I envy those who are their own bosses," Fergus admitted.


    "You haven''t seen me working at the cafe. Whether you''re an employee or a boss, it''s tiring to do things well," Shelly said. "Take your boss, Mr. Tate, for example. He probably isn''t asidback as he seems." "True. But I rarely see him since he''s at the very top of thispany. I have no idea what he''s busy with every day," Fergus said with resignation, knowing that he could never be as outstanding as Mr. Tate in this lifetime. "Shelly, you don''t have a boyfriend, and I don''t have a girlfriend. We''re both from the same hometown. Why don''t we give dating a try?" Fergus proposed bluntly. "Your mother knows my mother, and when you go back, you can ask your mother about my family''s situation. My parents run a small business in the town, and our family conditions are decent. I also have an older sister who''s already married. I don''t have much going on in life. I had a girlfriend in college, but we broke up after graduation. I haven''t been in a rtionship since then. Now, I''m at the age where I should be considering marriage, but I haven''t met the right person."


    "Because it''s a small town, any woman who is above average isn''t interested in me," Fergus said sincerely, making Shelly feel ufortable to directly reject him.


    "Fergus, you''re handsome, have a


    good job and a high sry. Why don''t you wait a bit longer? Once you buy a house here, it''ll be easier for you to find an exceptional partner," Shelly advised.


    "Are you not interested in me? Is it because I''m not up to your standards?" Fergus felt a bit discouraged.


    "No, no. My situation is more


    to exin it to you. It''s not that you''re not suitable for me. You''re really great, and you shouldn''t underestimate yourself," Shelly exined, her face turning red.Còntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "Your situation?" Fergus did not know what she meant by it. "What do you mean? You''ve just graduated from university, right?"


    "Well... Fergus, since we are from the same hometown, I might as well tell you the truth. I hope you won''t tell others about this." Shelly wanted to turn Fergus down without hurting him, so she could only exin truthfully. "Fergus, I am a mother."


    Fergus was stunned and Shelly immediately poured him a ss of water.


    He snapped out of it and said, "But you aren''t married, right?"


    "No."


    "Oh, okay." Fergus was slightly relieved. "Have you broken up with the father?"


    "Kind of!" Shelly said. "I don''t n on getting married anytime soon. I just want to focus on the cafe."


    "I get it. You were hurt before, so I guess you don''t trust men anymore." Fergus studied her alluring features. "Shelly, I don''t really care that you have a past."


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